Hygge Happenings with Haley

Soooo two Mondays ago I decided to rent a bike….so naturally I left it with the shop owner for a week. It most certainly had nothing to do with the fact that it’s been raining non stop, bikes aren’t skirt friendly, and making a left turns are like swim test set days (unwanted/upsetting/mean). However, in the land of the Danish, I’ve been told its best to do as they do.

Picture this: you’re the new guy on the team and today’s the big day…coach has decided to put you in… against their best player…you know you’re not ready, he knows your not ready, and your opponent certainly knows you’re not ready. Your coach has pumped you up, but that false confidence begins to fade the second you fumble to put your feet on the peddles. The biking light has just turned green and you can feel the tension behind you as ultra fit danish mothers whiz past you with their babies in tow. Now you’re on a hill, trying to switch your bike gears–because perhaps you’re not used to this biking thing…your legs are burning. Somehow everyone else’s bikes appear to be flying up the hill…here comes the left turn. Your training has lead you to this moment, what will you do? To your right: Cars, to your left: more cars, look back: a flood of bikes, look forward the light is turning yellow. You’re feet freeze and you begin to ask yourself: Is it really necessary to take that left turn? After all there will be plenty more in the future. With your head held high, you hop down from your bike and walk it like a dog across the street. If it wasn’t obvious before….your cover is blown…tourist is written all over your face. Don’t worry you have two great choices: try again tomorrow (you have three months left in Denmark) or just skip the stress and revert back to taking the metro! [if you’re curious how the natives arm themselves for battle give this video a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2jZHSE4dU]

The rest of this week flew by! Wednesday, Erin, a few new friends, and I went castle hopping. We began our travels with Amalienborg–the home of the Danish Royal family in the winter season! This palace was built in the rococo style (“Late Baroque” architecture which incorporates ornate furniture, gilded wall paper, extravagant floor to ceiling paintings and often subtle inspiration from Chinese figures and pagodas). This complex is made up of four palaces which were originally owned by four families of nobles. After the fire of 1794, the Royal family rebuilt this palace and moved in. It received its name from Queen Sophie Amalia (who was married to King Frederick III). Each of these palaces are now named after a different Danish King (Christian VII–now open to the public; Christian VIII–now houses other royal members; Frederick VIII–now residence of Crown Prince Frederick; Christian IX–now home to Queen Margrethe). We also were able to see the changing of the guard (Kongevagt). Fun Fact: most guards are present during A King’s Watch (Queen is home), a bit fewer are present during A Lieutenant Watch (Crown Prince/royal siblings home), and the fewest are present during A Palace Watch (no royalty is home).

Next, we met up with my friend Emily (from Tulane) and we grabbed smoothies and wandered to the Little Mermaid Statue–its MUCH smaller than you would expect– and Kastellet the Military Fortress–which has a star shaped moat!

Military Base

The (very) Little Mermaid

Erin, Emily, and I

I finished the day with a tour of Rosenborg Castle (my favorite castle I’ve seen in Denmark so far!) This beautiful place was built in 1606 in the Flemish (Dutch speaking people from Belgium) Renaissance style. It houses the Royal Collections of swords, porcelain plates/sculptures, wine, and the Royal Crown JEWELS! Its winding stone stair cases, long halls, grand statues, and breathtaking gardens were nothing short of a fairytale.

To wrap up the week, I attended my first Danish Birthday Party! My host family invited me over for their daughter’s 19th birthday! So naturally, I chose to bring a small wheel of cheese to liven up the celebration. When I arrived, I was greeted by a long string of aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and friends of the family! Everyone was very eager to hear about my first three weeks in Copenhagen. They consoled me about my biking fears, and they excitedly described the classic foods which we were going to eat at the celebration. Among these included my host dad’s famous Danish meat balls, pesto potatoes, humus, feta/tomato/olive salad, cheese, and a large assortment of pork dishes (very danish)!

