A New Adventure

Buongiorno miei amici e parenti ( Hello Friends and Family )-

 

It has been some time since my last blog. Last time I was writing from my desk in my basement room in Vanlose, Denmark and now I am writing to you from one of my last nights in my own bedroom at home in Bristol, CT. In only 6 days I will embark on another adventure...this time to Italia.

While studying in Denmark excited for my graduation from college I had a revelation: 'Shit!- I have nothing planned out for the rest of my life!'... This is a great feeling, as well as a scary one. So used to semester after semester being mapped out with graduation requirements I found myself dumbfounded over what I was going to do with my life! Grad school was an obvious option, but after taking 5 years just to earn a bachelors degree, enrolling in more college classes was the last thing I was eager to do. Regardless, I tried to get myself motivated to fill out applications...and failed. I had heard several success stories from friends about summer jobs they had taken up as Au Pairs in other countries. For me, this was the perfect solution. I love nothing more than traveling and working with kids- and this job involves both! Especially after my amazing experience living with a Danish family, I couldn't think of anything I would rather do while trying to figure out what to do with my life. So, thanks to the Internet I found an amazing Italian family that was anxious to take me in!

 I depart on September 12 and will be arriving in Rome on the 13th. The family consists of: la madre- Lucia, il padre- Anton e la bambina- Beatrice ( Bibi ). This adorable 4 year old girl is my responsibility and I am also there to teach her english. They live on a farm in Albinia-Grosseto, the Tuscany region of Italy where their main products are Tomatoes and Sheep Cheese. They also have many many dogs. I look forward to this time away from the busy stressful lives of us crazy americans. I can not tell you how excited I am to frolic and tumble around with Bibi on her beautiful farm. I am hoping the family lets me try out a couple of duties on the farm as well, as I would love to learn how they make sheep cheese- not to mention I've never sheared a sheep either. Of course, I bet shearing sheep has nothing at all to do with making cheese- but I still hope I get to try it out!

Here are some pics courtesy of the Vivarelli family of my future home:

~This is their farm.~

~This is their lovely home~

~This is a pic of little Bibi.~

As for now I am only planning on staying in Italy for three months, although life on a farm in Tuscany sounds quite perfect and I have a feeling I'll never want to come home. 

BUT- I do have plans to do some volunteer work in Thailand in February- but more on that later...for now, I'm Off To Italy!!!

 Arrividerci, Ci vediamo! 

Yours truly,

   Vicki

Oh, I don't know how this slipped my mind- But I am also responsible for driving Bibi to and from school. European cars are rarely automatic and therefore I am super stressed about Italian hills- I keep hoping that since I am only a few miles from the sea the area may be a bit flatter- but I know I am only wishing too hard for something that can not be. I am busy practicing driving stick around here...and well, my skill level is not nearly as high as it should be. If i never had to start the car, reverse or get going on a hill I would be perfectly fine...but something tells me this will not be the case. Uh oh...practice makes perfect?

I only ask for your prayers and support. I am doomed. 

Denmark Has My Heart

~I HEART COPENHAGEN~

Dearest Family and Friends in America-

   I am writing you from Denmark one last time. I leave in less than 5 hours for the airport to fly home to the USA. The past week with the Parents visiting has been wonderful-I will post a blog later with stories and pictures. I also had my pseudo-graduation ceremony which was by far must better than anything Uconn could have done! There were only a handful of us at the closing ceremony that were recognized and given a rose and a Danish gift. It was a graduation to remember, how many Americans can say they've graduated in Copenhagen?! I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. 

As expected, I am having mixed feelings about leaving- I can't wait to get home to see all of you, but it is tearing my heart up to leave. I have been tearing up on and off for the past three days, trying very hard to hide it from my family to not upset them ( of course you will be reading it shortly!) I must now say a quick goodbye...

