My summer in Re-Cap!!!11 Oct 2009
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My summer in Re-Cap!!!
Hey everyone!!
So now its Oct and I haven’t made an entry to my travel blog since May, but soooo much has been going on I haven’t had that much free time to write. I wanted to write everyone though and update you on what was one hell of a fantastic summer☺
I got back to Denmark around the middle of May (after a 2 week road trip through Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Chezch!) A couple of days after I got back I was able to get a free tour of the Danish Parliament, which was super cool to see government in action!! Towards the end of May the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, was here and I was able to go and see him speak where I was in like the 3rd row! It was an open forum and tickets only cost about $6…def thought he would have been worth more than that! But the great thing about Denmark is that you get the opportunity to see lots of big speakers for really cheap…especially at PolitikenHus! My cousin Michelle had her 2nd baby on May 26th…Tobies! We were very excited to welcome him into our crazy family. In May I also made my first trip (one of many) to the Noerrebro Bryghaus which is a local brewery with great ambiance and a great selection of beers!! I also started my volunteer (yes that means NO pay) work with Afrika Kontakt, a local Danish NGO that works on development projects in southern Africa. I really wanted to start getting some hands on experience and of course something that will highlight my CV. Its been a great experience so far—really interesting project work. Currently we are working on an application for a civic education project in Zimbabwe. Also a great way for me to meet new people and networking!
June was definitely a really crazy month…I remember being extremely busy all the time!! Which of course is good for me because I don’t enjoy being bored☺ At the beginning of June I met with a contact that my mom had given me at the US Embassy, her name was Anita and she was super sweet!! She is always keeping her eyes and ears open for any job opportunities for me. I also started attending the British Meet Up Group’s weekly outing to the Globe, a bar/pub in town, which had super cheap beer all summer. I enjoyed numerous picnics in Kongens Have (The King’s Gardens) where you could join a pick up game of football or Frisbee or simply relax and read a good book. When the sun is shining it is a peoples choice favorite to hang out. I was also able to attend a job seminar for foreigners, which enlightened me on how to write a Danish application and CV!!! Its soo strange bc in the US they want no more than a page but here 2 or 3 pages are totally acceptable for a CV, and they want your picture, age, marital status and hobbies…in the US NO one care what you do in your spare time! I also joined two other organizations one was Democrats Abroad and the other is the American Women’s Club…here they like to see active people!
The first week of July was Roskilde…Europe’s biggest summer music festival! This year there were almost 100,000 people for the week long festival! It was a crazy experience…both with its good and bad points!! The biggest down fall was how hot it was…which was good bc it usually rains the whole time. But it was between 30 and 35 C everyday with almost no shade. Imagine waking up in your tent at 6am b/c the sun is shining so hot you cant sleep!! Plus it turned into a total dumping ground…think the slums of India from Slumdog Millionare! I was there the whole week because I was volunteering (but at least I got a free entrance ticket)…but for anyone who goes, I would suggest going on Wednesday night before the music starts otherwise you are dealing with the constant nonsense of Danish 18 year old drunks (and when I say drunk I mean people carried in 20 cases of beer on a dolly and that was only for the first 3 or 4 days)…not always super pleasant! Plus, I got sick…think I had a heat reaction…even though I drank water non-stop. BUT the music was fantastic and the whole atmosphere (except for the heat) was great!! I went alone…and I definitely wouldn’t suggest that because everyone comes with friends…so a bit awkward being on your own. I did make the best of it though and enjoyed the music as much as possible. I got to see Coldplay, Oasis, Gogol Bodello, Jenny Wilson, Tim Christensen and discovered so many artists I would have never known about☺ If anyone has the chance to go…I highly recommend it.
Right after Roskilde came the Copenhagen Jazz Festival! I didn’t get to see too much of it this year because it rained practically that whole week and a lot of the free concerts are outdoors, but hopefully next year I will get to see more. I also started working part time at Rosie Magees….a restaurant/bar/nightclub in town. Def a tourist hot spot…the pay is ok, but I wouldn’t recommend the food. Love the people and atmosphere that I work in though. I had put my CV in about 50 different restaurants/bars and this was the first one that called…so I was super stoked just to be working at all!! Summer days in Copenhagen when the sun is shining were always great…I biked quite a few times to the beach which is really nice, and if I didn’t feel like going far I just went into town to Islands Brygge where you could just jump in the harbor and go for a swim/sunbathe…always a favorite and totally crowded during the summer. I also started my Danish grammer/writing course…which is 2 days a week and writing for an online travel journal called Travelers Anonymous. I currently have 4 published articles to date☺ Check them out at www.travelersanonymous.com and create a free account that takes 1 min max to do, then search for my name! Hopefully will be getting more opportunities to write for them in the near future. My brother Jesse also came in the middle of July! We didn’t get to spend that much time together but we had a lot of fun☺ The most memorable time was when we almost got thrown out of Tivoli for asking for my ketchup…that is def one experience for the books!
