These past few weeks have been flying by and it's terrifying to think that I only have just over a month left here! As much as I don't like to think about it like that, it's good motivation to get me to do and see all the things I have yet to experience here. The last week or so has been a good start to that, as I found myself doing things very typical of Danish life that I had previously missed out on.
Two Sundays ago, all of the Danish Language and Culture classes took a field study to a soccer game between FC Kobenhaven and FC Midtylland, one of the other Danish teams. I have been to DC United and other professional soccer games but this was on a whole different level.
The stadium was nearly packed, confetti was everywhere, and nearly everyone was drunk (or if they weren't, they were definitely acting like it). The crowd often chanted the FC Kobenhavn song, which we had learned part of in class the week before, and there was an overwhelming amount of energy in the stadium. We ended up losing 2-0 but it was still a lot of fun to be there and I definitely got to experience firsthand how soccer is such a big deal in Europe.
Speaking of soccer, I had a dinner for my team one night at our coach's apartment. The point of it was to get to know each other better and discuss the social and competitive goals for the season. Although I have been in Denmark for nearly three months, that night was the first time I ever really felt the discomfort of not understanding the language. I was the first American to show up and was sitting at a table of about 15 Danish girls speaking in Danish. I obviously could contribute nothing so I sat there awkwardly trying to pick up on the words I knew, but for the most part I was the weird spectator of a cozy gathering of Danish friends.
The girl next to me would occasionally translate what they were talking about or ask me about me and my travels, and with time more and more of them began to realize how out of place I must have felt and would try to include me. I have learned in Danish class that that type of inclusion at dinner gatherings is not typical of Danes, as they very much value those close to them and don't make big efforts to include others, but I was extremely relieved that stereotype was broken and I was finally able to feel comfortable. The other American players showing up later definitely didn't hurt either!
Last week through today was pretty busy with schoolwork; I had two papers and two presentations. I luckily got to take a little break from work by going on a bike and canoe trip to Sweden over the weekend, organized by DIS. Along with about 30 other students, I took a bus and ferry to Kullaberg, Sweden, to bike through Kullen, spend the evening in Farhult, and go canoing on the Ronnea.
We left Saturday morning and I was in the group that went biking first. We had been given a recommended route but were pretty much left to go on our own. After my first bike broke down and I got one that worked, we headed off. We biked along the coast and eventually to the peak of the island, biking (or more accurately walking alongside our bikes) up huge hills until we reached the top of the coast overlook.
On the way back, we followed a trail and hiked down a steep path of mud and rocks and found Nimis, a display of driftwood sculptures created in the early 80s by a Swede. It was similar to a huge maze or tree house. You had to climb through the wooden structures to reach the bottom and there were tons of different ways to go. I had heard about this area prior to coming abroad and it was pretty cool to see it in person.
Six hours and more than 30 miles after we headed out on our bikes, we finally returned. By this point I was pretty sure I was going to die of exhaustion, or at least that my legs were going to fall off. I had known the trip was going to be pretty active but I had no idea I was going to be feeling as incredibly weak as I did! Looking back I am really glad that we did that much, but at the time I was pretty much hoping someone would hit my bike with their car and have to drive me back to the hostel.
That night, DIS held a barbecue for us at the hostel and we all ate, drank, and played games for a few hours outside, and the next morning we went canoing. Two of my friends and I shared a canoe and set out for what was going to be a much more relaxing day. We were given five hours to make it down to the meeting point of the river, which was more than enough time. We stopped lots to walk around Sweden, eat lunch, and basically just enjoy the fact that we weren't dying on bikes.
It was a really leisurely day and, overall, the weekend was a great combination of rigor and relaxation and a nice change from the city life in Copenhagen. That being said, I'm glad I'll be spending most of the rest of my time here in the city. I can already tell I'm going to miss it a lot!