Hey Everyone,
Not much to report from Copenhagen this week just more of the same. Uni and going out, much more of the latter, selvfølgelig. But the weather has definitely improved and thus I’m riding my bike heaps more. This truly is the city of bikes. It is just so easy to ride here and everything is built for bikes; the roads, trains, metro, etc. I also found out the main reason everyone rides a bike here. The Danish government puts a 180% tax on all cars! Also you can’t just hop over to Sweden and buy a car as they have laws which make it cost a fortune to register your car in Denmark and you can only register your car in Sweden if you live there. So glad they don’t do this is Australia, I don’t think I could live without my car. (Sorry Dad I mean your car)
Also this week I was the centre of comic relief among my Danish friends as they make me pronounce Danish words which I couldn’t pronounce properly. One of their favourite words to make me pronounce was - Rød grød med fløde, which is a Danish dessert. Basically unless you are a native speaker you won’t be able to pronounce it. But I got them back though as I found a few English words which they struggled with such as hypothesis, thwart and thistle.
Another interesting thing I found out this week is what the most popular Danish TV show is at the moment, Paradise Hotel. I think they show this in Australia but from what I’ve heard and seen of the Danish version it has to be the most debaucherious version of this reality TV show. But please judge for yourselves -
I think the scariest thing about this show is not the content but that it is massively popular. Who the hell is watching this rubbish? And they are up to the 6th season. Unbelievable. Welcome to Denmark.
Finally, for those into indie music I was put onto this awesome Norwegian band called the Whitest Boy Alive. Really liking the Scandinavian music at the moment.
Take care.
Jono
Monday, March 15, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Law camp and pancakes
Yeah everyone, so another week here in Denmark and I’ve now been here two months and still loving it. It’s been an fantastic week weather wise in Copenhagen. The snow is melting and we have had a week of sunshine and of +2 degree weather. It’s really cool they actually have seasons here. Not the season of really hot and not too hot like we have in Australia.
So last weekend I had my law camp weekend away. This was a weekend away to the western part of Denmark about 2-3hrs out of Copenhagen on the beachside. A number of you have made reference to how nerdy this camp sounds. Let me reassure you it was far from nerdy (Though I did have some pretty intense religion discussions at 2am in the morning!). So the camp was for international students studying law in Copenhagen and was an opportunity for us to get to know each other. Basically it descended into 2 nights of “drinking, sex and rock’n roll”. Ok maybe not that insane on my part anyway. On the first night we had a white themed party. I dressed quite boringly and had just had white shirt and whitish pants. This was alot of fun until about 3am when someone set off the fire alarm TWICE. Thankfully (or not) the fire department didn’t come and we didn’t have to pay a fine. It’s very reassuring that the Danish fire department know when it’s a real fire and when it’s just a false alarm.
Me in my white costume. Lame I know.
The white party
On Saturday we all spent the day recovering from the antics from the night before. This including playing cards and some team based games such as table curling which was surprising a really cool game. We also went down to check out the beach which was an amazing sight. Due to it being so cold the waves are completely iced and the shore was just ice and snow. Nothing like Aussie beaches.
The beach
Curling action
Then we had another themed party for Fastelavn which is a traditional Danish festival where you dress up in Halloween style costumes. The festivities include something called slå katten af tønden which translates to "hit the cat out of the barrel". An interesting tradition. To be honest I’m still a little confused on what this festival is. To me it just seemed like a Halloween style festival where you hit a cat out of a barrel and drink. I’m sure there is more to it than this but that was the impression I got of Fastelavn. Still it was heaps of fun.
My costume for Fastelavn (I'm on the right if you can't figure it out)
Me again but posing with my mates costume. Extremely original I thought.
Also last week I signed up and started playing badminton. Yes I know in Australia badminton is seen as a bit of nerdy sport but surprisingly the Danes love it and are really good at it. So I thought as I way of embracing the Danish culture I would start playing one of their typical sports.