Dream cake *top left

The food was delicious! During dinner, I chatted with a friend of the family, Alberta. We talked about Danish and America foods and traditions, and she mentioned that she didn’t understand why we ate macaroni and cheese. She exclaimed in horror “the macaroni is literally swimming in cheese.” I had never thought about that before, but this description really made me crave the cheesy dish all the more. The night concluded with a sampling of the traditional Danish “Dream Cake” (gluten free cake topped with brown sugar, buttered toasted coconut), and an assortment of ice cream.

Stay tuned! Next week, I will travel with my core class to the North of Denmark for a study tour of the Danish Medical System.

And RUN we must certainly did…last Friday was quite the adventure! Word of advise, figure out where you are going before you start trying to go there. Particularly, when there is a bus which will leave with or without you on it! (thanks Flixbus) As responsible college students, we (Erin, Caylee, Hannah, and I) decided to traverse on a “trial” trip to Oslo, Norway. With bigger trips on the horizon, we thought it might be a good way to practice the whole “traveling to a foreign country on our own thing.”

9:30 PM rolled around quicker than anyone anticipated. With my phone on the blink–unlock your phones before you travel to Europe:) I found my way to Kobenhavn Central Station…and then proceeded to flownder around for clues as to where the Flixbus would depart from. After minutes of confusion, I did the only logically thing… turned on my data and asked (begged) Erin to send her google location! When all four of us (finally) found each other, we overheard that the Flixbus was around the corner–in retrospect I wish we hadn’t heard. Moments after rushing to the location, our eyes caught the neon green Flixbus pulling away from the curb and driving swiftly toward our prior location. With in seconds, Erin had broken into a sprint (sizable travel backpack in tow), followed closely behind by yours truly. Safe to say, it was a close call…we made it on the bus (with 15 minutes to spare). The bus to Oslo is no walk in the park (9 hours, overnight, seat shifting, shifting, and more shifting), the morning came and we were excited (to get off the bus) to explore the city!

We headed for the trains and took the T-bane line down to Sognsvanns for an early morning hike around a Nordic lake before the city of Oslo woke up. This hike was a must, great way to stretch our legs (backs, necks) as well as experience the natural beauty of Norway.

Caylee, Hannah, Me, Erin

Upon returning to the city, we stopped at a local coffee shop to fuel up. To my surprise, they had a wide variety of gluten free options including a hearty, homemade loaf of dried fruit and nut bread. Then, we visited the Royal Palace, Oslo Cathedral, the National Museum of Art, Architecture, and Design (The Scream, A Self Portrait by Van Gogh), and the place where Nobel Peace prizes are awarded.

The Royal Palace

Oslo Cathedral

A Self Portrait by Van Gogh

The Scream

Oslo Radhus 1: Hosts Nobel Peace Prize

Along the way, we were on the look out for a new addition to Caylee’s mom’s nativity collection, local art for Erin, and of course classic Nordic cheese for me! The highlight of my day was discovering the scrumptious, caramelized cheese, simply known as “brown cheese.” This moment came when Erin made it her mission to march us to the most delicious [hole in the wall] one man (Harald) operation…Haralds Vaffels! Each of us ordered the Norway inspired waffle: handmade gluten free waffles…Harald was the real MVP!  topped with raspberry jam, sour cream, and of course(!!!) caramelized (brown) cheese. It was mouthwatering, savory/sweet/salty all in one bight. It was safe to say moments after taking a bight, three out of the four of us made a break for the local store to purchase a hunk of this life changing cheese (for more details check out the cheese of the week page:)

We then made our way to the Opera house where we proceeded to experience beautiful panoramic views of the city, harbor, and countryside. On our way to the boat we passed a street market, where we all bought something special for the road (for Calyee and Hannah this meant fruit infused honey, for Erin it was art, and for me it was a handmade deer headed–Nordic symbol– cheese slicer)

The boat back was one of the best parts of the trip. Wind in our hair and smiles on our faces, we set up shop at the top of the boat where we could see endless water and islands with colorful houses. We also saw the Fiords (steep cliffs created by glaciers during the Ice Age).