To My Danish Family-

   Without you, Denmark would not have become my second home. I would not have enjoyed my time here half as much. You,and You alone, made my time here in Denmark the best experience of my life. I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your home as if I was a part of the family, and I now feel like I am family. You all- Lone, Andre, Fredie and Little Nicoline will have a special place in my heart for the rest of my life. I will be craving Meatballs and Curry and Andre's Famous Omelette every single day, and hopefully I can at least manage to make myself some Danish Pancakes. Lone, you have become my second mother. I will never forget how caring you have been- to call me a cab at 3AM to make sure I got home after a night of drinking, and going out at 11PM just to take me to the doctors. Andre, I will never forget your sense of humor- from talking about poop, farts and even vaginas at the dinner table to forcing Miki to try out Nicoline's mattress in the kitchen! I will also miss the high-tech coffee machine! Fredie(Roxy), You are by far the coolest 11-year old I have ever met, you act as if you are my own age...and you could pass because you are just as tall! Great call on the Experimentarium, It is SO FUN! Keep on finger painting and if you need refills on Reeses or Hershey's syrup just let me know. Oh, and don't ever forget how AMAZING your English is, keep up the good work! Little Nicoline, You may not remember me ever living in your house, but hopefully we will all keep in touch anyways! You have made me feel so proud over the fact that you now know the word SHEEP and at how you have mastered your Puzzle with 'Santa's Arc and his animals' :-) I will leave my window ajar just in case you ever want to stop in and ask for a Vinegummi. ( spelling??) I could go on forever and write a whole novel full of Thank You's and memories with you all, but that would take too long to read! So...Again, Thank you all so much- and of course tell the rest of the Pedersen Family thank you and I will miss them as well. Your whole family is so wonderful and it is the reason why I am having such a hard time leaving this wonderful country.It is always hard to say goodbye, But this is not goodbye...but SEE YOU SOON! I will be counting down the days until your visit to the USA. This time I can show you around my country! Also, I will be looking for you on Skype- hopefully I will see all your lovely faces over my computer screen very soon!

( I am now ending this letter in tears, but very happy tears because of all the wonderful memories I now have.)

MANGE TAK! VI SES!

All my Love,

Your crazy American Daughter, Vicki Jo. 

So, back to you Americans-

...as Andre would say, My danish vacation is now over...time to go back to the real world?? I find it so hard right now to even imagine that fact that tomorrow afternoon I will be sitting in my house in Bristol, Ct. But, I will be returning to many family and friends who I can't wait to see. I have graduations to celebrate and road trips to take. I have more ambition now to see some of my own country this time around! 

A quick word of advice for you all: Visit Denmark...it really is the happiest place in the world!

I came to Denmark for only four months, earned my college degree and a wonderful family- life could not be better!

This is your European-Expert saying goodbye for one last time.

Signing off at 00:30.

See you in The States!

-Vicki

Embarking on a week of EXAMS

Dearest Loved Ones-

I currently have one Final down and three to go. We had our Oral Final last week for PCD and my group got an A! (applause is welcomed) Tomorrow I have a written final for PCD, which I feel pretty o.k. about. Or..sorry to say this parents...but I hope five years of college has paid off a little bit and has at least taught me how to be an excellent bull-shitter. 

The past week was a lot of fun and full of sunshine.

 On Thursday we had our PCD reception. 

It was a nice little get-together with snacks and beverages 

provided by DIS for us students and our Practicum

supervisors. My professor and a few students gave speeches and played some music and we had all pitched in some Kroner to get our professor a Thank you/Congrats on the baby gift. I went shopping for it with my friend liz and we found the greatest wooden toy farm, with all the little animals and everything! I wish I had one for myself. :-) We drank the night away thanks to DIS providing us with alcohol, which is one thing I will greatly miss about school in Denmark.

This weekend was also Karnival! There was a huge festival in one

the many beautiful parks here in Copenhagen. It was awesome weather

and Lots of fun. Amazing music, sunshine, and I even got to play in 

the Hay- sounds strange, but it was fantastic!

Pictures on this blog include:

Me with friends at the PCD Reception, The Huge and beautiful park, and My friend Carrie and I at the park enjoying the sunshine. 

Anyways, I just wanted to check in- let you know I have ben enjoying my last days here in Copenhagen and now I am beginning to stress about finals. Please keep your fingers crossed for me- 

I really want to be a graduate! 

HELLOO PARENTS! You arrive in 2 days! I hope you are ready and I apologize for the fact that the weather forecast is not looking so great. You will get the true Denmark experience!

It is crazy to think I will be seeing you in person and not over a computer screen! I am looking forward to it. I have grown to be so comfortable here it's just weird to even think about getting on a plane and landing in The States and stepping foot into our house. Life is Strange.

The next time I talk to you all I will hopefully be done with my Finals and be much more relaxed- and hopefully a Graduate! 

See you all in America in Aprox. 10 Days!