I’ve realised recently I haven’t mentioned much about the church I’m attending here in Denmark. So here is a quick update. I’ve been going to United CPH which has a loose affiliation with Hillsong here in Copenhagen. This church is very young (Only be around 10 years I think) and only has about 30ish regular members. Also I’ve joined one of the connect groups which has been really good and they have been nice enough to speak English even though I’m the only native English speaker. Also I’ve joined one of the uni student organised bible studies which is run by the Lutheran church here in Copenhagen. So I’m definitely been connecting with alot of Danish Christians and getting their perspectives on being a Christian in Denmark which has been interesting and really helpful. Also I’m really keen to head down to Malmo and check out C3 there but unfortunately laziness mixed with cost has prevented me but rest assure I will be heading there soon and checking out the C3 movement in Europe.
Finally last week I went to a welcome to Copenhagen ceremony which was run by the city. The Mayor spoke and welcomed all the new residents of Copenhagen to the city and we got free pancakes, a speciality of Copenhagen. Definitely felt welcome.
Take care everyone.
Jono
So last weekend I had my law camp weekend away. This was a weekend away to the western part of Denmark about 2-3hrs out of Copenhagen on the beachside. A number of you have made reference to how nerdy this camp sounds. Let me reassure you it was far from nerdy (Though I did have some pretty intense religion discussions at 2am in the morning!). So the camp was for international students studying law in Copenhagen and was an opportunity for us to get to know each other. Basically it descended into 2 nights of “drinking, sex and rock’n roll”. Ok maybe not that insane on my part anyway. On the first night we had a white themed party. I dressed quite boringly and had just had white shirt and whitish pants. This was alot of fun until about 3am when someone set off the fire alarm TWICE. Thankfully (or not) the fire department didn’t come and we didn’t have to pay a fine. It’s very reassuring that the Danish fire department know when it’s a real fire and when it’s just a false alarm.
Me in my white costume. Lame I know. 
The white party
The beach
Curling action Then we had another themed party for Fastelavn which is a traditional Danish festival where you dress up in Halloween style costumes. The festivities include something called slå katten af tønden which translates to "hit the cat out of the barrel". An interesting tradition. To be honest I’m still a little confused on what this festival is. To me it just seemed like a Halloween style festival where you hit a cat out of a barrel and drink. I’m sure there is more to it than this but that was the impression I got of Fastelavn. Still it was heaps of fun.
My costume for Fastelavn (I'm on the right if you can't figure it out)
Me again but posing with my mates costume. Extremely original I thought.Also last week I signed up and started playing badminton. Yes I know in Australia badminton is seen as a bit of nerdy sport but surprisingly the Danes love it and are really good at it. So I thought as I way of embracing the Danish culture I would start playing one of their typical sports.
I’ve realised recently I haven’t mentioned much about the church I’m attending here in Denmark. So here is a quick update. I’ve been going to United CPH which has a loose affiliation with Hillsong here in Copenhagen. This church is very young (Only be around 10 years I think) and only has about 30ish regular members. Also I’ve joined one of the connect groups which has been really good and they have been nice enough to speak English even though I’m the only native English speaker. Also I’ve joined one of the uni student organised bible studies which is run by the Lutheran church here in Copenhagen. So I’m definitely been connecting with alot of Danish Christians and getting their perspectives on being a Christian in Denmark which has been interesting and really helpful. Also I’m really keen to head down to Malmo and check out C3 there but unfortunately laziness mixed with cost has prevented me but rest assure I will be heading there soon and checking out the C3 movement in Europe.
Finally last week I went to a welcome to Copenhagen ceremony which was run by the city. The Mayor spoke and welcomed all the new residents of Copenhagen to the city and we got free pancakes, a speciality of Copenhagen. Definitely felt welcome.
Take care everyone.
