Band Hero, soccer and shopping

24/11 2010
I got a message at 5.30 AM this morning. It said: “college still closed”. In fact it did not make me glad. Today we should have had our last day at college, and it is a little sad that we did not get it. Suddenly our classes are just finish, and we have not had a chance to talk to our teachers about the program etc. Furthermore we should have had a Farewell party with all teachers, our host families and Pernille and Kelli tonight, but this event has been cancelled too. I think it is a sad way to end a great time at Edmonds Community College.

Enough of that, I have had a great time with my host sisters and Signe today. When I woke up at about nine o’clock I turned on my laptop and live streamed the soccer game between FCK and Rubin Kazan. In the half-time I “skyped” with my parents. After the game, which was a little boring, I went to the bus stop to meet Signe. We had lunch at The Spaghetti Factory before we went to the Mall with one of my host sisters, Fie Fie. In the Mall Signe and I did our last shopping in the US, and we both spent too many money – again!

When I went home I played Band Hero with Aiami and Fie Fie.  Aiami has played from 11 AM till 6.30 PM today – I understand why she is so good now.

By the way, today is the 24^th which means, that it is Christmas evening in only one month! 

College Closed

23/11 2010

I woke up a 5.30 AM this morning. I decided to check if the school was closed, and I went to the college-website. On the front page it said: “College closed”(because of snow). I was happy because that meant I could sleep all day if I wanted. I felt asleep again and I slept until about nine o’clock.

At midday Caroline and I went to Target. Our hostfamilies thought we were crazy – how could we walk about one mile in the snow – but we survived. I have used the rest of the day in my room doing nothing. It has been a very relaxing day, but in fact I would rather have been in school.

We have our last day at the college tomorrow, and hopefully it is open again.

Winter in Seattle

22/11 2010

Today has been a day of confusion for some people in Seattle – for others it has been a day of happiness. During the day we have had about one inch of snow, which is about 2.5 cm. It sounds like nothing, but trust med it has caused a lot of problems. The college closed at 3.30 PM, some busses don’t run, the roads are almost impassable and the internet doesn’t work very well. So it has been a day of confusion for all the drivers, but it has been a day of happiness for the students who have not had any classes (at some schools all classes were canceled). 

Macenna's birthday

21/11 2010

You want to hear a surprise – I WENT TO A PHILIPINE BITHDAY PARTY TODAY! Krystle’s niece Macenna had her first birthday on Thursday, and we went to her birthday today. It was a huge party and we had lots of food. There was a funny picture machine as well. Both Krystle, Aiami, Fie Fie (today I realized that she spell it: Fei Fei) and I went there.  

By the way, the time has just gone so fast, and I have only one week left over here. On the one hand I really like my host family and Seattle, but on the other hand I am ready to get home. I look forward to see my family, my friends and my dog again :)

Sad Saturday

20/11 2010

This morning I did not feel very well. I think I have been freezing so much the last days that I have got a little flue. I slept with both wool socks, pyjama and a sweatshirt this night, but it has not helped yet. It was my plan to go to downtown with Nico and Signe today, but I decided to stay home instead. Right know I miss my “dyne” pretty much, but hopefully I feel better tomorrow.  

Harvest Dinner

19/11 2010

Emma, Janne, Signe and I went to a Harvest Dinner at the college tonight. We had a traditional thanksgiving dinner, and the food was very good. The entertainment was not anything special, but we had fun anyway. When I went home it was very cold outside, but fortunately I should only wait five minutes for my bus at the transit center. I begin to regret that I did not bring my winter jacket over here… 

Football!!!

18/11 2010

Tonight Charlotte, Caroline, Rina, Camilla, Marlene, Thomas, Bobber, Nikolai, Signe and I went to a football game. It was the University of Washington against the University of California (UCLA). The UCLA team is one of the best teams, so we could not have tickets together. Signe and I purchased tickets together, and our seats were perfect. We had a fabulous view, and the atmosphere was indescribable. The game was very close, and the score after the first quarter was 10-7.

