Back home for a bit

I got back from Disney World this afternoon. We did all the Disney World parks and both Universal and Islands of Adventures. It was really fun. I have pictures up on Facebook.
While I was away, I received lots of important e-mails that I should probably read tomorrow. I also need to find my student ID (Whoops!) and pack (oh yeah...)
My parents and I watched two Rick Steves tv show episodes about Denmark and Copenhagen. They were short and jam packed with information. I may watch them again and take notes.

Snow White asked us where we were from and we said Ohio. Her response: "Oh my, your horses must be very tired!" 

I love my mom

Thank goodness for my mom. I started actually packing clothes this evening and became pretty nervous and anxious. Should I bring this shirt? Should I bring these shoes? Should I bring these dresses? How many socks? Do I need a hat? What if I need my graduation gown? What if someone asks to borrow my trophy from 7th grade? Okay those last two were jokes. My point is just that packing is stressful because there is no way to know what you will need until you're over there. My mom assured me that she can mail me stuff and that this is not the last time I will ever be able to buy clothes for 5 months. I'd rather buy a sweater in Denmark than in Hilliard anyway. My mom also helped teach me how to open a wine bottle with my new bottle cork opener device. A useful skill indeed! Thanks Mom.

Black vs color
So I've heard from multiple sources that the Danes wear all black. Of course I would love to blend in and pretend to be a Dane but I don't think I'll realistically be able to do that. I'm not blonde, I like color, and I have an American accent. My question today was: Should I bring all of my black clothes because everyone wears black? Should I buy more black clothes? I asked my mom and Emily May this question and they both told me to just wear the clothes I like and not worry about wearing black. I like this answer.

I don't do black. 

I like color. 

I'm leaving for Disney World tomorrow. Yay!

Being productive

Last night I made a to-do list for today. It read:
- spend time with horses
- take pictures
- pack for Disney
- clean room

I actually accomplished all of those. I brushed Ginger and gave them their dinner. I went outside and took pictures of the snow. I packed all my clothes for Disney and cleaned my room. It was getting kinda disorganized. I didn't stop by just cleaning my room, I also organized the pantry. I took out all the cans, orgaized them and added labels to the pantry shelves. I'm pretty proud of how organized it looks now.

Now enjoy these lovely pictures I took for you today:

Organized pantry

Phil's-osophy:  Watch a sunset at least once a day.

My current packing for Denmark. 

Our wreath which is very photogenic

I found it amusing how the snow formed an exact point on the bush. 

Neat icicles on the tree

Ginger in the snow

After I brushed her, Ginger was hungry for dinner and did not want me to take pictures with her. She's a diva. But I love her. 

Happy New Year

I'm much more of a TV watcher than a reader so it occurred to me today to search out TV shows about Copenhagen. I bought Samantha Brown's Passport to Europe on Copenhagen from iTunes and watched it. I always love Samantha Brown's shows because they are so down to earth and give you a good sense of the city. I'd encourage you to check out the episode.

Samantha Brown uses public transportation too

 In this episode, I learned that streets called Nytorv and Stroget have really good shopping, the tourist office is very friendly and they have free maps, city bikes are free, there is a Laundromat in Norrebro that doubles as a coffe shop and library, the main part of Copenhagen is called city hall square, and that Tivoli is an old amusement park that has historic roller coasters and 37 restaurants. I think I would really enjoy Tivoli and am excited to go there.

Tivoli: Popular amusement park that opened in 1843

I re-read my host family letter and they live in Espergaerde and are near Elsinore and Lyngby. I plan on looking up all of these names in my travel books so I can learn as much as I can.

I learned from a Youtube video by DIS that there is a website that can help you figure out how to get to where you want to go. It's http://www.rejseplanen.dk/
I used it to figure out my commute.

Using Rejseplanen to figure out my commute

It's crazy that today is the first day of January 2013. The year I go abroad for a semester. Wow.

12/30

I found out who my host family is! Yay! I was really surprised. I wasn't expecting to find out until January 4th. I went on Facebook and saw Miaja's status about finding out who her family is. I texted both of them and I'm glad they like their families.

My family has two daughters, ages 15 and 18, a horse and a dog, and they own a cheese shop!

Lynhjems eftf. Ole Jensen

Now I can rest my nerves because I will be staying with a great family.

