tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52966245426189808982024-03-05T19:43:17.787-08:00one blonde backpacking around the world ♥Follow me while I escape my comfort zone for nine months to travel, see, discover, experience, adventure, learn & grow in Italy, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan & GhanaJacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-60615970240720822862016-01-11T18:28:00.000-08:002016-01-11T21:05:18.737-08:00Why travel?<div>
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Why travel? What’s the point after all? What are all of us
travelers searching for in these foreign destinations? Thrill? New sights? Culture shock? Excitement? Challenges? Unique food? Independence? Inspiration?
Self-discovery? Adventure? New experiences? </div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I follow </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">tons</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> of legit travel bloggers on social media. And when I
mean legit, I mean that they dedicate their lives to travel; they quit their
jobs and are now traveling long-term as their </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">profession</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">. They make
money through their blogs from writing freelance articles, advertising,
marketing, campaigns, etc. When reading the “about me” pages and posts of all
these bloggers, no one ever really talks about </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">why</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> they travel, they just explain </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">how</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> to travel. I guess everyone just assumes that the answer is
obvious? Why </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">not</i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">?</span><br />
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One day, Ajay, an Indian guy staying at the same hostel as me in Kiel asked me, "Wanna go to Laboe tomorrow?"<br />
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"You should really come!", Leila, a Kenyan girl also staying at our hostel said to me. Maybe you remember Ajay and Leila from my <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/11/how-to-survive-in-middle-of-nowhere.html" target="_blank">last blog post</a>? Well at the time they asked me to go to Laboe, I had just met Ajay that day and I had only met Leila the day before. They also had only met each other that day but both had free time and were planning a day trip to Laboe, a small beach town on the Baltic sea. Even though I didn't know them very well, they were so friendly so of course I said yes and the next morning we set off on the ferry ride to Laboe. </div>
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Laboe is nothing special, especially not in October when the sun basically doesn't exist in northern Germany and rain falls almost everyday. But it was Leila's first time in Europe and she found everything absolutely "amazing". Literally. She kept pointing at the sea and the buildings saying, "this is just <i>amazing!!</i>". It was nice to see someone so excited about a place that most people consider normal or even dull.<br />
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Ajay and Leila turned out being really funny and we all pretty much clicked immediately. We had a lot of fun that day, walking on the empty beach, taking pictures, eating fish sandwiches, checking out the Naval Memorial and the WWII German submarine. Laboe is no Berlin or Frankfurt or Cologne or Hamburg; very few international tourists have even heard of Laboe much less traveled there yet I had a lot of fun that day, solely because of the people I was with. The next night they also surprised me with an early birthday present of chocolate, caramel Müsli (probably my favorite German food ever). It was so sweet of them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOQT5xJHYtFHDV5nv9TGcIVC1C8cL32FB_diLt1FUTLhT770vqxFtM8TDlmu6cF01A15NNu3fwE1m3R8hGRUGDJb8CNSUUo_h9rd1_lVIjh63E38410W9l2xZ7xxxBK3CSATmMrFOB75Z/s1600/IMG_2950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOQT5xJHYtFHDV5nv9TGcIVC1C8cL32FB_diLt1FUTLhT770vqxFtM8TDlmu6cF01A15NNu3fwE1m3R8hGRUGDJb8CNSUUo_h9rd1_lVIjh63E38410W9l2xZ7xxxBK3CSATmMrFOB75Z/s640/IMG_2950.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love these cute, little pod-like beach chair things all over German beaches! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naval Memorial commemorating sailors of all nationalities that died during the World Wars</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">U-boat Nazi submarine</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Müsli!!!!!!!! YES</td></tr>
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A week or so later, a few days before my birthday, I was feeling a little sad because I knew Mihai would be in school and have German language lessons afterwards until 5pm so I would be alone all day. I asked Leila if she'd like to get lunch with me and she said she was busy on the actual day of my birthday but the day before she could meet! We went to a German restaurant that Mihai's host family recommended and got smoked salmon pizza. And when the check came, Leila insisted on paying for me because I was the birthday girl. I was so surprised, I had only met her a week ago. She was so kind and thoughtful and really cheered me up.<br />
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On the actual day of my birthday I was alone in the German countryside waiting to meet Mihai after his German lessons. I couldn't help being a tad bummed. It didn't even feel like my birthday. But that night I met up with Mihai, we went back to his house and he surprised me with a strawberry cake with those sparkler candles that won't stop burning and his whole host family standing around the table singing happy birthday and a few presents. One present was a hat that I had seen at a German market, which was a little expensive. At the market I said I'd think about buying it and keep looking. Later, I went back to buy it, only to find that <i>someone</i> had beat me to it and bought it already. I was so mad!! Little did I know that that <i>someone</i> turned out to be Mihai. After eating cake with his host family, Mihai and I went out for dinner at a sushi restaurant. Definitely turned out being a perfect birthday, all thanks to my perfect boyfriend :)<br />
