What is cornbread?

On my last night and dinner with my host family I offered to cook. The menu was simple and reflected my longing to be home in the blizzard. Chili and cornbread. In general, I hate cooking in a foreign place, which includes someone else's kitchen, let alone a foreign country. There are just too many challenges associated with it.

And as expected, I ran into those challenges today. In reality, the chili was a relatively smooth process, minus being short on tomato sauce and having to substitute tomato soup. In the end it turned out just fine. However, the same can't be said about the cornbread. When I first thought of this menu I okayed it with my host dad regarding the main ingredients. Its worthless to plan on making chili and cornbread if you can't get chili beans or corn meal. He assured me they had everything.

Well, on Saturday when we went to the grocery store (2 in fact) there was no corn meal to be found. Instead, I had to substitute corn starch. Couple that with the fact that my host family owns zero measuring devices and baking the bread became quite the event. Having to guess out oil is not easy, and I failed. Way too much oil. Still, after baking for about 25 minutes I was left with a solid, kind of yellow looking bread. Once I tasted it though, I knew it had failed. Not miserably, but still a failure. It was served anyways and my concoction was saved by ignorance.

No one in my host family had eaten cornbread before, so they had no idea what to expect. This worked out perfectly, as they loved my creation. And the entire meal was a big hit. Their last memory of me can be my success in the kitchen, that is until they go back to the US, have real cornbread, and wonder what it was I made for them.

Pig's head anyone?

The other day I had what I thought to be a momentary flashback to this summer when I took part in surgical procedures on pigs. The cause of this feeling of deja vu was passing by one of the many Arab butcher shops on Amagerbro -- the main street I travel on. First, when I passed in the morning on the bus -- there happens to be a bus stop right next to the store -- I noticed there was a severed pig's head hanging from a hook in the window. Normally, all the butcher shops have various pieces of meat hanging, but this head was a definite first. Then, to further add to this situation, I passed the store again later in the day as I was going to pick up dinner. This time hanging from a hook in the shop window was half a pig's head. I'm not sure what surprised me more. That someone would only buy half a pig's head, or that they would continue to display the aforementioned head even after it had been cleanly cut in two. The good news was that any passerbys could get a great anatomical lesson on the pig's head, so some good did come out of it.

It finally happened...

Well, it finally happened. I finally met a Dane that did not speak a word of English. Please bare in mind that I have been in the country for over 3 months now, and that I leave in 14 days (more like 10). That's quite a long time to be in a country and never run into this problem. Of course, it occurred in a situation where I really needed someone that spoke English. I was at the small post office in one of the grocery stores by my house, attempting to mail a package of Christmas presents home. A simple task became quite difficult. We (the attendant and myself) managed pretty well, however, and the package was sent. Last time I tracked it, the package's status it read "Sent to the USA" so I at least know I got the country right, which I view as a good first step. Hopefully, it will manage to make it the whole way there. If not, no Christmas presents for anyone.

Familial Events

While my family was here for 8 days we did more than just eat Christmas dinner and celebrate Thanksgiving. One night we went to Tivoli to see it all lit up. It was gorgeous. The only thing that could have made it better was snow, but I think that may have been asking for too much.


We also managed to stumble upon a winter light show over the little lake in the park. It was pretty cool.After taking that in we headed over to the Glass Theatre, which is also in the park, to see the 25th annual Crazy Christmas Cabaret. This is an original comedy show put on every year by a British woman, who writes a new script for each show. This year was a parody of Around the World in 80 Days, which was titled Around the World in 80 Minutes. The majority of the show was either raunchy humor or stereotypical jokes about different parts of the world. This show in general is quite the crowd pleaser, as over 75% of the 1,000 people attending were repeat visitors. That number of people coming back year after year lets the writer include some recurring themes from year to year, which meant sometimes the crowd was laughing hysterically only at the appearance of certain characters. My family, especially my Dad, loved it, and as expected we laughed the hardest at the jokes regarding the good ole USA and its NRA president George Brush. Personally, I was excited that I was able to understand the jokes about Danish culture. Made me really feel like I have become somewhat integrated.