Today Dad and I went bowling. I like bowling until I remember how bad I am at it. I think I bowled like a 60. Then Dad got the cars washed, we got Tim Hortons and went to the library. Lots of driving around Hilliard. 

We got the Halter's cows, cats, and chickens then our horses. Mom made the cheddar brocoli soup that Uncle Donald gave us. I spent the evening watching VH1 Top songs of the 90s and 00s while eating chocolate. Oh yeah.  

12/29

I have a headache. I don't know why but ever since we came back from the mall, I've had a throbbing headache.
Here is my schedule for Denmark:
Monday: Strategic Communication 8:30-9:50 Creative Travel Writing 11:40- 1 International Reporting 2:50-4:10
Tuesday: Photojournalism 11:40-1:00 Human Trafficking in a Global Context 1:15- 2:35
Wednesday:
Thursday: Strategic Communication 8:30-9:50  Creative Travel Writing 11:40-1 International Reporting 2:50- 4:10
Friday: Photojournalism 11:40-1:00 Human Trafficking in a Global Context 1:15- 2:35

It's an odd schedule. I have hump day off. That's strange. Most of my classes are in the afternoon. This past semester I had morning classes and I found that to work out better than when I had afternoon classes last year because I would get so sleepy in class. Afternoon = nap time. Just kidding, naps are for babies.

Last night I went and saw Perks of Being a Wallflower with my mom. It sounds like I don't have friends and that's why I saw it with my mom but I do have friends. It's easy to make plans with my mom, she asked if I wanted to see a movie, and she paid. We both really liked the movie. It was much darker than I expected. The day before I saw the movie I bought the book on my ipad for just four bucks. I'm almost done reading it. The book is just as good as the movie. One of the things that I love most about the book is how it is written. It's these short sentences that start with It or I. They aren't long drawn out cryptic sentences. They are simple sentences written at a middle school level. I also like how it's so much more than a high school story. The kids deal with very adult issues and they act like mature adults. I think it's a relatable story, in what the kids go through, a lot of people can relate.

Today we had a clinic at Broad St. It was really busy. This one dog smelled disgusting. That was the most memorable part. The dog that smelled like poop. No seriously. I couldn't breathe, it was so nasty. In the evening after I took a nap (if naps are for babies I'm a baby) we went to the mall. Anyway we returned my boots I bought earlier and a christmas present. We looked and looked for lace up ankle motorcycle boots but no one had them in my size. On our way out we stopped into the Total Comfort store and I saw a pair of boots I really liked. I put them back down but then picked them back up. My mom said that if I would wear them a lot, then she would buy them. I tried them on and I really liked them. Uggs are so soft and comfy. I really wanted them and my parents liked them so they bought them for me. Yay!

I took some acetaminophen and am feeling better. No more headache.

December 27

Today I woke up at 11:30. Watched Cheer Perfection, ate cereal, and drank coffee. Helped put away Christmas decorations.
Concerning Denmark, I did a lot. I ordered my SIM card from PicCell, got my new iPhone 4S, got it setup, and called Chase to tell them I'm going to Denmark. The woman said she always wanted to do study abroad. I didn't know what to say to that so I just chuckled. I learned there will be a 3% foreign exchange rate added to all charges, and for using ATMs a $5 surcharge. In addition, transactions made Monday won't show up until Thursday. Hmmm...maybe I won't use my debit card very much.

I got the iphone 4s to replace my iphone 4 because it can accept the international sim card. I'm still confused about what the sim card does and why i need to unlock my phone. It sounds super sketchy to "unlock" my phone. I need to read up on that online.

My new phone I got today.

I also booked my two adventure tours today. I'm gong on the Bornholm Bike trip in Denmark and the Sweden Canoe and Hiking Trip. Those will be exciting.



I think when I get there, I'll rent a bike for $130 through rentyourbike.com. I learned Copenhagen is the biking capital. Did you know 1 in 3 people ride their bike to work?

Where I've been living all day. 

I still haven't started writing my cover letters for summer internships.

Gifts for Copenhagen

I received these smart touch gloves. 

The really nice coat I asked my grandma to get me for Christmas. 

Pack

List of things to do before I leave:

- contact bank to tell them i'm going abroad
- pack
- buy vitamins
- go to eye doctor
- go to dentist
- pack
- practice skyping with parents
- figure out what to pack
-and more.


picture i found when i did a google image search for packing