THANKSgiving

In the midst of my work overload and the most stressful week of my semester, I find it necessary to take the time out to recognize that tomorrow is Thanksgiving! And I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm thankful...

-for my 44 awesome new friends :)
-getting to travel around Europe for a whole semester, Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, all within 3 months, wow!
-that I'm in Denmark, the happiest country in the world. I don't even mind that it's dark and rainy, I'm halfway across the world, living in a country I never thought I would even visit. It's an experience of a lifetime.
-I'm going home for Christmas. I want to be strong and independent but sometimes you just want your mommy after a semester of living off spaghetti.
-for my best friends <3
-for being bored in Denmark, I have found a new calling, baking!
-this is the first time I've been in another country by myself, and I'm still alive, kudos to me!
-I discovered nutella ^.^
-I'm going to Hong Kong....what more do I need to say?

I guess in short, for all the ups and downs of this year, from anticipating going abroad for a year, to the nervousness and sadness of leaving my friends and family at home, to the exciting arrival in Denmark, to meeting my Globemates, to exploring Europe, to missing home and all my friends, to being happy to be where I am, it's been a crazy year, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hope everyone can take some time to be thankful for everything in your lives. Happy Turkey Day!!

Maybe it IS the happiest country in the world

As most things in Copenhagen, eating out is extremely expensive. I would kill for some Shiki, bogo sushi, that concept doesn't exist here. But today, on rare occasion, I chose to have lunch out with Sora, in an actual restaurant. Besides RizRaz with the Globe group and schwarma and pizza's from fast food shops, I haven't had a real meal out in Copenhagen. It was about time to sit down for a meal in Copenhagen, before I leave in about a month and 13 days...AH! It was just a small cozy cafe in Frederiksberg near CBS. I never venture out there much, but the street is full of nice shops and restaurants. We spotted this one and decided it was worth a try. BEST decision of my day. Starting off with a tasty cappucino, we split a pesto chicken and mushroom pasta and a chicken and bacon club sandwich with a curry mayo sauce topped with a slice of pineapple and pretty much an entire salad. Both were awesome. I have to say, this has been my most delicious meal in Europe, which says a lot, having gone to Barcelona and toured Italy. The total tab, 218 dkk for 2, which rounds to about $44 USD. And for dessert of course I couldn't resist a waffle cone with mint and chocolate scoops. Reminds me of Yogurt Pump in CH, I miss Yopo, but this was a worthy substitute. It's probably for the best that I waited til now to have a meal out, now I may not be able to stay away. This makes me realize how much I love Copenhagen though. Having been to a couple countries nearby, I am glad I ended up here, despite the terrible weather. I mean it DID snow last Wednesday, which was gorgeous. But Copenhagen as a city, the culture and the people, are a hard to beat. I know I have a lot to complain about, the school failing at using a standard schedule for classes, the excessive amount of rye bread, the astronomically high prices of American goods(which greatly hinders my purchase peanut butter and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, each costing about $10 USD) ...but gotta say I love this place. I don't think I could've randomly chosen a better European city to spend 4 months in. It's the littlest things, the lights around Magasin at night, the exhibits in the city square, the sunset on Nyhavn, the walk home through a street full of bakeries and local shops, this city has been amazing to me and I'm proud to call it home, even if it is only for 4 months.

Nutella, Hi Friend :)

Current Status: Nutella + Digestive Crackers are sprawled all over my desk. The addiction is due to extremely high oreo prices...

I have found a couple new addictions lately, funny thing is traveling has not been one of them. I have been enjoying being in Copenhagen and living life here for a change. Lately I've loved baking- oatmeal cookies and apple crisps, ridiculously easy and delicious recipes. I've also been obsessed with Nutella, my European jelly substitute, not because there is no jelly here, it's just that I now discovered how AMAZING Nutella is. I'm pretty sure I had a nutella and peanut butter sandwich everyday last week, it's like a reeses cup in a sandwich :) I've also been in love with fruit since I've gotten here, I've even been eating bananas and tomatoes, foods I rarely choose at home. Also, the "Danish" fast food, a fransk hotdog, basically a really long hot dog in a loaf of french bread. Delicious, eat it at least once a week, I'm not even a big fan of hotdogs, but I am glad I found one Danish food I can enjoy. Rye bread is not one of them. Who knows what's with the change in my food choices, but you eat what you can find that is familiar and learn to improvise with what you have. I miss being able to find all the ingredients I need for baking in the grocery store. I would love to bake a pumpkin pie for the fall, but canned pumpkin is not big here, thus impossible to find.

