When I first learned that I would be travelling to Denmark over the summer I had no idea what to picture. Even the few days leading up to my departure, I still could not imagine what this place was going to be like, or look like. Now that I’m here, I must say, it’s absolutely wonderful. The weather this weekend has been summery and inviting. There’s barely any wind and glaring sunshine, something, I hear from the locals is not very typical of this time of year. Either way, I’m grateful.
The house I’m staying in is very cozy, and I’m really glad to be here. Viborg itself is absolutely gorgeous. There’s an old town feel to it, and I love how everything is so close together and accessible. The town has two lakes in it, a north lake and a south lake. I walked around one of them today, it was very peaceful. There’s also a garden with these beautiful flowers. I think Peter told me they’re rhododendrons. Whatever they are, they’re breath taking. I made sure to take a whole lot of pictures today. It’s an amazing first weekend to be here, that’s for sure. Foulum is really interesting too. It’s just huge! I was on a tour the other day, and the place is just vast. They have so many departments in the actual buildings themselves, and along with that, all of these fields and barn areas for all of the animals. I found out that they have chickens, pigs, cows, and minks. Somehow I wasn’t expecting minks, but seeing them was pretty cool. It really made me want a mink coat, or maybe a hat or something. There are so many different fur types and patterns. I’m sure they’ll all make stunning jackets in due time. I also got to see the robotic milker in one of the cattle research places. That thing was so high tech it wasn’t even funny. But at the same time, I really found it funny, but I’m not sure why. It’s such a strange concept, these cows just wandering in to have themselves milked. Funny ladies!
I’m not at all feeling weird about being so far from home, in fact, it’s a welcomed break. However, it is hard to adjust to having to do everything for myself. I really underestimated shopping for groceries, especially in a country where the words look like gibberish on the label. I seriously just buy things and hope that they turn out to be what I’m looking for. This method works about 70% of the time, so I can’t really complain. Cooking for myself is no fun either. I feel like I can finally sympathize with my mother, strangely enough. Basically, my whole routine in life has changed, but I’m coping just fine. I’ve had to make a few adjustments, like trying to decipher my way through stores or streets, and not having a car to drive everywhere. I’ve taken the bus a few times, and now I’ve got a bike. A man from Foulum, Lars, has showed me a nice little path to take to get from there to Viborg. He turned out to be basically my neighbor, it’s nice having him around if I’ve got some very important issues. Like I did the other day with my bike having a flat tire. Oh Lars what would I do without you?!
Denmark is proving fairly easy to adjust to. It’s weird not actually knowing anyone, but that will come with time, I haven’t even been here a whole week! Even though I’ve been here such a short time, for some reason, it doesn’t feel like it. When I go to work at Foulum, everything is so familiar seeming. It’s like I’ve lived here forever… without knowing the language of course, ha. A country inhabited by people who do not speak English as a first language is pretty tricky to live in, I have to say. I had a conversation; an actual conversation, uninterrupted by explaining everything, the other day. But it was with Kasey, the other girl from America who I finally got the opportunity to meet. I was thinking to myself how odd it is to not have someone understand what you’re saying. I’m speaking plain English! Or maybe it’s not so plain, and I think I talk to fast. I need to learn to slow down. Maybe I will eventually.
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