Wow, have I been lazy with this blogging responsibility. I can’t even remember where I left off. Oh well! Not much has changed in the life of Colton Robey, International Traveler. I only say that because I just returned from Barcelona. Let me just say that it is simply amazing. I would recommend adding it to you bucket list if it already isn’t.
Barcelona has whatever your heart desires. It has a great party scene, amazing sights, and awesome food. It was nice to finally get away from the freezing cold and be able to beach it up. Luckily, I had a friend studying abroad in Barcelona. She played tour guide and with the help of her friends got us into clubs. Word to the wise, If you don’t wanna pay 20EUR to get into a club, which who would. Then find attractive girls and go clubbing with them and watch the entrance fees disappear.
It is interesting though to note how nicely dressed Spanish people are when they hit the clubs. The bad part is one of the three Americans I was with didn’t bring something nice to wear. The end result was him not getting into the club and putting a minor damper on our nights out.
Another word to the wise, be aware of your surroundings when traveling and do your research. Barcelona, ranks highest in pick pockets. If you know this and know how to protect your stuff and aren’t an idiot you’ll be fine. However, it is something to be aware of.
The sights in Barcelona are amazing and we spent two days of the three just seeing sights. Park Guell is an amazing place! The most breathtaking place I have seen to date. I could try to explain it but you’re better off just google searching it. Another amazing sight is the Sagrada Familia. These two historic Barcelona attractions are both designed by the same architect and are world famous. I found it necessary to also travel to see where FC Barcelona played. The soccer stadium was amazing. However, due to the fact that we went there on Sunday we couldn’t go on a tour.
The cool thing is that while you can pay to see somethings. The best sights are free in Barcelona. You can pay to go on tours of certain things but we were on a budget economically and time wise. Well, that is about it for Barcelona.
I am feeling increasingly distant from America and my friends. Skype is an amazing technology but it doesn’t make the weather warmer, the sunshine (literally its always cloudy), or bring southern comfort food. The easy fix for this would be to make more Gumbo. Jesse has asked me to make my semi-famous gumbo. I still am not a pro at it like my Grandfather, but feel that soon I will master it.
We hope to invite some of our friends we’re studying with and maybe even Cow Cow. I doubt Cowsert will show up, but one can be hopeful. It should be a good bonding experience and an awesome time with friends. I know I will miss leaving all the cool people I meet. The bright side is I will have a reason now to go to Peru, Germany, Holland, Finland, Norway, and Barcelona.
Classes are the same old boring stuff that you would expect. I am confused on how hard/easy finals will be. I get mixed signals, and considering we don’t have any outside class work except reading I am finding myself bored sometimes here. I fill my time with outside business readings and other mind stimulating things.
My final schedule is looking well weird. I have two finals at the end of May and then two more at the end of June. I basically only have three finals because Aspects of Denmark is a paper. I know papers are my low point however, I already started aligning my thoughts. On top of the fact that the lady basically said as long as you don’t cheat you will pass. That is reassuring!
As for my LearnDansk class. Well, I got an email telling me that’ “because the other teachers are boring and students dropped, that we are being combined with two other classes.” I find this completely absurd! Our teacher is fun and exciting. Our attendance is relatively well but we have a bunch of masters students who have lots of night work. They still are attending a majority of the classes. I find it unfair that we now are being punished and given a crappy teacher who already proved himself inadequate. My plan was to count Danish as an elective of some such and not have as many senior year. Also, knowing Danish has come in handy every now and again.
I don’t know what to do. I guess I will just wait till tonight see how it goes and then make my choice on to continue or drop. To get credit I can only miss two classes and I have already missed one. I dunno but I’ll work that out later.
Well, I have typed a lot on random nonsense. Sorry, I didn’t tell any crazy stories in this one. I have a few but those are more PG-13. While still hilarious maybe best kept for the state side. As always in closing I’ll leave you with some thoughts.
EU Law is confusing, and having TAs who contradict each other is the dumbest thing I have ever seen.
I don’t know how people learn more then three languages. I found my self mixing Spanish, English, and Danish all together. More Spanglish but sometimes instead of saying No I’d say Nej.
