One month in Denmark!

Hi!

Today is one month that I've been in Denmark!

I thought that I'd write about some of the differences that I've experienced in my first month in the happiest country in the world.

Denmark is very much like the United States, although there are some cultural differences. They may vary throughout each European country, but I think that in general, Europe will be very culturally similar to the U.S.A.

Here are some of the differences I've experienced.

1. Grocery stores bag themselves, and let me tell you I will not ever be cut out to have a job as a grocery store bagger. You have to keep everything that is cold with the cold, the bread and eggs on top, etc. That's really hard to do when you have a cart full of groceries coming down the grocery carousel.
2. You eat loads of rye bread. It's much, much better here though than it is in the United States. I mean I'll be the first to admit that I was terrified to eat rye bread every day of my life for the next year, and I honestly didn't know how I was going to do it. Now however, after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, navigating an airport where all signs were in Dutch (Amsterdam-Schiphol), and clearing all customs and airport security by myself, I can honestly say that the hardest thing of all that is choosing what topping to put on my rye bread. It's good stuff. 
3. When I was in the U.S I would consider "sleeping in" to be sleeping until noon. After that, I probably wouldn't get out of my pajamas at all during the day if I wasn't leaving my house. Here in Denmark, Danes consider "sleeping in" to be sleeping until nine or ten o'clock in the morning. I suppose I kind of like that because I get more of a day out of my day, and I'm usually ready to do something spontaneous by 12 or 1 in the afternoon without having to get ready. I still miss sleeping in.
4. You eat potatoes. I mean so many potatoes. In the U.S we consider maybe flour, sugar, general baking type items a staple in our cupboards. I swear rye bread and potatoes could be a staple in an average Danish home. I eat some kind of potatoes almost every night for dinner, or, if I were to be Danish "aftensmad." The potatoes though, oh my gosh they are so good. I could literally write a whole blog post on Danish food. Maybe I will later. Anyway - potatoes. Most of the time they're boiled and peeled, and have some really good kind of gravy or sauce on them. I especially love béarnaise sauce...it is so good I can never emphasize enough. My host mom put chile on top of mashed potatoes once also...oh. my. gosh. I will never ever leave this country. 
5. Biking in Denmark is like driving in the U.S. You bike everywhere. Everywhere. Everyone is so good at biking as well, I am so slow at biking, it is not a rare occurrence that people have to ring their bell to tell me to pull over so they can pass. Oh, and that's the thing. Bikes here have bells- not so little kids can ring them when they're riding bikes up and down hills in their neighborhood, but so people can tell you to pull to the side because you're way too slow. They also have bike shops specifically for the purpose of bikes, like how we have car shops in the United States. 
6. School. Is. So. Much. Different. In the United States I had six of the same subjects, every day. I had French II, journalism, geometry, English, modern world history, and biology. In second semester, journalism would have changed to a different elective. Here however, I might have natural geography, religion, and biology on Monday, and I'll have French, English and history on Tuesday, back to religion class on Wednesday with social sciences and maybe history again. You have P.E for two or three hours once every other week instead of a 55 minute P.E class once every day for a semester. The school does not call your house if you miss a class or are late, you don't have to have a parents note or call to excuse your absence or tardy from school, and you don't have to sign yourself in or out. You just simply...leave, and come back. Sometimes teachers don't even take attendance. You also have to bring your computer to school every day. Your computer sits in front of you while the teacher is talking, and you can have your phone out. I'm so used to coming from a school where teachers literally confiscate your phone until the end of the day if you have it out, and there is no way teachers would ever even dream of letting you have your laptops out because of the strict "no electronic policy." The freedom granted in Denmark is so much more than I can ever imagine having in a U.S high school.  

That is all I have for now. Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. 

Vi ses!