gLoBe Adventures

If I ever go back to HK...or should I say when

2011-02-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

Today I was in Grand Asia Market trying to get my Asia fix, but it just didn't do. I mean the cup of hot milk tea I craved tasted delicious and the breads were just as pretty as the ones on the shelves at the bakeries of HK...but for some reason it did not feel quite as wonderful. Without the busy streets, city lights, the hustle and fuss for no apparent reason besides that everyone is trying to get somewhere, the satisfaction of taking that first bite into a $.50 egg tart someone felt the need to make as their only source of income, it was not there. I never really understood the whole fuss over city life. But then I come back to lil 'ol Chapel Hill, NC and realize I can't find a cafe to study at that's open past 11pm and I'm immediately daydreaming walking the sleepless streets of Hong Kong where nothing opens til noon but nothing closes until the last customer is dragged home.

Needless to say, I wish I could go back because I value my HK experience now more than I ever did when I was there. And the first thing I would do when I hopped of the plane would be to head straight to...

Food Places!!
-Honeymoon Desserts: order anything with the words mango or sago and you will not regret it. Mango pancakes...o...m...g
-Tim Ho Wan: cheap cheap cheap Michelin starred dimsum
-Mongkok-Taiwanese ice cream, missed this, but heard I missed out
-Tai Po for cheap bakery foods, Tong Kee Bao Dim
-Dai Pai Dong: local local local. You haven't been to HK if you haven't experienced Dai Pai Dong. So down and dirty, but so worth it. The congee, the fried tofu, fried squid, octopus mouth-haha not really, i think but that's the name
-Chungkee Mansion: let some sketchy Indian guys guide you to the back alleys of Chungkee and you will end up finding some great legit Indian food. Haggle if you dare...
-SOHO-great deals different nights of the week, always a great atmosphere full of expats
-EGG tarts!! Hawaiin Bakery? one in LKF
-Australia Dairy Co: best dun dan=chinese egg dessert. I have an unhealthy obsession with eggy desserts
-Yata/City Super for late night sales on sushi
-Sushi One-half price sushi after 10
-Crepes at LKF
-Rice Pizzas in Shatin
-Tsui Wah-the HK McDonalds, aka just as unhealthy but sinfully good and cheap. get all your basics-delivered!
-McDonalds in HK-for the pure attempt of their imitation of America
-KFC-like a million times better than America, no joke, no exaggerations, and dirt cheap.
-Popeye's at the HK airport-just a staple. My one chance to get my western food fix, it always settled me before a good trip.
-MILK TEA-anywhere and everywhere
-Curry Fish Balls
-Little Waffle Egg Cakes

If you ever go to Copenhagen, don't forget to...

2010-08-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Often times you travel to or live in a place, and it's not until you leave that you realize how amazing it was and how many things you didn't do. So here's a list of things that make CPH amazing, affordable, things I wish I did more, and some things I wish I did but never got to...I will be sure to add lists for other countries I visited as well, look out for them :)

COPENHAGEN!!

Food
-Fransk Hotdogs at any Pølser stand, I like the one at Kongens Nytorv, 25 dkk
-Schwarma- the only food you can afford, great late night option, 20-40dkk
- Taco Shop- if you miss Tex-Mex, opened by an American, the meal, 75 dkk, but will fill you up, guaranteed, don’t care who you are.
Nyelandsvej 65, 2000 Frederiksberg, Danmark‎ - 3819 9292‎
-any bakery on Store Kongensgade-cheap deals
-Café Mocador- great lunch place, not too expensive for Denmark standards but good food
-pizza places off Borgergade-deals from 2-4pm i think...
-MJ Coffee-good place to people watch
-Porno Pizza for affordable pizzas, huge sandwiches, late night…
-ice cream shop in Frederiksberg Center, 2nd floor, 15/20 dkk
-bagels from CBS, the order by the kg food at CBS-the cheapest meals you will ever eat in DK
-$5 Burger special if you miss America, can’t remember the name of the restaurant, near Strøget
-Ida Davidson-I hate smørrebrod as much as the next non-Dane, but I have to admit they were pretty amazing here...a michelin rated restaurant, it was a bit of a splurge, 100 dkk for one smørrebrod, but I think it was worth it for some truly Danish food.
on Store Kongensgade