Another day we took a trip outside the city to the town of Roskilde, which sits on a fjord, and use to be capitol of Denmark way back when. There are two primary attractions there, and we saw both. First was the Roskilde Domkirke which is an old Catholic Church, which is now Lutheran Reformed, where all the Danish Kings and Queens have been buried. It was a unique place, and somewhere I had been wanting to go for quite a while. Second was the Viking Ship Museum, where remnants of 5 Viking ships that were scuttled in the Fjord had been put back together. It was amazing to see wood that dated back to the 11th century.

My favorite activity took place on Sunday night. After a dinner in a restaurant that dated back to the 13th or 14th century we all headed back to my parents apartment, where I had left my laptop. We got back from dinner just in time to start watching the Browns game in the 2nd quarter. This was special for a couple reasons. One, I hardly get to watch any Cleveland sports games with my Dad anymore, which was always our main thing. Two, I'm not sure if I'll get another chance to watch a Browns game with him this year just due to scheduling. Three, this is the first season since 2002 that they have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. To top it off, the Browns won the game against the Ravens in incredibly bizarre fashion (I'll spare you all the details), making it a game to remember.

That's all the recap I'm going to do on my parents visit. In other travel related news, I'm off to Vienna for the weekend tomorrow. I'm quite excited to see this gorgeous city in winter and explore everything it has to offer. I'm sure I'll take lots of pictures and fill you in with how the trip went. Luckily, it's only a weekend so there won't be too much to say.

Christmas 24/7

Note: My parents and brother recently spent a week in Copenhagen visiting me, during their time off for Thanksgiving. This will be the first of 3 posts about their visit.

Thanksgiving is a great holiday. In fact, it may be my favorite. And I'll go all into what it was like in Denmark in my next post. But, while here, I think I determined a very important function for this holiday. It tells everyone exactly when they can start to think about Christmas.

See, in Denmark, Thanksgiving doesn't exist. No Indians or Pilgrims. This also means they have no established date in their calendar of when Christmas thinking should begin. So it becomes an arbitrary process, at best. And in my opinion, they arbitrarily decided way too early. Christmas decorations, music, and advertisements first started appearing on the streets and in the stores of Copenhagen almost 2 full weeks ago. And, since the country is pretty much completely homogeneous, and the country's official religion is Reformed Lutheran, there are no public qualms about decorating. So, pretty much, everything is covered!

Not only that, but Christmas is a huge holiday for the Danes in terms getting together with friends and family and sharing a meal. However, because there are so many friends and family, these meals have already started. And, because these meals have begun, restaurants have started to cater their menu for Christmas meals. What this means is that while my parents and brother were here, we had pretty much the same food 3 nights, because it was the only option on the menu. Don't get me wrong -- I love the Danish Christmas meal, and I really like the fact that it's a set meal like Thanksgiving, but there's only so many times you can have it in a week. Three types of herring, smoked salmon, shrimp, fried plaice, beets, red cabbage, tomato, liver pate, chicken salad, roast pork, roast duck, apples and prunes, potatoes cooked in brown sugar, pickles, crackers, cheese, and rice pudding. With that kind of lineup, once is enough.

Feeling a little Danish

When I walk the streets of Copenhagen no one confuses me with the native Danes. I don't have people tell me I could pass as a Dane. My Danish language skills are non-existent. In other words, even though I've been here for over 3 months in some ways I still feel very much like a guest in the country. However, there are two times each week for some unknown reason that I feel quite Danish. After my Human Health & Disease course on Tuesdays and Fridays I have a 20 minute walk home. Normally, I occupy myself with my iPod, and as I walk down Amagergade I feel Danish. I feel like I belong, and that this place is as much mine as anyone else's. And that is a really great feeling.

Michigan still wins at some things

As some if not most of you know, yesterday was the Michigan - OSU football game to determine the Big Ten champion. And while Michigan lost, again -- it's time to go Lloyd -- there was one aspect Michigan beat Ohio State at: number of fans in Copenhagen. As I was walking around downtown yesterday I saw a Dane -- he was speaking Danish and everything, so there's no chance he was a tourist in disguise -- sporting his maize and blue paraphernalia, including a block M hat. I can lovingly report that I saw 0 Ohio State colors, insignia, etc. When you've lost 5 years in a row, one has to take solace in any moral victory one can get.

