28 September 2011

Summing Up September

Here's a beautiful map of Denmark showing the places I've visited this month :)
For me, September has been REALLY busy! I hope you're in the mood for quite some reading, because I'm about to update you on just how jam-packed September has been for me:

FIRST WEEK

The cathedral in the back is Denmark's oldest, largest and tallest church
In the beginning of September I spent 3 days in Denmark's 2nd-largest city called Aarhus (roughly pronounced like "Or-hoose" for you Un-Danish people!) and enjoyed strolling through the culturally alive city! I wish I had more time to explore the city! I didn't stay at a hotel- that's way too mainstream for Mr. Dowsett of course ;) So I stayed in a tent out in the middle of the harbour of Aarhus!! Damn it was cold at night! Thankfully I brought Mrs. Kangaroo along to keep me warm at night ;)

My cousin brought along his kangaroo, that I got him, to Aarhus :) Isn't that cute?
And is that a Solar Eclipse happening in the background? ;) 


SECOND WEEK

I went for my driving license and passed! Funny how on my way home I crashed on my bike leaving me with a real nasty bruise! Still, I was so relieved from passing my driving test that a crash on my bike didn't matter one bit :)

Then the next day I had to get up early to catch a train to Fredericia, which is in Jutland, to go to my millitary conscription day. They made me go through dozens of tests to see if I was fit for the Danish defense force, and luckily I didn't get picked to get in! Phew!

Then the day after that, I applied to go to a TAFE-like school to do supplementary subjects for Danish, Physics and Chemistry (because I didn't have these subjects in Australia). Why? Simply because I'd like to study Biomedicine in university next year in Denmark! Now I know that my friends who know me well know how much I love film-making (and I admit I'm pretty damn good at it too ;)) but I feel like I need to move on... anyway I'd rather not talk about my love for filming and editing because quite a lot has been p''''''g me off and it'll just make me feel even more frustrated if I start explaining... 

But Biomedicine is REALLY interesting stuff! I love biology, I love learning, And I've always been curious about science and research, so I'm sure this is the right thing for me. But let's see. I still have plenty of time to make my mind up! And no matter what happens, I'll never stop making videos :)


THIRD WEEK

VUC (Voksen Uddannelse Centre, which means Adult Education Centre)- where I have my Chemistry and Danish lessons
This was my first week at studying in Denmark. Although I love chemistry and I get along well with some people I met, Danish is pretty difficult for me. It's like English in year 12, except that it's all in Danish- if you catch my drift! I am definitely coping but it's seriously hard. I am not use to being the worst in the class! But I'm very proud of myself and how I keep working hard and trying my best :)

This is Odense Train Station, where I catch the bus home every day.
The Thursday was a very hectic day! I had to get up at 6am and then bike 15 minutes in the cold Autumn morning (around 8 degrees) and catch a bus into Odense where my lessons are; then have Chemistry for 2 hours, then jump on a bus back to Munkebo and vote in the Danish election for the very first time, then bike home and pack my bags for the 3-day trip to Bornholm, then catch another frikkin bus back into Odense to have 3 hours of Danish, before walking 45 minutes to my uncle's house, who I was going to Bornholm with! I feel exhausted just typing that!!

On the ferry from Sweden to Bornholm. The land on the horizon is Sweden!
I got up at 4am and drove through Denmark and into Sweden to Ystad, where we caught a ferry which took us to the beautiful and rocky island of Bornholm! Bornholm is situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea which makes it the most Westerly point in Denmark, which you can see on the map too.

You like fish? Then you'll love Bornholm! Everywhere you go you'll see old smokehouses where fish are smoked. The colourful Bornholmian smokehouses have long chimneys and look so good!

This is how they look like inside. You can see the fish hanging on the stand. I think it's safe to say that I certainly had an overdose of Omega-3 that weekend!

Bornholm is also said to be the sunniest place in Denmark and it definitely lived up to expections! Blue skies! But of course, being a small island out in the middle of the sea meant that it was quite windy...

Among other things, I visited a clifftop fortress from the 13th century called Hammershus which was really interesting! It's just so nice to see really old things- I mean there are no historic buildings older than 200 years in Australia!
 
And here am I with the Danish flag blowing majestically in the wind with a Bornholmian smokehouse in the background! Now I can add Bornholm to my long Been There - Done That list of 2011!
 
 
 
FOURTH WEEK


The leaves are magically turning red! I actually took this photo today on my way to my Danish class :)
Well I guess that's now! This week I've just been busy studying. I've been really snotty this week (just thought you might like to know that ;)) so I hope it's not a sign that I'm starting to get sick! Autumn has really kicked in this week, with the trees slowly undergoing their colourful transformation! I've really missed that! In Australia we don't see that at all, except some palm trees...
 
Anyway! October's approaching and I'll be spending my Autumn holidays in London which should be fun! Looking forward to then!
 
And if you're one of the very few who actually was bothered enough to read the whole thing- Thank you for actually reading it! I can now go to bed feeling like it was worth all the effort :)
 

1 September 2011

Re-Gathering My Thoughts

I have had the most exciting Summer this year. Come to think of it, I've had 2 Summers within one year! But my Summer in Europe has been full of adventure- with Roskilde Festival and the trip through Norway being the highlights. But now the Summer has come to an end. So what now? Good question.

Well I have spent around 90% of all I've earned on getting my driver's license. It is bloody expensive in Denmark! You might think that the theory and practical lessons would be enough to pay for, but no. You have to of course pay for getting a medical certificate, a First-Aid course, an obstacle course driving on slippery surfaces to prepare myself for possible future scenarios if ice is on the road, and then of course the actual theory and real test (plus car rental). All up, it will probably cost me 13 800kr (roughly AUD $2560)!! To make matters worse, I haven't earned any money in the holidays since I work at a school and they have holidays too, and right now none of the teachers are sick. I know it sounds quite horrible, but I really hope they get sick soon!! I'm also keeping my eyes peeled for a new job, but just like in Australia, no one seems to be hiring! Grrrr.

Anyway, guess what I got in the mail today: a letter from the Danish Defense Force calling me in for a Recruitment Day!! What The Fish!? Unlike in Australia where it is voluntary military service (no conscription), there is compulsory military service. Apparently they do a few tests with you and then you draw a number which tells you if you are one of the unlucky ones to be forced to do military service. I'd rather shoot myself than do that! So let's see how it goes this September! The recruitment day is also a day after I go for my drivers license. What fun :/

What else can I moan about?....

I have been incredibly busy the last week or so planning my future and what I'd like to study at university. It's been quite a head-ache ringing my ex-school in Australia, getting my grades converted, and figuring out what I need to do to be able to go to university here in Denmark. I have almost made my mind up about what I'd like to study, but I'll tell you about that in my next blog entry :)
Oh, and perhaps a little piece of news I may have forgot to mention. It may be bad news, or good news, depending on how much you like me:

I'm going to cancel my return flight to Australia. That's right- I'm staying in Denmark!