Shopping
-Søstrene Grene- cheap random stuff, for decorations, houseware stuff, things you don’t need but think are cute, just go look around, I never left without buying something.
in Frederiksberg Center by CBS, or on Strøget aka Shopping St
-10 Kroner Store, like a dollar store, by CBS
-IKEA-decently priced food, cheap household items, fun place to play…
-Ginatricot, Vero Moda are actually affordable local brands for clothing

Groceries
-Super Brugsen-usually more expensive but they have weekly specials, I think their quality was better, nicer atmosphere to shop at. Good alcohol deals…
-Aldi-dirt cheap food, obscure brands. Danske Pilsner will be your cheapest/shittiest beer
-Føtex-convenient, near CBS, good for random necessities
-Netto-convenient, open more hours usually, pretty cheap
-Magasin-for “American” peanut butter, meaning not organic. And a lot of imports for those who can’t live without them, or if you are looking for a certain item

Bars
-Wall Street- convenient location, cheap pool, 20dkk beers, lots of IB students go
-Café Retro- nonprofit café, good atmosphere for a chill night of hanging out
-Happy Pig-10dkk shots
-Dakota(not sure the real name)-haha, our go to place b/c it was 18 and up, so the HK kids could get in, there is a cover charge though, but can negotiate with them if you have a big enough group
-Fidels- a little classier, really good cocktails and great bartender, about 65dkk + for a cocktail
9 Dronningens Tvaergade
-Nexus at CBS, go for happy hour, bogo beers
-Sam’s Bar- karaoke
-Ice Bar- expensive, but should try it once, unique experience
-LA Bar, Vega, Scala

Things to Do
-Tivoli- buy a season pass and it gets you into all the concerts, a pretty good deal. Also go for Halloween and Christmas.
-Picnic in Frederiksberg Have- everyone does it, makes you feel like a local :)
-Carlsberg Tour- get 2 free beers
-Nyhavn by night
-Go up the Round Tower for sunset
-Beach-not the best beach in the world, water is cold, but there are jellyfish in the water that don't sting.
-Ice skating at the outdoor rinks during Christmas-bundle up!
-bike ride through the city

Tips for CPH:
-essential clothing items: black leather boots, black scarf, scarves in general, skinny jeans, heavy winter jacket, flats or some sort of non tennis shoe
-we did a lot of dinner parties just to have something to do as a group and its too expensive to eat out
-anticipate depression for the sunless winter days
-bring an umbrella
-don't cross the street when the walking man is not green...
-always carry a bag for groceries
-travel a ton, but make sure you get some time in CPH too, don't let it be a foreign place to you when you leave 4 months later
-just wander around the city, especially during the sunny days, CPH is one of the safest places you will ever go, take advantage of that.

All I can think of for now...feel free to ask questions if you want to know more specifics, I'll add to the list as things return to my memory. Enjoy Copenhagen, it's a beautiful place.

Balance is Key

2010-05-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

(Well after 15 minutes of struggling to figure the button to start a new blog post I've come to the conclusion that a.) I fail at blogging and b.) my Chinese skills are still subpar after spending 5 months in Asia.)

After a week full of frustrations, stress, and complete and utter boredom, I've come to the conclusion that I'm deathly homesick/friendsick, in desperate need of some sort of stability to balance my life.

Home, what do I miss most? The simple things. Walking into a grocery store and picking up exactly what I want exactly where it always has been. Driving, it's not the laziness, though the mountain side hike to class does get a bit exhausting. No, it's really the freedom and control of time and place that I love. In my car I can go anywhere, anytime. And just being able to have a "home" where I have all my stuff, where my things are not temporary. Where I feel like I have a right to be, not stuck in the middle where I'm the mistaken illiterate local.