In the half break the big school orchestra made a huge show. It was fantastic and during the half break I realized that going to a Football game over here is not only about watching football. The only bad thing about the game was the temperature. It was so cold that Signe and I decided to buy a bowl of chowder after the half break. But the chowder helped and I survived the rest of the game.

When we came to the game we all expected that the Huskies would lose. But sometimes things don’t work out as you expect. When the last whistle sounded the score was 24-7 and the Huskies won.

– What a wonderful night in Seattle!

The winter is coming

17/11 2010

When I wake up in the morning it is dark outside. When I come home in the afternoon it is already dark again. I begin to feel the winter is coming soon. 

Schedule

16/11 2010
Today we received a new schedule for the last two weeks. We have much more classes next week than planned due to the fact that a lot of classes have been cancelled. It is fine that they make sure that we get all the lessons, but it is a little spontaneous. We had planned to do a couple of things on Monday because we had no classes, but suddenly we have classes the whole day. The best thing is that we are going lab both on Friday and Monday. It is a little late, but late is better than never.    

Best Buy saves me!

15/11 2010
Yesterday my transformer short-circuited twice. At first I didn’t realize that it was due to my transformer that all electricity in the whole house broke off, but when it happened again I took the transformer out. And nothing happened after that. I can’t get along without a transformer, so I went to Best Buy to get a new one today. I don’t know what I should do without Best Buy – I have just used too much time in that store!

Crossing the border

I have written an article with the theme: 
Crossing the border from Canada to the US

You can find the article on AOH.dk – but it is right here too. 

Tør du tage chancen?

Når vi tager turen til Tyskland for at fylde traileren op med diverse varer, tænker vi ikke over, at vi krydser en landegrænse på vejen. Men ikke alle grænser er lige nemme at krydse, hvilket jeg erfarede i denne weekend.  

Google Earth fejler

Ifølge Google Earth burde det tage cirka 2,5 time at køre fra Vancouver i Canada til Seattle i USA, men virkeligheden er anderledes. I går tog jeg en shuttlebus fra Vancouver, hvor jeg har opholdt mig hos et ægtepar hele weekenden.

Vi var mange forskellige mennesker med forskellige nationaliteter i bussen, men vi havde alle et fælles mål: Vi ville ind i USA!

Målet var opnåeligt for os alle, men processen var langt fra ens for alle passagerer.

Reddet af visum

Hvis man havde canadisk eller amerikansk pas tog det i de fleste tilfælde blot få minutter at få tilladelse til at komme ind i USA.

Hvis man, som min veninde og jeg, havde et udenlandsk pas, var kontrollørerne noget mere skeptiske. Men da vi havde et studievisum, gik processen forholdsvis hurtigt, og da vi samtidig havde papirerne i orden, rendte vi ikke ind i problemer.

Tyskere i problemer

Situationen var anderledes for tre unge tyskere. Buschaufføren sørgede for, at de ikke stod bagerst i køen, da han frygtede, at det ville tage dem lang tid at få tilladelse til at krydse grænsen.

Desværre var hans frygt velbegrundet. Men efter uendelig mange spørgsmål, adskillige udfyldningsformularer og et par ekstra security checks fik de tre tyske drenge endelig ”indgangstilladelse”.

Nu kunne bussen fortsætte mod Seattle, men tidsplanen var skredet med næsten halvanden time. 

Saturday up in Canada

13/11 2010

My first night in Vancouver was fantastic! Up here I slept with a real “dyne” which was amazing!

After a real Canadian (American) breakfast Don, Gaye, Signe and I went to the Vancouver Aquarium. It was a pretty cool place, and especially the dolphins were wonderful.

We spent a few hours at the aquarium, and afterwards we drove to the Granville Island, which is an island in the center of Vancouver. The island has a big market place and a lot of fun souvenir shops.