Accent Troubles

I have problems with accents. I just can't imitate them. My friends can attest to my horrible attempts at an English accent. Not only can I not do them, I don't have one myself, especially when it comes to speaking in a foreign language. All my time spent in Germany has consisted of me speaking in German, and being talked back to in English, all because I have an American German accent. And the easiest way to spot a non-native speaker of a language is their accent. Here in Denmark, normally the roles are reversed. I'm listening to non-native English speakers, and normally I notice an accent. However, I have been thrown for a loop a couple times in the last week. First, about a week ago, I was ordering a chai tea from a Baresso (a Danish Starbucks) near DIS, and speaking in English when one of the girls behind the counter asks me where I'm from. This isn't a normal question I get while being out and about in Copenhagen. Typically, this would be a question asked by someone else not for Denmark. Then, to confound things, she didn't have an accent. Or to put it more precisely, she had an American accent to go along with her English. I was confused. Was she an American living/working in Denmark? So I sheepishly asked where she was from. Copenhagen. I was pretty embarrassed. Turned out though she spent a year in Michigan during high school. Same thing happened on Wednesday at the hospital. One of the doctors I was shadowing starts talking to me in perfect American English. Confused again, I ask where she's from. Denmark. She just spent some time at Vanderbilt in Nashville studying. Almost all the Danes speak very good English, but I have to say I'm impressed by these two's American accents. They are the first I've heard in Denmark. Now if I could just manage that in Germany.

Got a boo boo? Go to the ER!

If you haven't figured out already from my posts, the Danish and the American health care systems are quite different. On Wednesday, I was able to experience the Danish in action as I shadowed one of my professors for the morning. We spent most of our time in the ER as she was the on-call doctor for surgical consults. Granted, I haven't spent that much time in American ER's to truly comment, but overall, the Danish version seemed to operate in much the same manner. The one major difference was the utilization of the ER by the Danes. Remember, Danes' health care is covered by the taxes they pay, so a visit to the ER doesn't cost them anything extra. This, in turn, leads to some people coming in for things that they really shouldn't. This included a twisted ankle that wasn't even swollen, and a single in-grown hair on a person's back. The first got nothing, the second got a band-aid. The other interesting aspect was how serious they take possible infectious disease. One woman came in with diarrhea and vomiting. She was immediately isolated, and both the nurses and doctors wore a second layer of clothing that was immediately removed upon leaving the room. While this may seem over the top, it does work. Denmark is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a true resistance to penicillin. Spending 5 hours in the hospital was great, and made me realize I had really never done anything like that before -- just being on the floor of the hospital and seeing patients as opposed to observing surgeries. Mathilde, my professor, was a little upset by the fact that I couldn't have any of my own patients just because nothing presented itself. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to go back before I head home and maybe then I'll get my first patient!

A Dangerous Commute

Everyone in Copenhagen bikes to commute. This topic has been addressed multiple times by me already. What could there possibly be to add? How about the fact that Danes bike to commute all year round, which includes yesterday morning after it snowed the night before!

First, everyone was incredibly excited for the first day of snow. In fact, it meant "that winter is really here now," or something along those lines. The event coincided well with Sunday night's meal, which was a typical Christmas dinner, as it was some holiday that I don't even think my host parents truly understand -- they had to look it up on a calendar just to know when it was.

The snowfall was nothing extraordinary, a light dusting that managed to stick to the ground, but it was more than enough to make for an interesting commute the next morning. I quickly realized this when trying to turn a corner and felt my bike wheels slipping on the slippery stuff. For the rest of the way to the bus stop I was that Ohio driver who slows down to 20 mph just because of a little snow on the road. I felt like it was the better choice then having my butt on the ground.

Dealing with pain/suffering? That'll be 150 DKK

Once again the Danes have a great concept regarding health care. This time its in regards to patient compensation for malpractice and in this case there is no doubt in my mind that this should be implemented in the states. The Danish system is not even comparable to the American system. They are night and day. Just in case you are not aware, the American system is based on litigation and the court system. Personal injury lawyers have ads everywhere, telling patients that if things didn't go perfectly that court is the answer, because that's where patients can receive compensation. This, in turn, requires doctors to spend money on malpractice insurance to cover themselves in case a patient proceeds with a lawsuit against them. It doesn't even matter if the doctor did nothing wrong; there is nothing stopping frivolous lawsuits. So there's the recap on the American system.