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Before coming to Germany, I knew I'd be alone during the day while Mihai was at school. But then he found out he had a two week fall break from school in the end of October. We were thrilled! We'd be able to spend all day everyday together for those two weeks. Then we found out that Mihai had to go to German language lessons the entire month I was there from 1pm until 5 everyday, even during his fall break. We were upset to say the least. I often got really mad because the whole reason I was going to Germany was to see Mihai. But we did our best not to let this get in the way. We often woke up early at 6 or 7am to spend the morning together before he had to go to his lessons and always met up afterwards in the evening. We definitely did our best to spend every moment together! And now that I'm in Japan I even miss the hour long sleepy bus rides at 6 am with Mihai.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early morning in Schwedeneck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our early morning breakfasts in Schwedeneck before Mihai's German lesson</td></tr>
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Like I said before in a <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/11/how-to-survive-in-middle-of-nowhere.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I was forced to learn how to spend a lot of time alone out in the middle of nowhere German countryside. This alone time also made me appreciate conversation and socializing so much more. Silke, the owner of the hostel stopped by often to help clean, make jam or get some other errands done. We'd also sit and chat while sipping on tea and I got to know her a little bit. After finishing gymnasium (German high school) she spent a year <a href="https://www.aupairworld.com/en" target="_blank">au pairing</a> in Ireland. In university, she majored in English and art. She spent a year studying abroad in Canada/backpacking around the U.S. Silke then saved up money during university and after graduating spent a year backpacking around New Zealand, Fiji and Thailand. Silke is in her 40s so she did all of this traveling in the 90s, back when there were no cell phones, much less iPhones. I asked her if it was scary, not being able to call someone if she needed help, or look up directions with a GPS if she got lost. She said no and that she liked the freedom traveling gave her. She physically couldn't text or call her parents everyday and liked the independence. She also did all of this travel alone. She said she prefers traveling alone because she could do exactly as she pleased. She loves horseback riding and hiking. Originally, she wanted to be an art teacher but after staying at so many hostels around the world, she decided that she too wanted to open up her own hostel. Silke said she's done traveling and settled down with her boyfriend and daughter in Kiel but enjoys meeting travelers that stay at her hostel, like me, because it makes her feel like she's still seeing the world. Wow. Talk about inspiring.<br />
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One day when Silke and I were making jam together I mentioned that my birthday was in a week. She asked me what my astrology sign was. I told her that I was a libra and she said she wasn't surprised. "My birthday is in October too but I knew you couldn't be a scorpio like me", she said. "Why??", I asked. She said that she could never do what I was doing; traveling the world by myself at age 19. I argued that she had done nearly the same thing!! But she said she wasn't quite as young when she traveled independently (in her mid twenties) and is not as outgoing as I am. I found this to be such a wonderful compliment from such an experienced traveler like Silke.<br />
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One Friday, Mihai's host family went to spend the night in Hamburg to visit their eldest daughter/sister. They told Mihai he should spend time with me because I'd be leaving soon and I was welcome to sleepover while they were gone. We went out that night to some bars/clubs in Kiel. The next day we were pretty tired and spent our day sleeping in, drinking tea, listening to music and just relaxing. We expected his host family to be home at around 3 or 4 in the afternoon but they never showed up. Every time we heard a noise, we thought it might be them but it never was. We felt like parents anxiously awaiting our kids arrival back home. We kept joking that we'd taken over their house and owned it now and they were never coming back. Finally, his host mom texted Mihai saying they wouldn't be home until around 8pm. We then went grocery shopping and decided to cook a big, delicious dinner as a surprise for his host family when they came home. Even though we barely left the house, I think this might've actually been one of my favorite days in Germany just because Mihai and I laughed so much!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We found this bent up spoon in Mihai's host fam's kitchen and couldn't stop laughing</td></tr>
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So you're probably wondering why I'm telling you all of these random stories from Germany? Well, all of these moments made me realize that more often than not, the people we spend our time with are more important than where we are. Northern Germany may not have been on the top of my travel list but it turned out being an amazing month because of the people I was with. And yeah, maybe Mihai and I didn't get to spend <i>all</i> day, <i>every</i> day together but we did our best! Plus, seeing him only for a few hours everyday will always be better than not seeing him at all.<br />