At seven o’clock we went to a WHL hockey game. It was a very good game, and it was a nice experience even though I do not like all the fights. It was a very close game, and the Vancouver Giants lost even though the score was 2-0 after the first period. The final score was 3-4 after shootout. 

Arriving in Vancouver

12/11 2010

Today Signe and I took a shuttle bus from Seattle to Vancouver in Canada. The trip took about four hours. The couple that we should stay with was waiting for us, when we arrived in Vancouver. I visited them with my family in the summer 2008, and it was very nice to see them again.

On Friday night we went two their daughters’ house, she lives in a nice apartment about half an hour away from downtown Vancouver. At about seven o’clock we went to a pleasant Japanese restaurant. The food was very good, and I was completely full when we left the restaurant.

After our first day in Vancouver Signe and I went to bed very tired after a lot of new impressions.    

In the theater

11/11 2010

Emilie, Emma, Pernille, Mette, Janne, Signe and I went to the theater today. We watched a movie called “The social network”, and it was very exciting. A theater over here is much like they are in DK, but the tickets are cheaper. I paid around 8.5 dollars for my ticket which is less than 50 DKK.

Tomorrow Signe and I take a bus to Vancouver where we will stay until Sunday. We will stay with some friends of my father. I have visited them once before and I look forward to see them again. I look forward to experience Vancouver again as well. 

Helicopters in the neighbourhood

10/11 2010

Today when Caroline and I went home from school we saw three helicopters in the air. We wondered if they were looking for a robber or something like that, but that not the case. We found out that a big accident had happened on the highway, and that was why the helicopters were in the air. I don’t know exactly what they were during, but I guess that they were just filming the happenings which I think is a little weird. 

.. Only 19 days left

09/11 2010

Look at the date; we will leave America in only 17 days!! 
The time has gone so fast I almost don’t believe it.
Anyhow, I look forward to see my family, my friends and my dog again.

Today I went home after our last class. As usually we were four seconds to late for the bus and Bobber and I decided to watch an episode of “How I met your mother” while we waited for the next bus. I really mean it when I say this: we begin to act like the Americans!  .. And I don’t know if it is good or bad. 

Dreaming about rye bread ...

08/11 2010

Today Signe and I baked. We made a brownie and it was so good! The only bad thing about it was that we ate the half of the cake because it tasted so nice. I know it sounds ironically, but the thing I want the most right know is rye bread with liver pâté and cucumbers. Woaw – I almost dribble when I think about it… 

Birthday Party !!!

07/11 2010

This morning I woke up at eight, but I wore my pyjamas until 1 o’clock where I took a shower. I used the whole morning on homework and assignments, and it felt very nice to be finish at 12 o’clock. At that time I started cleaning my room before I took a shower. At 2.30 PM Krystle came out of her room saying “Good morning” – AT 2.30 PM! 

In the evening I went to a birthday party with Krystle. It was a child of her cousin who turned one year. Krystle has a huge Philippine family, and the birthdays are large even though there is a birthday every second week. A birthday party in her family includes banners, balloons, lots of food and the kids make a lot of activities. It was my second birthday party over here, and I look forward to the birthday of her niece in two weeks.

Underground Tour

06/11 2010

Today Gorm, Nicolai, Signe and I went to Seattle together. Our first item was the Underground Tour, which is a leisurely, guided walking tour beneath Seattle’s sidewalks and streets. It was very thrilling to see and experience a world, which is located below the world people live in today. After this adventure we met Bobber and Peter, and we all took a bus to the North Gate Mall. We did a couple hours of shopping, and I went home in the evening very exhausted. The fact that we should put back the clock made me happy J  

Sweet soccer

05/11 2010

Today was a day of happiness. After more than a month with only one soccer practice, which took place at a baseball field with garbage cans as goal posts, I went to a real soccer practice today. Mette and I joined the practice of the soccer team of the college. Our practice took place at a highschool and the conditions were perfect. We played at a very good trick field and we had real size five balls. It was very nice to feel a ball again, and right now I just want to play more.