Now for the Danish system. The Danes base their system on no fault compensation. For full information on the system check out this website: http://uk.patientforsikringen.dk/public/dokumenter/
pdf/pjecer/engelsk/patientsentitlement.pdf

I'll do my best to try to summarize the information. First, the patient compensation is looked at as a patient's right, therefore all patients are covered by this "insurance" in pretty much all cases, except for dental care. The compensation scheme applies to injuries caused by both examination and treatment. But there are limits, as you cannot obtain compensation for an injury caused by the illness or accident for which you were treated, nor can you obtain compensation for treatment not leading to the recovery you expected. Compensation can be paid if the injury was in all probability caused in one of the following ways: if the injury could have been avoided by better treatment; if the injury is due to the malfunction or failure of technical apparatus and instruments, etc.; if the injury could have been avoided using another treatment technique or method of equal efficacy; if the injury is very unusual and serious in relation to the disease you were treated for and therefore goes beyond what you should reasonably have to endure. Compensation itself is fixed in accordance with the provisions of the Danish Liability for Damages Act. Compensation can be paid for loss of earnings, loss of ability to work, permanent damage, and pain and suffering. Compensation can also be paid for recovery costs resulting from the treatment. In the case of pain and suffering there is a cap set at 150 DKK per day, or about $30 per day A board consisting of doctors and governmental workers determine if claims are appropriate and deserve compensation.

This system creates equality amongst all patients, and also acknowledges that doctors are human and can make mistakes and should not have to be punished to provide compensation for the patient. If the doctor has made a grievous error than there is a board that can provide appropriate punishment. What this allows, though, is for doctors to practice medicine in a non-defensive posture, as they do not have to constantly protect themselves. All in all, a much better system than what the states makes use of. Again, the hangup with implementing a system like this in America would be the issue of where the government would get the funds to provide compensation as it would probably require more taxes, which are never popular with the American public. Nonetheless, in my opinion, this is a great system that would make medicine better for all involved.

You're a Dane if...

Before I depart for three weeks, I thought I would share my thoughts on how you can determine if you are a Dane or not.

You are a Dane if...

...you only wear black and white (no colors allowed).
...you enjoy riding your bike to work while simulatenously smoking and talking on your cell phone.
...you take your baby everywhere in a baby carriage that resembles one from the early 20th century.
...your favorite candy is black licorice rolled in salt.
...you have a defeatist outlook on the Danish national history.
...you have an inferiority complex in regards to anything dealing with Sweden.

Pre-game thoughts...and a lot more

T-minus 20 minutes until game 1 of the ALCS. I'm sucking it up and planning on staying up tonight to watch the game. Granted, this is the farthest the Indians have made it in 10 years so I feel like sacrificing some sleep is worth it. The whole situation gives me a feeling of deja vu from this spring when the Cavs were in the NBA playoffs. They were viewed as the underdog a large way through the playoffs, but still managed to make it to the finals. Hopefully, the Indians can emulate that run.

Besides that point I have a lot of other thoughts to share. Part of the reason for this "outburst" is the fact that I'm half way done with my time in Denmark. Hard to imagine, but I only have 5-6 more weeks in Denmark itself. This is because starting Sunday for the next 3 weeks I'll be traveling around Europe on a mini, well I guess much more than a mini, vacation. I'll definitely be sharing my thoughts on my travels during and after the trip (all dependent on when I can get internet access), but I'll at least let you know where I'll be going. The first stop is back to my stomping grounds two summers ago as we spend a couple days in Berlin, Germany. After that I'll be heading further east to spend a couple days in Poznan, Poland. I'll be going to both of these cities with other DIS students from the Medical Practice & Policy program as part of our long study tour. Following a night back in Copenhagen I'll be back on the road with other DIS students heading to the Czech country side and Prague. Post Prague will involve a train ride to Budapest and a day spent there. Next will be a flight to Milan, immediately followed by a train to Genoa, where I'll be spending a couple days. I'll then move eastward to Florence and then to Siena for the next couple days. Finally, it will be wrapped up with a train to Milan and a flight back to Copenhagen. It's a crazy schedule and I couldn't be more excited!

Now on to my other random thoughts.

First, there was quite a stir amongst DIS students two or so weeks ago as former President Bill Clinton was in Copenhagen. Apparently he was giving a speech somewhere in the city, with tickets running close to 1000 DKK or about $200. However, he was also signing copies of his new book at bookstore right by the DIS center, which a fair number of people managed to get in line for. In fact, one of my friends from Carleton went to see him and they ended up in conversation about how great Carleton is (Clinton gave the commencement speech in 2000). I would never dream to meet a former or current US President in the states, but then when I go to study abroad in Denmark I find a President. What are the odds?