The Fjord

And thats a… Vaffel!

Saturday: I plunged into this week (literally) with my decision to jump off of a 5 meter high diving board. Ohhh and did I mention, the moment we changed into our bathing suits to jump, the sky decided to gift us with buckets of rain. Despite the weather, all in attendance enjoyed themselves immensely! Following this, Erin stayed for dinner (delicious homemade stir fry a la moi:), and we excitedly began planning for our travel week to Italy!

Sunday: Today, my roommate (Rachel), her friend Kali, and I decided to explore the classic danish canal district of Nyhavn (think colorful houses/boats/live music/delicious food!). This adventure included being serenaded with folk music by three elderly gentlemen, a yummy chunk of handmade vanilla salted fudge (a danish classic), and an unbelievable number of panoramic canal views. Following this, I met up with Erin to attend Church at St. Anne’s in Amager. Along the way, I met Emily, another resident in our Kelligium! At mass, I was shocked to see the Poland’s famous Black Madonna Icon sitting up at the front of the church. As I was later informed, (thanks mom:) this chance sighting of the icon was a rare and special occurrence!

Handmade Danish Fudge

Nyhavn with Rachel (roommate) and Kali

Monday: Beginning with a blind taste test, this day did not disappoint! In the span of a little over an hour, I had the experience of tasting a number of classic nordic foods: pickled herring with curry sauce, poached salmon with dill, butter milk, cheesy chips, black licorice, and liver pate. Blind fold in place, we experienced first hand the excitement (fear) of relying on our other senses to take in a number of foreign flavors. This class was followed by a lecture in MRI imaging, and a class in Neuropsychology on using model’s as a frame work for methodically analyzing medical cases. This day concluded with a great conversation with my friend Madi (who happens to be from San diego)!

Tuesday: What a great day! Today, I had my first lesson in Healthcare Strategies for at Risk Populations. I was on the waiting list for 6 months for this course! In class, I participated in a discussion of harm reduction (a new tactic minimizing consequences of intravenous drug users, HIV patients, the homeless, and the sexually abused). Then, I had a wonderful lunch with Erin by St. Peter’s church. The day concluded with my first real hospital lecture at Glostrop Medical Center. This lesson included instructions for how to conduct a general exam physical exam!! Our professor stressed the concept of being systematic when conducting these exams (because we all know when you ask someone about an ailment, there’s no telling where the conversation can go). Today reinforced the idea that Doctors must ask good questions and listen patiently in order to diagnose and treat their patients!

Wednesday: As a spur of the moment decision, I chose to meet up with two of my friends (Emily and AJ, both attend the College of Wooster) at the Meat Packing district [in Vesterbro]. We went to the special coffee house (Prolog) that AJ had been raving about. Apparently, it was one of the few places to have single source Ethiopian coffee–basically everything grown in the same region. This meant little to me…however, I had one of the most delicious dark chocolate chip brewed hot chocolates of my life! It was unbelievably creamy which complemented the rich dark chocolate roast (not overly sweet). After this, we made our way to the cheese store to pick up my cheese of the week! The shop owner recommended a mild cheese of the Gormsen guld (a danish family favorite). It was of a similar consistency to Jarlsberg, but it had a bight to it. YUM! After this, I received a short education in types of whisky and fountain pens (thanks AJ).

Emily and I enjoying our hot coco

Lesson (Bourbon-made from US using corn, Scotch-from Scotland)