Studying with my fingers crossed,

    Vicki

A trip to The Homeland

~Hobbit HomeLand~

Dearest Family, and friends I consider family-

It turns out Sweden looks like Hobbit land! Ha. The nature is just so beautiful and GREEN. To fill you in- This past Thursday and Friday, my friend Kevin and his host-family invited me along on a trip to Sweden. His host-parents own a flat there, in a town I can't remember the name of ( sorry ). Anyway, it's half way in between Copenhagen and Stockholm, near lakes and forests- where I love to be! I had a wonderful time and Kevin's host-parents are super nice and fed us way too much food! Also, Sweden is absolutely beautiful. I'm glad I got to see another part of it compared to Malmo (where i had been before) because that area is very industrialized- newer buildings and very touristy...so it was nice to see the country side and the woods. And hopefully I will see another side, the sea side, when I go back to Sweden with the parents to visit family! :-)

Also, turns out houses in Sweden, at least in the woods, are VERY cheap. So, I think I need to look into buying myself a nice little Summer Swedish Cottage one day. The picture below is the lake we hiked around the first day we got there. Supposedly it is called Heart Lake because it is shaped like a heart...Now you respond: "Awweee" :-)

We also went to a rock quarry where we could look out over the forest, it was so pretty.

It was a lovely opportunity to get in on a free trip to sweden, with wonderful company and a cozy home to stay in.  

Now...To fill you in on my position in school. I only have one more day of class, On Friday. Tomorrow I will be doing some reading, shopping for a gift for my professor, and going to see Explosions in the Sky later in the evening ( this is an AMAZING band, for those that don't know what i'm referring to, AKA- Mom and Dad). Then, on Thursday I have my first Final, an Oral Exam for my PCD class. It is a group final, there are 5 people in my group. We had to pick a general topic: ours is Theory Versus Practice, and we each have to give a 5-minute presentation on a theme within this topic and then we have 15 minutes to bring up discussion questions and have constructive conversation amongst ourselves and then we get a grade. Sort of nerve-racking, but I think we will do just fine. And after the exam we have a Reception that night for all of PCD, which I think will be a lot of fun. Then Friday is my last day of class... of college... everrrr, or atleast until Grad School. :-)  Then next week I have three finals and the parents are coming! Woooooo! It is so weird to have this all come to close so soon, my time here just flew by!

Ohhh. I had a story I wanted to tell you all, or a quick image to illustrate for you.

On my way to class this morning, the guy walking in front of me was wearing the following outfit: Nicely styled Spiked hair ( to look all messy, like he didn't try to look nice), tight n' bright t-shirt with a Navy-style jacket over(also tight fitting), converse sneakers and tight fitting jeans with a belt that said LONDON from behind pulled down just enough so that you could see that his cute little butt was wearing bright pink undies- Now folks, this is the essence of Danish style! :-)

Talk to you all soon, and see you as well! Yippeee!

 Vicki

A Day at the Beach

~PCD at the Beach~

It is SUMMER in COPENHAGEN!!!

So, I just had to let you all know how awesome the PCD program is here in Denmark, because last Monday for class our professor took us to the beach for the afternoon! Since we are all psychology and child development majors, we are the most fun- so we spent the afternoon playing in the sand and being taught new arabic games, like "SHABADEEEEE". Maybe one day i will teach you all, but it can be a slightly aggressive game in which minor injuries could occur. We also were able to sit around and discuss everything that we have learned while being here and things we want to take back. It was a nice little session, and I think we all agreed that America need some "Hygge" in it! I will be brining the essence of hygge back with me, so don't you all fret. By the end of the day my face was as red as a tomato - my skin hadn't seen such sun in so long!

Anyways, I think it was a nice little way to bring our program to an end. Tomorrow is our final PCD class and I am SUPER sad about it. It is amazing how fast the time has gone by her, and i will truly miss our little PCD crew. 

Oh, and I have finished typing up the 15 pages for my portfolio - and I wish I could write more!! There is just so many memories that I want to share and talk about, I may just have to continue it on my own. But, one less thing to stress about- now its an oral exam and three finals to start studying for!

Also, I will be posting about my trip to Sweden shortly- but I need to lay out in the sun first; get my daily dose of Vitamin D. :-)

Only 17 days till I am home! See you all super soon. 

Hej-hej.

Sunshine and happy,

   Vicki

Another Danish Family Adventure!

Hello everyone-

     This past weekend, my Danish family took me on another Adventure. As you can recall, they first took me to the Experimentarium, then I got to go to a Danish Baptism..and now I've been to Kronborg Castle- also Known as Hamlet's Castle. 