Indians update: 1-0 Tribe, heading into the bottom of the 1st.

On another political note, I have begun to notice my own increased interest in the current political climate back in the states, especially in regards to the potential presidential candidates. My only explanation for this is that the primary elections to be held in March will be my first foray into voting in a presidential election and I want to be informed when making a decision Just an interesting observation on my part.

Do you know that if it wasn't for polio you might have health insurance provided by the government? Let me explain. In Health Care in Scandinavia we just read a text discussing different kinds of welfare states. When he was explaining the social democrat model, which includes almost all of Scandinavia (Side tangent: interestingly enough, my professor highlighted that one of the main keys to the Danish welfare system is homogeneity -- of culture, race, ethnicity, and goals. Without it he doesn't imagine it could succeed. This is perhaps an indication that a welfare state could not work in the US.), he states that this was the path the United States was on under FDR's New Deal programs. I wonder what would have happened if his 4th term wasn't cut short by polio, maybe health insurance?

Indians update: 1-1, heading into the top of the 2nd.

I'm having quite the unique experience in my Impact of Epidemic Disease course. The main text that the course is based on, Plagues and Peoples (1998) by William H. McNeil, is consistently contradicted by my professor. It's just so odd to do the reading before class only to have the professor completely rip it to shreds in class the next day. An interesting dynamic to say the least.

After being in Denmark for 7 weeks now, I think I have finally found a couple things that I miss. Granted there have been a ton of things that I have had moments of longing for, but none of those longings have been consistent over my entire time here. The two exceptions relate directly with Carleton. The first is fall colors. I want nothing more than to be able to see a line of sugar maples completely golden, glimmering in the sun. I miss how beautiful Carleton is in the fall. The second thing I am missing is the stars in the Minnesotan sky. Typically, when walking back from the libe or from somewhere on campus I entertain myself by looking up in the sky at the stars shining down on me. I just cannot replicate these things in Denmark.

Finally, I had an interesting night tonight. Once a year almost all of the cultural locations in Copenhagen are open for a one time fee. It's called Copenhagen's Night of Culture. There are literally over 100 different locations that have various programs for the public to enjoy. My host family offered to take me, and I gladly accepted. We started off the evening with dinner at a cafe much like the community restaurant I described a few weeks ago. We then headed to our first cultural event which was taking a look at Black Diamond, which is the University of Copenhagen's newest branch of the Royal Library. It is an absolutely gorgeous building and it was cool to finally see. We then walked around the ground of the Parliament a little bit, which included a quick stop at the Danish Armament Museum. Then for the true experience of the night we drove over to the zoo! It was completely open, and completely dark. It was definitely a different way to experience the zoo, and while interesting, I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Animals sleeping is only so exciting. Regardless, it was still a great evening and a unique way to see Copenhagen, and especially appropriate as I'll be leaving this town (my 3rd/4th home) for the next 3 weeks.

Alright, C.C. doesn't have his stuff tonight -- again. He's throwing too hard and letting the playoffs get to him. It's so frustrating because I, and all the other Indians fans, know how good of a pitcher he can be if he just stays under control. Top of the 4th, Cleveland 1, Boston 5.

Architectural Innovation

Denmark considers itself to be part of Scandinavia, and rightfully so. This means that most Danes share some of the same general architectural concepts as their northern neighbors. For someone like me, who knows absolutely nothing about "real" architectural terms, etc, this becomes apparent in little things I notice. For example, Danes are very fond of the white/black contrast, and in general have a lot of "modern" design elements, whether it is in the art hanging on the wall, or the sleek, curved furniture they make use of. Another favorite is the use of the wood (and sometimes tile). It's all over the place, in varying shades, and really quite attractive (its made me want to use a lot of wood when it comes time to buy/build a house). All of these features are great, and I'm glad that I get to experience them "first-hand" through my homestay, but none of these come even close to being my favorite.

Nope, my favorite aspect of Danish/Scandinavian design holds a special place in my heart, but first a little background. My house at home is almost entirely tile on the first floor. It looks great and it really makes the house feel like it should -- I just can't imagine it without all the tile. The one negative is winter, especially when you wake up in the morning. See, tile has a hard time maintaining heat, and in the winter it can become down right frigid, always providing a shock for your feet when you first wake up.