I then made my way to Norroport for my independent study. This week, our Anthropology of food class is exploring the concept of an open sandwich. So naturally, it is our duty to try a few at a local restaurant. My group was sent to Aamen, which I soon found out was Michelin star rated! [earning a Michelin star means joining a selective list of prestigious restaurants around the world in the Red Guide constructed by one of the oldest European hotels] While there, I had a life changing assorted cheese and jam version of an open sandwich (blue cheese with sweet apricot jam, sharp red cheese with raspberry, cherry jam, and havarti cheese with apple jam) served with a dark piece of (classic danish) rye bread. I also enjoyed a sandwich with mini citrus shrimp under a bead of crispy flat fish (a Norwegian delicacy) topped with locally grown parsley. The meal was nothing short of delicious!  Throughout the meal, our table had a very interesting discussion about about food, identity, and travel experiences (thanks Nicole and Cindy). After lunch, our class watched the famous documentary on NOMA–the award winning restaurant which sources all of their food from local danish produce. To wrap up the day, I attended the activities fair—while present I visited a few tables, and yes to no one’s surprise, I signed up for a fencing trial practice. This is not a repeat of my cycling saga!

Cheese inspired Smørrebrød, other two: poached salmon, tomato

Top left: potatoes on rye, top left: flat fish with shrimp, bottom: citrus beat infused Herring

Thursday: We learned about religious and political influences on food practices! This included an interesting article about the origin of the jewish kosher laws, specifically their aversion to pork. This article theorized that these rules most likely arose not from the dirty practices of pigs but rather from the fact that pigs are omnivores which compete with humans for food. Thus, it was not economical for jewish farmers to have pigs. Also, I was introduced to Mary Douglas’ theory (aversion to things that don’t fit in specific categories). This was followed by an explanation of the physics behind MRI! Overall a very educational day!

*I capped off the day with dinner at my visiting host families house! They graciously had me over to their house for a delicious dinner of fried pork (ironic, I know:), potatoes, and super thick–gluten free– parsley gravy (so thick that my host dad proudly bounced a mini potatoes on the top and they didn’t sink!). Trine–my host mom is very lovely and I found out that she’s a physical therapist for people with brain injuries–coincidence, I think not:) Her children are very nice too, and her husband gave me all the details on how to get the best deals at the grocery store! Overall, I will definitely be coming back for dinner at their house soon!

Friday: Today I learned more about the ethical dilemma of Harm reduction policies (total legalization, controlled availability, medicalization, dejure-law change, defacto-choose how to enforce law, and total prohibition). Complicated stuff! Also, learned about the difference between General Practitioners in Denmark (gatekeeper, see them for everything at any age) vs. U.S. (see them for referrals, see different ones at different ages). The day included a lecture on cardiology and how to read electrocardiograms!!!! Then, at 9:30 we ran (literally) to catch the flixbus to Olso, Norway… more on that soon!

Farvel! (do not fear, the next post will be much shorter!)

“Even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain of corn.” As I was sifting through danish proverbs for the week, this one appeared to capture the mood of this first week precisely. (In case you are wondering, yes I am indeed the blind hen in this situation:)

30 hour blur… LAX 2.5 hrs early (thanks Dad)- time filled by exchanging intros with small army of DIS students traveling on same flight, 11 hrs of flying (6 spent shifting with eyes shut, 5 spent movie watching,  2 spent chatting with former ND swimmer alumni—it’s true ND people are everywhere), 10 min bus to Kolligium (housing for DIS/Danish Students) in Mønten (M-eww-ton), shower (yayyyyy!!), group pizza dinner, roommate intro (Rachel, Pennsylvania, Swarthmore, Environmental Advocacy, triple D-3 Athlete), sleep!!

Sunday! Believe it or not, this morning I arose around 8 am feeling refreshed and ready to go. I joined my small housing group for a scavenger hunt around the city where we (attempted) to find some important places (i.e. the super market, local bus/metro/train, land marks, and much much more), luckily (for all in attendance) while I did hold the check list of things to do, I did not hold the designated role of the token “walking google map.” While our group did not come close to winning the challenge, we did manage to orient ourselves with the town! (we took that as a win)