Thursday in Seattle

04/11 2010

We had no classes today, but we had to go to the Museum of History and Industry in the morning. We spent about an hour at the museum where we among other things saw a lot of salmons. Afterwards Signe and I went to the Space Needle to get some pictures in the fantastic weather. It was more than 20^oC and cloudless – just amazing! We took a walk from the Seattle Center to the Sculpture Park and the Waterfront where we enjoyed the weather with an ice cream.

After eating the ice cream we walked along the waterfront to downtown, where we met Nicolai. We did some shopping together before Nicolai took the bus back home. We had just said bye to Nico when we met Bobber, Kokulan og Brændgaard. We decided to take the Monorail back to Seattle Center. After that experience Signe and I showed the boys the Waterfront and we had a “Footlong” at Subway –my first one since I was in The US two and a half year ago.

At five o’clock we went to the Experience Music Project, which is a museum just beside the Space Needle. I did not find it impressive, but the fact that we were all very exhausted did not make it more interesting. We took the bus home and I was very tired after a long and amazing Thursday in downtown. 

Are all Americans strange?

03/11 2010

I don’t know if the Americans think that we don’t understand English, but it seemed like that at campus today. I wore some leisure pants and a Hummel shirt like I often do. When I passed a chair with to American boys I heard one of them saying: “I think she plays soccer.” It was a kind of funny ..and weird!

Janne, Signe, Gorm and I went to the mall after school. After about an hour Gorm went home and Signe, Janne and I went to the food court. While we were eating two boys stared at us, it was a little strange. After a couple of minutes a girl came over and said something very unintelligible, but we heard something like “My brother says you look like a hot whopper” .. or maybe she said “ .. a hot rubber”. No matter what it was very funny and I am just wondering – is all Americans so strange?  

Fried Chicken

02/11 2010

Today has been a relaxing day. After school I went home while I enjoyed the fantastic wetter. It was almost 20^oC when I went home at about 3 o’clock. At home I made some homework and later on Caroline and I took a walk in the neighborhood. At 8 PM Krystle came home and told us that dinner was ready. I was hungry, but I may admit that I felt annoyed seeing a bag with fried chicken on the kitchen table. In the last two weeks we have had fried chicken four times while Krystle has been busy – I don’t like fried chicken anymore!

Small talk in the American way

01/11 2010

Today some of us went to the mall after school - yes, we went to the mall AGAIN! But this time Signe, Charlotte and I didn't go shopping, we just wanted a haircut. We all got a haircut, and if you ever go to The US you should get one too, it's pretty cheap over here. With our new haircuts Signe and I took the bus to Best Buy, where we found some CD’s and stuff like that. When I went to the cash desk the cashier said “I have seen you guys in here a couple of time, it’s funny that you always come here while I am working.”  That guy made me realizing that I have been in Best Buy TOO many times! But anyway, he told me that he liked my blue jacket, which was very kind of him. 

A sunday without Halloween.

31/10 2010

I received a postcard this morning, and it is nice to know that Denmark or India is only a postcard way. Caroline came by today and we made some Calculus together. Afterwards I took a run in the sunshine, which was fantastic. I have spent all the day at home, and it has been very relaxing. Today it is Halloween over here, and I am glad that it is over tomorrow. I am even happier that we don’t celebrate Halloween in DK. Today is the 10/31 and we have less than a month back over here. I begin to miss Denmark, but I enjoy every second over here. 

An amazing day!

30/10 2010

In the morning Gorm and his Chinese friend, Peter, Signe and I went to the University district. We walked around and did some shopping in the rain. At 1 AM we met with about 20 other Danish students at the Lake Union. We took a two hour long Lake Cruise and it was very comfortable and relaxing. 