And friends, I have 44 during this year and a half, in theory. In practice, I have myself. In these months abroad I've learned so much about being independent, and being able to do things by myself, for myself. But I've also learned there's only so much I want to do alone. And there's only so much selfishness I can take before I realize that making other people in my life happy are just as important as doing things for myself. They will never be mutually exclusive. I miss the friends at home who I am perfectly happy spending endless hours with doing and talking about absolutely nothing. There's something special about people choosing to be in your life.

Hong Kong is terrible/great/different/shocking/amazing/polluted/crowded/familiar. How can I sum this place up to say I love it or I hate it? There is no one answer, and my opinion of HK changes with the hour. Because one hour I'm out on the balcony of the IFC 2 tower where Batman was filmed, overlooking the bright lights on the harbor, chilling with my CUHK friends. And after an hour cab ride, I'm back, at I-House, debating whether or not to feed the A/C 1HKD for an hour of coldness or suffer through the heat and humidity. Or when I go get Indian at the Chungking Mansion where I'm taken through a backalley, passed off to 3 different guys leading me to my dinner, which was...delicious. To the 2.5 HKD buns at Tai Po, to the bubble tea and egg tarts galore, to the mediocre canteen meals. So let's just say HK and I have a love hate relationship, much like the rest of the relationships in my life.

And I know I complain now, but one day soon I'm going to miss the excitement of having a life that changes any given hour because here you can be wherever you want to be as whoever you want to be. It's just being a random person in this random place for so long, I have a good grasp of who I do want to be. And I guess I'm just ready to be that person, but it's harder to do a million miles away from home.

Home of Bubble Tea- Taiwan

2010-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

So time is coming to an end in HK, and it seems I haven't done much, but I have! My Asia travels have taken me to very different places: Taiwan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guilin... and Singapore? (Btw, I'm going to be in Singapore for the summer!) Took awhile, but better late than never, my asia travel experiences...

Taiwan-I expected it to be like China, except, I have no idea of what China was like...
Taiwan was my travel first stop in Asia. Spent a week there over CNY break. Traveled mainly with Vma-future roomie and Sora-my unofficial Copenhagen roommate. We lived in Vma's family's apartment, which was an amazing escape from Ihouse, real beds, fresh fruit, cleanliness! Oh the joys of life. But really, her family was amazing during the entire trip, we would have breakfast set up for us every morning and her Uncle took us out to some great places for dinner at night. We pretty much just explored the city at our own pace.

We saw Taipei 101-the tallest building in the world until this past January, when the Burj Khalifa took over that title. It was very different seeing that building there because there were few tall buildings around it. As opposed to in Hong Kong, the tall buildings are everywhere, and the tallest building is not that tall in comparison to everything around it. Taiwan also had some good shopping, street stores, where you don't know the brands, but the stuff it way cheap, and then they also had huge shopping malls. We spent a day exploring Wulai, a small town nearby famous for hotsprings and the aboriginal culture. Got to see waterfalls and explore Taiwanese street food.

Taiwan was an overall great trip, relaxing, got to see a lot of sights. It was a week of culture, food, shopping, and feeling like family. And I blame this trip for my food addiction. I also came to the conclusion, it is not like China at all...but then again, China cannot easily be summed up.

SOHO-HK

2010-04-15T23:30:00.000-07:00

Back from a night of Soho dinner and amazing Hong Kong views. Dinner at Tivo, a quaint little restaurant/bar with dim lighting, comfy seats, a sophisticated atmosphere and great food. After a nice dinner, we head to the top of the LKF Hotel, here sits Azure, one of the top ten recommended rooftop bars you must see. For a night that started out rainy and cold, we had the best luck getting a breathtaking view. The bar was great-classy and chill (minus the randos-like the middle aged couple very openly making out and groping...). Soho is definitely the place for good food and nice atmosphere.

