Greetings from my never-ending struggle to adjust to the cold and to gain a grasp of what "hygge" really means!

This isn't really a post so much as a quick update to let you all know how things are going --

1. I am running out of the delicious cheap chocolate stash that I got on the way back from Germany - but luckily I'm set to run out right before we leave for Brussels.  Belgian chocolate, here I come!

2. There was this massive international food fair in Gammeltorv, the square near DIS, yesterday.  I ate my weight in delicious things.

Yes, that is a waffle with whipped cream, strawberries, and peaches.  Judge all you want, it was delicious.

3. It's starting to get cold - so glad I bought my winter coat to keep me warm!  Now if only my room had a fireplace, then we'd be in business.

Hope to have more to update soon!

On Study Abroad Problems

Oh my lovely, lovely readers.  I have encountered a number of #studyabroadproblems (kind of like firstworldproblems, in that they're soaked in privilege and kind of ridiculous, but specific to experiences of culture shock or differences spurred by being in another country) since I've been here, some of which I've told you about, and some of which I haven't.

The first is the fact that the Danes swear almost entirely in English.  In between the words I don't understand, the j's that sound like "y," and the d's that are definitely actually the letter L, you'll here good old American f-bombs.  Or my European Politics professor who likes to start class by yelling "Shut up, you assholes!"  According to my Danish professor, it comes down to the fact that, kind of like "Merde!" sounds less harsh to an English speaker than its English equivalent, cursing in English to the Danes is almost not like cursing at all -- god forbid someone actually use a Danish curse word or she would be horribly offended.  It's just really hard to get used to not understanding entire conversations except when an English swear is snuck in.

The other is just that junk food and junk drinks (like soda, which you all know is an addiction of mine) are super expensive here and also the closest place to get them is like a fifteen minute walk and yes I am so lazy that that is too much effort.

To make up for my whining, here are some pictures from Denmark!

 

Still-not-Danishly Yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Election Season and Why I'm Glad I Have an Absentee Ballot

Darling readers, as much as it pains me to be out of the country during the first presidential election I can vote in (shout out to the Bucks County Board of Elections and my awesome mother for making sure I still get my absentee ballot!), I do have to say I'm not lamenting missing out on the irritating onslaught of campaign ads.

Don't get me wrong, between the daily emails, the political Facebook posts, and the fact that for some reason the Danes do actually seem to care about the outcome of the American presidential election, I'm still bombarded with campaign slogans and election information (and the occasional request to canvas or come to a rally, but sorry guys, it's hard to do that from Copenhagen -- best of luck though!).  But it's refreshing to get a break from every ad I see on YouTube or TV, or hear on the radio, being a political ad.

But the thing is, I didn't miss it entirely.  Because what they neglect to tell you is that campaign season in the States starts long before the primaries.  In fact, especially for House elections, it's reasonable to say that campaign season never stops.  Even before the campaign ads start airing, the media is full of policy critiques and comments from one side on the actions of the other.

What this means is that our politicians can rarely enter into that lull where they can actually govern as opposed to dancing around like trained monkeys trying to win your approval.  The second-term presidencies are really the only chances politicians get to actually do their jobs without worrying about the ramifications at the polls -- after all, they don't GET another shot.

What I've noticed here, though, is that while campaigning can get a little tough (especially in the UK because politics in the UK are so absurd they're actually funny), once an election has passed and a government has taken over, they're given the chance to DO THEIR JOBS, with the understanding that they may have to pay the price in the next election cycle, but that it won't really be an issue until then.

An outside perspective on American politics is actually kind of refreshing, really.

Absently yours,
Rachel Leigh

On European Politics and "Bad Words"

Greetings again from across the Atlantic!  After spending the last week gallivanting around southern Denmark and Schleswig-Holstein in Germany, going to lectures taught by former VCU professors who now work in a Belgian think tank, a Fatboy Slim concert, and getting a winter coat, I finally have the chance to sit down and write a little bit.

We had a couple meetings with officials from both the Danish and German governments, which was really eye-opening in a lot of ways.  We met with a woman in the Danish parliament (called the Folketing), and it was truly refreshing to hear a politician who wasn't so afraid to give a direct answer when asked for their position on something -- even something as conflicted as whether Denmark should join the Euro zone (spoiler alert: they totally should, the currency is already tied to the Euro so it's stupid not to).

But because most of European Union and European domestic politics come down to a culture of consensus, I thought the coolest thing was that the word "compromise" and "lobby" weren't bad words.  They weren't things to be afraid of.  Lobbying - pitching the facts and rubbing elbows to make the right friends to assert your political agenda - is just a necessary part of getting things done in a system that isn't strictly majority based.  And they recognize the difference between compromise and rolling over and playing dead.  Especially within the EU, compromising and giving up a little bit of what you want allows you to influence the direction the discussions and decisions take, so maybe you might lose one thing you wanted, but ultimately you come out with the things that were really important.

When the system is less driven by conflict and campaigning, it doesn't become such a bad thing to make some sacrifices for the good of the greater cause.  And that, to me, is cool.

You know what isn't cool, though?  How expensive soda is here.  I'm superthirsty right now and I don't want to walk all the way to Netto for a five dollar can of soda.  Rawr.

Politically yours,
Rachel Leigh

On Little Kids and Amusement Parks

This is less a Dane-centric post and more one of my traditional rants inspired by something I noticed.

Yesterday I went to LEGOLAND in Billund, Denmark, which is about three and a half/four hours from Copenhagen.  It was a) totally awesome and b) full of small children, because that is what amusement parks generally are.

Which led me to notice how many of these small children looked absolutely miserable.  Which got me thinking -- How much of "children loving amusement parks" is really their parents WANTING them to love amusement parks?  I'm sorry, but your two year old doesn't want to be here.  Your two year old is too small to ride most of the rides, is probably overwhelmed and distressed by the number of strangers, and would probably rather be taking a nap than coming to Legoland where they cannot eat or poop on anything, which, from what I gather, are babies' favorite pastimes.

I always had a love-hate relationship with amusement parks, especially when I was younger.  As much as I love the lights and sounds and games and park food, I was always really terrified of most park rides which meant that I was stuck either going on rides that scared me (and crying because I was miserable) or waiting for everyone else to go on them (and being bored).  As much as I did genuinely enjoy going to amusement parks, there were parts that sucked, parts that I couldn't really vocalize the suckage of until I was much older.

So take your kids to amusement parks when they're seven and can tell you whether or not they really like it.  Don't drag them there when they're too little to have any fun or to tell you that they're not.

Yours exhaustedly after a long day at Legoland,
Rachel Leigh