Overdue Update

So I missed posting an update last week due to a series of time-consuming events.

About the week before last: I started weekly Danish lessons on Wednesday, and so far they are going well.
Thursday was my birthday. I honestly don't think I could have felt more blessed.
I woke up to breakfast with my host family, and opened some presents from them. They got me a ticket to the X Factor Finale, which is really cool and I am looking so forward to that. Also, they got me a Danish flag on a flagpole with my name and birthday engraved on its base.
Then it was school, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I had a few free lessons and just got to mess around and chill. Everyone was also really nice, and I got quite a lot of Danish happy birthdays.
After school, I had to go straight to the Rotary House to help set up for the meeting that night, and was with two other girls who are going on exchange in the summer.
That night at the Rotary meeting, I had to give my presentation about myself, my country, etc. They all sang 'Happy Birthday' in Danish and there was a lot of cake! Then I said my presentation, starting in Danish, yeahhhh I tried. Then we auctioned all the prizes I had won from the Handball, and I ended up 4700kr (approx R7500) richer. And on top of that, all my host families for the year, got me a combined gift which was an acoustic guitar and that was really just the cherry on the top of my birthday. I was ecstatic.

Friday was my first school party, it was a Friday's cafe. It was a lot of fun, and quite hilarious considering everyone was dressed up.

On Saturday, my host family's entire family came over for lunch, and it was very 'hyggeligt'. The members of their family really spoilt me and I did really not expect to be so blessed. I got a number of gifts that I am so grateful for.

It was a really good weekend.

This past weekend was the Rotary Get2Gether with all of the exchange students in DK. Everyone arrived from different areas in DK and were very excited. It was so much fun to see the people you knew already and also to meet new people.
On Sunday, when I got back home, I learned that I had three days off of school.
I am super happy!

Oblivion

ob-liv-i-on:
the state of being unaware or unconscious of what is happening.

Definitely my condition, right there. Everything is as overwhelming as ever and the weeks have flown by without me even slightly comprehending each one, and how remarkable they have been.
Today marks my four weeks here and it makes me question the trust I have in time and how much time I have left. One month down and eleven to go. That's one twelfth. It's scary because I have felt the speed of time and tasted just how quickly the next year will go by. It has not been time wasted, however. Every moment has been just as spectacular as any and I am loving this experience.

So in the past two weeks, since I last posted, so much has happened. Like, maybe, a week in Paris? Meeting a million people (that's an exaggeration) at Intro Camp who happen to come from all over the world? Well yes, pretty much.

So the week before last was the week of Intro Camp which basically means, six hours of Danish lessons daily! And a whole lot of drinking coffee and eating cake. The latter part makes up for the first, at least. The camp was so helpful and yes, educational. After the first three or four days, everyone had bonded and no one really wanted to leave. Now all of us exchange students are dying for the 'Get2Gether' so we can all see each other again. Rotary and their creative names...

It was fun.

Then was the trip to Paris with my host family. I felt so blessed to get to go somewhere so cool, so soon on my exchange. It was amazing.
But before that, was the twelve hour drive. I slept through every new country we entered and that was fine. The scenery was wonderful when I happened to be awake, but other than that my eyelids were rather entertaining too.
I also happened to sleep through Valentine's Day on the return home. That was also fine.

We spent four days in Disneyland and it was awesome. I concluded that no one is ever too old for that place. I loved it. I relived a frightening part of my childhood when going on the Hollywood Tower Hotel ride for the second time in my life. The first was when I went on it with my three sisters back in 2007 in Disneyland USA. Whoa, I think I screamed even louder than my eleven-year-old self. It was every bit as wild as I remember, and in a twisted kind of way, I loved the feeling of almost falling to my death. I think it's called an adrenaline rush? But that didn't give me a drive to go a third time. Sorry, kids.

I loved spending time with my host family and especially be it in a theme park. It was so much fun.

So after a month, I definitely think I like this place, and wouldn't mind staying for a little while longer. I think eleven more months sounds good to me.

Just a Quick Update

Tomorrow will mean 2 whole weeks of being in Denmark. It's quite crazy because it feels so long already but feels like I just got here. This week has been really cool, and different to the first. I started school and I like it a lot. Last night was my first night out and I had so much fun.

Tomorrow I am going to Bjerringbro for Intro Camp with the other exchange students and we'll pretty much have 6 hours of Danish lessons every day. Should be quite interesting, but I'm excited.

On Thursday, I went to watch a Handball game with my host family and Rotary officer. It was so much fun and it's such an entertaining game. During the break they have this thing where someone from the crowd is chosen to throw the handball into this small whole in front of the goal from the penalty line. So somehow it happened to me and from there, everything was quite a blur. You get three shots to try and get it in. First; I missed. Second; I missed again. The third attempt must have been the result of an adrenaline rush because I got it in. Everyone in the room stood up and cheered and it felt so surreal. Then the guy was just handing me like a million boxes, my host dad ran over to help take all the prizes. It was quite overwhelming. The coolest experience ever.

So, all in all, I am loving it and really enjoying it here. x

First Week

I arrived in Denmark exactly a week ago and everything feels surreal. It really hasn't hit me yet. The week has flown by and every day has so many new and different experiences. So many new people and I haven't even started school yet. I am loving it here and still can't believe it's happening. It's as though I am living someone else's life, but starting mine all over at the same time.

I have decided to write this blog based entirely on my year in Denmark and by doing this, I can write down what I do every week and be able to read it once I go home and, therefore, remember everything and reminisce about it all. Also, whoever is reading it (my friends and family back home) gets to see what I am getting up to.
I may even make a vlog just to show my face. But we'll see if I have the guts to talk to myself with the use of a camera.

To start off, there are so many things that are different here and it's like discovering a new world. This place is so easy on the eyes and from a South African's perpective, the snow seems pretty beautiful. Everything is white. Each flake falls gently from the sky and kisses the ground effortlessly. It starts off slow and then it happens all at once, covering the ground like an unliftable blanket. All in all, it's a picturesque environment, and I can't get enough of it. (But that will probably change since it's freezing and I'll get sick of it. Maybe).
Also, the people drive on the other side of the road. Steering wheels are therefore on the opposite too. It's all a bit confusing, but just adds to the 'newness' of it all.
People actual cycle while it's snowing and it seems completely crazy to me, but the Danish are said to be the happiest people on Earth, so maybe that's why they're okay with doing a minor thing as such.
The language is different, and so difficult- but I think I'm doing okay so far.
The food; oh my gosh, the food. It is good and there is a lot of it and I am an exchange student and exchange students get fat on exchange and there are so many bakeries and I cannot deal with it. So embrace the food, yeah?

Anyways, I don't think any amount of words or pictures could sum up the amount of craziness that is included with this opportunity. I am so content, yet so excited to keep learning and just experiencing it. I start school tomorrow which is really rad but unnecessarily scary. No one should feel as nervous as each exchange student feels before starting school in a foreign country. So we'll see how that one goes.

My host family is really cool, I have a lot of fun with them and really look forward to the next three months living with them.

Today we went to Nibe to the welcome meeting for the newbies like myself. I got to meet the 'oldie inbounds', the other 'newbie inbounds', the upcoming outbounds and the rebounds. So I met a lot of cool people and it was nice. We're all kind of in the same boat, so we get each other.

 I am super excited for the next 51 weeks and don't think I'll get over it.
<3