Now, one would expect the same issue here, but they have it covered. All the tile floor in the basement is heated. What an amazing feeling! I wake up in the morning, get out of bed, and head to bathroom. I expect to be greeted with the frigid reality of the tile, but instead it beckons me to walk on it, and enjoy in its exuding warmth. It's almost addicting in a sense. This is something I am definitely going to have!

Oslo: A Transportation Quandry

This past weekend was spent in Oslo, Norway, along with two friends from DIS. We had a great time, although the weather was quite uncooperative. Pictures have already been uploaded to Webshots for your perusal if interested. But here is the rundown on Oslo, day by day.

Friday
The cruise we were taking was supposed to leave Copenhagen harbor at 5:00 pm, which meant we needed to be on board the ship at 4:30 pm. I skipped my last class of the day to make this time frame not be an issue. Patricia and I left DIS around 3:00 pm, with the idea that we had plenty of time to make it to the dock. We looked up online which bus we needed and we were set to go. But of course, nothing could be that easy. We picked up bus 26 at Radhudspladsen as we were supposed to, and we knew it was the correct bus immediately as there was a fair number of people with luggage. In fact, the destination of the bus read "The Cruise Ships". How could we go wrong? Well, it turns out that there are 2 different bus 26 lines, one of which goes to the terminal, but the other stops at an odd point in the harbor. Unfortunately, we were on the second line, and weren't aware of it, so we rode out to this point, where the bus driver told us to get off. Confused, we asked how we could get to the boat. He responded with very poor English that we needed to walk down a certain road, and that we would be there in 5 minutes. So Patricia and I set off, and called Jessica, who was supposed to meet us at the dock, trying to tell her not to make the same mistake. 10 minutes later we reached the end of the pier (and the bus that had previously left us off passed us). However, we still had another 10-15 minutes of walking to do. We finally ended up at the terminal around 4:20ish and Jessica was able to get there by 4:30, too. All in all, a great start to our trip.

The ship itself was great. It was nothing close to a ferry, but in reality a cruise ship. The rooms were small (as expected), but rather nice for what we paid. The odd part was that every other cruise I've been on (Alaska and the Western Caribbean) have always included food. We didn't pay for food, so I stared longingly at the menus as we ate our PB&J sandwiches. I did end up splurging on some pretty bad cheesecake and a hot chocolate (which was amazing). The rest of the night was spent at a table by the bar and the piano player people watching more than anything else.

Saturday
The next morning we got up bright and early, 6:30 am, as we were told coming into Oslo is gorgeous. So we grudgingly woke up, put some clothes on, grabbed our cameras, and headed to the top deck. We lasted for about 2.5 minutes, at most. I almost fell over twice! It was incredibly windy, cold, and rainy. Just gross weather. We made the executive decision that sleep was better than the weather and went back to bed.

Upon actually arriving in Oslo the weather became a little better as it stopped raining. The previous night the three of us had sat down and planned what we wanted to do. The first stop was to walk along the old Norwegian fortress that guards the harbor. Unfortunately, we never had time to really explore that area. Next we made our way to another pier where we went on a boat tour of the Oslo Fjord. Basically, there are hundred of islands within this fjord that are all part of the greater city of Oslo. It was fun, although it would have been nicer if it wasn't so cloudy and a bit warmer. When we came back to the pier, the rain started, though, which made the rest of the day fun to say the least.

After the boat ride, Patricia and Jessica went off to do their own thing, and I met up with Hannah, a friend from Carleton who's studying abroad in Oslo. We had a nice lunch, and it was great to catch up with a friend that I hadn't seen since the spring.

I met up again with Patricia and Jessica after lunch at the Royal Palace. We decided that Oslo in general is much prettier than Copenhagen (even with the rain), simply because of all the trees downtown. We then headed off for a train station to see Holmenkollen, the famous Norwegian ski jump, which is a huge tourist site as it has the best views of the city. However, more fun with transportation halted our plans. About 2/3 of the way there our train lost power. We sat on the tacks not moving for about 20 minutes, at which point we decided to scrap our plan and catch a train back. But we were too slow, and missed the train back, and ended up waiting another 20 minutes for the next train.

By the time we got back to the downtown area we only had an hour and a half left, so we decided to go to the Vigeland Park, which has a ton of statues created by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. It was pretty awesome, and my pictures really don't do it justice.

