Author Archives: snc5123

A family visit to Copenhagen

Back again. Because I do not want to dominate the blogsphere I will keep this one short in list form. If you study abroad and have family or friends visit you for a few days or a week, I recommend the following: 

– Use AirBNB to find a place for them to stay. It’ll likely be cheaper than multiple nights at a hotel, and it’s nice for them to have a kitchen and extra space to stay
– The copenhagen card! It’s such a money saver, and it’s so much easier not to have to worry about transportation
– Take a trip to Kronborg castle and get a guided tour – it’s a really cool place
– The canal tour is an awesome way to see the city
– For a good place to go out to eat – Streckers! Cheap burgers and beer.
All in all we had an awesome week, and I’m so glad they came out to see me!
Parents in front of castle.jpg

Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark

A wee bit of groveling and a traveler’s account of Vienna

      As tempting as it may be to whip up a clever reason as to why this blog is so tremendously late (slow internet, the dog ate my hard drive, etc etc.) the truth of the matter is that I live in a country with great internet everywhere and surprisingly well behaved dogs. 

     What this really is, you see, is a reflection of my progression here in Denmark. I started out motivated, evident by my near-weekly posts. I read my assignments. I used to go outside, even. Somehow, though, things went downhill. I wasn’t unhappy, mind you, I was in sort of a winter hibernation period. I had little to no motivation, because even if I did read assignments for class we wound up reading them aloud during lectures anyway. Life outside of my room was cold, dark and snowy. Life under my blankets, snuggled up to my heater… that was nice. 

   Today, however, the sun is out. I type this entry next to an open window- a few weeks ago this would have been a scene out of “The Day After Tomorrow,” with my fingers dramatically freezing in place as I type my last futile words. Things are looking up, and so I am back. Back to the world, back to the blog. 

    To make up for my lack of entries I will post one either every day or every other; recounting the following trips : Vienna, a week spent with my family, Berlin, and Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. These trips were fantastic, and I feel compelled to tell regale them for future travelers. 

     First on deck is Vienna, where I ventured March 15-18. Although it was still quite cold, we were able to catch the Easter Market outside of Schonbrunn Palace, which was amazing. 

EasterMarket.jpg

My roommate and I toured the palace and learned more about the history of the city, which is really pretty cool. We also stumbled across a gentleman in the hallway selling tickets to a show that apparently had opera, Viennese dancing, and an orchestra. Sounded like mauling of a lot of birds with one stone, so to speak, so we bought tickets. Although it was interesting and genuinely hilarious to watch the dancing I have to say I’d actually advise future travelers against this. I don’t regret it, of course, but just ask someone exceedingly elderly or someone who’s recently had hip surgery to dance for you. Same thing without the price tag. (In fairness, though, the singers were great.)

Other things I’d recommend: 

– visit Belvedere Palace

– Eat at Cafe Einstein. It’s a local place where all of the college students hang out- the Shnitzel is AMAZING, they have English menus, and 3 euro glasses of wine. Unbeatable. http://einstein.at/cms/de/

– Stay at Hostel Ruthensteiner. I can’t say enough great things about this place. Our room was unbelievable. http://www.hostelruthensteiner.com/

ourhostel.jpg

Overall Vienna was a great trip. It’s a beautiful city, and if you have time to check it out, well. It waits for you. 

(How can you not quote Billy Joel in this?) 

downthestreetAustria.jpg


Location: Holger Danskes Vej, Frederiksberg

An Overdue Ireland Edition

I am finally back to Copenhagen after travelling to Ireland and Austria, and I have plenty to report. I will limit this posting to Ireland, though, so as not to confuse anyone (namely myself.) 