We experienced Seattle from another side, and we got a lot of good pictures.

After the Lake Cruise we took a walk in downtown before we went to Hard Rock Café. It was fantastic to sit 16 students at the café together. We all had a good dinner, but as we were afraid of, we could not use our Visa Electron cards to pay. It was a big problem because almost all of us had a Visa Electron card. We solved the problem - but it took some time.    

Our last item of the programme of the day was a Michael Jackson Lasershow at the Pacific Science Center. We run all the way from Hard Rock Café to the Pacific Science Center, but we made it. We were placed in a big round hall where we laid down at the floor. Before the show started all the light was turned off, and it was totally dark. Afterwards the music started and it was just amazing. We all lay down at floor watching the light show in the ceiling. I couldn’t stop smiling! Before we entered the bus i got a picture of the Space Needle - it was just an amazing evening!

Halloween Party

29/10 2010

Today is Friday which means Halloween party at the Campus. Janne, Emilie, Nicolai, Alexander, Emma and I met at Emma’s house before the big party. We had a lot of fun, especially because Nico and Alex should dress up as girls. I took more time than we expected to make Alexander look like a girl, so we missed our bus. That meant we had to wait about 30 minutes for the bus, it was very cold! When we arrived at the college we came in, but it was a short experience. A few minutes after we entered the party, the fire alarm started. It was a hideous sound, and within a few minutes we were all “evacuated”. Everybody knew that the smoke machine activated the alarm, but the fire engine came anyway. On the picture you see Superman getting ready to save all of us. It took about 20 minutes before we were allowed to party again. The party was okay, and I think it was fun to experience a party without alcohol – no drunken people. 

Burke Museum

28/10 2010

As planned we went to Burke Museum of natural History and Culture today. I respect those who thought it was interesting, but I found it very boring. It was okay to see the big false dinosaur skeletons, but fossils do not interest me at all! The fact that we had to answer a lot of biology questions as well did not make it better, but anyway I am just not the type of person who likes historical museums. 

I got a costume!

27/10 2010

Today Janne, Signe and I went to the Mall to buy a Halloween costume. At first I tried to different dresses, and we thought out that I could be either an old fashioned schoolgirl or a secretary. I liked the dresses, but I knew that I would never use them again, so I decided to proceed. I ended up in a Love Culture, which is an ordinary clothes shop. In that store I found a nice black dress, and I thought Maja, now you can kill two birds with one stone, while I needed a dress for Thanksgiving as well. So I bought that dress and a traditional dull mask – I am ready so for Halloween now!

Halloween costumes

26/10 2010

Tuesday – noch ein mal! Halloween is a big festival over here and there is a Halloween-party at the campus on Friday. That was why Mette, Emilie and I decided to go to a Halloween store today to get a costume. In the store I realized that I’m so happy that we don’t celebrate Halloween at home. All these costumes, masks and wigs are a kind of funny, but they are pretty expensive and I don’t want to pay 50 bucks for a costume I only wear once. It is ridiculous! I did not buy a costume today, but I have to do something – maybe I’ll just dress up as a soccer player – I already have clothes for that :)  

Potatoes

25/10 2010

I know I only write about food, but seriously no one can survive without food, and otherwise I like food! When Krystle pronounced the word “Potatoes” tonight I automatically started smiling. When I saw the “potatoes” in the pot I thought it was like the Danish “flødekartofler”, but I was wrong.  When I tasted it I found out that it was “cheese potatoes”. I became a little disappointed and sad, but still it was nice to taste potatoes again.  

