hyggeligt.

As I struggle to concisely define my feelings at this moment, I realize hyggeligt-- the Danish word for "cozy," is exactly what I'm fishing for. However, it doesn't translate simply as 'cozy' does in English. It is associated not simply with a momentary feeling of warm snugness, but with a more meaningful sense of well-being, comfort, familiarity.

This sense of comfort and well-being is something I appreciate so much, because once the OMG I'm in another country!!! thing wore off, I felt like a little fish in a HUGE ocean. Four months seemed like a longer and longer time as I was greeted each morning by yet another cold, grey Scandinavian sky. And being abroad is completely different from your expectations of what it will be, no matter what your expectations. For me, I guess I was expecting to have my boarding pass checked, get on the plane and someone would say oh hello! Here's the person you've always wanted to be. This kind European flight attendant would hand me a plate with all these wonderful qualities. Self sufficiency, courage, sense of purpose, practicality, the works. And all just from buying a plane ticket. It was going to be so great! But strong power of will and sense of independence are qualities that do not present themselves to you on a whim. Courage does not make itself known until you are tested. As each day goes by, I realize there are life lessons hidden in the sneakiest places. And I realize that this is not a quest to "find" myself. It is a quest to embrace myself.

Though this weekend was not one filled with Harry Potter-esque tests of courage, it felt cozy, and I think this is just as important. I keep getting little bursts of feelings like, "Okay. I was thrown into this massive choppy ocean, but check it out. I'm swimming, and the water is getting warm." Maybe someone is peeing, I don't know. Wherever this warm current is coming from, I like it.

I realize my transitions could use some work, but on from someone possibly peeing into my ocean to the handball match I went to on Saturday. My host brother Lennart turns ten on Tuesday, so we have been semi-celebrating his birthday for a while. We saw two of the top Danish teams play against one another. Handball is an intense game, the players are always getting knocked, pushed, shoved around and they are always smashing to the ground. My face watching handball is sort of stuck in an eternal wince.

what a goof.

Today was his party, and it was very hyggeligt indeed. The preparations felt something like home. The smoke detector went off twice as Lennart and I were playing wii futball (soccer), and I could hear Anne Marie's usually calm voice a little bit more high pitched than usual. When Jan walked up to the smoke detector and finally took out the battery, he said, "ahh, Anne Marie. Slapper af." (pronounced slappa aye.) Which thanks to my extensive danish vocabulary knowledge, means, "relax." So, cool. Everyone freaks out a little when company comes over.

Wait, which country am I in again? 

 

And as the semi-fail snickerdoodle cookies I'd made sat on the table next to the traditional Odense-area birthday cake Anne Marie had made, I couldn't help but proudly feel like a part of it all.

One thing I loved about this birthday party was the courses. Course one: hot cocoa and a homemade bun. Course two: hot cocoa and cake. Course three: hot cocoa, tea, or coffee and more cake or a cookie.

Break for call of duty with Lennart, his cousin, and the older next door neighbor girl who has been playing handball for seven years (!) and Anne Marie says is "this close" to getting onto a national team.

Course three: Optionally more cake.

Another break to go outside, run around and play futball at the park with the call of duty crew. I was on the winning team! Who saw that coming.  And then once it got to the point where you can no longer control the fluids running out of your nose because you're just too damn cold, we went back inside. Insert lots of funny comments from Lennart and co. here and there, and lots of Danish people making fun of how terrible I am at wii sports and racing games.

So hyggeligt.

This is a Thursday.

Time has been flying. I can't believe its already the 17th of February! A quarter of my time here has officially been chomped. As usual, my mind and body are exhausted from the day's events. But my love for you all will carry me through this blog entry and hopefully you'll enjoy it.

This morning I woke up around seven o'clock. The dreams I have here are absolutely crazy. I still wake up confused about where I am sometimes because so much of what happens in dreamland happens in Brookfield, Galesburg, or Wisconsin for that matter. And then I open my eyes and realize.. oh yeah, Denmark. I get dressed to the cries of delight from Lennart and Anne Marie getting ready in the kitchen, and saunter downstairs to brush my teeth. By seven twenty, everyone is gone and I've got the house to myself to enjoy a nice bowl of muesli. Museli is a blend of different oats, dried fruits, and other fiberous bits and pieces that you eat cold with milk. If you're feeling a little crazy, you can add some corn flakes on top for crunch. After eating, I make my sandwich for the day. Some cheese, cucumber, tomato, and special danish mustard, all crammed between two slices of their famous rye bread. Every morning I almost get tempted to eat a bite of it.. sometimes I do. Then at about seven forty five, I depart to the Hedehusene train station (this is the town I live in. its pronounced hill-who-sen-ah, obviously).

Most days that I take the train, I either head in for class or for my job at the library. Shout out to ed studies suite 301 in Galesburg, the copy machine here is sooo much more boring. It never wants to fight with me! And though the main people I work for are nice, they don't take me to zumba or out to lunch. Rough life, right?

