On Danish Transportation

At a Phillies game that I went to before I left the states (because I'm originally from the land of the Phightin' Phils and because my best friend's family is awesome), they made this announcement to "Stick around until the 7th inning to hear why our fans LOVE SEPTA!"  To which I called shenanigans, because no one loves SEPTA (SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority).  At best, people tolerate SEPTA because it kind of gets you where you need to go sometimes.

But public transportation here in Copenhagen is top notch.  I am obsessed with how simple the Metro system is (two lines, which go pretty much exactly the same places except for like 5 stops), then there are busses and the S-train, which is the regional train that takes you out to the outerlying neighborhoods of Greater Copenhagen.  And everything runs pretty consistently so you never have to wait more than like 10 minutes.  It's awesome.

But this evening, my lovely American roommate and I managed to get completely lost because we got on the right bus going the wrong way.  We were off in search of food: fun fact, they pretty much force you to go into the city from our little suburb-type neighborhood by just not having food anywhere around here.  So we hop on the 33 bus, which runs between our neighborhood and the City Centre.

...And, apparently, the outer reaches of Vestamager, which is two zones past what our school-provided transportation passes cover.  And the fine for getting caught on public transportation without a pass or with an insufficient pass is 750 kr (or about 125 USD).  So, thank god, we just pulled the "stupid, confused Americans couldn't understand the Danish bus schedule and accidentally got on the wrong bus" card and the bus driver was pretty understanding and took us home.

Today's lesson: Don't stray from the path.  Accept the role you have and don't try and adventure, because otherwise you will end up in Zone 4 which is nothing but houses anyway and you could get in lots of trouble.

Confusedly yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Those Fashionable Danes

I wanted to do a post dedicated to dressing like a Dane...but in all honesty, we're still trying to figure it out, really.  They told us during Orientation that the Danes don't wear colors, but that's not entirely true.

Yes, there are a lot of neutrals (grey, black, navy blue, dark brown, white).  But there are also a lot of Danes that wear colors, especially the kids.  As far as I can tell, you can still blend in pretty well in blue, red, and dark purple.  They also tend to have really bright shoes and umbrellas, which makes me laugh.  The point is, though, you may want to leave the neon lodge clothes at home, unless you WANT to stick out as an American.

The biggest thing is dressing for the weather -- it rains a lot and gets cold inexplicably, so layers are absolutely necessary...and rain boots are probably a good choice.  Also, the Danes walk or ride bikes everywhere (because there's a 200% tax on cars), so comfortable shoes are non-negotiable.  If you're going to wear heels, make sure they're not going to get caught in the cobblestone sidewalks.

If I notice anything else relevant, I'll make sure to post it.

Too colorful for Denmark,
Rachel Leigh

On Denmark (Part 1)

Greetings for (surprisingly) sunny and (unseasonably) warm Copenhagen!  Fun fact, while Copenhagen is usually about 15 degrees colder than Richmond, it has actually consistently been warmer here (at least during the day) the entire time I've been here.  The day we arrived was the hottest day Denmark had in two years.  Just throwin' some knowledge your way.

This post comes at the end of my first day of classes (by which I mean my first class, because most of my classes are tomorrow...also it's only 11:30 and I've already been to class, commuted home, and done my reading for tomorrow).

Things I love so far:

• Everything is easily accessible by Metro
• The people really ARE the happiest people on Earth, and it just exudes from the attitudes at certain places

Things I'm still not used to:

• Not understanding half the signs I read (though I'm picking up on some (Udgang=Exit) and I start Danish tomorrow)
• The Danes are REALLY quiet people.  I can already start to pick out the Americans on the Metro...just follow the loud ones.

The biggest thing, though, is that I'm still recovering from jetlag.  How am I supposed to get past this terrible jetlag when they keep rushing me around from place to place and not leaving me enough time to sleep?  My body can only handle so much sleep deprivation.

More to come (especially once I upload some of the photos of things I find bizarre).

Tusind tak,
Rachel Leigh

Why is packing the worst thing ever?

That might be a hyperbole, but I think it's pretty accurate.  Packing and cleaning combine to be the thing I hate most in this life.

That being said, I leave for Denmark tomorrow!  I'm so excited, but I wouldn't expect any new posts or anything until I am done unpacking/going through orientation.  I will miss you all oodles.  In the meantime, enjoy the slight layout update!

All the best and Europe-bound,
Rachel Leigh

On Weirdness

I think it's funny how someone's response when I call them weird is always to shoot back, "No, you're weird!"  I mean, yes, I am.  I'm totally weird.  I'm like the weirdest person I know.  But why does MY being weird preclude your ability to be weird?  Does my being tall somehow stop other people from being tall?

 

I can understand noting the hypocrisy, if I were somehow saying that you're a bad person because you are weird, but it's not like that.  You may have done or said something that I found odd because it doesn't make sense to me or it's unconventional.  That doesn't make it bad, but it does make it, at least to me, weird.  Why does the fact that I am also a weird person somehow make you not-weird?

 

One of my favorite quotes comes from Dr. Seuss: "We're all a little weird, and life is weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."  The fact that you're weird doesn't make you somehow less -- it makes you capable of mutual weirdness.  But just because I point it out, doesn't mean you have to go "Nuh uh, you are!" like I just called you smelly on the playground.

 

Embrace the weirdness -- but recognize it.

 

Yours in mutual weirdness,

Rachel Leigh

On My Life As a Domestic Goddess (Or: Cupcake-Decorating 101)

This post is completely unrelated to what I normally post, but then again, I normally post whatever anyway.

If you know me, you know I like to bake.  If you REALLY know me, you know I worked as a cake decorator for four years and still take my decorating very seriously (especially on my cupcakes).  As such, I've gotten a couple questions on everything from the materials and techniques I use to the virtues of professional training.

So, here are Rachel's Tips and Tricks for decorating:

1. Buy cheap pastry bags and good decorating tips.  A cheap decorating tip will warp, bend, clog, and generally be a pain to work with.  Invest in sturdy ones.  Pastry bags, on the other hand, are disposable.  Even if you take excellent care of them, they rip, fray, and stain after a couple uses.  If you have to choose where to splurge and where to save, splurge on the decorating tips.  If it comes down to it, you can even use a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off to save money on pastry bags.
2. Know your materials and how they behave.  Cold, stiff frosting is harder to work with, but it holds up better than a warmer frosting, which wilts, melts into the cake, and falls apart if you look at it funny.  Don't try to use cookie frosting on a cake -- they behave completely differently and serve different purposes.
3. Practice and experiment.  It took me a good six months before I could pipe a frosting rose that didn't smoosh up or fall apart the second my hand moved.  Everything from learning the amount of pressure needed to pipe certain shapes and patterns to deciding if a design that looks cool in your head actually works in reality requires practice and a willingness to experiment.
4. Don't be afraid to get messy.  I worked one shift in high school where I had to leave immediately after to go set up and help out with senior class graduation, and it took me 12 hand washes and a shower to scrub all of the food coloring and icing off of my hands and arms.  You WILL end up covered in food coloring and having to wipe down your work station a lot, but it gets neater and easier with practice.  Don't wear anything you'd be horrified to see ruined until the mixer and food dye is safely away.

That's it for now.  If you guys like this kind of post, let me know and I might do more of them!  In the meantime, here is a picture of the cupcakes I made yesterday:

Letting them eat cake,
Rachel Leigh