Upon arriving to Ireland I immediately noticed some differences in the way people relate to one another there as opposed to Denmark. In Copenhagen I would never expect to be approached by a stranger, or to have conversations of any sort with people I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong, the Danes are very nice, but they keep to themselves and are generally a private bunch. 
I was traveling with a group of friends to Dublin, and we were tragically lost trying to find the B&B we were staying at for the night. A kind woman who must have noticed how confused we were stopped us and took the time to clearly spell out where we should go. Later that evening I went to a show, Once, (it was amazing!) and the woman I was sitting next to talked to me before the show, all through intermission, and afterwards as well. She even introduced me to her granddaughter and her son-in-law and they all gave me plenty of suggestions on what we should do while in Ireland. (Ironically enough she said she thought it was wonderful we decided to visit the weekend before, not of, St. Patricks Day. “All the locals hide out on St. Patricks Day… that’s not who we really are. People who come for that day aren’t really seeing Dublin, or real Dubliners.” she said.) 
We visited the small coastal community of Malahide, which was very beautiful. 
MalahideHarbor.jpg
We walked around the grounds of the Malahide castle … 
Malahide castle.jpg
Later that day we ventured downtown and toured the Guinness factory. Tickets included a free pint and an opportunity to learn from the experts how to officially pour the perfect Guinness. 
Guinness
Admittedly our hostel was a little frightening. It was $16/night, so I suppose the old “you get what you pay for” speech is actually applicable, but it’s just mildly unnerving when the elevator wiggles so much that it should be a carnival ride and some of the doors to rooms are ajar because the only thing futilely attempting to keep them closed is a rusty old lock that some employee probably scrounged up from his locker when a guest complained that their door wouldn’t lock.
 (Not my door, mom. My door locked. Twice. And we had two complimentary German Shepherds and one of those Brazilian fighters that are legally bound to declare their hands as lethal weapons.) 
Shady Hostel.jpg
Overall I think my favorite thing that we did was take a day tour to the Cliffs of Moher. I highly, highly recommend it to anyone traveling to Ireland. I know spending all day on a bus sounds horrific but the drive itself is beautiful, and the Cliffs are definitely worth the journey. 
Cliffs with grass.jpg
Anyhow in keeping with my traditional blog style, since my last posting I have
– Visited Ireland 
– Visited Austria 
– Planned more details of an upcoming trip to Switzerland 
– Watch an entire season of Gilmore Girls. (I know it’s kind of a crappy show and a random thing to share with readers such as yourself, but I’m embracing the concept of relaxing more here. Also, it’s really, REALLY cold outside and drinking coffee and watching crappy TV is nice. “Spring,” they call it. Lies.) 
I can’t bring myself to make a personal to-do list…. my family arrives in Denmark in two days and that’s all the further I need to look into the future for now! 

Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark

The “Aha” moment of Study Abroad

Studying abroad is a genuinely exciting experience, but it can also be somewhat overwhelming. Perhaps I’m the only student afflicted with this (although in talking to my peers I don’t think that’s the case) but when you’re abroad, you have a constant feeling that you should be doing something. It’s a Friday night and you feel like staying in and watching a movie, but your conscious is screaming “Oh come on! You’re overseas, you’re immersed in culture, get out there!” I’m not a big party animal in general, but in Copenhagen I always feel far too guilty to quench this inner thirst to be a lazy hermit. 