Last weekend I spent my Sunday with Marie(who's pics i'm stealing for this post b/c her camera is way more awesome than mine) in SOHO getting our hair done. Started off with breakfast at Tai Cheong- the home of the the infamous pie crust egg tart. Though it was a good egg tart I can't see it being the best in HK as the reviews say. I would give it a solid 7, assuming 1 is still acceptable. Wandering around and needing a drink, went for a small random shop that sold pantyhose milk tea. It was really good milk tea, so I did a double take of the shop name and realized it was Lan Fong Yuen, one of the top 3 places for milk tea on my HK To Do list. Check!

After my hair was all done, waiting for Marie, I did some exploring around Central and realized about half of my must go to restaurants are located in Central. That area has the perfect mix of city chic-uptown style, low key cozy corners, and classic Hong Kong food stores and markets. If only I had lived here!! Our lunch choice was a the Brunch Club, had to hike up those LKF stairs, but it was well worth it. A tiny restaurant with couches and a magazine wall had an impressive variety on its menu and oh so tempting dessert menu. I had the mushroom risotto with chicken- delicious. The place was a great lunch spot for hanging out with a few friends.

Looking forward to more Soho adventures in my last month!

...FINALLY starting to appreciate HK

2010-03-16T06:34:00.001-07:00

I realize I've been on a two and a half month haitus, time to get out of the slump...
(if you don't want to read my whine fest, skip to the photos, you won't be disappointed!)

When I first landed in Denmark, yes I was exhausted from an 8 hour flight, but I expected to arrive in a dark gloomy foreign place where I knew nobody, completely friendless. Instead, I arrived to a beautiful sunny day, made a few friends also studying at CBS on my flight, and got the most welcoming greetings from all the Globers on our first meeting. I was ecstatic! And I rode that adrenaline rush of excitement and marveled in this new place that exceeded all expectations for the rest of my time in Copenhagen. My down days were balanced out with the up days when I got to travel Europe, host dinners, and explore the city. Hong Kong has been a slightly different story...

I realize now I got off on the wrong foot here. Arriving late, I missed Globe family time where everyone else got introduced to the amazing and exciting Hong Kong. Me, well I arrived around 10pm and settled in around midnight after a slightly longer flight through the North pole. In the place that was supposed to be warm paradise after a cold rainy sunless Copenhagen, turned out was freezing with no indoor heat. Sickness hit the second week I was here, lost my voice, which took me almost two weeks to fully recover. The living situation was slightly less ideal, in a dorm that requires you to climb 101 stairs to get anywhere else on campus, and is on the bottom of the mountain, the opposite bottom of where the train station is located-necessary to get to any part of town worth going to. So long story short, for the past 2 months, other than my marvelous weeklong trip to Taiwan over Chinese New Year, I have been doing little to nothing more than aimlessly bum around Hong Kong. Well, that has changed, since last Thursday, I am officially taking Hong Kong by storm...Get ready to be jealous of the weight I am about to gain from all the amazing food I will be consuming...

Day 1 of Amazing Food Adventures in HK: first stop is the one Michelin star rated Tim Ho Wan dim sum restaurant. This is one of the most affordable Michelin star restaurants you will ever get the pleasure of dining at. But be prepared to wait for one of the 20 seats in the restaurant...wait time for 3 on a Thursday afternoon was about 1.5 to 2 hours. But nobody complains about the wait time, because anyone in line would be happy for you to give up your number and be one seat closer to deliciousness--it will only be your loss. Enough teasing, let's get to the main entree...though every dim sum dish we tried was top quality, you didn't experience Tim Ho Wan if you didn't taste their Crispy Char Siu Bao.

Always fresh, hot, crispy bread on the outside is a perfect match with the sweet saucy BBQ pork inside. Order 2 baskets, you can't get this anywhere else, you'll want more than one.

