Word of the Week

SKINKE.
Simply put, it means ham.

But to me, Skinke is so, soo much more than that.

It is a noun: "That girl has the ugliest skinke I've ever seen!"
Or a verb: "I'll skinke you if you ever call me a Skinke again!"
Or, adverb: "I got here as skinkly as I could."
An adjective: "Ew, my hair is so skinke today."
An insult: "You're such a skinke!"
Confusion: "Skinke? I can't hear you."
Insult/Random profanity: "Skinke you, you skinke skinke!"

Basically, it can be used in any context, at any time, without any REAL meaning.

Aren't you glad you learned something new today?

Baby it's cold outside

This past weekend, my goal was to go out and explore Århus more, despite the crappy weather. But, lucky enough, when we woke up Sunday morning it was beautiful and SUNNY! Seriously, only the second day of sunshine since we've been here, and it was much needed on my part. (It's like I'm from California or something...) Anywho, we set out and determined it was freezing, but wanted to make the most of it anyway. We rode to the city center, through some little side streets full of shops and restaurants, and finally made it to the BEACH! We rode along the coast a bit of a ways, then stopped across from Risskov forest. We rode up some more, through some gorgeous little beach houses, and even some huge mansions, where I will no doubt attend some elegant, classy, summer party, of course. 

We took some steps over the railroad tracks that make their way up the coast, and landed on the beach. Parts were muddy, mostly rocky, and it was even colder with the wind picking up, but being by the ocean and and smelling the salty air was absolutely perfect in my mind. 

On the way there we also passed the weirdest thing I've seen-a pacifier tree. Ok, maybe not the weirdest but odd in its own respect because it was a bunch of pacifiers hanging from a dying gray tree and looked like something out of some sick horror film. Emiel asked some Danes what it was, and apparently when children get too old to use them, the parents hang them on the tree. Eww.


We continued riding, but got to the city center and decided to stop for coffee...at the PERFECT moment. Right when we sat down, we looked outside to see what? SNOWFLAKES. Still sunny, but totally snowing. Only added to the mysterious day.

From there we set off to follow the canal/river that flows through the city, out to the lakes. It was pretty flat, but the intense wind made us ride pretty slowly and provided a bit of a workout. A little too swampy for my taste, but around 330 when the sun starts to set (damn you north pole!) the colors were fabulous.


A much needed day (if not exhausting) but worth it after Thursday and Friday nights. Thursday we had an introduction dinner and got to meet all the new internationals (all in all, 5 of us from SFSU, plus 3 other US and 4 Canadians), then Friday was the first "Friday bar" or the semester. The bar isn't open everyday, just Fridays starting at 2:15, and in a sort of basement-like setting that provides no ventilation, so basically we were in a sauna. Either way, it was really fun, and there is a RULE that at 8pm, the pool table is closed so people can DANCE on it. Crazy talk, but a good time. (And no, I did NOT submit myself to that sort of utter embarrassment. I'm a professional.)

Me, Simona, and my roomie Jena, with her friend Ashley that came to visit from London.

A list of goals

In light of recent events, I've begun to compile a short list of things I want to accomplish in this life. Nothing big, and certainly more needs to be added, but a good way of putting my thoughts down and realizing what is important to me, even if it seems trivial.
1. Learn to play the guitar. My voice may make ears bleed, so in turn I will suffer from eternally blistered fingers.
2. Have half as many friends as my grandparents do in their 80's. If I can do that, I know I'll have people around me that truly care.
3. Sew my own clothes. For some reason, I just want to.
4. Learn to fix a bike. Living here proves this to be relevant knowledge that I apparently lack.
5. Bake a batch of cookies that isn't flat. I need to master this to get anywhere, in my opinion.
6. Meet someone famous. Maybe they won't be on the front pages of magazines, but being famous to me counts one hell of a lot.
7. Stop over-thinking. Bad quality of mine.
8. Keep a journal. Preferably written.
9. Read Love in the Time of Cholera. It sits next to my bed, I look at it everyday, and it is yet to bed read.
10. Write something that makes a difference to someone, somewhere.

11. Find someone who I can tell why I secretly love my nose.  

Coolest thing, ever!

In Utrecht, ESN was basically a joke. The Erasmus Student Network basically holds tons of parties, encourages you to drink a lot, make new friends, and become a real global citizen, with a few 'educational' field trips thrown in every now and then (not like I ever went on one...)

Anyway, cool idea. A train for 3 weeks, starting and ending in Bratislava (thats in Slovakia, in dun dun dun...EASTERN EUROPE, folks) going to some 40 cities along the way, with the capacity to fit 700 people per night. You can hop on and hop off. For 30 euro a night. Pretty cool, but the exhaustion seems overwhelming. 

And I've become...a tea drinker.

What??? You ask, knowing full well I consistently REFUSE to order fresh brewed iced tea, Lipton Peach iced tea, your grandmother's favorite down home summer drink special recipe iced tea, hot tea of any kind (too many years in the restaurant industry makes you bitter towards getting tea or, god forbid, HOT WATER WITH LEMON!), iced tea out of a box, mint tea, loose leaf tea, chamomile, black, green, or fruity. Nope, nope, nope I've always said, with such resistance you would think I was talking about raw tomatoes (bleh.)

But suddenly, I've changed. Maybe it happened when I came to Denmark and was too poor to afford 6 dollas for hot water and a bit of flavor. Or maybe it was the peer pressure and consistent insisting on drinking tea while at someone else's house (Silly Euro's and their tea..) Or maybe it was thinking, "hmm. It's cold, and I want something warm that isn't coffee." Whatever it is, I've turned a new page, started a new chapter, and am well on my way to finishing the book of weird things in my life that randomly change.