Pumpkins

24/10 2010

Today I went to a pumpkin farm with Aiami, Krystle, Krystle’s boyfriend’s kids, Krystle’s sister and her friend. When we arrived at the farm we decided to take the “Corn Tour” with the hope of no raining. When we stood in the middle of the corn field the rain started pouring down monotonously. It was wet, but we had fun. After the “Corn Tour” we went to the Pumpkin field to find some pumpkins we could carve. We found that the pumpkins was too big and it was raining too much, so we decided to go to Fred Meyer to get some pumpkins. In the first Fred Meyer the pumpkins were still too big, so we went back to the cars and drove further to the next Fred Meyer. Krystle’s sister was ready to buy the pumpkins they had, but Krystle was not satisfied. There for we drove to the third Fred Meyer. At that store the pumpkins were prefect, and I was glad that we could drive come. Today I learned that pumpkins can be too big – even for Americans.  

Shopping and philippine food

23/10 2010

Janne, Gorm, Signe and I went to a huge outlet center to go shopping today. Signe and I woke up early to bake a cake before we left to the Outlet, and the cake made the waiting time for the bus very comfortable. When we arrived at the Outlet I realized that I had been there before with my family. After about half an hour we passed by a bench, and I remembered that my dad had been sitting there for two hours while his family had been shopping. (It is that bench you see at the picture – do you remember it dad?) We spent five hours at the outlet area and I bought five t-shirts to the value of less than 25$. Afterwards I realized that I have done too much shopping over here – I need a shopping break!

After a long day with baking, shopping and transportation I went home very exhausted. But when Krystle asked me if I would join her at her cousin’s child’s birthday party, I said yes. It was nice to meet her big Filipino family and taste some philippine food – it is different but fine.  

Hoe Down

22/10 2010

Tonight 26 of us went to a Hoe Down in a Baptist church. It was very funny and interesting to experience that part of the the US culture. After eating some traditional American food (coleslaw, chicken, beans, cornbread and apple-pie) we should dance - square dance. Dancing is absolutely not my favorite occupation, but I had fun even though. I think my cowboy hat and Kokulans confusion on the dance floor made the evening entertainingly. After the Hoe Down Signe went home with me. 

BIG BOEING!

21/10 2010
Today we took the ”Boing Tour”, which is a guided tour at the Boeing factory. It was very interesting and a little overwhelming to see the big airplanes and the bigger buildings. More than 29.000 people work at the factory, and like Emma said – “woaw, they must have some big company partys!” Everything was just enormous, and their production hall is bigger than Disney World – that’s amazing! We were not allowed to bring any electronic equipment, so I have no pictures, but I’ll not forget the experience anyway. 

The ability to learn

20/10 2010

Someone says that food has a big influence on the ability to learn, and they are absolutely right!!! Over here no one is able to preserve the concentration after 2 o’clock. That is absolutely not good, but the disastrous is that our “real” lessons start at 12.40. I think this lack of concentration is due to the different (and worse) food and especially the inactivity. We don’t do anything over here except eating, sitting in busses and working on our laptops. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong – but hopefully it will be better back home in Denmark!

French dip burger

19/10 2010

Normally we eat healthy at home, and I really like the food, but dinner tonight was an exception. Krystle served some “burgers”. It was white bread with a little piece of roast beef and a lot of cheese. The burgers were not very appetizing, but it was worse than that. Beside the burgers we had each our “soup” and we should dip our burgers into the soup before we ate them. That was just too much fat for me, and I decided not to dip my second burger into the soup.

My Monday

18/10 2010

I went to school in the morning as usually, and my day at school was as normal as it could be. After school I went to Old Navy and Best Buy with Emma and Janne – it was very relaxing and cozy. I live close to Best Buy, so I did not need to take the bus back home, but I followed Emma and Janne to the busstop. When the bus came nearer Emma and Janne were ready to get on, but the bus did not stop, WHY? We decided to do what most Americans would have done – we went to McDonalds until the next bus came.  

Church

17/10 2010

This morning I talked to my parents. It was nice to talk to them, but I realized that I want a fall-break too.

Anyway, I know I shall not complain.