Starting at the end of July and through the first couple of weeks in August is Copenhagen’s annual open air movie festival!!! They chose a handful of different movies, this year were things like Milk, Revolutionary Road, Burn After Reading, Sex and the City etc…and they chose different outdoor locations where they set up huge movie screens. People bring sleeping bags, blow up air mattresses, pillows, blankets and huge amounts of food for picnic and bbqing. It is truly a unique experience and def a highlight of the summer!!
On August 4th my other cousin Nicole had her second boy also…who to this day is STILL nameless!!! Imagine having a child and leaving the hospital without a name for him or her?!! Here in Denmark you have up to 6 months to name your child….how crazy is that??! And if it’s a boy and the 6 month mark has passed they are automatically given the name of one of the two princes…either Frederik or Christian…def a bit odd!
At the end of August I finally found an organization to join that would sponsor my entrance to the 2009 Climate Conference!! I was super excited because I had been emailing people since last Nov to try and find a way in to the COP and almost gave up all hope. The organization I joined is called Energy Crossroads and is a dynamic group of young professionals that have all come together to work on solutions for a cleaner and greener energy future! They have designed a strategy game called ‘Changing the Game’ that uses legos to demonstrate and plan out the energy future for Europe in the year 2030! It is really brilliant and a lot of fun to play. They have introduced the game to both LEGO and IBM who are both super interested in the idea. We have a couple of big events coming up before the COP…one called the Bright Green Expo and the other an energy Summit that will bring together energy experts, youth and professionals from in and around Copenhagen to play the game. We have been extremely busy and will continue to be through the end of Dec! Its very exciting for me though, because I REALLY wanted the opportunity to go to the COP-15…which will be an incredible experience in itself, but also a fantastic networking opportunity. In august I also started working at the Marriott as an ‘on-caller’…basically they call you whenever they need you, but was mostly hired for the International Olympic Conference… another huge event that put Copenhagen on the map…☺
September wasn’t as busy as I had anticipated…but busy none the less. I was working quite a bit both at Rosies and with the online travel journal and preparing for my work at the IOC and Cindy’s visit. I was also actively engaging in networking opportunities and just trying to meet as many people as possible. To date I have met someone whose husband works at UNOPS, someone who works at UNESCO, WHO and UNICEF…now I just have to wait for a job opening to magically appear! It is a bit frustrating having finished a Masters degree and NOT being able to find a job in your field…I am sure a lot of people can relate.
Cindy’s visit was definitely the highlight of sept/oct…we had a fantastic time!! We did all the touristy things like go to Nyhavn, the little mermaid, the Queen’s palace, Christiana etc…but we also did a 50km bike ride to Helsingoer to see the castle that Hamlet was written after!! It was a fantastic day trip…even tho we arrived a bit too late to actually see the castle, the journey was incredible and afterwards we went to a super cute tavern type place for dinner and beer! Here everything is super easy bc you can bike anywhere you need to go…it def makes life easier! We also went out to a traditional Danish restaurant, to a local brewery and then on her last night we had a traditional Danish meal at home with almost the whole family and some friends!! Overall it was fun and def relaxing☺
Last week I was supposed to work at the Marriott Monday-Sat 7am to 3pm. On Tuesday they sent me home 3 hours early…then called me that night and said they didn’t need me for the rest of the week…it was very frustrating because I was losing about 35 hours of work, which I was obviously counting on making!!
Otherwise I have just been trying to get my ass to the gym or for some longer runs, anything to stay active!! I have also spent quite a few nights this summer staying out dancing till all hours of the morning…which is certainly great exercise!! I also met a nice Danish guy, though always totally confused about whats going on…so not too many details to give (girls you know how FRUSTRATING guys can be sometimes), but will take it one day at a time! In a way we are very much a like but in sooo many other ways we are totally different. His name is Jonathan Raad Petersen (yes we do have the same name!) and hes 25, super smart but lacking a bit of direction in the whole ‘life’ department. He is also a smoker which is something totally foreign to me, but trying to adjust---though he is super sweet and enjoys building kites with me!! Right now its just fun and that’s fine with me☺
That pretty much sums up everything I have done this summer! It was definitely great…but now its time to prepare for fall/winter…which means cold, dark and extremely windy months!! Currently I am still job hunting, working at both the Marriott and Rosies and volunteering for Afrika Kontakt and Energy Crossroads, along with preparing for the COP-15!
I am very excited and anticipating the arrival of my grandmother in less than 2 weeks!! Also trying to work as much as I can to try and save a little money. These next couple of months will be quite busy no doubt…but I will try and keep everyone posted a bit more frequently. Sorry its soo long and took me so long to write...was definitely slacking a bit!
I plan on making a trip back to NJ/NY at the beginning of Jan…and can’t wait to see everyone!!
Hope everyone is doing fabulous…don’t be shy drop me a line!
Miss you
Kira
