Monday 24 December 2012

Merry Christmas

Hello everyone
First of all, these last few days have been quite busy so i have not had a chance to post.

ITS CHRISTMAS EVE!!!
I hope everyone is having an amazing Christmas form us here in Denmark!
So lets start this post form back on Thursday evening.

On Thursday evening the school had their Christmas dinner. Everyone got dressed up and met in the dining hall at around 6pm. We started the evening with a delicious dinner of pork and crackling, followed by the traditional rice pudding. Hidden in each bowl of rice pudding is a whole almond, if you found the almond you would receive a prize.
We then played banko (the Danish version of bingo). Played with exactly the same rules. I did manage to win a prize in this game which turned out to be a bag of corn chips.
We then played a game to decide who would end up in the kitchen. There were two plastic cups with a die in each one, when you rolled a 6 you could pass the cup on to the next person, when the to cups caught up to each other that person would be sent to the kitchen. However only two people could be in the kitchen at one time, so our group ended up doing no cleaning at all because we had to keep swapping.
After the cleaning was done we had tea and biscuits and headed down to the gym to dance around the christmas tree singing a traditional Danish song. We then ran around the house, everyones hands linked, up and down stairs, and then back to the gym. We then headed up to bed.




Our Christmas dinner table.


Our delicious Christmas dinner. 


Make your own snow! You mix the crystals with hot water and it makes snow!!!


On friday morning, at around 8, ,we dressed in our warmest clothes and set off down to the local church for a christmas service, in hand torches of fire to light our way. (yes it was still dark)
The service was quite quick and involved a lot of singing in Danish. 

When we arrived back at the school the rest of the day was spent cleaning.
We then caught the bus bus back to Copenhagen, and had a very early night.  



On Saturday we spent most of the day in town shopping for late Christmas gifts. We were having an early Christmas eve (as well as our actual one) so that we could celebrate it with her two eldest brothers.



In the City.


The citys Christmas lights.


Christmas trees.

When we got back from the shops that evening a Christmas tree was sitting in the lounge room waiting for us to decorate it.


Our Christmas tree.


Nina putting decorations on the Christmas tree.


An Australian decoration on a Danish Christmas tree. 

When Ninas older brothers arrived we sat down to a traditional Christmas dinner of rice pudding with cinnamon and sugar followed by a game very much like the one we played on thursday night, but a little bit different. 
There were wrapped gifts in the middle of the table and we sat around it. A cup with a die is passed around the table. When you roll a six you can choose a present form the table. If you roll a 1 everyone passes their gifts to the right. When all the gifts are gone form the middle one person sets a timer 
(of a time that only they know) and we continue playing, but when a 6 is rolled you can choose to take a gift from anybody sitting around the table, and when the timer stops you get to keep the gift you have in front of you. I ended up with a build your own truck kit. 

We then progressed to opening presents, and then spent the rest of the evening talking, and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas, before heading to bed at around 12pm. 

Yesterday was Sunday and we spent the day at Nina's aunts birthday, and it started snowing! There was a massive snow storm, and I really hoped we would have a white Christmas. 
Sadly when we awoke this morning it was 5 degrees and most of the snow had melted. 

Todays has been a very relaxed day. In Denmark Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve, so we are getting ready for our celebrations.  
So i'll let you know what we do tomorrow 

So I hope everyone back home has a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
And i will update you all tomorrow. 





Tuesday 18 December 2012

A day in the City

Before beginning this post i would first of all like to apologise for not posting in a while as i have been extremely tired, anyhow, lets talk about my weekend. 

On Friday evening we jumped on the bus to begin our 4 hour journey back to Copenhagen to spend the weekend with my host family. When we arrived we had an excellent warm home made dinner and headed off for an early night. 

When we awoke on Saturday we got ready for a day out in the city, we dressed up for cold weather (and it turned out to be only 4 degrees) we left the house to go shopping in the nearby plaza before catching the train right into the city, we headed to Freetown Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood consisting of about 850 residents. 

The Freetown has been a source of controversy since its creation, as narcotic sales was tolerated by authorities until 2004, and a still continuing, therefore we couldn't take photographs inside.



Looking up a river.


Looking down the same river.


Standing outside the back entrance of Freetown Christiania.


Outside the main entrance to Freetown Christiania.

 
Standing next to a statue of the Guinness World Records tallest man (who happened to be Danish) 

And that was about it for the weekend, on Sunday night we headed back to the school, and had a very early nights sleep. 