After spending some time there we decided we should probably head back to the boat. First, we had to catch a tram, which runs every 10 minutes. As we were walking out of the park, we realize that our tram is coming and that we don't have time to miss it. We start on a dead sprint to make it to the station in time, which involved having to dodge a quite large tour bus, whose bus driver was not too happy with us. After catching the tram back to a main station we then had to catch a train to the actual main station. Due to uncertainty, though, we ended up missing the first train and had to wait a couple minutes for the next one. Once at the main station we were only a 5 minute walk from the terminal, and we had 10 minutes to get there. No problem. Except we had come up from being underground and had no perspective of where we were, and thus no idea of where to walk. With the time frame closing in on us by the second we decided we should probably take a taxi. But of course, when you need to find a taxi, you can't. 5 minutes later we're in a taxi on our way back to the ship terminal. We had to have been one of the last 10 people to board the boat, but at least we managed to get on it.

That night was very similar to the last, eating PB&J and fruit for dinner (although I also splurged on a ham sandwich and pasta salad), talking for a while, decided to get dessert, which included my first Chai tea since I've been here -- it was awesome -- and sitting up by the piano player in the bar people watching and talking.

General Thoughts, Again
All in all, it was a really fun trip, and Oslo is a great city. It made me want to go back to Norway in the summer and see Oslo again, but also head north a bit to see more of the arctic aspects. The trip has also had a negative effect in the sense that I'm having problems deciding if I am in fact in school or on vacation still. This makes doing work pretty difficult, which is why I'm writing this right now, of course. You might also notice that I've added a "European Food List" on the side of the blog. This is where I'll list some of my favorite food that I find while here, even if they aren't that special -- Danish/Norwegian apples in the fall are amazing! Then finally, I'm considering taking one more trip right before I leave for home in December. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good European city to see in the middle of December for a day or two?

Being in Europe is all about experimenting...

Or isn't that what everyone says? You're in Europe, you're young, go enjoy yourself and try new things, right? I've been attempting to embrace this concept, although as almost all of you know, trying new things is not exactly my forte. The one major experiment I've had so far is with facial hair. Normally, I keep myself clean shaven. Granted I've experimented with laziness and just let things go for a couple weeks, but that never turns out well. So I decided since I'm away from people that will harass me about facial hair, namely my friends, I attempted to do the groomed facial hair thing -- a goatee. Surprisingly, it didn't look that bad, and it was nice to have that much less to shave, but ultimately is just wasn't me, and it didn't look that good either. So I'm back to the clean shaven look, and odds are it's here to stay. Guess I'll get to keep on shaving.

Another experiment is happening tomorrow. I am going to miss my first academic class since 6th grade. I'll be skipping my last class of the day to catch a ferry that will be heading to Oslo, Norway, overnight. I'm going with a couple friends of DIS, and we'll have all day Saturday to explore, prior to getting on the ferry Saturday evening, so that we'll be back in Copenhagen by Sunday morning. It should be a nice, quick adventure. I'm also going to be able to meet up with one of my friends who is spending the term abroad in Oslo, so hopefully she'll have some good suggestions of things to do. You can definitely expect a full review of Oslo once I get back, although it most likely will be interspersed with rants about the Browns as they play the Ravens Sunday night.

Smoke Inhalation

In my complexity of cancer course we are currently learning about various forms of chemotherapy. The text associated with the lectures was pretty intense in terms of level, and I really only gained generalities from it, such as chemotherapy sucks in terms of the toxicities. It sounded brutal, and this was a scientific article! It really makes me not want to have cancer. The other thing I picked up from the article was that radiation therapy can act as a carcinogen, which typically results in neoplasia 10 years down the line. If that is true for other carcinogens, and I end up with lung cancer 10 years from now, I know who to blame: FC Copenhagen and Broendby IF football fans.

This weekend my host family and one of their friends went to see the match between these two bitter, Copenhagen rivals. It was an entertaining game, which FC Copenhagen ended up winning 1-0, but the game itself wasn't the only excitement. The fans decided they would provide some "atmosphere" to the 24,000 person stadium, by lighting flares (some of which were thrown on the field) and smoke bombs, as well as by setting a chair on fire. Couple that with all the Danes that smoke while watching soccer, and I inhaled enough smoke to last me a life time. Nevertheless, it was a pretty good atmosphere for a soccer match. I've tried to capture it in my photos on webshots, but I've also added a new dimension. I recorded some video with my digital camera trying to capture the fans singing and cheering. Take a look and see what Danish soccer is really like (in terms of the fans, at least).