~Kronborg Castle~

It was a lovely little day. The town  it is located in is literally a Hop-skip and a jump away from Sweden ( A 20 minute ferry ride)...so I was able to look right across the ocean to my beautiful home land. :-) ( you can see Sweden in the distant background of the pic below) Also, my Host-Dad tool the scenic route to Kronborg, all along the coast, which was such a pretty drive. Such gigantic European Mansions, like homes you see in movies. I wonder how people can afford such things in this country with all the damn taxes...??

You can now also see me and my new dark hair...courtesy of my host-dad and his salon. Don't Freddie and I look like we could actually be sisters now?? We may look more alike than me and my actual sister!! Ha ( Love you Mandy )

~Frederikke and I~

Anyways....my time here is coming to an end. I started counting down the days because I actually am anxious to come home.  It has been a wonderful time here and I am still enjoying every minute of it... But, for those of you who know me well..I get bored a little too easily...so I am now in the mode of being 'bored' with Denmark...if that is even possible. Pretty much, I just feel very comfortable here, same city- same people..and I'm ready to come home and start the next phase of my life= SUMMER... with friends I haven't seen in far too long..and also looking forward to Italia and Grad School. I am sooo anxious to just start teaching! Also, the past few months have been extremely enjoyable here because I've had near to no school work, its been a breeze...i shouldn't be complaining now,but i am...So, all of a sudden I have sooo much freakin work to do. Instead of being outside in the sun, running through fields and making myself crowns out of flowers, I am sitting in front of my computer doing research and writing papers, Needless to say- not my favorite thing to do. So, I am currently finishing up my last big paper. Then this weekend I have a 15 Page Portfolio to write and construct ( I'm attempting to be creative with my project and making my portfolio into a 'Memory Box' ) and I also have some research to do for an Oral Exam I have next week...then, the rest of my time will be spent reading and studying for three BIG written finals. ICK- just thinking about all of this makes my stomach turn and my face scrunch up into a unfortunate-looking-disgusted-sort-of-face. :-/

Anywho- I'll stop complaining and blogging and actually try to fix some of this stress by going and getting something done....

As for my count down: 22 days till I am back Stateside!! See you all soon. :-)

Ready to be home,

        Vicki

P.S. Forget to mention the exciting part of my life because I was too busy complaining...but, for some distraction- I am going to Sweden for the next two days!! My friend Kevin invited me to go with him and his host-family. It will be nice...I could use some time out of Copenhagen and away from my piles of work. Update you later. PEACE.

More Pics...

Sorry Folks- 

    Good old Blogger is still misbehaving, so it took a couple tries and a couple posts in order to get the pictures uploaded that i wanted you to see. The wonders of the internet can sometimes be a big pain in the butt!!

First, More pretty flowers- my favorite thing to snap photos of. :-)

Then, on my Bike Trip I, of course, had to decorate my bike!...oh, look how pretty!!

Hej-Hej!

Pictures for you:

~The Lake Near My House~

~Pretty Flowers~

Alive and Well

Hello Americans-

        I can't refer to you as lucky anymore- because I am now completely healthy and in Denmark- which does make me luckier than you, sorry...But, its true! I guess you are still lucky because I hear its been summer weather back in the states- in the 70-80's lately?? That does make me a bit jealous. But, I can't be too upset because it has been absolutely beautiful in Copenhagen all week as well. The temperature has been high 50's, near 60 degrees...but when you sit in the sunshine- it feels like summer. The Gelato shops are open, the flowers are in bloom, the fountains are running and everyone is outside... It is LOVERLY! So, naturally I have been taking advantage of the nice weather...

       My bike wasn't working properly- not to mention the bike seat was rusted in the highest position and my short little legs couldn't reach the pedals. So...I sadly had to sell my bike. BUT, my host sister- being the wonderful girl that she is- lets me borrow hers! So, I have been going on many bike rides, mainly to the Lake in Vanlose (the town I live in). There is a nice little walking/biking path all around the lake, and it is just beautiful to ride around there. On my way there is also a cute little park, which i enjoy sitting in- and where I took the lovely photo pictured above. I left my bike locked by this tree and went for a lovely little walk and stumbled across the cutest little neighborhood. No cars are allowed down its street- for its street is just a little dirt walking path. The houses are so small and cute- each very eccentric, with a personality of its own- not to mention each has its own beautiful little garden. It is quite a hidden treasure! One little house even had a Tee Pee built in its yard, amazing!

      I have more pictures to show you....but, Blogger is being LAME at the moment and won't upload them...I will try in a separate blog.

I have become a Photo-holic, if thats such a thing?

Yours truly, 

    Vicki

4AM- Can't sleep.