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This realization brings me back to the question, why travel? Why travel if, like I just said, the destination is irrelevant compared to the people? Well, ironically, I never would have made this realization if I didn't travel. That's what traveling does, it exposes you to new challenges, new experiences, new situations, new cultures and new people, which forces you to learn lessons that you'd never learn by just staying at home. And that's why I travel. Oh yeah, and because it's fun and I like foreign food ;)</div>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-5522163912123415922015-12-25T01:24:00.000-08:002015-12-25T01:30:24.725-08:00Why do Germans have a cold stereotype?When Mihai found out that he'd be living in Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost region of Germany, he was a little bit nervous because everyone he had met through his exchange program, CBYX, said that north Germans are cold, closed and reserved. This stereotype is quite common; I had heard the same thing when in Italy. However, based on my experiences, this generalization could not be farther from the truth. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness and generosity that I experienced with all of the Germans I met in the Kiel area.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He's not German but he's still pretty too cool</td></tr>
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From the beginning, Silke, the owner of the hostel I worked/stayed at, had been more than generous with me. I had very little work and essentially a free place to stay. She often gave me rides to Kiel and back to Schwedeneck so I didn't have to take the hour long bus ride. She even left me a surprise birthday present of elderflower juice and chocolates. She cooked a traditional German dinner of raw, salted mackerel, apples and potato in a mayonnaise sauce for Mihai and I one evening. She even drove him to the bus stop that night so he didn't have to walk alone in the dark. She prepared breakfast for me one morning and invited me along with her and her 8-year-old daughter to play mini golf. She bought me a fish sandwich for lunch that day too. She let me take home a jar of the homemade elderberry jam we made together. She is an extremely kind-hearted woman and I'm so grateful to have met her!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The meal Silke made for us :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini golf with Silke!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mathilda, Silke's 8-year-old daughter</td></tr>
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Mihai's friends had a party and invited me to come too. As soon as I got there, everyone was so welcoming, friendly and talkative! A couple other times I hung out with Mihai and his friends and they were so nice. Mihai's one friend, Niklas, once waited two hours for us to finish eating dinner so we could all ride the train together. He also bought us subway cookies once!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New German friends!</td></tr>
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By the last week in Germany, I got a decent amount of guests staying at the hostel in Schwedeneck. Nina and Frederike were two 16-year-old girls from Berlin staying in the countryside for a week during their fall vacation. And Johst was a 19-year-old guy from Hamburg who was staying in Scwedeneck for three weeks while he did an internship with a blacksmith. Nina, Frederike and Johst were all extremely talkative and were always hanging out together. Although, I was often busy cleaning and going to visit Mihai in Kiel, the three always invited me to join them in bike rides, meals or late night walks. Nina and Frederike even asked for my phone numbers and invited me to come visit them in Berlin sometime!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midnight stroll in the middle of nowhere</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederike, Johst and Nina</td></tr>
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When Silke made dinner for Mihai and I at the hostel in Schwedeneck, it turned into a little mini party. Normally at night in the hostel it was just me, myself and I (hyperventilating in the dark from a nightmare about someone sneaking in and murdering me) but that evening there was Silke and her daughter, Mihai and I, Johst, Frederike and Nina and also two construction workers. Definitely a party compared to what I was used to! When I first welcomed the construction workers to the hostel, they kind of intimidated me. They were the typical construction workers: big, burly and gruff. As soon as they got into the kitchen they began unloading bottles of beer, vodka and whiskey. Silke had warned me they might be a little rambunctious. Oh boy. But that wasn't the case at all. The two men sat with the rest of us in the kitchen, sipping on their beers, talking and laughing. One guy offered us a piece of his own homemade salted eel (not my favorite food; super oily). He also pulled out his phone showing us picture of his wife and children. Shows you can't judge a book by it's cover! That tough guy construction worker was a huge softie inside!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two construction workers</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying his alcohol haha</td></tr>
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Barbara (Mihai's host mom), Jorn (host dad) and Merle (18-year old host sister) basically adopted me into their family as a second exchange student. After our first dinner together they invited me to come back anytime. I went over at least once a week for dinner and spent nearly every Friday and Saturday sleeping over. Jorn once joked that I only came over for the free food and was eating them out of house and home (not true!). Mihai and I were so happy that his host parents allowed me to sleepover! I couldn't believe it! These people had been strangers to Mihai less than a month ago and were now welcoming both him and his girlfriend into their homes as if we were family. I know that my old host family in Italy would <i>never</i> have permitted such a thing. Mihai is really lucky to have such an amazing host family. They're also a perfect fit for each other because the whole family eats healthy, Jorn and Merle do crossfit and Jorn always takes Mihai on long bike rides and runs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrDw2w0aMBbZEqQpCU5wkGcF8IiZd7nbyHrxtOadZAp3h1bKzTumu7Zchry_vqkJ4BhlhqoTaX5VJ91xLIQwwYGNW9iq4teYgCdEaks8ODZIwHU94UFxY_dAMb4ij-KjdYeUv1LuQ9oqf/s1600/IMG_1322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrDw2w0aMBbZEqQpCU5wkGcF8IiZd7nbyHrxtOadZAp3h1bKzTumu7Zchry_vqkJ4BhlhqoTaX5VJ91xLIQwwYGNW9iq4teYgCdEaks8ODZIwHU94UFxY_dAMb4ij-KjdYeUv1LuQ9oqf/s640/IMG_1322.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some weird reason, I don't have a picture of Merle but this is Barbara and Jorn!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baltic sea!!!</td></tr>