Thursday 13 December 2012

Midnight walks and tobogganing

SO last night as we were about to call it a night when we were called down to a meeting in the gym, when we got there we were told to change into super warm clothing as we would be going for a walk (this was it 10 pm by the way) and they didn't know when we would be back, we rugged up in our thermals, and  warm winter jackets and set out into the -16 degree night.
We walked for ages before getting to our first base, where we were told to sing a Christmas carroll.
After receiving our peppernut candy reward we turned down a street and continued walking.
Our next base involved a game called Shulp (I am assuming thats how it's spelt) where you basically mulch yourself to someone else by touching them. The game ends when pretty much everyone falls over, kind of like twister.
Once again we received a peppernut candy as a reward and continued on to our final base which turned out to be a tea and coffee base, where we had a rest and then turned back to walk the way we had come.
We got back at around 12pm after walking the whole 12 kilometres in the -16 snow.

This morning was pretty much the same as any usual day (though we got to sleep in and didn't have to go for a walk in the early hours of the morning) we had breakfast and then classes.
After lunch we once again dressed up in our warm attire, grabbed our bikes and began a freezing one and a half hour bike ride to a very hilly area where we went sleighing.


The stunning view from the top of one of the hills. 


Our lovely sleighing attire.


The first time. 


Shouting at Alice as i attempt the big hill.


Alice and i sliding down the hill.


The horrid climb back up.


Pause for a photo.


Coming up behind me.


I am forced down the painfully icy part of the hill.


Alice and i attempt snow angels.


Alice and i attempt snow angels.


My angel.


Alices angel.


Our exhausted attempt to get up a hill. 


Running down snow covered hills. 


Looking at the hills. 

After our very eventful (and successful) sleighing, we exhaustedly biked back to school, to sit next to our very warm heaters, and that was it for a very full on day. 
And this is me done, and very ready for bed. 
Tomorrow after school we head to my host family's home on Copenhagen for a very full on weekend (and f course we are going to see the hobbit)
Well until next time. 
~Brooke 

Sunday 9 December 2012

Very interesting Snowmen

So the weekend has been pretty relaxed, yesterday we literally did nothing, well nothing apart from playing some ridiculous zombie game where you get hit with a bed roll.
Today was also pretty relaxed, we awoke to a white landscape of pretty deep snow, which was apparently perfect for creating snowmen, so naturally we (my host sister and i) did.


The schools backyard.


The schools backyard.


My very creative shots.


Another very creative shot.


We however decided to create a snow dalek (very much fuelled by my Doctor Who obsession) and this is what we came up with.



We were pretty proud of this magnificent creation, however were freezing, so migrated inside to relax for the rest of the day.
And thats about it, so until i post again
BYE
~Brooke

Friday 7 December 2012

The island of Funen

Yesterday began with Alice's host sisters grandmother sitting us down to discuss where on the island of Funen (on which the school is located). We decided to spend the day in Odense, the islands largest city, home to around 168,800 people.

We then set off on our journey stopping at a small church on the way, to walk in on a small danish puppet show boing preformed to some grade 1 and 2 students.

We then drove on to the city of Odense where we parked outside a small street, where no cars were allowed, filled with houses.
As we strolled among them we came to a long street, where Hans Christian Andersen's (the story teller) house sat. We decided to take a look inside the Hans Christian Andersen museum.


The car and bike less streets.


A Danish Christmas decoration.


The house of Hans Christian Andersen.


The outside and roof of Hans Christian Andersen's house was being renovated so we had to go in the back way.


An amazing statue of Hans Christian Andersen.



Making a 3D picture.


A bust of Hans Christian Andersen.


We found a spectacular Christmas tree in the middle of the museum.


Hans Christian Andersen's table.


The bed in which Hans Christian Andersen slept.


A story book by Hans Christian Andersen.


We had a great time walking through the amazing museum, it was filled with so many facts about his life, and about his stories. 

We then continued to walk through the back streets of the city looking at amazing little shops filled with nick nacks and handmade items. 


In one of the back streets.

We then reached the major part of the city, and looked around all of the shops, and inside a magnificent, large church. 


The town hall.


The stunning windows of the church.


Me in front of the apparently self opening door (we didn't expect it to open) 


Inside the church.


Inside the church.


Inside the church.


The stained glass windows of the church.


Inside the church.

We then started back to the car as the -6 degree weather was getting to us. 






Oh and this is what the snow does when it is pushed to the side of the road... i thought it was a bit strange. 

We then made our way to IKEA and had a pretty good lunch, and of course some shopping, and made our way back to school, and that was the day done. 

So now its time to go for a walk down to the local servo to buy some much needed lollys :) 

well, until next time
-Brooke