Loppemarked i Mølleparken

Greetings friends & family,

  I had quite the enjoyable Sunday afternoon today.  Studied in a beautiful park, went to the flee market, got my weekly food shopping done, and saw a hot air balloon show from the comfort of my own apartment :)  Here are some photos from my where-abouts:

Downtown Aarhus--

The flee market (in danish, Loppemarked) at Mølleparken.

Siiiiick coffee cart.

Dozens of hot air balloons, so pretty!

Riding on one of these has officially been added to

my bucket list :)

Politologisk Forening.

The days seem to be going by quickly now that school is in full swing, along with a well established routine-- spending my weekdays reading and attending lecture, followed by my weekends full of exploring Aarhus and social events.  I have been especially enjoying one of my courses, Democratic Deficits and Dissatisfaction With Politics.  It has been enlightening looking into why people are so turned off by politics (besides obvious reasons.)  I find it quite frustrating being an optimistic political science major, because discussing politics with anyone (in the States) is almost considered inappropriate.  Many people have a preconceived notion that I am set out to change their minds by discussing political issues and I generally get an aggressive "fuck the government" response in return.  There is a completely different mindset here.  Politics, theories, and intellect of all sorts is always the topic of conversation.  People are aware that if they want to see real change, they must approach it with the appropriate responses (activism, contacting your congressmen, work for a cause-based organization, signing petitions, etc.) rather than have a legitimate concern (generally accompanied by a full dose of cynicism) and taking no action, for fear that change is not possible.  In my course we are approaching why people hate politics by varying schools of thoughts and theories.  The two books for the course are: (1.) Why Politics Matters: Making Democracy Work (2.) Why We Hate Politics.  We look into issues such as: global dissatisfaction with politics, explanations for political disengagement, the politics of mass democratization: built in disappointment?, the dangers of cynicism, etc.  This is exciting stuff guys!  


So, on a lighter note I went to my first political science sponsored party this weekend-- called Politologisk Forening Fest!  The dane's seriously know how to party.  I went with my danish friend Sanne; her friends said I can be the American addition to 'their crew.'  So, I am very grateful :)  We danced (to a lot of 90's American music..they are a bit behind) and drank until the wee hours of the morning.  It seemed every few minutes we would 'cheers' our drinks, followed by the danish word SKUL! (cheers, all!)  At the end of the party (and at each one,) Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" came on, signaling it's a wrap--go home.  Everyone danced dramatically, hugged, and kissed on the cheek.  It was truly a wonderful way to end the evening.


That is all for now, Hej Hej!

Welcome To My Home.

Friends & Family:
  So all is well here in Denmark.  I am truly adjusting to my new life here.  Getting the hang of everything-- including those complicated danish washing machines. I am also getting comfortable at the the grocery store, I no longer bring my dictionary with me & don't have an enormous question mark all over my face:)  
  I began school a few weeks ago, the school system is radically different than America's.  To begin, each course doesn't have regular homework assignments and exams.  Each course has one exam that is given at the end of the semester & it works like this: the 'exam' is 20 minutes long.  You present yourself in front of a board of professors.  The first 10 minutes, you defend the 6,000 word essay we've been asked to write.  The last 10 minutes is an oral exam-- the professors can ask you any question, from any text read throughout the semester or topic debated in class (making attendance vital.) I have a unique opportunity to take graduate courses here, while still being an undergraduate.  I am taking three courses (the maximum load): (1.) Democratic Deficits & Dissatisfaction With Politics.  (2.) The EU After The Libson Treaty.  (3.) Political & Global Economy.
  I only have 6 hours of lecture a week-- Tuesdays and Thursdays, two hours for each course.  Which leaves makes my weeks pretty flexible :)  The fine print (as there generally is) is the 15-20 hours of required reading each week.  
  Anyways, i'd like to show you all my apartment!

  So, each Friday at school every department hosts a 'Friday Bar'.  Everyone closes there books (around 3:00) and heads down to pub.  And yes, each department has their own bar.  This past Friday the school hosted a department wide Friday Bar, which included music & sports from 10 AM to 10 PM (the Dane's really don't know normal drinking hours over here.)  Here's some pictures from the event:

Friends from The Netherlands, Austria, Australia, and New Zealand. 

My roommate Alex from New Zealand :)

Hope all is well in the States!

Con Amore

  This week I went to the Con Amore-Leif Djurhuus Collection exhibit at the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum.  The special exhibit is a extensive contemporary art collection by an art collector, Leif Djurhuus.  The collection spans over 30 years of Danish and international art.
  It encompasses all the various forms of visual art expression, from painting, video and sculpture to interactive objects and installation art.  The theme of the exhibit is "psychedelic & freaky, art & cocaine, eye-opening works."  It was definitely a mind-blowing exhibit.  Here are some of the photos I was able to take!

                                              ...  Yes, the frog has breasts haha.

Installation made completely of tires.

"Big Boy"

This is one of the center attractions at the museum (by standing next to it you can see how enormous it is.)  It took years to create.  He actually has real human hair!

Even his feet look shockingly real.

At the top of the museum is the rainbow panorama you can walk through & see the entire city below.

My Danish friend Sandra and I :)

Well, that is all for now.  I will update this weekend with pictures of my university & write about my current life in Aarhus.

Friends, family & loved ones... air hug! 

Hej! Hej! (Bye, Bye.)

Take A Peak Through My Eyes.

Here are some photos I took of downtown Aarhus:

 The Many Cafes that are surrounded by water.

Sidewalk Art :)

 Children playing in huge inner-tubes on the water--

The Theater:

The Cathedral:

The Alter:

The Organs:

Sending my love from Denmark! :)

Say Cheese!

Here are some well overdue photos:

Amsterdam, Netherlands:


Dam Square:

The Royal Palace:

Inside The Royal Palace:
..I took photos when the guards were not looking ;)

Canal In The Red Light District:
There are more bicycles then people.

Aarhus University, Denmark:
International Night at the Studenthus.  Salsa theme!

  New friends from the Netherlands & Australia.

                      More photos & updates to follow in the coming days :)