Jono
Monday, March 1, 2010
Birthday and Paul's Stay
Hey everyone, sorry I haven’t written for a while but it’s been tough to find the time to actually sit down and write. So firstly I celebrated my 23rd birthday here in Copenhagen. This was the first time I’d had my birthday outside of Australia which was a really weird feeling. (Also thanks everyone for your facebook birthday messages). So I didn’t expect that much for my birthday just though I would head out to one of the bars on the Tuesday night and have a few drinks as I had class all day. But very kindly some of the people from my Danish class cooked dinner for both me and the other Aussie from my class who has his birthday a few days after mine. This was really nice and unexpected also the dinner tasted superb. Then we were going to meet the others from my Danish class the bar. But instead we went into one of the common rooms in my building and my whole Danish class was there to surprise my Aussie mate and me with a birthday cake. I was completely taken back by the effort that everyone had put in as they had a cake, drinks, nibbles and a birthday present. Later they told us that they had sent like a 1000 txts to organise everything. The present my class got me was a love heart shaped jewellery box and then they had stuck a picture of Jay (my Aussie mate) and I at the bottom of the box. The reason for this was my whole class thinks that we (Jay and I) are in a bromance together (Sorry Borty but I found someone else over here. Lol). Also they gave us both a signed and framed picture of our Danish class. So below are some of the photos of the birthday party. (Thanks Daniella for photos and I just want to thank everyone in my Danish class you guys are awesome.)
So the other big thing that happened over the past few weeks was that Paul visited me and saw my life here in Copenhagen. First off it was a bit of a squeeze but Paul just managed to fit into my apartment so it was very cosy at night. On the way to pick Paul up from the airport on Saturday morning I nearly got a ticket for not having the correct train pass. Don’t worry though I was able to talk my way out of the 600kr fine which is not easy in Copenhagen as they don’t care if you’re a foreigner. This is because it is very big here that everyone should be treated the same and there is no special treatment, a truly socialist society. So once I picked Paul up from the airport we went round the city and went to some of the very touristy places like the city centre, black diamond, etc. Also we went to the main frozen lake here in Copenhagen. It was twilight and no one was actually walking on the lake but I just assumed it would be ok. So we started walking on the ice when some locals started yelling at us and told us to get off as the lake wasn’t properly frozen. Then they threw a snowball into a patch where the snow had been cleared and the snowball plopped into the water. Thus demonstrating to the ignorant and stupid Aussies that the lake wasn’t frozen. Lucky save.
Then on Sunday we went to the largest flea market in all of Scandinavia which was interesting but definitely nothing special. We then headed to church and got there just as everything was starting. Normally I get my own personal translator as the whole service is in Danish which is really cool. I don’t know how they do it as they have to listen to what is being said in rapid Danish and then repeat it pretty much word for word in English, truly incredible to experience. But because we got there late we couldn’t sit next to the guy that normally translates for me. So I freaking out a bit as I had brought Paul to experience church life in Copenhagen and he wasn’t going to understand a thing. Amazingly it was a guest preacher from Malmo and preached in English. Saved again.
Monday was event filled as well. It seems that Paul just attracts drama. So Paul, Jay and I all headed to Christiania. As I explained in earlier blogs this is a hippy commune which has no laws and is where they sell weed. (For more info on this interest part of Copenhagen got to - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania) Also before you all condemn me for going here and showing Paul it is actually one of the main tourist attractions in Copenhagen. So when we got into Christania there were a lot of guys that looked liked skinheads standing round open fires. Just to give some context in Denmark heaps of the guys have these skinhead haircuts and dress in a manner which might give the impression of a skinhead. So there I was with Paul and he was freaking out thinking he was going to get attacked at any second because everyone looked like a skinhead. I asked some Danes a bit later and they said that Christania is one of the safest areas and all those guys are harmless and actually near where I live in Nørrebro is suppose to be the place you have to watch out for. From Christania, Paul again wanted to walk on a frozen lake near where we were. I refused to go because of the day before but Paul, who might I add doesn’t swim, started walking on the frozen lake. Again a local told us to get off the ice and there are warm patches where the lake wasn’t properly frozen. (God is really watching over us so that we don’t die!). So I don’t think I’m going to be walking on any lakes for a while. Overall it was awesome having Paul stay over and hopefully a few more of you guys back in Oz will come and visit and experience the Danish lifestyle.
