Ti Dix Ten: February
February flew right by, and not just because it's the shortest moth of the year. This month month was so chock full of new experiences and adventures that it seemed to generate its own velocity and accelerate as it went. I ventured out beyond Copenhagen's city limits, and learned to feel even more at home within them. With all that moving around, it was hard to find time to write as much as I would have liked. Here is a quick overview of the month, the second in my series of Ti Dix Ten: 10 favorite small moments, 10 favorite photos taken in the past month, all within Copenhagen's 10 districts (with an exception or two this month).
1) Snow in Sweden!
The month started off strong with a day-trip to Malmö, Sweden with my housemates. We visited a castle, ate delicious falafels at the Saluhall, tried Swedish pastries, and saw some amazing contemporary art. But the most exciting part for me, as a tried and true Californian, was the snow! It snowed beautiful little snowflakes which did in fact stay on nose and eyelashes (even if they don't show up well in photographs). We even hummed their tune to them. Oh, that and clogs!
2) Sunshine on a cold day!
Copenhagen skies are notoriously grey and cloudy, and they lived up to that reputation throughout January. So when the sun started to show its face early February, it was worth celebrating- and definitely worth photographing. I went up to the Rundetaarn, one of the tallest points in town, to see the whole city illuminated at sunset.
3) Attending the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition
Our first LLC event of the month was a visit of the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, which is an annual international arts competition. We were there for the opening night, so it was full of artists and art lovers. It was a great inside look at the art scene here- almost a redundancy since Copenhagen itself feels like a work of art.
4) Light show at Tivoli
My host family took me to Tivoli, the oldest amusement park in all of Europe, and a magical location that lives up to its international reputation. During the month of February, it's decorated as a winter wonderland and covered in fake snow and twinkle lights. We walked around the beautifully decorated park, watched the light show, and had a terrific dinner at Brdr. Price in the beautiful white Glass Hall Theatre.
5) Palentine's day desserts
On the day before Valentine's day, my housemates and I made each other desserts, which was a super sweet (pun intended) way to celebrate Palentine's day, the best frienscape (ha) from the obligatory romance of the season.
6) Dinner at Absalon church
Another of our Arts LLC events this month was a dinner at the Absalon church: a 20th church turned community house, with nightly events and public meals. We went along with the Performative City LLC and got a chance to get to know some more DIS students. The food was delicious, but more importantly, the brightly colored space is adorable! No wonder, since it was redesigned by the owner of the Flying Tiger stores, the design chain of cute knickknacks more addicting that Target.
7) Field trip to the Parliament
My Equality and Scandinavia class took a field study to the Danish Parliament, called the Folketing. There, we got to meet with a parliamentarian from the Red-Green Alliance, the most left-wing party in Denmark. It was really intersting to see this historical building, learn more about the Danish political system, and hear about the radical ideas the Red-Green Alliance is promoting.
8) La Glace pastries
When we returned from our Study Tours, my housemates and I went out for pastries and hot chocolates at La Glace, a famous chocolate shop in our neighborhood. It was a perfect way to come home and share stories from our different trips.
9) Watched a soccer game
Some friends and I got to go to a soccer game- for free, thanks to a DIS cupon! We had to wear as many layers as physically possible to survive sitting outside for 90 minutes, but it was worth it! Copenhagen scored against Odense, and the cheering section erupted in a synchronized cheer.
10) Feeling at home here
The most exciting aspect of this past month is how much I have learned to feel at home here in my apartment and in my neighborhood in this wonderful city!
And in the interest of full honesty, here are a few least favorite moments from this last month:
1) Receiving a metro fine
On our way to get the train for Malmo at the airport, I was fined for having an invalid metro ticket. I have a metro card that is valid only in the center of Copenhagen, and had forgotten to get an additional ticket when leaving that zone. A silly mistake I had to pay a big price for. Seriously.
2) The cold is not letting up
Even if the sun is shining, it is not getting any warmer. In fact, it's only been getting colder! Because the clouds act as a blanket to keep the heat in, the blue sunny skies means the temperature drops a few extra degrees.
3) Getting locked in the Parliament building
After our tour of the Parliament hall, I got stuck in a locked hallway, the door to which needed a security code. Luckily someone came out of an office after a while and let us back out. In hindsight, it's pretty funny- and at least I was with a friend.
4) Buying flights
Nothing stresses me out more than shopping for airplane tickets! Some people have fear of flying, but me, fear of buying!!! It induces so much anxiety. But now that flights have been purchased and my travel plans made, and I am excited about venturing off to new cities next month!
It's a good reminder that, like the sun comes with more cold, good always comes with some bad. But in hindsight, the good is always more memorable than the bad. And with the arrival of Danish spring (yes spring starts March 1st here, who knows), I'm looking forward to more experiences and ready to take the bad with the good.