Svanesøen

  Well the past few days have been rather full of classes and homework, but I have had some time for fun too. On Tuesday night, I went with four of my friends to the new Royal Opera House, opened in 2005 and built with a $500 million dollar donation to the country of Denmark from a grateful wealthy oil magnate. That's one way to show your appreciation... We went to see the ballet Svanesøen, or Swan Lake as we know it in the States. One of the great things about the opera house is the $10 tickets for students. Technically its 'standing' tickets but they let you sit in any empty seat- we got the 9th row! The ballet was absolutely incredible. I've seen ballets at home before, but nothing remotely like this. I don't think it was necessarily the skill of the ballerinas, but something about the choreography, the music, and the way they seemed to be almost effortlessly invoking a swan in every movement, was breathtaking. The end was the best part! Unfortunately, it's a long ballet, and my commute is currently over an hour each way to and from Birkerød because of construction on the train lines. A very nice bus driver dropped me closer to home though! AND, we've been told construction ends on Tuesday, and I will then be biking to the station nearby, shortening my commute by a good 30 minutes at least.

Swan Lake!

  For those of you surprised at my mention of biking, let me say I have become quite proficient. My host dad and sister Maja took me out on a ride my first weekend here- despite it being well over 6 years since I've been on a bike, I survived! And have been biking ever since. I am nowhere near the level of the danes (I write this post on the train, on the way to which I saw a 7 year old biking through traffic in the middle of Copenhagen... I was terrified!) but I can almost signal my intention to turn. By the time I come home I will be biking everywhere!

me on my bike! courtesy of host dad

  On Wednesday, I met with a girl in my Copenhagen class to work on our second project- go to 6 buildings throughout the city, photograph them, and analyze the styles they were built in and what aspects of the building's facade reflects those styles. My teacher is so enthusiastic its hard not to catch on. Our jaunt around Copenhagen reinforced once again how incredibly walkable the city is. The city center is so easy to get around, you can wander quite far without even realizing it! It was also gorgeous yesterday so when I got home I went for a run by my house- past fields of cows, through a small forest, and around some of a gorgeous (but big!) lake. That was breathtaking (literally, probably because I am not anywhere near the 13K-running tendencies of my super-fit host father).
  I ended the day making dinner for my host family- chicken wrapped in bacon with an orange marmalade sauce, and wild rice. Before I let them eat though, I made them all try a small piece of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! While slightly horrified, they all did, and even admitted it was not as revolting as they had expected. Huge triumph for me! They also really enjoyed the dinner I made, going so far as to say I was allowed to make dinner for them any time I wanted. AND, they said I was their favorite American. Bigger triumph than the pb&j, I think. After dinner, my host family always has tea and chocolate upstairs, where they watch tv, chat, and generally relax with each other. I try to join them whenever I can, and they've even introduced me to Numb3rs, a show I never watched in the States but am starting to like quite a lot. I think another episode is on tonight, so vi ses! (see you later in danish)