A dad is a dad

My family loves to pick on my Dad (my real family). It's just what my brother, my mom, and I do. It's all in good nature, as I know we all have a ton of respect for him, although in his opinion it might go overboard every now and then. But fear not Dad, because a dad is a dad no matter where you are in the world. Case in point, my host family. What is my 2 host brothers and my host mom's favorite activity -- why picking on their Dad/husband (although I don't think they are actually married, but that's for another post) of course. And just like at home, sometimes it goes a little too far for his liking, and he yells, and it stops. It all sounds all too familiar. I guess this just means its something I get to look forward to down the line.

In other news, I was taken out to dinner by my host family this past Tuesday, at the invitation of one my host parent's friends, Lars. First, Lars lives in this great apartment complex. It's right off the main drag, Amagerbrogade, on the island Christiana. But you would never know it. Once you go through the main doors off the road you enter a courtyard, and as soon as the door close behind you, so does the rest of the world. It is like a little oasis within the big city. You can't hear the people, nor the cars. Instead you are greeted with a courtyard that in reality is like a wild garden, as well as apartments from the 16th century. These are some of the oldest if not the oldest buildings in Copenhagen, as they were spared from the British bombardment and resulting fire in 1807. It was really impressive.

Anyways, Lars invited the family to eat at the community center near where he lives. They were telling me that something along these lines exist in New York City, but I'm not sure. Here is the setup. You walk in to what could be called a cafe as there are multiple tables scattered about, magazines, newspapers, fliers, a foosball table, and a place for live music to perform. There is also a bar that serves beer, wine, coffee drinks, and desert. We ended up here after dinner for an hour or so. Dinner itself was served upstairs in a small room that can seat probably 50 at most. This is why you have to buy tickets for dinner ahead of time. The ticket, besides entrance, gets you water, unlimited bread and salad, and the main dish, as there aren't any options. On this night they were serving veal, potatoes, and a tomato salsa. It was quite good. From what I was told, they only serve dinner twice a week and it is dirt cheap (relatively speaking), about $10, which in Copenhagen is no price to complain about. All in all, it was a fun evening and a good "cultural" experience. For whatever reason, I keep having those. Odd, huh?

Flag Hysteria

The Danes are quite fond of their flag. In fact, it typically plays a prominent decorative role at most gatherings. This was the case for both the family friend's 18th birthday party and Victor's as well. The day of Victor's party there were flags in the yard and all over the house. Tables, windows, big flags, little flags, flag candies, etc. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures to really demonstrate this experience. However, today was some sort of event (no one in my host family knew exactly what was going on), because there were flags all over. On buildings, in store windows, and on top of all the buses! I did capture some pictures of this:






On a different note: thank goodness for the existence of wikipedia! I've spent a good portion of today going over the slides/my notes from my cancer biology course, as we have our first exam on Monday and I'm gone most of the weekend. However, most of the information I have is useless as we weren't given any real background info. That's where wikipedia has saved me. I've probably read close to 20 articles today, all of which have done a tremendous job of filling in the gaps where key information is missing. It's really being a life saver.

Mmmmmmmm, Danish Mexican

Tonight, my Medical Practice & Policy program had a dinner meeting to talk about our study trip we are taking this Thursday (more on that in a later post). The meeting was in a cafeteria of some sort for the University of Copenhagen, and the meal was supposedly a "Mexican" buffet. It was the most interesting "Mexican" I think I have ever had. The meal consisted of greens, lentils, bread, white rice with some peas and diced tomatoes, some kind of meatball in a tomato sauce, and baked chicken legs that had some light pineapple flavor. There was zero spice. The food was good, and tasty, but not Mexican. The group of us commented that this must be "Danish Mexican".

Well, when I got home that night, I mentioned this to my host family, and they were affronted that the above meal was considered Mexican. They then reassured me that in fact the Danes do know what Mexican is, and in fact they can do quite well. Maybe some night in the future I'll actually find out.

P.S: Fashion comment of the day: On the bus, I saw a 70 year old man wearing a denim jacket that read "Pure Playaz". Nice.