~Le Louvre~

Hello Lucky Americans-

     First of all, I wanted to post a picture from Paris because I saw that I failed to do so in my mini-blog about my travel break. So, for proof that I really did make it, TA DA- a picture for you!

Currently, I am sick-I'd like to curl up in a ball and die right now, yes- sorry for being so depressing. But, I have been stuffy for about 8 weeks now, and the past week has been awful. I have been in bed for the past three days and have not been able to sleep. I have such a bad cough that it keeps me up all night long. This is the reason for which I am writing and posting this blog past 4AM. The Danish people don't believe in sleeping aids, among other types of valuable drugs. I could really go for some Nyquil. I would also like a popsicle and some chicken noodle soup. They don't even eat chicken noodle soup here, can you believe it?! So, when I addressed this blog by referring to you all as 'lucky'- please realize how lucky you actually are! Drugs are so accessible for you....go buy them, stock up! Take them even if you don't need to...because YOU CAN!! Also, I thought the welfare system worked wonderfully here...but I was proven very wrong. It took be three times at the doctor before they actually prescribed me medicine. The first two times I was told to get sleep and drink tea. One time, my host mom called the doctor to bring me in and they wouldn't even take me!...said I wasn't sick enough. My goodness, i'd like to share some of this pain with them...Errrghhh. Then another time I called myself to make an appointment...

"Hello, does anyone speak english?"

"Nej..Nej"....'hangs up phone'

I must share with you my feeling at that very moment.."what a bunch of BULL!!"- everyone is this damn country speaks freakin english. The guy at the fruit stand can speak english...but NO ONE in the doctors office speaks english??!! COME ON NOW!!

So, needless to say- it took several tries, but I now have some drugs. But...I'm on my third day of medication and I have only gotten worse. Cough, sore throat and fever all arrived after starting the medication. I'm fed up I tell you!

Oh, and to get this medication I had to wait in the pharmacy for over an hour and it cost my 50 bucks. WTF.

On a brighter note, I do have a couple of lovely stories for you all. The first is in regards to my youngest host-sister Nicoline, pictured below.

One lovely evening, Nicoline was playing outside while I was busy writing a paper in my room. I heard her running around and laughing and giggling and soon enough I hear her bump into my window. Bored with my paper, I went over to my window- unlocked it and opened it up...and then the fun just didn't stop. Nicoline was super enthralled by the fact that she could now come by and open my window and crawl in to say hello. I also have taken a video of her saying 'hello' through my window. I was able to teach her to say Hellooo this very afternoon. She is just too freakin cute. Over and Over and Over and Overrrr again, all evening- until we were called for dinner- Nicoline kept opening my window, crawling in, asking for a gummy bear and slamming the window- only to re-open it about 32 second later. It was a wonderful little game that kept us both entertained and since then it seems that she likes me even more! She even referred to me as 'my vicki' the other day. She is a great little kid.

Next....I of course must not leave out my other amazing host-sister, Frederikke.
I recently was taken to The Experimentarium, by request of Frederikke. The Experimentarium reminded me of the Science Museum in Boston...hands on fun for everyone! My favorite parts were this wonderful hall mirrors and the soap bubble station. I was able to make a whole bubble around my body!...impressive, i know. My host dad also forced me to eat some Nachos this same afternoon. I hadn't had any sort of Mexican/Spicy food since my arrival in Denmark...so, lets just say it didn't settle quite well in my tummy. This all makes me very nervous to start eating American food again...I may have to take it slow, and continue eating bland and boring.

Well, those are my stories for now. I have to get up in about 5 hours. I can't miss any more class, especially due to the fact that I have to turn in a 10 page paper tomorrow.....which I am very nervous for. You must remember I haven't slept in three days and feel like death- this paper was written in this state of mind, god help me!

Anyways- I would appreciate if everyone thinks positive thoughts for me to get better. Positive thoughts are about all i have over here in Denmark, since they lack proper medication and chicken noodle soup. There's no hope for me, is there?

Sick of being sick ( but thinking positively)

    Vicki

Finger-painting Fun!

~Fun With Paint!~

Hej-

So....as you all know....I LOVE BEING A KID; Here is my story:

I woke up this morning to find that my host-sister Frederikke had her friend Natasha over. They played around outside for awhile and then I could tell they were getting a little antsy and my Host-Dad, Andre, informed me that they were bored. I immediately took this as a golden opportunity for me to join in their play! So, I asked Freddie if they would like to draw...and lucky for me ( being put with the most amazing host-family ever) we have a GIANT Arts and Crafts room in the basement. Down we went and before we knew it, drawing turned into painting- which meant we had to cover all surfaces with newspaper and cover our bodies in garbage bags. Since we were so well protected from accidental paint mishaps, painting soon turned into finger painting, which soon turned into face painting. After a couple hours we were covered in paint and had completed some impressive masterpieces:

~My Own: Hail to Sweden!~

~Frederikke's...My Favorite.~

Busy pretending to be an 11-yr old Dane,

   Vicki

Long time No talk!