Monday came quicker than expected (probably due to the fact that our group departed for opening ceremonies at the “happy” hour of 7:45 am). While on the walk over, I made friends with a girl from New York by commenting on her bag (this is a tactic I have become accustom with- the special art of making friends via making random comments about their choice in clothes/bags/jewelry; hey it might sound silly, but it’s worked thus far). Opening ceremonies was more than I bargained for in the best way including a (intentional) comical sing-a-long opera performance (in danish, I might add:), a dynamic speech given by the program director about study abroad/fake news/pink flamingos/diving into a new culture, and a large group therapy session conducted by the resident DIS psychologist on the nature of Resfeber (“travel fever”) and its only cure (traveling more…of course!). One of the highlights of today was seeing a familiar face from the motherland of Notre Dame…. Erin! Erin is staying in a homestay about 25 minutes away from DIS campus with a family of four (two young boys-one who sings in the boys choir, the other who plays soccer) and two parents (who I may add…most importantly…(so I’m told by Erin) have an excellent taste in cheese! –and so yes I will be visiting them very soon!!. Erin and I decided to wander over to Norreport to explore the DIS campus and perhaps try a famous open faced danish sandwich (Smørrebrød)! 1st GRAIN of corn: in Denmark, 7/11’s are bougie (aka they sell salmon salad, sushi–just because they sell it, still doesn’t mean you should consume 7/11 sushi– Italian roast coffee, gourmet healthy looking juices, and much more).

Returning (blind henning it back with the aid of a few very helpful danish folk) home to Mønten, I went grocery shopping at Netto–cheapest/closest/only grocery store that I can find– for a few essentials.

To rap up a busy day, our housing group made dinner together (spaghetti with a light pesto, copious amounts of freshly graded parmesan cheese, and white pinot noir). Dinner was mostly uneventful–despite our amateur use/understanding of the multi button foreign stove top. The water boiled eventually, and the longer it took the more time we had to chat! It has been wonderful to meet more people, I think I will be friends with Anna an engineer from Northwestern and Madi from Carleton College!

Tuesday: 

Today, the plan is to attend a scheduled tour of the city! I decided to leave a “bit” (very) early (just in case… a blind hen must always be prepared). It was just my lucky day because I met Remy–another fellow DIS person who was headed in the same direction. Remy and I found our way to DIS in record time (so quick in fact we had an hour to kill). Therefore, we did the natural thing: explore! The two of us stubbled upon a seasoned church built in the year 1200 before the time of King Fredrik the 2nd, and a stunning park called ørstedsparken!

Sankt Petri Kirke

østedsparken part 1

østedsparken part 2

Along the way, I found out Remy is also gluten free and he imparted the 2nd GRAIN of corn: a new gluten free app -“Find me gluten free”- (ash you should look it up!). We made our way back in time for the tour, where I met more exciting people. The day concluded with my decision to take a jog around the city of Copenhagen! Wednesday:

Core class orientation!!! Today we got to hear all about our core class (Human Health and Disease). My group consist of 12 students and three teachers–Dr. Casper Christensen M.D./PhD, Dr. Samaira M.D./PhD–both work in Neurology department at Rigshospitalet, Sofie Arup 9th year Medical student, and Nita Wienholtz M.D./PhD student-Guest lecturer. Beyond traveling to the hospital to attend class, we will learn how to assess patient cases (symptoms/diagnosis/treatment plans), draw blood, insert IV’s, and suture. Additionally, we will study the body systems and the differences in health deliver in Europe and the United States. I then had lunch at the Botanical gardens with some of my friends from the medical course.

Erin (top left), Emily (middle), and Caylee (top right)

Botanical Garden (Norroport)

Erin with her delicious Cinnamon Roll

Cinnamon Roll Wednesday at Sankt Peders Bageri

For dinner, our bigger housing group made tacos together *translation picture too many blind hens (on the lose) in one kitchen-some “cooking ground beaf”, some making guac-me!, some cutting an excessive amount of tomatoes, and still other hens providing “constructive” input on how each group of hens should go about completing their cooking. To our surprise, the meal was quite delicious! (with the exception of the pre-made danish guac!!!)