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Mihai's host family is also extremely family-oriented and slightly quirky (but in a good way). They eat dinner together every night and linger for at least an hour (sometimes two) afterwards in conversation. They have their own unique family words that they invented, for example schnabel is the word they invented for when they have a really small amount of food leftover. They eat a huge breakfast of bread with various toppings (similar to Danish smorrebrod but less fancy) such as pickled herring (fish), smoked salmon, sausage and other meats and a variety of cheeses and jams together every Saturday and Sunday morning at 10am. Then every weekend they take at least one outing all together as a family. I joined them too a few times! Once we went to a fall market in Surendorf (countryside) and another time we walked around the beach town of Eckenforde.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German breakfast mmmm</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiorqrt7Yxx13mJuCkDuXw9Px6_4Mq5NjFUXx-CAl8L2_CFd15RLOvjk1SXlogiubHqmaOV3sd_JyOeMHQkC8bXqSIGreSuXpMCFQkQSZy9_M5Ug3D-UgxNoKzz7CFoeknXslt8Frm9WL/s1600/IMG_3254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHiorqrt7Yxx13mJuCkDuXw9Px6_4Mq5NjFUXx-CAl8L2_CFd15RLOvjk1SXlogiubHqmaOV3sd_JyOeMHQkC8bXqSIGreSuXpMCFQkQSZy9_M5Ug3D-UgxNoKzz7CFoeknXslt8Frm9WL/s640/IMG_3254.jpg" width="358" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard candy factory</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hG04cg-sz1ocvXTmTIjqz6NhoYAWMwXALp0s9kFATbhS1Hf9nHj96pn3sAmh_QWQe1to2WaEUIqPlwc73dtKTukNXGtC56z7YYtSFfc1CY09_pTWU7X5N2-l3KdwGPPuZ3YOke1UIkCV/s1600/IMG_3257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7hG04cg-sz1ocvXTmTIjqz6NhoYAWMwXALp0s9kFATbhS1Hf9nHj96pn3sAmh_QWQe1to2WaEUIqPlwc73dtKTukNXGtC56z7YYtSFfc1CY09_pTWU7X5N2-l3KdwGPPuZ3YOke1UIkCV/s640/IMG_3257.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flags from each district of Germany</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtToS_qGy03ci9xezrWJgTS_BsT6giLJcredfRbfCrL5tNlwTmbGnw6p5L6Ne5BWyja2djNLrDIykrjxhpOfXQgA-pVXdFnQ4tii6pvSHaOQCuUwP-i2kEMjEzvYfSOAKqGenozZS5DqGy/s1600/IMG_3255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtToS_qGy03ci9xezrWJgTS_BsT6giLJcredfRbfCrL5tNlwTmbGnw6p5L6Ne5BWyja2djNLrDIykrjxhpOfXQgA-pVXdFnQ4tii6pvSHaOQCuUwP-i2kEMjEzvYfSOAKqGenozZS5DqGy/s640/IMG_3255.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eckenforde</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoq_T9UVzPWoW224Y0TJc7iztDCSEnTnCjWIPtrmfDAVSnbytN2sDSaDk_7GcUejc8e_C-Gf3DSyD3FlOnQpdUYsRGpE_vxuKXVXVQWkkTv1PKhGAGsMVo20u23_EDcMHfK394YZXGtxC/s1600/IMG_3262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoq_T9UVzPWoW224Y0TJc7iztDCSEnTnCjWIPtrmfDAVSnbytN2sDSaDk_7GcUejc8e_C-Gf3DSyD3FlOnQpdUYsRGpE_vxuKXVXVQWkkTv1PKhGAGsMVo20u23_EDcMHfK394YZXGtxC/s640/IMG_3262.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course it was raining, what's new</td></tr>
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The thing about German people, though, is that they are blunt, relatively private and don't talk if they don't feel like it. These are the only reasons I can think of that may explain why they're considered "cold". For example, Johst (the guy from Hamburg staying in the Schwedeneck with me) once saw my hairbrush and said, " You should really clean that..." Then when Mihai and I went to Hamburg, we asked this couple waiting in line if they'd take a picture of us. The couple was just standing in line, not doing anything, waiting for a bratwurst but they looked at us and flat out said "no". Not even "no thanks", just "no". Then they smiled and turned their backs on us. It was such an odd encounter. Germans don't really beat around the bush; if they don't want to take a picture of you, they're not going to do it just to be polite.<br />
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Oh and a random thing about Germans, they love contraptions for their boiled eggs. They use egg holders and have another thing for cracking a boiled egg and then two more devices for slicing their eggs. Totaling 5 thingamabobs <i>just</i> for boiled eggs. Back when I was in Italy, my German friend Christian even had egg holder in his <i>camper. </i>I guess he was munching on a lot of hard boiled eggs during his camping trips and, of course, being German, would never use anything besides the designated egg holder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kvLzad9EgWyilLbREyB9LTwuYpnndpi_F0YDRCce-a7CDeolCiBWvuV3kqHpGkIfTkeHNxqaCiO_7HkNJrm8dsXtcGDIe820s5co_gNlUUSiA2qgl_6KsOX44zPiGIEfQBbSDUbixLuc/s1600/IMG_3285.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_kvLzad9EgWyilLbREyB9LTwuYpnndpi_F0YDRCce-a7CDeolCiBWvuV3kqHpGkIfTkeHNxqaCiO_7HkNJrm8dsXtcGDIe820s5co_gNlUUSiA2qgl_6KsOX44zPiGIEfQBbSDUbixLuc/s640/IMG_3285.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg holder! Don't have pictures of the other things though :(</td></tr>
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But the good thing about Germans always telling the truth is that you know they mean what they say. I know Jorn and Barbara weren't just being polite when they said they didn't mind driving me and Mihai to a restaurant. They really just didn't mind. That's another thing, from what I experienced, German people are extremely laid back. I never once saw Jorn and Barbara stressed much less upset about anything (not even when I accidentally used salt instead of sugar in the apple pie). If I did something wrong at the hostel, Silke never got irritated either, she'd just calmly explain the right way to do it. Oh my gosh, quick side note, German bed sheets are SO WEIRD. It took me <i>forever</i> to figure out the right way to make a bed. Okay, so there's the normal bottom sheet that wraps around the bed (nothing different to the American one) but then things get strange. Germans don't use another bed sheet over the tops of their bodies and then a comforter. Instead, they just put a sheet around their comforters. Then they wash this comforter-wrapper sheet instead of the whole comforter. Typical efficient Germans. Why have a sheet <i>and</i> a comforter when you could just combine the two?? Except it makes making a bed a pretty difficult task because you have to shove the comforter inside of it's wrapper sheet.<br />