Hellooooo All-

   

You should all be happy to know that I have survived my three-week long travel break!!! Unfortunately I am currently sick- which could be due to the exhaustion from the busyness of my travel break combined with getting back into the school schedule. I have been back to school for one full week now- which means I only have 4 weeks of class left, then finals, then its all over!

To view all pictures from my three week travel break- please visit me website!

I have so much to tell you all and I don't know where to begin...so, I think i will give you a brief summary:

My travel break started with a week long study tour through my PCD program to The Netherlands- The Land of Tulips...Here we visited a few awesome schools, including an International School which I now want to work at. We also were lucky enough- thanks to how amazing DIS is-to see a Cirque Du Soleil show, which was FanFreakinTastic!

~Ta Da! Amsterdam and one of its MANY Canals.~

From The Netherlands, I took a bus home-unpacked and repacked and left the following day for Turkey. I went to Turkey also through a DIS sponsored trip that corresponds to a course I am taking. I have to make a blog as an assignment for my class on Turkey- so, to read about it please visit my webiste (web.mac.com/victoriaej).

~The Blue Mosque in Istanbul~

 After Turkey, I flew home- unpacked and repacked- to leave the following day for Paris. Paris is where it all got a little confusing. While in Paris I was staying with one of my form housemates/one of my bestest friends/one of the greatest people i know= Miss Katherine Vollono. Here I also met up with my friend Kevin from DIS. Kevin and I were supposed to leave Paris together, via EURail train on Tuesday morning, having arrived in Paris on Sunday. Unfortunately, there were no trains out of Paris to our hopefuly destinations: Florence and Rome. We had booked a flight from Rome back to Copenhagen on Friday, but it looked like we were no longer going to make it. After spending 180Euro on a EURail pass that I NEVER got to use, I had to spend another 80Euro on a train ticket to Milan...Yes, you heard me- Milan...not one of our original destinations...but it was the only place we could get...and lucky enough...our flight had a layover in Milan. We were finally able to leave Paris on thursday, spend a good 24 hours in Milan and catch the second half of our flight home to Copenhagen.

Oh- EURAIL is SHIT....never buy one! ( excuse my language daddiooo)

MY GOODNESS AM I GLAD TO BE HOME IN COPENHAGEN!!!

Well, my apologies for the lack of details about the past month, but I'm tired and there's just not enough time for me to fill you in. If you happen to see me in The States when I return, bring me a beer, sit me down in the sun and maybe I'll tell you about it then. :-)

Upcoming news:

I get my hair cut at my Host-Dad's salon this Tuesday...short and dark is the plan. I will post a picture of my new danish look as soon as I can.

My host-family has given me several dates of "Danish Family Trip Days", which I am super excited for. They are planning on taking me to the beach, to Kronborg Castle, to the Lousiana Museum, To the Experimentarium and much more!!- and you will all be filled in when such event occur.

My REAL family=My two Amazing parents have booked their flight to visit me. May 15th is their arrival date....I'm busy counting down the days!!! See you soon!! and for that matter....see you all soon!! May 23rd is my official arrival date back to good old America. As much as I don't want to leave Denmark, I am super excited to get back home and see all of your lovely faces.

Busy recovering from sicknesses and exhaustion,

   Vicki

A Royal Evening.

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen-

In my last blog I forgot to mention my excursion to the ballet! Silly me, how could i forget! So, sit down and I will fill you in.... On Tuesday night, a couple friends and I headed over to The Royal Theater to see a ballet- Don Quixote. The theater is beautiful and the ballet was amazing. It lacked a lot of the Don Quixote story, but the scenery and ballet itself was breathtaking. For those of you who know the story of Don Quixote, he dies at the end- sorry if I ruined it for the rest of you-So, one of the acts is set in Heaven, the backdrop was a beautiful blue with brightly lit stars and the stage was covered in misty white fog- it was by far my favorite scene in the ballet. The acts themselves were quite short, but the Danes like their socializing and drinking- or Hygge- so there were two intermissions so guests could buy their wine. 

