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.