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The even <i>weirder</i> thing is that double sized sheets, comforters and mattresses simply don't exist. Germans simply put two single-sized mattresses side by side and each person has their own comforter. This is a prime example of how Germans value their privacy.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTKP3MJoRbT4QF0zx3KSCBgrvsk8NiHbHlpBMJOgegh5Yek-MYWBJbDF2gDujX5MGCObhrJy0yWrBK7JOL8HQuBa0GaYIg1Ow7475yKNgeLexahzVwjvLJ07urKkMNDsnVQlLAjR1ecqE/s1600/IMG_2593%252B%252BTypical%252BGerman%252Bfeather%252Bbeds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghTKP3MJoRbT4QF0zx3KSCBgrvsk8NiHbHlpBMJOgegh5Yek-MYWBJbDF2gDujX5MGCObhrJy0yWrBK7JOL8HQuBa0GaYIg1Ow7475yKNgeLexahzVwjvLJ07urKkMNDsnVQlLAjR1ecqE/s640/IMG_2593%252B%252BTypical%252BGerman%252Bfeather%252Bbeds1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this pic on <a href="http://www.gailgaymermartin.com/2012/10/salzburg-and-sound-of-music/" target="_blank">Gail Gaymer Martin's blog</a></td></tr>
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Mihai told me that in the mornings before school he'd always eat breakfast with his host dad, Jorn. In the beginning, Mihai said he'd always try to make small talk with Jorn but Jorn would just reply half-heartedly and return to reading the newspaper. Mihai was worried that Jorn was angry with him or something because normally he was very sociable. Later, Jorn told Mihai that he simply didn't like talking in the morning. And that was that, Mihai never talked to Jorn again in the morning. Silke also told me that her boyfriend disliked talking in the morning. Maybe it's a common trend among German men to drink their coffee in peace and quiet?<br />
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I also took a day trip while Mihai was at German lessons to Lübeck, a city renowned for it's gothic architecture, about an hour south-east of Kiel. Definitely my favorite German city so far because it had so many historic buildings compared to Kiel (a lot of Kiel was destroyed during WWII).<br />
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One last thing before I end this post, if anyone is curious/interested in traveling the same way I do, don't hesitate to contact me! I love helping and giving advice :) Just leave a comment on this post or message me on <a href="https://twitter.com/JDAWGxx" target="_blank">Twitter</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jacqueline.knirnschild" target="_blank">Facebook</a>!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holsten gate</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside St. Mary's church</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from top of St. Mary's</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge marzipan shop called </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In love with this townhouse</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-81979560778154199952015-12-14T04:48:00.002-08:002015-12-14T18:39:34.951-08:00How to deal with bad luck while travelingEver gotten stuck in a traffic jam before? Or bit your lip while chewing? Spilled hot coffee all over your lap? Slipped on ice? Unless you're not human, you've probably had one of these experiences before. Bad luck. Almost everyone deals with it at least once in his or her life. But for some reason, me and my boyfriend, Mihai, were handed an extra dose of bad luck during my month visit to Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Maybe we walked under too many ladders? Or crossed too many black cats? Or maybe it's because our anniversary is on the 13th? Whatever the reason, I have a lot of funny stories to tell!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mihai came to visit me in Schwedeneck and we cooked dinner together :)</td></tr>
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During my first week, I decided to go visit Mihai in Kiel. It was my first time taking the bus from Schwedeneck to Kiel but Silke had showed me where the bus stop was and gave me the bus schedule booklet so I wasn't worried. However, knowing myself (I kinda suck at public transportation) I got to the bus stop 10 minutes early just to make sure I didn't miss it.<br />
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My bus was supposed to leave at 1:13 but even by 1:15, there was no bus in sight. Hmm... maybe it's just a little bit late?, I thought. I waited 5 more minutes then texted Mihai and asked him if he could use the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/db-navigator/id343555245?mt=8" target="_blank">DB Navigator</a> app he had on his phone (I still hadn't downloaded it and had 0 wifi out in the middle of nowhere) to double check what time the bus was supposed to come. He told me that the app said that the bus had already passed my stop, Krusendorf, at 1:13. Uhh... no it didn't?? Crap, maybe I'm at the wrong bus stop... ? But Mihai had come to visit me just the night before and used the same exact bus stop so that wasn't the problem.<br />
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"Eh maybe that bus broke down or something, who knows, just wait for the next bus to come, the app says it'll come at 2:13!", Mihai told me. Thinking he was probably right, I just continued sitting on the bench reading for another 45 minutes or so. It was a nice sunny day out, no big deal. I could relax for a while.<br />
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At 2:13, once again, no bus showed up. Seriously... Now I was getting upset and worried. I called Silke and explained what had happened. She said that she wasn't sure what was going on because I was at the right bus stop and the bus should've come. She said that she hadn't heard of any bus strikes going on that day but she would double check online for me. I googled "bus streik Krusendorf" as well on my phone and found the same bus schedule Silke had given me but with almost all of the times crossed out. Yup, there definitely must be some type of strike going on. Silke called me back and said there was a strike, but <i>only</i> with my bus, #900. You've got to be kidding me. I was so disappointed because I was really looking forward to seeing Mihai that day.<br />