Also, Tuesday marked the first- and only- day I have seen snow fall from the Danish

Sky. It only lasted about 15 minutes, lightly covered the ground and soon all melted away. But it was a beautiful site while it lasted.

Overall, Tuesday was a magnificent day!

Important/Exciting News: If you have noticed in the right hand column of my blog there is a New link to my New website! I am super excited about it. I only slept for three hours Wednesday night while putting it together. I've been busy uploading all my photos so those of you without Facebook can view them- plus they are much better quality this way! Also, I have an assignment in which I have to create a blog about my trip to Turkey....so, once I arrive back from Turkey I will be adding this blog to my website as well!

**Please Visit my Website!!!**

Tomorrow I will be busy doing laundry and packing for my three week adventure- Eek , I am so excited! By the time I return my semester in Denmark will be half-way over. I am getting sad to leave, although there are many things I miss about home- esp. Chocolate milk ( Thanks for the Hershey's syrup Mom!)

Well I won't been blogging for the next week, so-  Have a Great week everyone!

About to embark on the Trip(s) of a lifetime-

   Your European Expert, Vicki

A Dream Forest

Hello Far-Away Friends-

     I will soon be embarking on the adventure of a life-time, but this also means that I will be lacking a computer so my communication with the outside world ( all of you lovelies) will be limited/non-existent. Sorry to say- but I don't really care...I'm going to be traveling Europe!! What could be better?!

I have survived my sickness and I am back to a normal level of functioning. I would like to catch you up on some exciting news from this week:

     FIRST- Our wonderful PCD Intern informed us that she was able to have DIS buy us all tickets to see....(drum roll, please.....).....CIRQUE DU SOLEIL in AMSTERDAM!! PCD freakin rocks- it is by far THE BEST program at DIS..mainly thanks to Jenn, our hard working intern. The Cirque Du Soleil I will be seeing is called Varekai-

 "In a Dream Forest, Acrobats and Beauty Meet"

Check it out: (i can't get the link to bring you right to the Varekai section, so you can go to the main website and click on Varekai if you are interested)

• VAREKAI

SECOND, My Group for my PCD- Children in a Multicultural Context class had a paper and presentation due this Monday, which I think I mentioned in a previous blog. Anyways, we did an AMAZING job- as usual. We got everyone in a nice little discussion about our topic, played some clips from the interview and then- thanks to my craft skills- I made an awesome diorama/view box.  Our project was on the Freetown Christniania Kindergarten. Inside this Kindergarten there is an 'Adventure Room'- It is a room used for story-telling and is fully painted floor to ceiling as a magical fantasty land and I re-

created this inside a shoe box...TA DA!!!

THIRD- I got to see my first Hand Ball Match. The other night, Frederikke- My 11yr old Host-sister had a Hand Ball match, and the whole family dragged me along to watch...of course they didn't really have to drag me, I was eager to go! Hand Ball is very similar to basketball...in the sense that you have to dribble and pass a ball- the ball is smaller than a

 basketball, bigger than a soft ball- The players than have to throw the ball into what looks like a hockey net to score. Freddie scored 3 points! I was very impressed.I hope when it gets warmer outside she will teach me how to play. The picture at the right is of Freddie's team playing Hand Ball at the indoor gym. This Gym was also amazing. it was huge. So many rooms with different things going on. My host-dad walked around to say hi to different friends of his. So first we walked around this gym, next to hand ball- there were tennis courts, then at the other side of the gym- there were girls doing gymnastics. We then went into another room where people were doing Karate, and Then we went into yet another room where there is a table tennis club and a bar!! My host-dad said the Table tennis club is fun and cozy because they just sit around and drink beers and then play ping pong. Amazing!

K- I should get started on some work...I have two more papers and one more presentation due this week...but I can't complain because once this week is over I have three whole weeks off to see the world!

Talk to you all soon, Miss you Bunches!

Eagerly awaiting my upcoming adventures,

  Vicki- xoxo

Ketchup.

A photo for Pure Enjoyment

(Miki and I practicing our 'Stink Eye')

Hello folks-

   I am bored- mainly due to a recent cold, but also due to the fact that I am looking for some distractions from my heavy work load- so, I am here to play a bit of Ketchup (Catch-up) with you all. My host-family arrived home today from their vacation. Thank goodness! I was getting mighty lonely and the silence was driving me nuts. I was told that Nicoline was complaining about wanting to go home the whole trip and when she first got here she said how happy she was to be home. I was glad to have her home as well. We played a bit of dress-up, where she did mine and Frederikke's fake make-up, then we had a little tea party, then we ran around the house, and then we sat and watched t.v. while Nico styled my hair. I'm getting better at understanding her- and for the most part, I can get the gist of what shes saying. Usually its just "Come, Vicki" and I follow or "Nej, Vicki", which is 'no'- and in that case I just stick my tongue out at her until she laughs.

