Min Danske Fødselsdag!

I’ve been meaning all week to sit down and write this, but like always I kept on getting distracted.

Last Friday was “my Danish birthday” (that’s what the title of this post says.) Getting to turn seventeen abroad was really special, and it really was an amazing birthday. Friday morning my host mom came into my room bright and early and woke me up with breakfast in bed (how sweet is that?) and she gave me my gifts. My big gift was tickets to go see Mamma Mia, which I was soooo excited about, because I’ve wanted to see it since I heard it was coming to Denmark. It’s my favorite musical, and I thought it would be really cool to get to see it in Danish.

Friday evening Charlotte and I went for dinner and then went to see Mamma Mia. It was really really good, and I was so excited because I understood almost the entire thing. I’m finally at the point now where I really have a good understanding of Danish, which is awesome, but it just sucks that it’s happening so close to the end of the year.

Because we live right in Copenhagen, we take our bikes everywhere, and it was really cool to bike home after the show, and see the city from a whole different view. I didn’t realize how little you really see when you are driving, but getting to bike through Copenhagen at night was gorgeous, and it was one of those, ‘I’m so lucky to be here,’ moments. And then I got to end off the night talking to my family, which is always really nice.

Saturday morning I met Claude in Nørreport and we were going to take the metro to the airport to meet Emily who was coming back from her class trip to New York, but we were running late and ended up missing her, so pretty much we just went to the airport, contemplated buying $10 starbucks, decided against it, then went home.

Saturday night I was having a birthday dinner, so after I got back from the airport, Charlotte and I went grocery shopping. All of the food I made was American food, so shopping was a bit tough. It gets frustrating shopping in a foreign store for American food. Stuff that we think is normal in Canada is near impossible to find here.

The night went really well. There was five of us in total, me, Emily, Claude, Laura and Simone, and it was a really cozy night. We made fettuccine alfredo, caesar salad and garlic bread and just sat around and talked and then my host mom made me a homemade danish lagkage, which was so nice. (Lagkage is a danish layer cake.) After dinner and cake we went into the city and met up with some of Simone’s friends and it was just a really nice night and such a great way to spend my birthday.

(Simone, me, Emily, Claude and Laura)

(Lagkage!)

Sunday was Rotex, which is when all of the inbounds and outbounds in my district meet up for some sort of event. This time it was a food day, where all of the inbounds brought food from their home countries and all of the outbounds brought food from their host countries. I love rotex and catching up with people who I don’t get to see a lot. Exchange students really do have this special like, bond, and whenever we’re together it just feels so natural, like it does with people back home. I know I say it a lot, but I’m so lucky to have the other exchange students.

(Me, Nova and Chelsea at Rotex)

This week was pretty quiet. I’m all settled in now with Charlotte and I am really happy here. It still hasn’t totally hit me that this is my last family. It makes my stomach twist to think of how fast this year has gone. Here are some pictures of where I’m living right now. It’s so beyond amazing.

(My street!)

(The view from the end of the street)

(This is what I see everyday on my way to school)

Wednesday at Rotary my Rotary club sang happy birthday to me in Danish, and they gave me a really nice gift, a big book of H. C. Anderson stories in Danish, with the audio version on a CD too. It was exactly what I wanted, so I was really excited. And I feel like every week when I get up to talk, my danish gets better and better. And one of the rotarians came up to me after and told me that they all love me, which made me really really happy. I really do have the most amazing club.

Friday after school I went home with Chelsea and we made lagkage! (You can never have enough of that stuff.) We didn’t have any particular reason to bake one, but it was more just to celebrate being here, and having made it through the cold, hard winter and everything.

(Our fantastic lagkage!)

And then last night Chelsea, Claude and I slept over at Emily’s. I love just having nights in sometimes. Obviously I love going into the city, but sometimes you just need a chill night.

I love how busy I am now, I finally have really found my place here, and it seems like my calendar is full from now until pretty much when I go home. This is the shitty part about exchange, it takes so long to really get the hang of things and feel at home and just when you’re like, ‘Yeah, I can see myself living here,’ it’s time to go.

This year has been such a roller coaster, but sitting here and thinking back on it all, I wouldn’t change anything. (Except school, that I would gladly change in a heartbeat. It’s really sad that I never found a place in my class. It’s embarrassing and frustrating not having Danish friends, and I really really want to be friend with the girls in my class) But overall, I’m really happy with where I sit right now, and although it hasn’t always been easy, the hard stuff has really made me appreciate how great things are going now, and I just hope it keeps up.

It’s 11.34 and I’m falling asleep, so this is where I’m going to bid you farewell.

Kærlig fra Danmark,

Andrea