After one month of this mindset though, I’ve decided that there has to be some sort of balance. To an extent, the inner voice scolding me for enjoying the warmth of my dorm room is beneficial. It gets me outside and exploring, and I’ve seen a lot of the city because of it. But sitting around with some friends last night in my room, sharing a bottle of peach wine and enjoying a card game, I realized that there’s something to be said for relaxing, too, and sometimes you really do just need to chill. 
For the past three weeks I have checked travel websites literally every single day for good travel deals. I’ve planned hypothetical trips for every weekend I’ll be in Europe, and then decided with friends which ones were worth pursuing. I was a crazy person, trying to get as much out of this experience as possible, and see as much as I can. I would spend hours a day planning and crunching numbers. Before I came here I was convinced I’d be travelling every weekend, seeing dozens of countries and being a jet-setting world traveler. This morning, though, I was biking to the grocery store on a beautiful sunny day in Copenhagen and I decided I am going to stop stressing about not seeing or doing enough while I am here. I bought a chocolate croissant and sat on a bench in the sunshine and watched the world go by. What’s so wrong with that? Why have I not been embracing the idea of a quiet Copenhagen weekend? 
Perhaps I’m too high strung as a person, or perhaps it’s the inherent differences in American and Danish cultures (I have no homework to keep me occupied) but I’m going to make a conscious effort to embrace “hyyge,” which is enjoying the environment and people around me. There’s an endless list of things to take in from this city. I biked downtown and stumbled upon a peaceful student protest, 
Protest.jpg
I walked around with some friends and found a wonderful, indoor farmers market, with everything from chocolates to fresh cheeses, meats, spices, etc. 
The Market.jpg
I even spent a nice Saturday evening with some friends at Bartof, a local bar that has live music on the weekends. Usually they feature jazz, but we stopped in on Hawaiian night! There’s nothing like sipping a cold Tuborg (Danish beer) closing your eyes, and pretending you’re somewhere warm. 
There really is so much in Copenhagen to take in that I’m sure even after over four months, I still won’t have seen everything. 
That being said, I do still want to travel. I’ve already booked ventures to Dublin, Vienna, and Berlin, and I’m working on a few other small excursions. But I’m going to shift my daily priorities to finding the next best thing to realizing that learning this great city of Copenhagen is the best thing; the best use of my time. 
The bottom line is, I have to personally find my own balance, and I advise future study abroad students to do the same early on in their experience. If you feel like staying in on a Friday night, eating chocolate and watching a stupid movie, do it. Go out the next night and try a new venue. List the top 4 or 5 cities in Europe (or wherever you may go) that you really want to see, and plan your trips there early on. For the remainder of your time, get to know your city as a local resident. 
List of things I’ve done 
– Gotten lost on a 4 hour bike ride. 20+ miles. Woo!
– Discovered and fallen in love with a low-key local bar with free pool, darts, foosball, etc
– Planned a trip to Vienna with my roommate
To do list :
– Go to the Opera/ Ballet in Copenhagen
– Sit outside and read a book in the queens garden
– Plan out my familys’ trip to Copenhagen, March 24-31. (I’m so excited!)
– *** Catch the ice cream truck!!!!*** They drive SO fast! I hear the bells outside and BAM, they’re gone. But one of these days, I’ll catch it. I managed a photo …. notice how blurred the details are around the truck. I did not do any editing to this photo at all. How does it make economic sense to drive that fast? I know I’m an American but surely plenty of others are having trouble with catching this thing!!! 
Ice cream truck.jpg


Location: Holger Danskes Vej, Frederiksberg

Denmark- One Month Down

Four weeks into the study abroad program here in Copenhagen, and I’ve certainly learned a lot already. I’ve actually stumbled across an article that I have so far found to be perfectly accurate, and I recommend anyone planning to travel to Scandinavia to read it over. Take notes, I swear it’s all true. http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/how-to-piss-off-a-dane/

 

I’ve found that in Denmark, everyone is very friendly; but they don’t necessarily want to be your friend. You would never ask a stranger or a cashier, “how are you,” like we do in the United States, unless of course you genuinely know them and actually care. 

 

In fact, one month in, I have perfected my grocery store routine at Lidl, a German discount supermarket where you can find frozen American pizzas for 10 DKK or $1.78. I move swiftly and softly- mentally commending myself for lifting a bag of chips with minimal crinkling noise of the bag- and proceed to the check out. This is where things really get stressful. There’s not a lot of space to work with, and certainly not a lot of time. The cashier scans your items and places them on about one and a half feet of counter space. That means if you have one bag of potatoes sitting and waiting to be placed in a bag, the counter space is full already, you’re holding up the line, and everyone’s angry. You must be faster than that cashier; regardless of how young and spry they are, and how tired and American you may be. There’s no dilly dallying in a Danish grocery store. My routine is thus: Hold breath, place items on the belt, collect scanned items instantly, shove them into a massive hiking bag in any order, pay the cashier- whom I have exchanged no words or visual contact with- then run outside. Resume breathing, and organize the ridiculous hiking bag of groceries outside where I am in no ones way. I suppose the bottom line to this terrible story is that the grocery stores here are scary places to me. Just do your business and get out of there. Go someplace happier. 

