Raincoats and Recipes..

Kiaora :) I just got back from my danish lesson, so it's 5.44pm. This was one of the last danish lessons we will be having, and although we dont learn much at them, they always end up being quite fun, cause we get to eat cake, so it makes us happy haha. This lesson we played Presidents and Assholes, and ate flødeboller. Then me and Hilary taught everyone how to play Snap, and our teacher Majbritt got really into it. It was great :)

Afterwards I biked home, and it was raining and windy and cold. It was an epic struggle to bike up the hill towards my house, it took me twice as long as it usually would because i was fighting with the wind, gaaaah. Anyway, then I was biking up to my street, and a car pulled over by me and this lady started babbling on in Danish, asking for directions. After she talked to me for about 5 minutes, I was like, "ahhh, sorry I dont speak Danish". And then she asked me how to get to my next-door neighbours house, and I was trying to explain but I couldnt tell her to drive straight up the street because there is a sort of barrier, so obviously you cant drive up there. Soo I spent like 10 minutes trying to explain how to get to my street, and she ended up just driving away, I guess cause she didnt understand what I was saying haha.

Then, as I was biking up my street, I crashed into the stupid barrier. I have only fallen off my bike twice since i've been here, both in Skagen, and I thought I had the biking downpat, but today I was proven wrong. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was with Hilary's yellow card (which is like a social security card) and not mine that it happened, since she's always the one who falls off her bike. So I have a sore leg, and an almost hole in my stockings now. Not happy.

On a positive note however, my Danish is slowly improving. I learnt a new phrase (and yes, this is extremely useful) "fem flade flødeboller på et flade flødeboller feld". Which translated means "five flat snowballs on a flat snowball field". Definately useful as you can see. But I have also learnt alot of other new things, which I can actually use. So i'm speaking english less and less every day, though not as little as I would like.

On the 22nd of October, I turned 18! I feel so old now. Maybe I shouldn't go out partying anymore, I might break a hip. But it was a good night :) I went to town with some friends, but since it was a Thursday night there weren't many people out, I guess cause it was a school night, but it was fun anyway. I got tons of free drinks at the bars which was cool!

The next day I wasnt really up too going to school, so Anette and I sat in our pyjamas the whole day, and watched tv and drank hot chocolate. Then, later that night Anette, Ulrich, Cecilie and I went to a show in Fensmark (a tiny town on the outskirts of Næstved) called "Annie get your gun". It was all in Danish, but I felt so proud because I actually understand the majority of it! It was a really cool show.

The next weekend a bunch of exchange students came to Næstved for the day on saturday, and we walked around town, and just hung out for the day. It is always nice when we get a group of the exchange students together, cause we always have so much to talk about, and we all have alot in common. Anyway, it was halloween the day that they came, so I stayed in town the whole day until they left, and then went with another exchange student, who's also in Næstved but doing her exchange with Rotary, and we were going to go to a Halloween party at one of the nightclubs in town. We didnt end up going though, because I stupidly left my ID at home, and noone would accept my yellow card, because it has no photo. So we met up with two brazilians and just chilled, then I went to her house and stayed there for the night.

I was having a lovely sleep, and then all of a sudden, I woke up at 4.00am in a sweat because I just realised Sunday was the day my host family and I had agreed to speak only Danish. And I felt so unprepared. Anette came to pick me up and immediately started to speak English to me. I thought maybe I had gotten the day wrong, so I just went along with it, I wasn't about to complain haha. Then we arrived home, and both Ulrich and Cecilie greeted me in English and we had a long conversation in English. I was so confused. So when we sat down at lunch I asked them if today was the 1st of November, and suddenly Cecilie goes, "OMG, WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SPEAKING DANISH!!!!!!!!" Hahaha. So we did, but I didnt really say much.

Since then we have been trying to speak more and more danish but we usually switch off after a while cause its hard for them when I dont understand what they're saying, and they have to repeat over and over, and then describe each word. I think its more my fault because I can see that they really are trying to help me, but I guess im just not a very good learner.

Anywho, the next week after halloween, there was a day where the students were supposed to go out and do a sort of work experience, to raise money for charity. But us exchange students were told that we werent expected to do it, so Anette suggested that Hilary and I go to Copenhagen as she was going to be working there for the day. We were both really keen, me especially because I hadnt actually been there since the welcome camp.

So on Wednesday we got up early and went to Copenhagen. First we went to the National Museum, and found some hammocks. So we slept in them for about half an hour. It was nice :)

Then we went and got food, and walked around town, and then went to meet some exchange students who live there. It was a pretty fun day, except for when Hilary lost her phone and we spent about 2 hours looking for it. But we found it!! So that was good. And then I lost one of my shoes :( But we also found that!! So I was happy and not half-shoeless :)

The best part about the day was.............it SSSSSSSNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!

Haha, sorry, if you didnt get that it was it snowed. Couldnt contain my excitement.

It was the first time I have ever seen it snow before, and yes it was real snow to those of you who think it was just sleet, Andy.

It actually snowed twice! Once when we were in Copenhagen, which was kind of pathetic, and then again when we got back to Næstved. I was so happy that I got off the bus a few stops before I was meant to, just so i could walk in it haha

Between then and the weekend that has just been, nothing exciting has happened. I had school, and my package arrived from my parents for my birthday, but the stupid tax department made me pay 560kr to pick it up! So angry!

Then on the weekend just passed, I went to Tivoli, which is a huge park thing in Copenhagen, that they decorate with tons of lights and stuff for Christmas. I got invited to go with the AFS chapter in Køge, and there were about 12 exchange students there, including a couple of the ones who came to Næstved on Halloween. Me and Hilary caught the train to Køge and met the others there, and then we all caught the train to Copenhagen. Tivoli looked so amazing, it was really really pretty with all the decorations and lights (not that we could see the lights, since it was 3.00pm). We went to the show, which was actually real funny, an English/Italian/Danish comedy cabaret thing. It was so crazy, but worth it.

When we came out it was dark and everything was lit up. We took a walk around the park and then went to McDonalds. After that we walked around Copenhagen, and met a whole lot of random people. I was so happy, I met a girl from Taranaki!!! She was just chilling with her mates, with a NZ flag over her shoulders, so Joe and I went over to them, and starting chatting to her. So I found out that NZ WON THE RUGBYYY!! Good on the AB's.

Anyway, then we wandered a bit more, and played this crazy game called blllvvvuuumm, or something strange, where you make your face all loose, and then shake your head real fast, and take photos. It ends up so horrible, but its funny stuff.

Then we went to the train station and caught our train, almost missed it cause were on the wrong platform, and we saw it arrive at one on the other side, so it was a mad sprint to get there. Good exercise though (Mum would be proud).

The next day, Sunday, we were supposed to be going to a show called Skattøen, or something like that, Treasure Island in english. I got a ticket for my birthday from my host family. But then it was cancelled :( so that sucked. It did give me a chance to clean my room though, so now it is lovely and tidy :) :)

Not much else has happened. We have had sun though!! Not for long but it was there, which is what counts!

Things coming up to look forward too are; Christmas!!!!!
Yeah, kind of sad that theres nothing exciting between here and the 24th, but something will pop up, I hope. Will keep you posted.

Farvel for nu :)