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I called Mihai and was about ready to give up and just go back to the hostel but he found an alternate route I could take instead. I had to take a different bus that would come at 3:53 and take me to another small town called Eckenforde, then from there I could take a train to the Kiel Hauptbahnhof (central station). Ugh. Back to sitting on the bench and reading.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJusr-47eWvOND6QAeRP-KFQP0e-OJUr3r3mziJZNlySxT2U906ZUQsf4_b9az9s3zms0LWBv9JfRazQEijnzmbQU8oSZA0JNJt45V1lJlvDPBgYwAM0pgK_AGOCuImUivV-vhaHSQDwE/s1600/IMG_2882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJusr-47eWvOND6QAeRP-KFQP0e-OJUr3r3mziJZNlySxT2U906ZUQsf4_b9az9s3zms0LWBv9JfRazQEijnzmbQU8oSZA0JNJt45V1lJlvDPBgYwAM0pgK_AGOCuImUivV-vhaHSQDwE/s640/IMG_2882.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelato ice cream with wild berry sauce mmm</td></tr>
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3:53 rolled around and no bus in sight. I waited anyway. Any time I heard the faintest sound I looked up in hope of a bus but normally just a car or tractor drove by. A few minutes later, a white van drove by and the driver looked at me quizzically but I just shook my head no and he drove past. I was talking on the phone to Mihai when the same white van came back but this time the driver yelled something to me in German. I walked over to him and sheepishly said, "Ich sprechen kein Deutsch" (I don't speak any German). "Where do you go?", he asked me. Ah, this I knew! "Eckenforde!!", I answered. He signaled for me to get in the van and charged me 3 euros for a ticket. Woah woah, wait a second, <i>this</i> van was the <i>bus</i>?? Yeah, I really am in the middle of nowhere.<br />
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I made it to Eckenforde but had to rush to catch the train (or have to wait even longer). I frantically went to buy a ticket from the machine, only to find out that I had no change left and only a 100 euro note, which the machine didn't accept. Okay, I'll just use my credit card! Nope. The machine only accepts credit cards with the new microchip, which of course, I don't have. I ran inside the convenient store and bought a 1 euro donut with a 100 euro note. Using the change, I was finally able to purchase my train ticket from the machine! And you'll never guess how much that ticket cost. 8.70 euros. So much for making my budget today, I thought.<br />
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FINALLY, I made it to Kiel by 4:50. I had left the house at 12:50. A trip that only takes 30 minutes by car or 1 hour by bus #900 took me <i>4 hours</i>. Not to mention, the normal bus only costs 4 euros as opposed to 11.70. Yeah. Mihai better not ever complain that I don't love him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSlj3Kk9mnITnn1v0QkAWnF3oVn18xXmxLRmj6m1sXKXSEH__2YPvTU4cLLDkTTcbLmsL11OiZ_mbzfvc84SbDGjooJoo2Je6-Hfm0VPTyb96GV-ErCKKlJrSfQ1C4Psepbu-0MwuLeyz/s1600/IMG_2847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzSlj3Kk9mnITnn1v0QkAWnF3oVn18xXmxLRmj6m1sXKXSEH__2YPvTU4cLLDkTTcbLmsL11OiZ_mbzfvc84SbDGjooJoo2Je6-Hfm0VPTyb96GV-ErCKKlJrSfQ1C4Psepbu-0MwuLeyz/s640/IMG_2847.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So happy to finally have made it to Kiel!</td></tr>
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Mihai and I ate dinner with his host family that night in Flintbek (where Mihai lives; a small town about 10 minutes away from Kiel). It was my first time meeting them and they were super nice but I'm not going to talk much about them yet, saving it for my next post! After dinner Silke was kind enough to let me sleep at her other hostel in Kiel so I didn't have to worry about trying to figure out how the heck to get back to Schwedeneck again late at night.<br />
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The next afternoon, Mihai and I were sitting outside a restaurant eating lunch, him a currywurst (literally a sausage dipped in spicy curry sauce), me a smoked salmon fischbroetchen (fish sandwich). Suddenly Mihai looked up and all around him in confusion. "What's wrong??", I asked. "Did someone spray me with water or something?!", he exclaimed. Uh, nope. No surprise attack water-gunners. He was touching the back of his head and neck in puzzlement. There was a white liquid on him. "It's bird poop!!", I shrieked as I looked up and saw a black crow perched on the tree branch right above us. Hahahaha I couldn't stop laughing. It was as if the bird aimed for him! I could almost recognize a smug look on that crow's face.<br />
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The next morning I went to catch the bus and surprise, surprise, it didn't show up <i>again</i>. There was another strike that day. But at least this time I knew the correct alternative route I had to take to get home!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqpIctdN75NXRtJm-jQZuqj_Jp0O0ofhi_12EiUFiZy_ATUpPtGI4IfIGx_z-iIgVIe2OD8bmFe6ziPgKsHQTCRJt_tMdU-KwUZNWE9OQiTO7FvObhHUuAMmCfKnJ2hg_4oAuNv-oxa6a/s1600/IMG_2851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioqpIctdN75NXRtJm-jQZuqj_Jp0O0ofhi_12EiUFiZy_ATUpPtGI4IfIGx_z-iIgVIe2OD8bmFe6ziPgKsHQTCRJt_tMdU-KwUZNWE9OQiTO7FvObhHUuAMmCfKnJ2hg_4oAuNv-oxa6a/s640/IMG_2851.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">German breakfast <3</td></tr>
