Hello!

i am reveling right now. everything is sooo good. i have a hard time knowing where to begin.

first of all, leaving was beautiful. saying goodbye to nyack, the river, the buildings, people, friends and fam, i felt the love so deeply. to my core. to my bones. i had a funk settled on my shoulders on and off through the whole break, but thursday morning it lifted and i felt so mellow and trusting. there were some financial issues, arguments, and snafoos, but everything fell right into the place it needed to be.

leaving was an amazing opportunity to take stock of all the incredible relationships, places, and qualities there are in my life. every goodbye was an affirmation of connection. the day before i left the sun was shining such warm light on my town that i went home and got my new camera. i love the sun. i really really do. the way that it shines on water and makes it too bright to look at. or the way it lights up strip malls, making what i thought was unimportant suddenly so significant.

everything was easy at the airport. no long lines. no hassle with my too heavy bag. walked in and promptly bumped into a kid i went to high school with and recently re-friended at a party. turns out we were on the same plane, in the same row. we shared stories and food and headphones and company all the way to iceland. i napped a lot on the plane to copenhagen. didn't talk to anyone and woke up before we landed. when i opened my eyes and looked out the window, i immediately thought of a fairy tale. there were colorful boats in the water and tiny wind mills. i tried to take a picture, but it doesn't do the image justice.

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when i go on planes i get a terrible headache. i can't sleep. i get bored. my stomach hurts. in some ways this makes me think i should dislike flying, but i don't. i think it's fine. so that's how it went.

once again, no problems. got through customs, got my bag. decided to take a taxi to the hostel since i didn't feel up to navigating the metro. the nice driver told me his opinion of copenhagen and delivered me to the nicest hostel/hotel whatever i've been in. it wasn't simply the cool design or the luxury, but the general cosiness and friendliness of the place.

From Post One

i promptly passed out from one to eight when Gifty, from the Faroe Islands by way of Ghana, woke me up and told me that she was taking me out to eat so i wouldn't be hungry later when everything was closed. we got into a cab, she told the driver where to go, then ordered for me and watched me eat.

on our way back she told me more about herself, how she came to be in denmark, how long it took to get a visa and why muslims are inherantly bad (this is not flattering to her, but i gotta be honest). i went downstairs to email some friends and fam. called my host family (after i said i was in denmark henning asked, do you want me to come pick you up now?) i wrote some and then fell asleep.

yeesh. what a day that was! but really i felt so happy through the whole thing. everything totally worked out. i think the reasons were the planning (a little bit), but mostly my attitude and belief that everything was going to be alright.

in the morning i took another cab to the main building for my study abroad program. this cab driver volunteered in reference to the danish cartoon issue, that the world just didn't understand danish irony and it was unfortunate many came to know denmark in this unflattering way. huh.

henning was going to pick me up after work (aka 4:30 because he got off at 4. gotta love those hours), so i dropped my big bag off and began wandering. i got directions to a bakery, but immediately went in the wrong direction. this was a good thing because it gave me a mission for the rest of the day. took pictures, found a falafel place, finished a book i brought with me, did more exploring and then went to meet my host family.

From Post One

they are all really kind, smart and friendly. henning is a project manager for computer systems. kika is a physiotherapist. laura is a fifteen and cares a lot about school and ansger, who is eleven, cares a lot about world of warcraft. ansger doesn't say much to me, but tonight we watched life of brian together and laughed a lot. henning shows me things that i will be interested in like photography books or places to walk. tonight to checked kika's grammar on her english thesis title. i haven't spent much time with laura yet.

i'm happy because they have good food and a nice shower. and i have a warm bed.

From Post One

tomorrow i am going to see an exhibit of kara walker's work with someone that i met on couchsurfing. her name is steph and she just moved here from australia. i am trying to take it one day at a time. it can be really strange to think about the world from another angle entirely. but perspective is what i came here for!