The best quote I’ve heard to describe the differences in drinking alcohol between most European countries and America. “Europeans drink to feel something, Americans drink to not feel at all.” Sad but true.
In regards to the quote above. When Danes get drunk they go crazy. Case and point four guys tried to jump four bouncers at Thursdays club. Ya that didn’t end well for them.
Denmark has two winters, A white winter and a green winter.
Don’t take for granted the Caf. Yes, it tastes awful sometimes, and most people can cook better. Don’t forget that cooking means three things, buying groceries, cooking your meal, and then cleaning up after yourself. All of which takes a lot of time out of your day.
Spanish people know the rules, but often times don’t care to follow them.
Hav en god dag, Centenary. Hej-Hej
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Nyhavn!
I thought I'd post this lovely picture of Nyhavn in Copenhagen, Denmark. The pastel splashes of color in the houses that line the canal were beautiful! The old wooden ships moored in the frozen canal also add a dash of flavour. Wonderful!
Life in Denmark!
It's been awhile since my last update, and this blog could use some more literate sentiments I think.
Aarhus seems a much smaller place now! I know my way around the important parts of town (the old downtown, the university, and the square nearest my apartment, Harald Jensens Plads) and am falling into a good weekly routine. The weather has been dismal, but in the last week or so the sun is coming out. I'm starting to believe the many people who've assured me of Denmark's beauty in the spring and summer. When the sun is out and your walking down a centuries-old street, it's hard not to have a spring in your step! On top of that, I've made a number of Danish friends whom I see regularly at the English Dept.'s Friday Bar (yes...every academic dept. has its own bar!). They have been warm, welcoming, and a blast to hang out with. I have found that the Danes, while quite reserved at first, open up quickly and are straightforward and kind.
My classes are quite interesting. I've signed up for my final exams--my grade in all three classes is completely dependent upon one final essay! Quite different from the constant midterms, short essays and presentations I'm used to! I'm taking British, Irish and American History and Society, The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Eastern Europe under Communist Rule: 1945-1989. The perk to all of these courses is that they aren't available at Centenary, so in that sense these are unique academic experiences. You may be rolling your eyes at American History, but in fact it's been quite interesting taking a course on my nation's history from European perspective. The course is very conceptual, less facts and dates, so it gives me a foreign lens through which to view my own country. Much of the course has centered on discussions of what defines Americans. What does it mean to be an American? How does one become an American? Interesting questions all.
I would be remiss if I didn't discuss my traveling adventures/plans! Several weeks ago, I spent two days in Copenhagen, Denmark's capital city. I definitely felt as though I was in a European capital city. It was a great trip; I was able to see the highlights in two days perfectly, and everything was generally in walking distance. I saw the current royal palace and the changing of the guard at noon (quite a sight, complete with armed, regally-uniformed guards, a band, and an ostentatious drum major)! Rosenborg Slot, an old Danish palace that was essentially a small castle, was beautiful. The palace was filled with the original furnishings and decor of the 17th and 18th century Danish kings. The throne of Denmark was made of narwhal tusk (like ivory), and the jewels in several of the royal crowns made your jaw drop. Copenhagen is also home to Christiana, an alternative squatters' community famous/infamous for its liberal ideals, drug dealing (no hard drugs), and hippie-like vibe. It's a major tourist attraction, despite the marijuana (dealt openly on the main street--"Pusher Street"; naturally, pictures weren't allowed), and was fascinating. It felt like a hippie commune, with bright colors and murals, but also felt like a rough setting, filled with some hard looking faces and people. I also visited Nyhavn, a famous stretch of houses and shops along the main canal in Copenhagen. The canal is full with old wooden ships, and the houses that line the canal are every shade of color. It was beautiful. Also, I met the Little Mermaid! Denmark's most famous author, Hans Christian Anderson, wrote the Little Mermaid, and a statue of her sits near Copenhagen's harbor.
April will be a busy month for me! From April 2-5, I will be in Gdansk, Poland! Random, I know, but the roundtrip flight was incredibly cheap ($45) and combined with a hostel, the whole trip will be very inexpensive. April 18-23 I will be spending spring break in the Eternal City....ROME! Very excited about this trip! Not very cheap, but it's spring break, so it was worth it! I hope to visit Hamburg, Germany in the next few weekends...it's not too far away at all. In May, I hope to visit London and Oslo, at the very least.