This week I was sick and in bed for most of the time. I have been fighting off some sort of sinus infection/flu type sickness. My glands were HUGE and my head felt like a brick. After playing with kids all day at my school on Thursday, I came home around 4PM, immediately passed out and didn't wake up till Noon the next day! I had a great day at my practicum site this week. Usually on Thursdays we go to this Indoor Gym, but this week was different. I got to stay at the school with The Birds- the Kindergarteners. I was told how different the Danish Education Philosophy was from back at home- but the more time I spend at my site, the more similarities I see. This is very comforting. So, on Thursday the kids were learning about emotions. They were specifically learning about fairness- the difference between what is fair and what is not fair, what it feels like and correct ways to act. They also learned about the difference of doing something by accident and on purpose. In order to portray there ideas the pedagogue had several large flash cards with pictures of children on them- portraying different scenarios and feelings, as well as puppets for acting out different events. The Amazing thing is- this Exact system ( pictures, puppets, etc) was used at the Kindergarten I assisted in back in CT! I WAS SO EXCITED!!

This week I also visited a Red Cross Asylum center- for refugees. It was really depressing and is an experience that will have a lasting impact on my life forever. We got to talk to the actual people living at the center, trying to seek asylum in Denmark. For those of you who are not aware- Due to Denmark's most recent government, Immigration is not something the Danes look upon highly. It is near impossible to gain residency in Denmark and Immigrants from any country are not welcome. The main problem is that many asylum seekers are coming from Iraq-because it is currently not safe for many people to live there, especially Christians. Anyways- Denmark will not give these people asylum, but they also won't go back to Iraq and Denmark does not have an agreement with Iraq to send them back- so They get stuck here! I talked to one man who has been stuck in the Asylum center for 7 years. Denmark doesn't allow Asylum seeker to get jobs either, and they are only given about 600DKK every two weeks- Thats about 120dollars. They publish a newspaper about their stories and the hardships of being an asylum seeker. 

• Check it out: Newtimes
  

What stood out the most to me was when asked what they thought of the Danish Immigration system key words used were: Unprofessional, Inhuman, and Disgusting- most seekers claimed they got to Denmark by Bad Luck. It is such a depressing situation.

To get a feel for Denmark's Government, its tactics and ideals- check out this video. You don't have to understand Danish to get the gist of the underlying message...it's scary...

• Dansk Folkeparti Video

 

Also, I am getting more and more nervous about coming back to The States. Please vote for someone who will stop spending money, or who at least someone who knows something about economics! (Hint- spread the word about Ron Paul!) Check this out....(Thanks, Jan. )

• Pizza and Beer..no longer cheap!
  

And, of course- no Blog is complete without photos... unfortunately the 'easy' uploader isn't being so easy at the moment- So i will post them as soon as its working.

Until then....

My Danish Home

Heylooo all...

     Today is Monday and class was long and pretty boring. Adam, Kevin and I had to do a presentation on Froebel and his teaching philosophy- Other people in class had other important philosophers,but I can say that we totally kicked ass(sorry for the language)...and if there was a competition on best presentation- we totally won.

My main reason for this post is to show you some pictures of my beautiful Danish home. I just took the pics and feel the need to share. The Top picture is the living room, next is the Dining room- I love the table cloth!! The next picture is of their kitchen, 

It's sooo Scandinavian- Straight out of IKEA, except really

expensive. My host-Dad LOVES Coffee, so they have this really awesome Coffee maker. It can even make Espresso- all with the click of a button! Mmmm, its sooo yummy. Adam and Kevin came over last night so we could work on our presentation, 

and we all drank a bit too much coffee and I didn't feel well later because of it...Oooopppps.

  Also, exciting news!!..I have completely booked my trips for the third week of my travel break. Starting the 2nd week in march i have 3 whole weeks off!! First I am going to Holland with my PCD program. Then, I signed up for another trip with DIS- to Turkey! Then during the third week I am going to visit my beloved Katherine in Paris where I am going to meet up with my friend Kevin

 and then the two of us will be taking the train to Florence and Rome (Mmmmmmmmm,

 Gelato!)

The Bunny's name is Tromle- It belongs to Frederikke, my host-sister. I'm watching it for the week while they are away skiing in Austria! So jealous.

Ciao-Ciao for now!