So as I realize now over half my time in Copenhagen is over...that is insane, I still remember anticipating coming here. I know I will definitely miss this place, though I love home. And it's just nice to be able to live in a completely different place I never expected to put myself. I can definitely appreciate the suttle differences between living here and at home. Even though everyone here speaks English, it's quite interesting to walk around hearing all the Danish and being able to pick apart Danes and tourists. The fashion here is also a lot more interesting, even if it may not be my style. The tight skinny jeans the guys wear to the millions of styles of boots I've seen around town make Copenhagen a fun place to just look around. I realized I had no pictures of activities in Copenhagen from the month of September and most of October, so I'm trying to be more Asian in that aspect. I want to remember this place I called home for a semester, who knows when I will ever be back in Copenhagen again? Can't wait for home in December, but I'm trying to appreciate where I'm at for now...

Barcelona and Oslo Travels

Headed to Berlin in about 4 hours, but I really wanted to share my travel experiences before I am off again. My goal for this year is to travel to 10 different countries. So far I've got Denmark, Spain, and Norway. I will be going to Germany tomorrow(or later today :P) and detouring to Italy before I come back for non-stop classes for a month and a half. That's five, then I am taking a trip to Brussels, Belgium. Hope to go to Sweden. Will be in Hong Kong, and Japan for a study trip. Throw in a hopeful trip to Korea and I've got it made :)

So, highlighting my recent travels, I'll start with Barcelona...AMAZING. I spent 6 days there, and am shocked by how much there was to see and experience. It's a beautiful and eclectic city. The architecture was one of my favorite observations. I traveled with two American girls, Caitlyn and Theresa. We spent a lot of time wandering the city, and I feel like we got a pretty good feel for the overall atmosphere of the city. Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, so they speak Catalonian primarily rather than Spanish like the rest of Spain. It's very unique because they are very prideful of their Catalonian culture and differentiate themselves from other Spaniards. I very much enjoyed learning the history embedded in the city and also the food (which is very dissimilar to Mexican food).

On the free gothic walking tour with an American tour guide, I learned a lot about the history of the buildings around Barcelona. I found history to be a lot more interesting when you are standing in the exact location it took place. The stories really begin to come to life when you see the buildings, monuments, and statues associated with it. I learned about the beginnings of Gaudi's works- a lamp post in Placa Reial, how George Orwell became famous in Barcelona for his book about his experiences in the Spanish Civil War, and the story behind the famous Saint Eulalia.

I feel like I was able to cram a lot of memorable sites and experiences into 6 days. I saw the many famous Gaudi works including Casa Batlio-which I went into, it was a crazy house like no other I'm sure, La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, and the Barcelona Cathedral. I went to the Picasso Museum, which I think was awesome. I loved being able to see him transform as an artist, they displayed his art based on periods within his career from beginning to end. It definitely made me appreciate his later works by seeing his talent through his earlier, more standard art such as portraits and landscapes. I saw a flamenco show live, she was very good and the live music was a great complement. I bought a bag from the Barcelona based store, Desigual- which mean "different", it was a cool store that had clothes and bags with crazy designs that were super colorful. A native Spaniard, a friend of Caitlyn's drove us up to the mountain top where Montserrat, where we experienced an amazing view of Barcelona.

Food was very much a part of experiencing Barcelona. Tapas and sangria are the famous food and drinks of choice. Ham is a very popular dish in Barcelona. On the first night we had a traditional Spanish meal, which includes a lot of ham, potataoes, and eggs. My favorite dish of the trip was the Spanish tortilla, which is egg-based, so very much like an omelet. The coffee and pastries were also delicious. I had a cup of coffee everyday with a different pastry, a great way to start off your day :) Another amazing meal was a fresh seafood dish and paella from shops in La Boqueria Market. They had everything from fresh fruits, to seafood, to meat, to candy in that market. Everytime we went I would get a freshly made fruit smoothie for 1 Euro, the best deal in Spain!

Spain was the first big trip I had taken by myself. I am so glad it was such a positive experience, it has really set the bar for the rest of my travels. I look forward to learning and seeing as much as I have in Barcelona, and really being able to experience the different cultures.

Oslo was not as much of a vacation as Barcelona, rather just seeing Norway and exploring the city of Oslo-the most expensive city in the world, though after living in Copenhagen, the prices were not shocking. Oslo was all about seeing the museums, Viking culture, art, and architecture.

After visiting 3 art museums in Oslo I saw some very famous works, including Degas, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and my personal favorite of his "Madonna." The art museums also had some great landscape works of Norway. My biggest regret is that I missed out on seeing the countryside of Norway because it is gorgeous. I stayed in the city the entire time, but was well occupied with everything to see there. I enjoyed seeing the Oslo Opera House, which is one of the World's Most Amazing Buildings, a must see. It was an awesome building because you could walk up the entire roof and get a view of the entire city. Another great site in Oslo was the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The park was absolutely beautiful and I've never seen so many sculptures of naked people in my life, definitely a common them in Oslo. I thoroughly enjoyed Oslo as a cultural experience, but the trip really showed how you can't fully experience anything in two days.

