Hello from Kobenhavn!!

Bike Trip

So I'm back from my bike trip! It was an amazing experience and I'm so happy I went. In total, Matt, Kristin, Ned, and I biked some 1,800 miles. My legs are JACKED. Lets hope I can keep that up over in Copenhagen!

A few people have asked me, "So did you meet your husband on the trip?" (since this, for those who don't know, is how my parents met). And I say, "No. Not at all. Everyone on the trip, aside from my brother and 2 neighbors, was between the ages of 49-67. Some were truly old farts upon first impression, but everyone ended up being really nice and fun people.

Here's the motley crew: (I hope you can get a grasp of the age of everyone from this tiny picture. The 4 young'ns were pretty surprised on the first day meeting everyone)

Copenhagen

After returning home from Oregon, I had exactly 2.5 days to pack before I was off to the airport again to leave for Europe! Although I had only a small window of time to pack, instead of buckling down right away, in true Kelsey style, I casually organized/cleaned for the majority of the time and come 1am the night before I left, I started actually packing. I packed from 1-4am and when I got to the airport at 2pm, my 2 checked bags that needed to be 50lbs or lighter weighed 50.0 lbs and 50.5 lbs (they let me slide with that)-- not too shabby.

And now I'm here!! I am living in a kollegium, which is an apartment complex in the city where only students are allowed to live. I am living with 1 roommate named Blair, who goes to Franklin and Marshall College. She's so sweet and we've been getting along great-- we helped each other move in and walked around the city together today.

Here's her picture (stolen from facebook):

We each have our own room and share a bathroom. Then there is a communal hall kitchen/living area which is great because its huge and we get to easily meet all the Danes on our floor. I've met 5 of the Danes on my hall so far and a number of kids who are going to DIS (my school) with me. Danish people are so friendly! I can't wait to become more familiar with the city.

The hardest part of being here so far is attempting to pronounce Danish words! Although nearly everyone speaks English, when I need to explain something to someone or ask for directions to a store, it sounds like they're speaking gibberish to me.

For example:

(bus driver from the airport): So where am I taking you?

(me): ummm.. the kollegium that starts with an O? It's like... Or...den...suh...

(driver): Oh Øresundskollegit? That's off of Dalslandsgade?

(me): right....

Here's some pictures of my room! It's really cute and comfortable. The bathroom, however, is interesting...

this is my book/clothes shelf and desk (my closest is in the hallway of the suite).

the decorations are not complete yet! i have lots more pictures to hang (as always) but I'm waiting to put them up so I can show them to the Danish family that I'll be visiting once a week.

here's my bed--with the very cute comforter and sheets that DIS provides us. the funny part is that all the boys have this same comforter too. it's a hawaiian floral print with pink stripes.

when i'm done, the wall on the left will be much more covered with pictures :)

here's another view of my desk that shows the awesome windows that look out on the street.

the view of my room from the hallway.

then, THE BATHROOM!!

while the rooms are adorable, the bathroom is quite interesting. see that hose-looking thing hanging to the left of the sink? That's the shower. It's connected directly to the sink. Turn on the sink, turn on the spigot, and voila!! Shower.

See the round thing on the floor beneath the sink? That's the drain. There is no separation of toilet/ shower/ sink. What does this mean? Every time you walk into the bathroom, the floor is wet and usually there is a significantly sized puddle just sitting on the floor.

It's a set up that I've never seen, but when I mentioned the strange bathroom to the Danes here, they looked at me like I was crazy. "That's how almost all the bathrooms are," they told me. "Most families even have this type of bathroom." Interesting.