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Only an hour south of Kiel lies the 2nd most populous city in Germany: Hamburg, an important port city connected to the north sea by the Elbe river. Mihai and I decided to take a day-cation to Hamburg one Saturday. We wandered all around the city, drank some beer, strolled beside the port, ate fischbroetchen and lastly hung out in the notorious St. Pauli's district. The Reeperbahn in St. Pauli's is easily one of the most infamous streets in Germany, known for it's crazy nightlife, countless bars, clubs, liquor stores and the city's red light district.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iLGtp3CdFaJP-zTLk7PgGakio7PiWsh4A-sylFiPo9F6LXL_lgOG_0nBzOHFI9yVttkFxPGxcGj_uPPorkSt2B8nY2C8XKaFGB3qs26V-2oWOaG76Cu2NiFunOags7IvmCicIB8urpXD/s1600/IMG_3086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2iLGtp3CdFaJP-zTLk7PgGakio7PiWsh4A-sylFiPo9F6LXL_lgOG_0nBzOHFI9yVttkFxPGxcGj_uPPorkSt2B8nY2C8XKaFGB3qs26V-2oWOaG76Cu2NiFunOags7IvmCicIB8urpXD/s640/IMG_3086.jpg" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Am I dating a 10 or 18 year old?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hamburg Rathaus (the city hall)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow over the Alster river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The calm waters of the Alster river</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some type of street performance with bottle caps, I didn't really understand it much though</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful day at the Hamburg port!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Idk why he wanted me to take a picture of him with these random metal sticks but he was so happy about it</td></tr>
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After a long night on the Reeperbahn, complete with Doner (huge Turkish kebab wraps, the ultimate late night food), we decided it was about time to head home at 2 am. We made our way back to the train station only to find that the train we needed to take wouldn't run for a few more hours. Great. We should <i>really</i> start double checking these types of things... So instead we decided to take a bus to Neumünster, where we could catch a train back to Mihai's house. There were 2 buses, both going to Neumünster. One left in 5 minutes and the other in 20. We, of course, took the first option. However, what we didn't know is that the bus we took stopped at every <i>single</i> station along the way. I kept falling in and out of sleep, asking Mihai if we were there yet. We'd be the type of people to miss our stop because we were passed out. As more people got off we kept switching seats to stretch out and get more comfortable until we were the only ones on the bus. Finally we made it to Neumünster, nearly two hours later (it should'v only taken 45 minutes). Next, we had to wait 20 minutes for our train. Then there was an announcement that the train would be delayed 20 more minutes. Just our luck.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matching hats!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Took us three tries to finally get a picture without Mihai blinking...</td></tr>
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By this time it was 4:30 in the morning and we were both exhausted, cold and thirsty. We bought two hot teas from the convenient store in the train station. As we walked down the stairs back to the platform, I tripped, fell down and completely spilled my tea everywhere. Mihai couldn't stop laughing but I was so mad I just kept picking up the empty paper cup and throwing it back on the floor again to try and let my anger out. To make me feel better we went back to the store to buy another drink.<br />
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"1 euro and 30 cents", the cashier said as she scanned the bottle of flavored water. We fumbled with our wallets to collect up enough change to pay because, of course, we had both spent <i>all</i> of our euro notes at St. Pauli's. We realized that we were 15 cents short and awkwardly looked at the woman, expressing to her that this was the only money we had left. She waved her hand, clearly irritated, and just snatched up our measly coins and handed us the water bottle. Pretty sure she just wanted our grimy butts to leave her the heck alone. Oops.<br />
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We eventually made it home by <i>6 am</i>. The sun was coming up as we walked back to Mihai's host family's house.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neumünster train station after I spilled my tea</td></tr>
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Ever since I mentioned to Mihai's host family that I'm good at making apple pies, they begged me to make one for them. So one evening, Mihai and I were in his family's kitchen working on an apple pie together. I poured the sugar on the cut up apples and tasted one to see if it was sweet enough. After taking a bite of the apple, I recoiled back in disgust. It wasn't sweet at all but extremely salty. What the heck?? "This is sugar right??", I asked Mihai and pointed to a jar full of white granules that I had just smothered the apples in. "Uh no.. that's salt", Mihai said. Nooooooo. We explained what I had done to Mihai's host family and everyone just started laughing. Oops. Thankfully, Mihai's family had more apples so we threw all of the salty slices away and began again. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 1 year anniversary; October 13th (is that unlucky??)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm delicious authentic German meal</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The love lock Mihai got me <3</td></tr>
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Last but not least, comes the unluckiest day yet in Germany. It was my last day before leaving for Japan. Mihai and I woke up at his home in Flintbek and ate breakfast before setting off to Schwedeneck because Silke needed me to be at the hostel to clean up and let some guests in. Except there was a train strike so we had to take a much slower bus. We thought we'd be clever and save some money on the bus by sneaking on using a cheaper ticket than required. Except, we got caught. The driver announced something in German and then when we arrived at our stop she asked to see our ticket and angrily told us that we were 'black riders' (meaning we hadn't paid the correct fare) and now we had to pay a 60 euro fine. "What?! We thought this was the right ticket? Sorry, we're (stupid) Americans", we replied. Thankfully the bus driver showed some sympathy and only made us pay the original, normal fare instead of 60 euros. Phew. Never going to try that again.</div>