I am super excited for this upcoming Berlin trip! It'll be my first study trip, so all 45 of the Globe students will be going. And shopping in Italy.....ACK!!! I'm headed to Milan, Venice, Florence and Pisa. I will update you guys on those trips when I get back. Peace for now!

Falling in Love with the City Life

Copenhagen is pretty much my ideal of living the city life. On a regular day you see tiny energy efficient cars zooming by, while the bike lanes are packed with people of all ages, ranging from a guy biking to work in his suit, to the girl biking in heels to class. The city is unlike what you would experience in America. The buildings are not skyscrapers, but they are gorgeous and unique. There is a focus on culture and experience rather than getting as much done in a day as you can. There is less urgency, but work ethic is not sacrificed.

The weather has been exceptionally great since I've been here, which I hear is not the norm. I'm not complaining though, this weather has given me a chance to explore the city. Getting lost here is one of my new favorite hobbies. This city has so much to offer, from luscious green parks, to the colorful boats at the harbor, the wealth of architecture and even the man-made beach is extremely relaxing and calming.

One of the nicest parks I've come across is Frederiksberg Have, one of the largest parks in the area. On pretty days people just lay out and enjoy the weather, have a picnic, or bring their whole family to the park. It's really quite a popular weekend activity. We have definitely taken advantage of the weather and had a picnic there one lazy Sunday.

I've been to a lot of tourist sites this month, but I don't mind. In my opinion, they are tourist sites for a reason, and are worth checking out. Starting about a 20 minute walk from my house I can see the Parliament, which is great building I got to tour, the inside is fit for royalty. Walk to the next street and it is full of shopping (about 4 H&M's along that street alone), if you keep walking to the end of the shopping street, you will see Kongens Nytorv metro station, a lavish hotel, a large Danske Bank, a theatre, and the always bustling arena known as the city center. If you continue toward the water, you will find Nyhavn, the Opera House, the homes of the Royal families, the Marble Church. Nyhavn is one of my favorite areas because of the colorful buildings that line the water full of boats. It's a vibrant city atmosphere in the afternoons and a breath-taking view at night. And along that same waterfront, if you continue walking you find the famous Little Mermaid statue. It's actually quite tiny and hidden for how famous it is.

A little farther out, about a 20 minute metro ride, is a nice man-made beach. I have to say, OBX definitely wins for better beach, hands down. Also, the water was freezing, even when it was relatively warm, appropriate beach weather on land. The water never really gets much deeper than waist height even when you get in pretty far. The best part is you get to swim with tiny jellyfish that are supposedly harmless. Actually it's kinda nerve-racking because you never know which ones might sting.The beach definitely makes me miss the Carolina shores...

Headed to Oslo, Norway for the next 2 days...

A month flies when you don't know where in the world you are...

One month and 8 days later, my first post, I've been a little distracted trying to organize my life. Wow, I can't believe I've been here for so long, it feels like I just got here because there is so much I haven't gotten a chance to see, but then I think back on everything I have seen and it's pretty awesome. I'd love to share everything about Barcelona, my first GLOBE class, and my travel plans, but I guess I should start off by introducing everyone to my new home for the rest of the year.


My plane ride over here was the first time I crossed the Atlantic Ocean. I have to admit, when in the middle of the Atlantic 37,000 feet in the air with 4 hours before hitting land on either side, I got a tad nervous and wondered what the hell I was getting myself into. Of course I knew this year and a half would be exciting and unforgettable, but I don't think I put any serious thought into what I would be seeing and experiencing here.



So just a quick summary for the kids who are geographically challenged (don't worry, I am one of them), I currently reside in one of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark, and am living in the capital, Copenhagen. I will be here until December attending Copenhagen Business School, one of the largest business schools in northern Europe. The school is very modern and internationally friendly, as all of the kids that live in my hall are from different parts of Europe and I meet internationals at school on a daily basis.

CBS is actually in Frederiksburg, but I live in the city of Copenhagen. It's about 3 metro stops away from school, but 15 min walk to the city center where there are many tourist sites, bars, and restaurants. I love living in the city even though it is a tad far from school. Walking home on the cobblestone paths, passing bakeries, gorgeous buildings, and famous landmarks everyday is quite relaxing and unique from being at home.




I live just down the street in the picture. Hammerensgade is the street name. My dorm is really residential housing, with the bottom 2 floors rented to CBS as dorm style housing. In my building are 6 American Globe boys and me, 4 boys on the 2nd floor and 2 boys and me on the first floor. On my floor there are 8 people. We all share 2 bathrooms and a kitchen at the end of the hall. My dorm is one of the farthest from school but because so many of the Americans live here, our dorm has become a prime spot for dinner parties and hanging out. I love where I live, I have my own room, people nearby, and am generally in a great location to the city life.


I regret I do not have pictures that adequately accomodate this post, Asian fail on my part...I will do better in my next post...What have I been doing in Copenhagen?? See you guys next time :)