Nevertheless, I'm now rather obsessed with this age-old beverage we refer to as "tea." It just seems to make me happy. Peach mango, peppermint, lemon zinger, wild berry, basic green, and even chamomile! The possibilities are endless. But more exciting than the tea itself may be the wonderous invention called a water kettle. Put water in, turn on, wait 15 seconds and BAM! Boiling water. No sitting and watching the stove, no awkward trying-to-pour-scalding-hot-water-from-said-pot-into-tiny-coffee-mug, nothing. Just pure, unadulterated, warm tea lovin'. It's like a bear hug to your stomach.

I even bought a carton of iced tea yesterday, from a store. To drink cold. Maybe I'm just hoping one day I'll be outside drinking it in the sunshine... (work on that, Danish weather gods. People are getting sad here. And when I say people, I mean me. I need sun.)

Only in Europe can they not only play Backstreet Boys at a club, but everyone knows the words and sings along.

True story.

We had a meeting yesterday to start volunteering at the Student house here, then over to Mads' house for dinner. Soon enough everyone joined us, and after a bit of merrymaking we headed to "Social Club" where we got in free, but had to pay 20 kr (~$4) to check our coats, but then it was FREE BEER from 11-midnight! Had a couple of free beers, then just danced the night away.

I love dancing here. Its completely ridiculous and you just dont give an F. Everyone dances to every song, no one is really worried about how cool they look, and EVERYONE has a great time :)

After BSB, Alphabeat, the FRIENDS theme song, and yes, even Paul Simon, we called it a night around 430. I was sweaty and exhausted, and looked down to see some sort of pink substance all over my boots and everyone else's shoes as well. Such a mystery..

We decided to just sleep at Mads' house in the center, and catch a bus in the morning, but Adelija passed out on the couch before me so I was left with a sleeping back that didnt zip on the cold wood floor. At that point I just wanted to sleep, but in the morning I definitely regretted that decision.

Either way, it was really fun and we met some really cool people. Being out in the center of Aarhus was also a good change, even if it means sleeping uncomfortably and having a bad hangover :)

Kindness of strangers

So, my second day in Denmark we made it to the bike auction, where we had about an hour to look through over 200 bikes that had basically been confiscated by the police, looking for things like flat tires, bad breaks, loose pedals- anything. Anywho, the auction starts, all in DANISH, of course, and the guy offers to do it in English knowing all the international students that are there, and said to just raise your hand and ask. Ok, they wheel a bike out, he starts at 50 kroner (about $10 US) and it goes up in increments of 50 until the last one is standing. Since there is a 25% "auctioneers fee," we all decided our limit would be about 500 DKK, just to keep it from being too expensive.

But, you could never tell because he went so fast! You're at 50 one minute, 750 the next! Utter craziness for my feeble mind. One French guy attempted to ask for English, but the auctioneer basically laughed at him, then held up his fingers instead of saying the numbers, all the while laughing at him like he asked some sort of absurd question. Anyway, there weren't many girls bikes so we had to jump on them. Eliza was first, but was actually going against Jena, although neither could see each other, which ended up driving the price WAYYYY up. Either way, she got a good bike...for about 750 DKK :( The guy that took us there got one next for about 200 DKK, and then it was me!

I saw a purple bike, it looked ok, so I held up my card. And kept it there for 10 seconds before it was MINE! For only 100 DKK, 125 with the fee. YAY me! Only $25 for a nice looking bike. There was a crazy old hippie man outside we paid to cut the locks off (for mine he actually figured out the "code" that you sort of punch in, so I got a free lock too! woo!) Anywho, it ended up having a completely FLAT tire, and I attempted to repair it, but basically Emiel did most of the work, which in my mind is how it should be because he is DUTCH! All they do is fix bikes all the time, right?

Happily ever after...until we actually looked at them.

Well, we patched it but then I found out it has this really NOT COOL pump mechanism that doesn't work with most pumps. How the hell should I know that?? Grr. So my bike has been sitting around completely useless for 3 weeks while I pay 11 DKK for a 2 hour bus ticket (yea, about $2. RIP.) So today, after shopping and a bit of happiness that ensued, I was like "Yo Sar, get your act together and fix that shivvy!" So naturally, I asked my roomie's boyfriend to help me. (AMERICAN IN DISTRESS!)

Most.awkward.situation.ever. First off, this guy is Danish, and after knowing my Dane guy friends, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't know chivalry if it hit them in the face.

True story. We cook all the time, but he just watches TV, and never even OFFERS to do the dishes. At least make a verbal effort buddy, come on. Its like 3 words! Ugh. Anyway, he claimed he would have "no idea" how to help me get the tire back on, and then his girlfriend, my roomie AND friend totally backs him up. Come on, he's 1. a DUDE. 2. my friend 3. my friends boyfriend and 4. sitting there doing NOTHING.

I was beyond irritated, but went out and tried by myself, in the dark, for about 20 minutes to no avail. Thank god bwalt was online so I could ask him some important Q's! Unfortunately, he is a dingbat and only wanted to video chat to make things better which was totally impossible. But cool idea. So I watched some youtube video of a nimrod showing how to replace a bike tire, but knew I had already messed up.

Then, facebook got the best of me. I noticed my downstairs neighbor from Slovenia was on, and asked him for advice. Not only did he offer to come HELP me do it, but was super nice about it. Even though it was 830 at night, freezing, dark, we had no tools, and I messed everything up.

Either way, I think that was just plain old cool. I guess when you can't count on friends, you turn to perfect strangers.