To wind this post up, I must give myself props for learning some basic cooking techniques...okay, really just how to make a good pizza from scratch. Quite proud of myself! That's all for now, but I'll update you with future adventures!
Aarhus seems a much smaller place now! I know my way around the important parts of town (the old downtown, the university, and the square nearest my apartment, Harald Jensens Plads) and am falling into a good weekly routine. The weather has been dismal, but in the last week or so the sun is coming out. I'm starting to believe the many people who've assured me of Denmark's beauty in the spring and summer. When the sun is out and your walking down a centuries-old street, it's hard not to have a spring in your step! On top of that, I've made a number of Danish friends whom I see regularly at the English Dept.'s Friday Bar (yes...every academic dept. has its own bar!). They have been warm, welcoming, and a blast to hang out with. I have found that the Danes, while quite reserved at first, open up quickly and are straightforward and kind.
My classes are quite interesting. I've signed up for my final exams--my grade in all three classes is completely dependent upon one final essay! Quite different from the constant midterms, short essays and presentations I'm used to! I'm taking British, Irish and American History and Society, The Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Eastern Europe under Communist Rule: 1945-1989. The perk to all of these courses is that they aren't available at Centenary, so in that sense these are unique academic experiences. You may be rolling your eyes at American History, but in fact it's been quite interesting taking a course on my nation's history from European perspective. The course is very conceptual, less facts and dates, so it gives me a foreign lens through which to view my own country. Much of the course has centered on discussions of what defines Americans. What does it mean to be an American? How does one become an American? Interesting questions all.
I would be remiss if I didn't discuss my traveling adventures/plans! Several weeks ago, I spent two days in Copenhagen, Denmark's capital city. I definitely felt as though I was in a European capital city. It was a great trip; I was able to see the highlights in two days perfectly, and everything was generally in walking distance. I saw the current royal palace and the changing of the guard at noon (quite a sight, complete with armed, regally-uniformed guards, a band, and an ostentatious drum major)! Rosenborg Slot, an old Danish palace that was essentially a small castle, was beautiful. The palace was filled with the original furnishings and decor of the 17th and 18th century Danish kings. The throne of Denmark was made of narwhal tusk (like ivory), and the jewels in several of the royal crowns made your jaw drop. Copenhagen is also home to Christiana, an alternative squatters' community famous/infamous for its liberal ideals, drug dealing (no hard drugs), and hippie-like vibe. It's a major tourist attraction, despite the marijuana (dealt openly on the main street--"Pusher Street"; naturally, pictures weren't allowed), and was fascinating. It felt like a hippie commune, with bright colors and murals, but also felt like a rough setting, filled with some hard looking faces and people. I also visited Nyhavn, a famous stretch of houses and shops along the main canal in Copenhagen. The canal is full with old wooden ships, and the houses that line the canal are every shade of color. It was beautiful. Also, I met the Little Mermaid! Denmark's most famous author, Hans Christian Anderson, wrote the Little Mermaid, and a statue of her sits near Copenhagen's harbor.
April will be a busy month for me! From April 2-5, I will be in Gdansk, Poland! Random, I know, but the roundtrip flight was incredibly cheap ($45) and combined with a hostel, the whole trip will be very inexpensive. April 18-23 I will be spending spring break in the Eternal City....ROME! Very excited about this trip! Not very cheap, but it's spring break, so it was worth it! I hope to visit Hamburg, Germany in the next few weekends...it's not too far away at all. In May, I hope to visit London and Oslo, at the very least.
To wind this post up, I must give myself props for learning some basic cooking techniques...okay, really just how to make a good pizza from scratch. Quite proud of myself! That's all for now, but I'll update you with future adventures!
Monday, March 7, 2011
TEXAS!
So as I sit here at the end of the week, well Thursday and look back at the weeks that have passed. Aarhus is pretty much same old same old. I actually though started my learn danish classes. It is very interesting but very difficult. I am excited though to be finally learning this complex language. Hopefully, when I try to speak it around town people won’t be overly critical of how and what I am saying.