3rd Grain of corn: when it comes to consuming pre-made danish guac PROCEED with caution! I repeat! Eat at your own risk! Not everything is better in Copenhagen!

The day concluded with a late night trip to a local candy shop with my roommate and her friend from college!

Socker Bitar: chocolate covered marshmallows

carmel fudge

center: chocolate covered mint cups

vita topper: white chocolate/yogurt cups

Havssaltsmandel: Sea Salt Almond

Haribo: Black Licorice

4th GRAIN of corn: The danish love black licorice candy!!! (in every form).

Thursday: First day of classes! First stop, Anthropology of Food! (course description-food tastings, connect culture/identity/belonging to food) Next, Neuro-imaging of a Disordered Brain (this class will be hard!—but interesting, new knowledge of how to read/interpret brain scans including fMRI/MRI), and finally, Neuropsychology of Brain injury (ENTHUSIASTIC teacher! maybe one of my favorite classes, case study focused/clinical diagnosis). More jogging around the lake–met more nice people from my Kollegium in class, including Emily who may turn out to be a running buddie!

Friday: Day 2 of classes: Neuroplasticity (great teacher, had an interesting discussion with her after class about consciousness and possible research opportunities in Copenhagen), and Medical Methods (trip to the hospital of Glostrup by train) met with teachers–all seem interesting/smart/dynamic. Weekend plans: obtain our student visas, swim in Harbour Bath in Denmark with Erin, and rent bike!

Godnat (“Goodnight”)

“A good beginning makes a good end”

It’s exciting to think that in less than a week I’ll have jumped 9 hours ahead of California time into the land of the Danish. After returning from summer session at Notre Dame last week, due to expert planning (and perhaps a bit of procrastination) I have been living out of my suitcase. In my mind, this means less time spent repacking for for Denmark!

Recently, I checked the forecast for the next few months in Copenhagen, and it seems as if the South Bend permacloud has decided to follow me where ever I go. (aka Gray skies and Rain 12 days of the month:) I guess any tan (heat rash) I picked up while in California will be as fleeting as the Jarlsberg cheese my dad bought for me when I returned home. Back to packing… So far I think I will be bringing 3 travel bags (a large pink duffle bag, a suitcase, and my sports backpack).

Duffle:

9 sweaters (useful for fall and winter)

A medium warmth coat (no need to lug the big one if its not going to get below 30 F:), a ND wind breaker, a thin blue fleece jacket (good for layering), and of course my favorite green jacket.

7 pairs of shoes (tennis shoes, leather boots, tan sperry’s, sandals, and my favorite rain boots) Not pictured: black booties, and short brown boots

Suitcase

Top most (random) forgotten items: vitamins!–thanks mom, camera, cheata print gloves, hats (both warm/cold weather), adapters, speakers (echo dot), passport, umbrella (really necessary), belt, maxi skirt (for visiting sacred religious sites), and wooden travel cross.

4 skirts (good for class/going out)

NOT pictured: 3 pairs of pants (jeans), at least one pair of black pants, 6 tee-shirts, pajamas, workout clothes, bathing suit, tooth brush, deodorant, retainer, brush, make-up, and other (somewhat) important things I can’t remember at the moment.

Sports backpack

Computer, MCAT books (ewww), Calculator, three subject notebooks (for class), gum, money belt, scan blocking wallet to protect passport (very useful if you plan on returning to your home country), and of course a reusable water bottle (“Frank”)!

Pro packing Tips:

1. Roll everything!!!! (this will seriously maximize your packing space)
2. It’s a city, people wear mostly black/muted colors…remember this and pack accordingly
3. Don’t bring everything in your closet (this may be tempting, especially if you are trying to prepare for every possible situation you may encounter during your European travels. BUT resist at all cost, if you really need it you can get it in Europe)
4. Bring a sports backpack and use it as a carry on for short weekend trips (this will save you money because most cheep airlines will use every opportunity to exploit you…including making you pay big bucks for a carry on suitcase)—-thanks Chloe

farvel for nu! (Goodbye for now)