 

I’ve also found university life here to be quite different. I have yet to attend a class that has a “lecture” type of feel; my professors describe themselves as “discussion leaders.” There’s a lot of group work and discussions with most of the class getting involved. I also have a constant feeling of guilt that I’m not doing homework… there really is no homework. We have reading assignments before class, but never anything to be handed in and graded. The entire grade is based on one assignment to be handed in at the end of the course. No pressure there. 

 

Overall I’d say I’m definitely loving things here. I am captivated by the charm of the city, and the way I feel like a part of it when I ride my bike through the busy streets. I’m learning a lot about the culture of the Danes- a concept called “Jante Loven,” which discourages bragging about success or thinking that you are exceptional at anything; a stark contrast to the American “be-all-you-can-be” frame of mind. 

 

I do, of course, miss home and my family. This is definitely magnified when my sister posts pictures of thick steaks and vegetables to facebook while I sit over a meager bowl of cereal. But apparently absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I know that spending a semester here will make me more appreciative of what I have back in the states. 

 

As a final note, to future CBS students: make sure you look very very closely at your schedule the second you get here in case you want to make changes. I decided that I want to head home this semester before most students for an internship position. Originally I didn’t think this would be possible, but I looked a little closer and found that the only reason I had to stay in Copenhagen until June 15 was for one exam. The class itself ended in April, but it had an oral exam in June. I dropped the course for another and can now finish up in early May. You have to be careful about what types of exams your courses have; if they have take home assignments you can call it a day after your last class and submit the final exam from anywhere. (I changed my schedule so that all 4 of my courses have take-home finals.)  If it’s an oral or written exam, on the other hand, you’re stuck here. Just make sure you change things around early; I switched into a course at 11:25 AM and it started that day at 11:40. That’s the fastest I’ve ever biked. 

 

Things to cross off the check list

– Day trip to Sweden 

– Successfully bike through snow, rain, and sleet

– Booked flight to Dublin, Ireland

– Visited Danish museum of WWII resistance

 

To- do list

– Book trips to Vienna, Prague, Rome, and Geneva

– Visit the castle in Denmark that Shakespeare’s Hamlet was set in

 

 

Until next time! 

 


Location: Holger Danskes Vej, Frederiksberg

Copenhagen Day 7: Frozen, Starving, but Surprisingly Upbeat

I have officially lived in Copenhagen for a week now. In that time I have bought a bike, wiped out on said bike, and embarked on many other excursions. 

My room is beautiful and large, and the school provided us with a lot of nice things. When we arrived we had a comforter, pillow, pots, pans, etc, all brand new in their original packages.
 I live just outside of Copenhagen; a five minute metro ride or twenty-some minutes by bike (if I can learn to stay upright.) The only thing I would call “weird,” is the shower. In the U.S. you usually step into wherever you plan on bathing. There’s some sort of division of the floor that keeps water from flooding everywhere and drowning you mid-bath. In Denmark that’s not the case. 

Bathroom.jpg

When you shower, the water goes all over the floor and just sort of puddles there for a while. After my shower the other day I was blow drying my hair and it dawned on me that this activity was really the equivalent of showering and standing in a bathtub. Just like the picture of the stick figure standing in water on the tags of hairdryers with a big red “NO” sign over it. If I drop this thing, I realized, I die. Suffice it to say we keep the electronics outside of the bathroom now. 
Copenhagen truly is beautiful. I love the colored buildings and the history that surrounds me. Even my street, “Holger Danskes,” is named after a group of Danish students that resisted the Nazi occupation in WWII by blowing up German supplies. I have not encountered a single Dane that doesn’t speak English; as soon as they hear me speak they flawlessly switch into it. The city genuinely is built for biking. It’s mostly flat and bikers have their own lane so they don’t have to dodge pedestrians or cars on the street. 