Today Caroline and I went to church. It is a small church, which is located not far from our homes. During the church service we found out that a Lutheran church over here is not very different from a Lutheran church at home. Yet became I very surprised, when we came to the communion. The communion was only for the members of the church, which I found very mystic. The church says it is open to everyone, but still the communion is only for the members – isn’t that a little conflicting?

After the service there was Tex Mex lunch for the churchgoers. We decided to go, while we saw the lunch as a good possibility to talk to some American people. While we were eating we realized, that they had their own church community. They had their own school, and it seemed like every one knew each other.

We ate a lot of Mexican food – and there was desert too. It was very good, and Caroline and I have decided that we will go their another Sunday too – and then we will bring a special Danish dessert.

Snoqualmie Falls

16/10 2010

Signe and I met at the transitcenter at 9.15 AM – we wanted to see the Snoqualmie Falls today. We took the bus to Seattle, where we took a quick look at China Town before we took the bus towards the mountains. The bus trip was not just a waste of time. We drove through beautiful nature, long tunnels (which my sister loves) and we crossed bridges. It took about two and a half hour to get to the Snoqualmie Falls, but we were absolutely not disappointed. The waterfall is just amazing! It’s huge, impressive and beautiful.

We had brought lunch to the fall, and we found a nice plays to eat. It was just beside a forest, and when while we were eating, a roe deer came by. It was apparently tame, and we took some good pictures of it.  

After eating lunch we took a walk in the forest, and I really enjoyed being up their - far away from everything.  Afterwards we took a last look at the beautiful fall, after which we took the bus back to Seattle.

It has been a fantastic and unforgettable day – and if you go to Seattle, you MUST see the Snoqualmie Falls!

My unlucky day!

15/10 2010

Today Signe and I decided to go to the mall after our last class. After a few hours we wanted to go to Best Buy, which was only about 0.5 mile away. We wanted to take the bus, and we took the first and best bus. But after a few meters the bus turned right, and we realized that it was the WRONG WAY! There for we came to the transit center, where we had to take another bus back to Best Buy. So we’ll probably just walk from the mall to Best Buy next time. Sorry Signe, it was my fault!

In Best Buy I wanted to buy an external hard drive, but when I tried to pay my card was refused. I tried several times, but it did not help. It is not my day!

When I came back home at about 7 o’clock, there was no one home. It surprised me, and at eight o’clock I decided to make some Noodles on my own. Fie Fie came home at 9.30, and she saved my day. She had bought me a teddy bear and it is very cute – THANK YOU :) 

“Old Fashioned Quaker Oats” and cheap stamps

14/10 2010

I begin to miss Denmark a little: My family, my friends, the countryside, the school system, and especially the Danish food (my mum’s food particularly). There for I became very pleased when I found a box with “Old Fashioned Quaker Oats” in a big food mart today. I bought it and now I look forward to my breakfast tomorrow. I hope that I can find some sugar in the kitchen, but I haven’t found it yet.

Anyway, I was on the post office today to buy some stamps to Denmark. They cost 98 cent over here. It’s about 5,5 DKK which is the same as it cost to send a letter from Vildbjerg to Herning at home!!!
You can say that it is cheap over here, but I will rather say that it is extremely expensive at home.         

Why are the Americans generally bigger than Danish people?

13/10 2010

I have written an article with the theme:
Why are the Americans generally bigger than Danish people?
You can find the article on AOH.dk – but it is right here too. 

Årsagen til amerikanernes overvægt

 Der er utrolig mange, der løber i USA, og man spiser skam også grøntsager og salat i De Forenede Stater, så hvorfor er amerikanere gennemsnitligt større end danskere?

 Efter mindre end en uge i USA, havde jeg løst mysteriet.

Kogte gulerødder badet i smør

 Et par dage efter ankomsten fik jeg serveret kogte gulerødder. Synet af gulerødderne gjorde mig glad, da salat og grøntsager ikke er hverdagskost herovre.