I have found that it is perpetual winter here! I am kind of ready for warmth so I can start enjoying the city more. I am looking forward to tonight. My friend Brandon from Bama is coming over to talk about his amazing trip to Venice, Rome, and Holland. I can only imagine it was a very wild time. I’m sure his pictures of venice will be amazing.
I was originally going to go and booked a few flight to get to Venice. However, when I tried to book flights home i found that the cheapest ones would cost 550usd. That was way way way to much and I definitely wasn’t going to pay that. Oh well, Venice will always be there. Unless it sinks.... and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
As you may or may not know March 2nd is Texas Independence day. Sadly, I could not do my normal routine which is listen to Texas country, eat BBQ, drink a shiner, and wear my boots every where. I did improvise here though. I listened to country, made semi-BBQ chicken and fried green beans with danish beer. I wore my boots around town just so everyone knew. Actually, I usually wear my cowboy boots around town and to class so it wasn’t anything different.
I got a package from home and it was like heaven. We got instant hidden valley ranch to mix with sour cream. I know this will be amazing however we have to find sour cream. I got instant roux mix so I don’t have to take a long time making roux anymore, even though i have mastered it now. We also had a huge relief in the seasoning side of things. We were running low on Tony’s Creole seasoning. My mom though came through in the clutch and packed a hugggeeee can of it. If we ran out I don’t know what I’d do!!!
So today, March 7th, I woke up to go get my hair cut down the road. On arrival I realized that a mens hair cut was 65usd. Ya needless to say, I got the heck out of there. I knew things would e more expensive coming here but really Denmark?! Oh well, I am just glad to be up and moving early. Now, I have some much needed time to work on my danish. It was nice to use danish out and about. The only problem is I know the basic stuff. After all I have only been in a week of classes. I did however ask someone their name and where they were from. They quickly started spouting off all these sentences and all I said in danish was “I speak english.” The perplexed look on their face was merited. After all I had started out a conversation in danish, only to tell them I spoke english.
Well see you around. I decided to end each blog with something I find troubling, weird, or just awkward about Denmark. Also, maybe throw in a little something interesting. I will make up for the other blogs not having these and put a bunch in here. Once again these are things I have noticed. I realize that not everything I come across here is actually a part of every Danes true culture. I am merely commenting and bring up things I have seen.
Why don’t people clean up after their dogs. I find that disgusting and annoying. It isn’t just off on the grass people literally leave it on the sidewalks.
People always say American’s are racist. I realize that racism is still very much alive and we are worlds away from a truly colorblind America. However, I see racism even over here. Bottles are worth money over here if you actually take the time to return them. It is not strange to find people at night walking around picking up bottles. Saturday when I asked a Dane about it he responded, “Stupid Greenlanders!” I realize much like America a few bad apples can ruin the bunch, and not everyone holds the same idea. However, I find there is some air of distrust, towards some of the immigrant populations by some Danes I have ran across.
Manners, I was raised with southern manners and would get a whoopin’ if I did otherwise. Manners are very different here. I am especially someone who hates lines. I am patience! However, I am not big on lines. I will however wait in them if I absolutely have to. I have noticed the Danes cut. A lot! If they would just realize that if they waited in line we could all get in, in a timely manner. Plus, It is just flat out rude!
I find that many people who have cars over here haul ass everywhere.(pardon the expression)
Coolest place I’ve been to since going out here. Ping Pong Bar! Everyone was nice and social and it was a lot of fun.
People dance like it is a middle school church dance over here. Not like its a problem, after all some of the dancing that I have seen in America is way over the line. The Danes just leave a little bit to much room for Jesus. Or maybe it is just because I am an American.
I find it funny when people ask where I am from and I say America. They then say oh which state and I show them my boots and they say, “TEXAS!” Sometimes I will just show them my boots and they will still get it right. It makes me veryyyy happy!
Also, Yes my writing style is one that is not grammatically correct. I apologize for those I offend by my terrible writing abilities. But honestly, I am blogging not writing a research paper. In other words, DEAL WITH IT. Now that that’s over with. I hope you enjoyed my random thoughts. See you next time I blog.
Sincerely,
Colton
"Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and all the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism."
