dorm rooms and starting school
So bridget and i moved into our dorms on friday!
we weren't exactly sure where to go, but our trusty student mentors showed us the way, and helped us carry our 31 kilogram bags :) 
nice girls. but we found our way here ok,
skol-hoi col-eh-gih.
that's how you pronounce it in danish!
well we arrived into our dorms, and it was... an interesting experience!!
we bumped into alexander from france, who offered to carry my 31kg bag up the flight of stairs. nice guy.
he then welcomed us to the dorms and said that he was there if we ever needed anything.
again, nice guy.
but as bridget and i settled in, we quickly realised it wasn't what we had thought 'dorm life' might be like!
nobody was around, and the kitchen was DISGUSTING!
bridget and i spent our first 1.5 hours at skol-hoi col-eh-gih cleaning out our fridge, which had so pleasantly been left for us to clear out
...but alas!
one and a half hours later,
tada!
sparkling fresh.
!!
guess which is now our fridge
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;)
but yah, my new room is TINY. the toilet, shower, sink and mirror is all in one. not ideal for my toilet paper.
to help settle in, we went downtown almost straight away so i could begin to decorate my room.
throwing myself fully into my season helps me settle.
i went to Tiger, the local "bed bath and table" type store and spent nearly $100 on things to make my room more cosy and pretty.
i've uploaded a video next to this blog which shows it all.
but the best thing i love about my new room is waking up to this every morning:
but anyway!
the night before, since we'd felt a little unsettled and out of place,
we made a little prayer list of things that we'd like God to so graciously help us out in.
hehe!
1) to meet more christians to "do life" with. when you have the same core beliefs as somebody, you often find that you share similar values, principles and beliefs which makes connecting with people alot quicker and easier.
2) to make friends quickly with the other people in our dorm
3) to find cheap bikes
...
a few hours later, we ran into alexander from france and a guy from germany asking us if we wanted to get together for sunday lunch and meet the others, and to perhaps discuss the hygeine standards in the kitchen.
:) )
the next morning ...
bridget and i had set off for the shops to do our weekly grocery shop.
we we down at the local supermarket trying to discern what meat we were looking at.
we we down at the local supermarket trying to discern what meat we were looking at.
chicken or pork? duck?
is that yoghurt, milk, or sour cream?
why are they all in the same section of the fridge and in the same type of carton?
just last week we poured greek yoghurt into our hot chocolate :/
but it was then that we noticed a friendly looking couple smile at us.
the guy asked bridget if she needed help, and a conversation was struck up.
turns out that this couple both spoke english; he was a dane and she was an american.
he often looked out for tourists who appeared confused in the supermarket to help them figure out what they were looking at!
we got talking to them, and it turns out that they had met in perth while working at a discipleship training program!
they talked about "freo" and "subi" like it was their hometown!
30 minutes later we were still yapping away in the meat section of the supermarket.
it was so refreshing.
anyway, so turns out that they were going to the sunday night church fellowship that evening which bridget and i had planned on attending,
so we arranged to meet them there.
when we got home, bridget and i were in high spirits.
we prepared our lunch with our fellow dorm livers as had been previously arranged.
ok, so the danes didn't agree to meet (!!)
but we met a spanish guy, a german guy, a japanese girl and the french guy came too.
ah, they're all so lovely!
we all agreed not to leave our dishes in the sink more than 2 days.
which isn't a problem for bridget and i - we can't stand mess more than 2 minutes!
our dorm mates mentioned that they'd wanted to meet everybody else for a while now, and they were really glad we were able to finally get to gether!
:)
they then also told us about this facebook page where we can buy cheap bikes from.
:) )
...
later that arvo,
we caught the bus to a danish lady's house who opens her apartment up to the young internationals from the church.
(there is no church the first sunday of each month, only "fellowship clusters")
here, we met the couple we'd seen in the supermarket and a few other people who quickly became friends.
after sharing delicious home-made pear pie, several cookies and hot coffee in the toasty warm while it was snowing a wonderland outside,
the supermarket couple invited us back to their apartment for dinner!
i could barely move i was so full of sweets,
but we agreed to go back to theirs.
bridget and i were in SUCH high spirits
at dinner,
we met a whole bunch of friends and roomates and shared an all american dish called "sloppy joes".
agh. i don't really do the meat.
but the company was just ..
no words can describe it.
it was a great night.
we basically met people we will do life with.
and they live just a few streets away.
as we left, they said that their dinner table is always best when it's full, so please could we feel welcome to come again.
i was so moved, in awe and am so EXCITED at God's provisions for us.
"My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you" Ps 63.5
it's funny, i am taken aback at the warm, loving, gentle, kind hospitality of all these danes we are meeting.
the love of christ really does seem to surpass all cultural bounds!
but IN OTHER NEWS!
i had my first day of school today!!!!
i was actually so excited that i woke up 2 hours before we had to leave.
ha!
the weather/light is surprising me. i was told before i arrived that there would only be around 5 hours daylight in winter, but this shot was taken at 7.50am.
and below freezing. ha!
this was bridget and i just about to leave for our first class. (i don't THINK i'm getting wrinkly, i think it was the lighting. ha! ?)
but anyway, so these are some of our students. i will post more pictures up as the semester comes along, but so far this is .. oooh .. i'm terrible with names. i remember two of their names, but for social etiquette reasons i will say that these lovely girls are from poland and romania respectively.
so anyway!
it was basically just orientation today, which is why i decided to post a blog...before there's too much else to talk about.
we are getting into the swing of the curriculum tomorrow.
i'm SO excited for this. we are conceptualising community development right now.
that is our unit, or module for febuary.
we basically look at theoties of development, strategies/policies of development, we look at the relationship between theories of power relations, poverty, class, gender, ethnicity and the broader theories of development.
we take one module or unit at a time.
so my schedule is that i attend uni almost every day until the end of febuary.
we have one assessment, 12 readings AND classes are optional to attend.
my fellow danish students get paid to study, they take weekend trips around europe and they live with friends in apartments downtown
I COULND'T BELIEVE THESE THINGS.
i am used to an assssment per week, 100 readings, compulsary classes, living at home since it's too expensive to move out and study.
i just said to my fellow danish students, YOU GUYS MUST BE HAVING THE TIME OF YOUR LIVES.
and they are.
but anyway,
so bridget and i are giving a talk soon about the australian welfare and social work system,
and then we have a group presentation at the end of febuary about a human rights based approach to social development.
I'M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
but that's it for now.
bridget and i got home from school this arvo and went for a 1hr power walk in the hail and snow to buy tomatoes.
we didn't even notice it until our fingers stopped grasping the shopping bags.
we plan on purchasing bikes ASAP so we can ride the 40 mins to uni instead of catching the 1hr bus.
exercise and being able to get to places alot more quickly and on our own time.
two birds with one stone.
quite a weird saying actually.
anyhow!
off to prepare for tomorrow and perhaps pay bridget a visit.
we get so lonely without eachother - we're only 2 doors away but we are constantly poking our heads in eachothers rooms just to say hi.
or say ridiculous things to eachother on facebook.
until next time!
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| and yah, while i should have been paying attention, i was taking pictures of my new textbooks. |
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