 Jeg tog den første gulerod på gaflen med et smil på læben, men smilet forvandlede sig hurtigt til et mindre positivt udtryk, da jeg indså, at gulerødderne svømmede i smør.

  

Salat med masser af dressing

 Aftenen efter stod der en blandet grøn salat på bordet. Endnu engang blev jeg jublende glad, og denne gang forsvandt smilet ikke. Salaten smagte nøjagtig ligeså godt, som den så ud.

 Men så kiggede jeg over på den anden side af bordet, hvor min værtsmor sad. Jeg betragtede hendes tallerken og så, at hun havde mere dressing end salat på tallerken.

 En stående løbetur

 Et par dage senere besluttede jeg mig så for at løbe en tur, da ekspertens anbefaling om en times motion hver dag, ikke altid bliver opfyldt.        

 Jeg smuttede ud af døren og løb ned ad gaden. Men lige idet jeg følte, at jeg havde fundet det rigtige tempo, stod jeg foran et lyskryds.

 Jeg forsøgte at holde pulsen oppe ved at jokke på stedet. Men da der endnu ikke var blevet grønt efter et par minutter, indså jeg, at min puls var nærmere hvilepuls end maxpuls.

 Mysteriet er løst

 Når amerikanere har spist noget sundt, føler de tilsyneladende, at det er forkert, og derfor vælger de at spise noget usundt.

 Når de så indser, at de lever usundt, bestemmer de sig for at løbe i 20 minutter. Men otte ud af de tyve minutter går med at vente på grønt lys, og derfor hjælper dette ikke meget på konditionen.

 Derfor er amerikanere gennemsnitligt større end danskere.

Serious Soccer

12/10 2010

Today we were some guys who went to a soccer practice. Jesse, who works at the ISS office, had told us that he played with some guys and we could join them. We decided to do that, and even though we got lost on our way, we arrived at the baseball fields, where we should play soccer. We wondered where the goals were, but then we realized that they used garbage cans as goal posts. It was not a very serious practice, but we all had fun and it was fantastic to touch a soccer ball again. The sad thing is that I miss soccer even more now. 

Maja's Monday

11/10 2010
Today I went to school as usual, and it has been a Monday like most Mondays are. I had dinner with Fie Fie, and at the dinner table I realized, that everything thing would be easier, if we just all talked the same language. I wanted to tell her about a waterfall. But it is not easy to explain what a waterfall is, when she neither knows the Niagara Falls or the Snoqualmie Falls. Anyway, I think she knows what a waterfall is now. 

Relaxed Sunday

10/10 2010

I am wondering: are a lot of people getting married in DK today?
Anyway, I slept till 10.30 today which was lovely! We had all breakfast together at 12 o’clock, but in my opinion there was too much bacon. After breakfast I went over to Caroline’s house to make calculus. Afterwards I took a walk, and we had dinner already at five o’clock. So today I have only had breakfast and dinner, but have not been hungry at any time. After dinner we all (Krystle, Fie Fie, Aiami and me) decided to watch a movie. We watched “Step Up 2”, and it was very cosy. 

Weekend in Seattle

09/10 2010

Today we were a group of Danish people in downtown Seattle. It takes only about half an hour with the bus from Lynnwood to downtown, and we took the bus at about 9.30 AM. In Seattle we were shopping and we tried to form a general view if downtown, but it was not easy. We had lunch at a brilliant Mexican restaurant, and we were all satiated after eating. After using too many money on shopping we took the bus back to Lynnwood. At home on 24^th Avenue I realized that I had the house by myself. I decided anyway to take a run. It was delightfully to do something active, but it was a little frustrating to wait in the traffic lights. 

Fabulous Friday

08/10 2010

Who says school is easier over here? Today I was home at 6.30 PM, and its Friday. Actually it was not that bad, but I would rather have been at the rave party at the gymnasium at home. I know it’s an indifferent topic, but nothing interesting has happened today. In fact we were the only class on the whole campus today.