That’s probably pretty much it from Copenhagen. I have just got back from my law camp but I think I might save the stories and photos from that for next week. Also below I thought I might include a pic of my cooking achievements while being here in Copenhagen. See everyone I can cook!
All the best and God bless.
Jono
This is Jay and I opening our presents.
So the other big thing that happened over the past few weeks was that Paul visited me and saw my life here in Copenhagen. First off it was a bit of a squeeze but Paul just managed to fit into my apartment so it was very cosy at night. On the way to pick Paul up from the airport on Saturday morning I nearly got a ticket for not having the correct train pass. Don’t worry though I was able to talk my way out of the 600kr fine which is not easy in Copenhagen as they don’t care if you’re a foreigner. This is because it is very big here that everyone should be treated the same and there is no special treatment, a truly socialist society. So once I picked Paul up from the airport we went round the city and went to some of the very touristy places like the city centre, black diamond, etc. Also we went to the main frozen lake here in Copenhagen. It was twilight and no one was actually walking on the lake but I just assumed it would be ok. So we started walking on the ice when some locals started yelling at us and told us to get off as the lake wasn’t properly frozen. Then they threw a snowball into a patch where the snow had been cleared and the snowball plopped into the water. Thus demonstrating to the ignorant and stupid Aussies that the lake wasn’t frozen. Lucky save.
Then on Sunday we went to the largest flea market in all of Scandinavia which was interesting but definitely nothing special. We then headed to church and got there just as everything was starting. Normally I get my own personal translator as the whole service is in Danish which is really cool. I don’t know how they do it as they have to listen to what is being said in rapid Danish and then repeat it pretty much word for word in English, truly incredible to experience. But because we got there late we couldn’t sit next to the guy that normally translates for me. So I freaking out a bit as I had brought Paul to experience church life in Copenhagen and he wasn’t going to understand a thing. Amazingly it was a guest preacher from Malmo and preached in English. Saved again.
Monday was event filled as well. It seems that Paul just attracts drama. So Paul, Jay and I all headed to Christiania. As I explained in earlier blogs this is a hippy commune which has no laws and is where they sell weed. (For more info on this interest part of Copenhagen got to - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania) Also before you all condemn me for going here and showing Paul it is actually one of the main tourist attractions in Copenhagen. So when we got into Christania there were a lot of guys that looked liked skinheads standing round open fires. Just to give some context in Denmark heaps of the guys have these skinhead haircuts and dress in a manner which might give the impression of a skinhead. So there I was with Paul and he was freaking out thinking he was going to get attacked at any second because everyone looked like a skinhead. I asked some Danes a bit later and they said that Christania is one of the safest areas and all those guys are harmless and actually near where I live in Nørrebro is suppose to be the place you have to watch out for. From Christania, Paul again wanted to walk on a frozen lake near where we were. I refused to go because of the day before but Paul, who might I add doesn’t swim, started walking on the frozen lake. Again a local told us to get off the ice and there are warm patches where the lake wasn’t properly frozen. (God is really watching over us so that we don’t die!). So I don’t think I’m going to be walking on any lakes for a while. Overall it was awesome having Paul stay over and hopefully a few more of you guys back in Oz will come and visit and experience the Danish lifestyle.
This is Paul setting up his camera to take a group shot. (Hey Paul where are those photos)
This is Paul walking on the frozenish lake. What an idiot!
That’s probably pretty much it from Copenhagen. I have just got back from my law camp but I think I might save the stories and photos from that for next week. Also below I thought I might include a pic of my cooking achievements while being here in Copenhagen. See everyone I can cook!
All the best and God bless.
Jono
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