I have found that it is perpetual winter here! I am kind of ready for warmth so I can start enjoying the city more. I am looking forward to tonight. My friend Brandon from Bama is coming over to talk about his amazing trip to Venice, Rome, and Holland. I can only imagine it was a very wild time. I’m sure his pictures of venice will be amazing.
I was originally going to go and booked a few flight to get to Venice. However, when I tried to book flights home i found that the cheapest ones would cost 550usd. That was way way way to much and I definitely wasn’t going to pay that. Oh well, Venice will always be there. Unless it sinks.... and I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
As you may or may not know March 2nd is Texas Independence day. Sadly, I could not do my normal routine which is listen to Texas country, eat BBQ, drink a shiner, and wear my boots every where. I did improvise here though. I listened to country, made semi-BBQ chicken and fried green beans with danish beer. I wore my boots around town just so everyone knew. Actually, I usually wear my cowboy boots around town and to class so it wasn’t anything different.
I got a package from home and it was like heaven. We got instant hidden valley ranch to mix with sour cream. I know this will be amazing however we have to find sour cream. I got instant roux mix so I don’t have to take a long time making roux anymore, even though i have mastered it now. We also had a huge relief in the seasoning side of things. We were running low on Tony’s Creole seasoning. My mom though came through in the clutch and packed a hugggeeee can of it. If we ran out I don’t know what I’d do!!!
So today, March 7th, I woke up to go get my hair cut down the road. On arrival I realized that a mens hair cut was 65usd. Ya needless to say, I got the heck out of there. I knew things would e more expensive coming here but really Denmark?! Oh well, I am just glad to be up and moving early. Now, I have some much needed time to work on my danish. It was nice to use danish out and about. The only problem is I know the basic stuff. After all I have only been in a week of classes. I did however ask someone their name and where they were from. They quickly started spouting off all these sentences and all I said in danish was “I speak english.” The perplexed look on their face was merited. After all I had started out a conversation in danish, only to tell them I spoke english.
Well see you around. I decided to end each blog with something I find troubling, weird, or just awkward about Denmark. Also, maybe throw in a little something interesting. I will make up for the other blogs not having these and put a bunch in here. Once again these are things I have noticed. I realize that not everything I come across here is actually a part of every Danes true culture. I am merely commenting and bring up things I have seen.
Why don’t people clean up after their dogs. I find that disgusting and annoying. It isn’t just off on the grass people literally leave it on the sidewalks.
People always say American’s are racist. I realize that racism is still very much alive and we are worlds away from a truly colorblind America. However, I see racism even over here. Bottles are worth money over here if you actually take the time to return them. It is not strange to find people at night walking around picking up bottles. Saturday when I asked a Dane about it he responded, “Stupid Greenlanders!” I realize much like America a few bad apples can ruin the bunch, and not everyone holds the same idea. However, I find there is some air of distrust, towards some of the immigrant populations by some Danes I have ran across.
Manners, I was raised with southern manners and would get a whoopin’ if I did otherwise. Manners are very different here. I am especially someone who hates lines. I am patience! However, I am not big on lines. I will however wait in them if I absolutely have to. I have noticed the Danes cut. A lot! If they would just realize that if they waited in line we could all get in, in a timely manner. Plus, It is just flat out rude!
I find that many people who have cars over here haul ass everywhere.(pardon the expression)
Coolest place I’ve been to since going out here. Ping Pong Bar! Everyone was nice and social and it was a lot of fun.
People dance like it is a middle school church dance over here. Not like its a problem, after all some of the dancing that I have seen in America is way over the line. The Danes just leave a little bit to much room for Jesus. Or maybe it is just because I am an American.
I find it funny when people ask where I am from and I say America. They then say oh which state and I show them my boots and they say, “TEXAS!” Sometimes I will just show them my boots and they will still get it right. It makes me veryyyy happy!
Also, Yes my writing style is one that is not grammatically correct. I apologize for those I offend by my terrible writing abilities. But honestly, I am blogging not writing a research paper. In other words, DEAL WITH IT. Now that that’s over with. I hope you enjoyed my random thoughts. See you next time I blog.
Sincerely,
Colton
"Sure, I've been called a xenophobe, but the truth is I'm not. I honestly just feel that America is the best country and all the other countries aren't as good. That used to be called patriotism."
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