But today is Thursday, and instead of heading into Copenhagen to DIS for class, I get to go to my Child Development Practicum. So after a nice little stroll from the Copenhagen station through the red light district, and passing my fill of sex swings and colored wigs splashed all throughout the windows, I arrive at Saxogarden school, safely tucked into a little niche. I could write pages and pages about this school. The community they have developed among the children is incredible. When you walk upstairs and into the main room, the lights are somewhat dim and a few candles are lit as children are dropped off by their parents. The kids peacefully color, play with legos, or venture to one of the other rooms in the school. This morning I got to play with a bunch of different kids that I don't usually see, because it is a winter holiday and not many of the kindergardeners were there. I keep writing too much about this and then erasing, because I don't want to be long winded. Basically, I got to be a little kid again today. I learned my colors by playing a game with some of the kids, rough housed and got sincerely beat up by others. Little kids here can hold their own like its nobody's business.. during a simple game of ahh I'm gonna get you kids, I got tackled into pillows and as I tickled them, they returned with booty smacks and little fists to the ribs. Things are different here, its much more acceptable to be physical with the kids. Its just how they play. After I was initiated/ accepted by the boys as one of their own, they wanted to play hide and seek with me, which I did all too gladly. Sort of my favorite game ever.

And as usual, the day flew. Soon it was snack time, which features fresh cut up fruit (cut by yours truly), fresh-baked piping hot bread and butter, and today something that I didn't catch the name of-- it was some kind of a yogurt drink and you put in pieces of dried bread like croutons but without the seasoning. SO. GOOD. I know it sounds odd, but it was super delicious.

Ok, fast forward past the fluffly stuff, I know I know. But most important fluff of all, Margaret treated me to a DELICIOUS pastry at St. Peter's shop. I will pay her back soon with love and kisses, and maybe the 11 kroner, too. After this, it was movie time for contemporary european film, which usually leaves me questioning my life and the point of everything once the screening is over at six o'clock. I'm realizing how much the American cinema revolves around sentimental, cutesy plot lines over ones that might make you uncomfortable but definitely leave some important thoughts to resonate. When I got home, I had unfortunately missed dinner because the movie was too long to make it in time, but usually there is something delicious (and meat filled..) waiting to be devoured. Tonight I talked with Anne Marie and Jan about Lennart's upcoming birthday party and the handball match we'll be going to on Saturday! The Koefoed house is all aflutter with excitement.

And now my eyes are droopy and there is a little homework left that I need to do before the morning. I hope you enjoyed my Thursday. Farvel, mine venner!

But wait! These aren't all from today, but since you persevered through this long entry, I should give you some pictures to help set the scene.

the view from my room in the morning. "de moon" is up!

the Hedehusene station.

and this is my favorite sight of all.

After a long day trekking around town, there is nothing like seeing 57 Stenmollen straight ahead, all lit up and cozy, just waiting for you to come home.

I.O.U.

I just wrote what I would consider to be my most thoughful entry yet. Then I got greedy and tried to post a picture too.. backspaced.. and it all disappeared. 

As my host dad Jan would say, "shits happens."

Western Denmark adventures.

Just got back from a trip to the grocery store to buy milk with Lennart.  It is still pretty grey here, but the weather is getting warmer. I'm gonna take this as a sign that winter will be over in maybe a week or so, tops.  

I can hear clinking and shuffling around in the kitchen, so dinner will be served soon, excuse me if this entry is more factual and less flowery.  From Thursday morning to last night (Saturday) I was on a tour with my Children in a Multicultural Context Class of various places around Denmark, Odense, Naestved, and other cute little places along the way.  It was really nice to hang out with the kids from my class and get to know everyone a little better, and also see some interesting school dynamics and giant parrots along the way.

This was during a tour of Vollsmose, an area considered the ghetto of Denmark. Multiculturalism is an issue that is exploding right now in the Danish world of education, politics, and the like.  In describing the student demographic of the multicultural Humlehave Skolen, the headmaster told us that there were children from, "all the wars that America has made."  And when we got to go into the classrooms and meet the children first hand, I talked to three girls from Iran, Iraq and Turkey. They were very sweet kids! But very shy about their English.  

This smiley face is painted on the playground at a large school called Rosengardskolen. The idea is that if a new child doesn't have someone to play with, they stand on the smile and other children that are appointed student leaders watch out to make sure these children are included.

A boy in one of the special needs classrooms that melted my heart. I couldn't help but be jealous of the facilities and materials at the disposal of the special needs and all other school programs, especially at the Rosengardskolen. There are large, open spaces in place of hallways, and a plethora of rooms and programs for children with special needs as small as ADHD. 

After touring the schools, we roamed free in the town of Odense, which is the second largest city in Denmark and the home of Hans Christian Anderson, writer of The Little Mermaid, Ugly Duckling, and many more children's stories.

In place of a well balanced lunch, the group I was with searched long and hard for the perfect pastry shop.

We found it. 

This was a delicious lunch indeed. I don't think I will forget it for as long as I live.

And then we arrived at the Tinderbox. We were given a short recap of a little mermaid, and then laid down in a room while shiny banners flecked light all over and noises of the waves crashing accompanied. If you closed your eyes, you were on the beach.

 And then we got to further our "field work," and played dress up, painted our version of the story, and got to be little kids for a bit.

After a long, hard day of playing dress up at the Tinderbox and other very grueling activities, we ventured to Naestved. The "dinner at a bowling alley," listed on the schedule frightened some of us.  

 Smoked salmon? Filet mignon? America has some catching up to do.

This was an adorable dog waiting outside for his owner in Naestved. I think I may have to devote an upcoming entry entirely to dogs, because they are everywhere. And they are adorable.

Visiting the Vordingborg castle.  All that remained was this tower, and the view from the top was wonderful. Unfortunately, I spent too much time taking pictures of moss that Joy called my attention to, and then my camera died.

But what beautiful moss it was!