Kirsten Captures

My second to last weekend in Denmark… how did it come to this?

Well, it was much better than the previous weekend when I opted out of the Bornholm biking trip to write 4 gloriously pointless papers. Here’s to two full days staring at my computer screen and typing endless streams of words onto slowly filling word documents instead of biking over the sun-drenched hills of Bornholm. Overall I wrote 4 papers (three 12pagers and one 6pager) within the span of a week. Poor planning DIS.

Thursday: I turned in my last paper and survived my last day of class. It was time to celebrate! Nadja and Bella threw a party for their friends in the garden and I joined in as the (almost) 21yr old American student, awkwardly but successfully integrating with the 13-18yr old Danish youngsters. I had a great time sticking with Bella, drinking unknown concoctions, and talking Danish politics with (I think) 15 year old Danish boys who were very interested in my presence. I enjoyed the attention, especially since a lot of the kids actually talked to me in English and were genuinly interested in what I had to sa and why I was in Denmark. Everybody was very nice and welcoming, making me feel even more at home.

Saturday night: The family dragged me to Bakken, the oldest amusement park in the world. It was like Tivoli but smaller and more “hygge”. We got wristbands for unlimited ride access which was AWESOME. I tried everything, from twisting saucers, fun house, haunted house ride, and other rides with crazy names like “Extreme”, “Tornado”, “Double Shot”, and “Polyp” that dropped, spun, and swung me around to the point of nauseau. My favorite ride though was the old wooden roller coaster, complete with a guy in the back who manned the brakes, and several gut-wrenching drops. I screamed the whole way.

By the end of the night, my throat was sore and my stomach was full. We ate some deliciously fried churros complete soft serve ice cream, Danish burgers with roasted onions and every imaginable condiment, salty popcorn, and sprinkled to death ice cream cones. It was the typical amusement park experience with cheaply kitch rides, flourescent lights, and greasy food. I love it all. It is fun to experience with friends and fun to photograph. I love to photograph bright lights at night!! Tivoli and Bakken are so quintescentially Danish and have been keystones to my experience here just like they have been keystones to Danish history and culture. I hope to find a fair to go to this summer around Brunswick. While they could never compare to the permanent fairs here in Denmark, they are sure to be just as fun… and bright.

Sunday: Happy Mother’s Day!

To celebrate, I helped the family with some intense yard work and manuel labor, weeding and shoveling dirt, then napping in the sun while Christian and Morten chopped wood and finished the digging. We then had some good BBQ outside in the light but slightly chilly evening. I was exhausted by the work and woke up sore and achy for my first final exam!!!

This week will not be as exciting but it is my last! I have 3 more exams to go.. and I turn 21 Friday!!! Homeward bound Sunday. Seriously, where has the time gone??