Other choices I highly recommend: Ma Lai Go- brown sugar sponge cake, Flower Dessert, and Chiu Chow Fun Guo-dumplings.

We leave this restaurant holding our stomachs with a tab of just under 180 HKD~$23 USD.

Now that we are full, let's head to Wan Chai for some world famous egg tarts...I mean when you sell tens of thousands of egg tarts a day, you have to be doing something right, right? Honolulu Coffee Shop. If you love flaky crust egg tarts-over 190 layers to be more exact, this is the place to go. For just 4HKD a piece you can't buy just one, so I bought half a dozen. They are just as good, if not better the next day, I like them cold too. Now pair that with a cup of milk tea...I think I'm starting to get a hang of this whole Hong Kong lifestyle.

Details of "Adventure Dai Pai Dong + Dessert" and "Adventure Fluffier-than-your-pillow Egg Sandwiches" soon to come.

Wrap Up of the Year

2010-01-02T21:29:00.001-08:00

What a crazy year 2009 has been from starting B-school to preparing for and anticipating GLOBE to actually being in Denmark, and then four and a half months gone in a flash...It almost feels like none of it happened because so much has happened. Looking back, I wish I had blogged more, kept tighter accounts of my adventures, but it's also nice to just look back and see how I have changed in this year, mostly how I'm a different person now than the person I was when I first landed in Copenhagen.

In this year I've learned:
-Friends come and go, and then some stay forever. There are people who you meet and instantly bond with, and then never speak to again. There are people you never saw yourself being friends with and suddenly they are your best friends. Relationships change with the wind. Go with the flow or you'll be stuck in regret and disappointment.
-Cooking takes practice, but eventually you stop burning stuff. I went from the girl who couldn't match the right burner to the picture, who microwaves foil, and can't cook rice without a rice cooker to an oatmeal cookie expert who hosts fancy dinner parties every week. Ok, exaggeration, but my cookies and dinners are now edible, so I give myself props.
-I AM Asian. I like pictures, a LOT. They are my way of holding onto memories. It's hard to remember everything that happens in your life. GLOBE is going to be one and a half years of my, knock on wood, long life, so it'll account for 1-2% of my lifetime? That can't be right. There were too many amazing people, memories, experiences, learning opportunities that I want to remember. I want to remember my romantic weekend in Florence, or my Belgian waffle in Brussels, and exactly how my smorrebrod in Copenhagen looked. You can never regret taking too many pictures (but I do apologize for the bombardment on fb).
-In a snowstorm, ALWAYS hop on the next bus to another country. It took four and a half months and a snowstorm to make it to Sweden, the country 30 miles away. Everything close always seems insignificant, but what a waste if I never made it to Sweden. My 7th country, 1. Denmark, 2. Spain, 3. Germany, 4. Italy, 5. Norway, 6. Belgium, 7. Sweden. If I didn't make my goal of 10 countries in a year because I missed the daily bus from Denmark to Sweden I would've regretted it forever.
-Carlsberg is Probably the best beer in the world. Enough said.
-Americans dress like slobs. European fashion didn't mean anything to me until I came home and saw how terrible the average American choses to look in public.
-Americans can get fat anywhere in the world. It's not an America thing, it's an American thing. Where there's a will to eat fatty and sugary foods, there is a way! But seriously, we get what we want, when we want it. That's a good thing and a bad thing I suppose.
-Driving is a luxury I can't live without. Heels are gorgeous but they don't work well with cobblestone. And it feels much colder when you have to walk EVERYWHERE.
-Hi, my name is Jessica, and I am addicted to Facebook. I'm pretty sure you can trace my last 4 and half month journey just by looking through my fb status updates. I like staying updated on other people's lives.

Lastly, discovering new places and adventures is an addictive activity. I don't know if I'll be able to sit still ever again. I can't wait to go see and learn more in the coming months in HK. Keep you posted ;)

THANKSgiving

2009-11-25T05:39:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

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 :)

2009-10-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

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

2009-09-28T04:07:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

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 :)