Copenhagen.jpg

I also love how environmentally conscious everyone is here. Grocery stores don’t give out bags, you have to buy them. I bought one bag, keep it in my purse, and use it every time I go out. The power outlets have on and off switches so they’re only running when someone’s using them. Recycling of course is huge, and biking to work or anywhere else is the norm.
The only downside is that everything here is expensive. Before I left the states I googled prices of commodities and tried to make myself a budget to stick to- that’s out the window. I don’t know who put those prices online, but they must have had some intensely shady back-door deals with grocers and butchers. I have yet to go out to dinner here because I’m not sure I plan on having a first-born son to offer them as payment. My dinner last night was a can of tuna mixed with rice. I have to advise against that to anyone who can avoid it. I am in an constant state of hunger because I feel so guilty eating, just because it’s so expensive. (My mother is reading this with palpable concern, picturing me shivering and emaciated. I’m fine, really, I’m just viciously stubborn with a personal goal to live on as little money as possible.) 
My roommate and I buy all “budget” brand food in bulk at stores like Netto or Fotex, as they are the cheapest. 
Budget.jpg
 I will bike through whatever form of precipitation this country throws at me because the Metro prices are so painful. I use an empty wine bottle as my water bottle, so I don’t have to buy a new one. Public drinking is legal, so it’s fine.  

Mywaterbottle.jpg

For future students my money-saving advice as of now is to cook at home as much as possible, and try to go in with friends. Four of us split a home-cooked chicken stir fry recently and it wasn’t too hard on the stomach or wallet. Also, find a way to buy your bike used. CBS will offer to rent you a bike for the semester for 950 DKK (or $170 USD) and a deposit of 750 DKK, but I did a little hunting and bought my own used one for 750 DKK (or $133 USD). It’s a good bike that works well. The other perk is that I can sell it at the end of the semester and try to get some of my money back. (To find a used bike, I used www.dba.dk – you’ll have to translate to English or get someone to help you.) 
Mynewbike.jpg
Another interesting thing here that I had heard about but was shocked to actually see is the absolute refusal of any Dane to jaywalk. I was out at around 2 AM… studying… the other night, and there were no cars or bikes anywhere in sight. But if the street light says “wait,” by God, you wait. Pedestrians stand patiently in the deserted crosswalk and wait for the little green walk light. My friend was attempting to navigate, accidentally crossed a totally deserted road once and somehow there were Danish police lurking around that gave her a good talking to. I think of my New York City sister who bowls through inner city traffic and gives me heart attacks, and how much she would struggle here. 
My short term goals as of now:
– Day trip to Sweden
– Danish Museum of Resistance 
– See the Palace (somehow I haven’t done this yet..?) 
– Find CHEAP textbooks (hah.) 
– Begin to plan trips to other European cities

Location: Frederiksberg, Denmark

Entry #1- pre-departure panic phase

Hello all! Stephanie Caverno here, kicking off a blog about my journey to Copenhagen, Denmark, and hopefully other European destinations. I leave for Denmark in exactly one week, giving me plenty of time for anxiety attacks about forgetting something, freaking out and futilely trying to learn Danish, and sharing the whole ordeal with all of you. 

If you’re still with me, I’ll start out with a little about myself and my hopes for this blog. I am currently a junior at PSU studying Supply Chain Management, with a minor in International Business. I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, and come from an obnoxiously Penn State proud family. We have a Nittany Lion shrine stoically poised in our front yard. I think that says it all.
My primary goal with these entries is to help out future study abroad students. I’m sure there will be things I don’t pack that I should have (commence nervous breakdown) and things I pack that I could have done with out. I hope to share cool places around Copenhagen that I find; where to go and where to avoid. 
The only advice I can give at this stage is PLAN EARLY. If you get papers from your study abroad program in the mail, open them, read them, and study them that day. That second, even. There really are a lot of steps involved in this process, and everything takes an excruciatingly long time. If you need to get a passport, get it early. Get everything you need done for your Visa out of the way as soon as you possibly can. I made the classic college student mistake of procrastination in this department, and my life turned into a Stephen King novel with me running around the streets of New York City searching for sanctuary in the Danish consulate. It was a mess. Don’t go down that road. 
Another goal I have is to keep my friends and family up to date on my life. I especially want my mother to be in the loop when I find a European hunk, marry off, and decide against coming home. (Kidding of course, mother.)
I am incredibly excited to start this journey. I hope to make this blog into something useful for future students to read and plan for their travels, and for me to someday look back on and fondly remember my own. 

Location: Greensburg, Pennsylvania