Hi from sunny Denmark!
That’s right, you never thought I would say that Denmark was being sunny... but it is. It’s now a beautiful 20-25 degrees and most school classes are spent outside.
In the start of April we had a Rotary Get2gether in Roskilde. Roskilde is the town famous for the Roskilde festival, the biggest annual music festival in Scandinavia. The get2gether was for all the Inbound students in Denmark, about 150, and was based around the Viking-age. The first night we did folk dancing, which is in fact harder then boot scooting. The second day we visited a Viking museum and made Viking coins, jewelry, ropes and played Viking games (such as tug-of-war and throwing hammers like the god Thor). The museum also had ships that had been dug up hundreds of years ago. On the second night we had a band come and play a concert.
The following weekend I went to Slagelse to visit a New Zealand Exchange student. Slagelse is well known for having the high school where HC Andersen went, but otherwise is a small town. However this was one of the first days of great whether so we took a bike ride out to a forrest nearby that sorrounded a lake and had a picnic lunch.
The next weekend was the last school party for the year, where there was a lot of dancing and drinking. That same weekend there was an unofficial get2gether in Odense (my town). There was about 20 exchange students who came and 5 stayed at my house. At lunch the next day my host Father remarked that at the table we had 5 continents represented, with 2 girls from south Africa, one girl from Canada, a brazillian boy and another Austalian girl. As well as my host parents from Europe.
The next Thursday was a public holiday, and my host sisters confirmation. Confirmations in Denmark are a very big deal and represent the change from childhood to being an adult. There is usually a big party and many presents. Its not unusual to get between 5, 000-30, 000 DKK (1000-6000).
That Saturday my host mother took me to Egeskov slot. An amazing castle which was built in water, as the builder was always very afraid of invasion. It used tobe the only access could be by drawbridge. The gardens sorrounding the castle has a large collection of tulips in all different colours. There is also two large labyrinths. There is also a vintage car museum, as well as a motorcycle museum.
There was also a 3x2m dollhouse which a man had made for his Daughter for the fairies she believed lived in her garden. The house took 15 years to be built and was completely furnished with miniature items, as well as carpeted and painted. The castle also contained draculas crypt, but it was downstairs from a dark dark room so I didn’t explore any further J. There was also an authentic knights armour as well as THE superman suit worn by Christopher Reeves. The café at the castle was named after a girl who was locked up in isolation for five years by her father after falling pregnany at the age of 16.
The next Tuesday I went to see an old Danish Play called Sommer I Tyrol (summer in Tyrol). The story follows the owner/manager of an Austrian hotel and is hilarious (even when you cant understand it fully). The next night I went and saw a football (soccer) game between Odense Boldklub (OB) and Esjberg. For the first half neither team got any goals but 5 minutes into the second half the other team got a goal, so that wasn’t so fun. But then with 10 minutes to go OB got a goal, leaving the game as a draw.
Well that’s about it for this month…..
That’s right, you never thought I would say that Denmark was being sunny... but it is. It’s now a beautiful 20-25 degrees and most school classes are spent outside.
In the start of April we had a Rotary Get2gether in Roskilde. Roskilde is the town famous for the Roskilde festival, the biggest annual music festival in Scandinavia. The get2gether was for all the Inbound students in Denmark, about 150, and was based around the Viking-age. The first night we did folk dancing, which is in fact harder then boot scooting. The second day we visited a Viking museum and made Viking coins, jewelry, ropes and played Viking games (such as tug-of-war and throwing hammers like the god Thor). The museum also had ships that had been dug up hundreds of years ago. On the second night we had a band come and play a concert.
The following weekend I went to Slagelse to visit a New Zealand Exchange student. Slagelse is well known for having the high school where HC Andersen went, but otherwise is a small town. However this was one of the first days of great whether so we took a bike ride out to a forrest nearby that sorrounded a lake and had a picnic lunch.
The next weekend was the last school party for the year, where there was a lot of dancing and drinking. That same weekend there was an unofficial get2gether in Odense (my town). There was about 20 exchange students who came and 5 stayed at my house. At lunch the next day my host Father remarked that at the table we had 5 continents represented, with 2 girls from south Africa, one girl from Canada, a brazillian boy and another Austalian girl. As well as my host parents from Europe.
The next Thursday was a public holiday, and my host sisters confirmation. Confirmations in Denmark are a very big deal and represent the change from childhood to being an adult. There is usually a big party and many presents. Its not unusual to get between 5, 000-30, 000 DKK (1000-6000).
That Saturday my host mother took me to Egeskov slot. An amazing castle which was built in water, as the builder was always very afraid of invasion. It used tobe the only access could be by drawbridge. The gardens sorrounding the castle has a large collection of tulips in all different colours. There is also two large labyrinths. There is also a vintage car museum, as well as a motorcycle museum.
There was also a 3x2m dollhouse which a man had made for his Daughter for the fairies she believed lived in her garden. The house took 15 years to be built and was completely furnished with miniature items, as well as carpeted and painted. The castle also contained draculas crypt, but it was downstairs from a dark dark room so I didn’t explore any further J. There was also an authentic knights armour as well as THE superman suit worn by Christopher Reeves. The café at the castle was named after a girl who was locked up in isolation for five years by her father after falling pregnany at the age of 16.
The next Tuesday I went to see an old Danish Play called Sommer I Tyrol (summer in Tyrol). The story follows the owner/manager of an Austrian hotel and is hilarious (even when you cant understand it fully). The next night I went and saw a football (soccer) game between Odense Boldklub (OB) and Esjberg. For the first half neither team got any goals but 5 minutes into the second half the other team got a goal, so that wasn’t so fun. But then with 10 minutes to go OB got a goal, leaving the game as a draw.
Well that’s about it for this month…..
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