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Next, on the bus, I realized that I had accidentally forgotten my suitcase at the other hostel in Kiel and had no key to go get it. I called the hostel in panic; I needed my suitcase, I was leaving tomorrow!! She said that there should be a guest there later that night to let me in so I could grab my suitcase. Thank goodness. I couldn't go to Ghana without my malaria pills later this year. </div>
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Like usual, Mihai had also forgotten his wallet at home that day. We had spent my last cash on paying for the bus tickets and had no clue how we would pay for the bus ride back to Kiel because there were no ATMS in Schwedeneck at all (remember, in the middle of nowhere) and we definitely didn't want to get caught as 'black riders' again. We took a bike ride to the local grocery store to see if they'd give us cash back but they said we had to spend at least 20 euros in order to get cash back. Great. Short on time, Mihai and I frantically ran around that grocery store searching for stuff to buy. I picked out the most expensive chocolates I could find to bring to my family in Japan and bought expensive salmon and shrimp to make for dinner for me and Mihai. We went outside to unlock our bikes and head to the beach but, of course, the bike lock was stuck. I started freaking out. "What are we going to do!? Just leave the bikes here?!". Finally after a good 15 minutes, Mihai got the bikes unlocked and we pedaled to the beach. </div>
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After all that stress, we eventually relaxed a bit and swam in the Baltic sea on the Surendorf beach. Okay, not really swam, more like quickly dipped our bodies in and ran back out, me screaming from the extreme cold. The water was also very shallow and there were sharp rocks, not sand, on the bottom making it not too enjoyable. We vowed that we'd return in the spring and take a <i>real</i> swim with flip flops so our feet wouldn't get cut up this time! After that we rode our bikes home in the darkness and made a yummy homemade dinner with our fancy seafood purchases. Although it wasn't the last day in Germany that I had imagined, it turned out being perfect, simply because I was with Mihai. Bad luck won't get us down ;) Being with someone you love is definitely the best way to deal with bad luck while traveling. But even if you're alone, whenever something bad happens, just remember that although at the moment it may not be funny, it'll make a great funny story or blog post one day!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just like an old married couple, looking at our scrapbook together and eating our last breakfast of leftover apple pie (not salty) & cappuccinos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before boarding my flight to Tokyo</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-11843380855385226222015-11-20T20:02:00.000-08:002015-11-22T01:03:18.385-08:00How to survive in the middle of nowhere northern Germany"Of all the places in Germany, why are you staying in <i>Schwedeneck</i> for an entire month!?", I was asked many times by numerous Germans. Schwedeneck is a small town (population of 2,815) in northern Germany right on the Baltic Sea. With what seems like more cows than people, it's not exactly the biggest backpacker/tourist destination. In the summer, Scwedeneck attracts some German tourists for the beaches and sea but there's still plenty of Germans that have never even heard of it. So it was natural for people to wonder what the heck a 19-year-old girl from Ohio was doing in this tiny farm town.<br />
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Well, as you may remember from my earlier posts, my boyfriend, Mihai, is living in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiel" target="_blank">Kiel</a> for 10 months as an exchange student with <a href="http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/" target="_blank">CBYX</a> (check out his blog <a href="http://mihaigoesgerman.blogspot.dk/" target="_blank">here</a>!). So of course, I had to make a stop to visit him! ;) However, he's staying with a host family so it's not like I could just rudely barge in and stay with them for an entire month, after all Mihai had only arrived in Germany in the beginning of September so his host family was still pretty new to him. Instead, I searched for <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">workaways</a> nearby. I found a woman named Silke who needed a house-sitter for her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/peanutshostelundmeer/?fref=ts" target="_blank">hostel</a> in Schwedeneck, which was only an hour bus ride from Kiel! I messaged her and she agreed to let me help her for a month. Me and Mihai were thrilled we'd get to see each other again after two months apart!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new home away from home!</td></tr>
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Even while I was sitting on my flight from Helsinki to Hamburg, I still couldn't believe that I was about to see Mihai in just a few hours. It just didn't feel real! I was so nervous and anxious waiting for my suitcase to roll around on the baggage claim conveyor belt. I kept fidgeting with my hair and he texted me saying he was about to have a heart attack and I needed to hurry up! Finally, I walked out into arrivals and saw him waiting. He immediately took me to a sushi restaurant in the airport (my favorite!) and it weirdly felt like I was meeting him for the first time all over again. Silke had agreed to let me spend my first two nights in her <a href="http://www.peanuts-hostel.de/englisch.html" target="_blank">Kiel hostel</a> (that actually had a lot of guests) before coming to Schwedeneck so that way I could spend time with Mihai. He showed me all around Kiel and of course we drank some German beer; it felt like a dream come true!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lunar eclipse happened later, early the next morning</td></tr>
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I had never stayed in a legit hostel before. Once I stayed in a hostel in Venice but I was with other exchange students and we had so many people in our group that we rented out the entire place so it didn't really feel like a hostel, more like a big sleepover with friends. So what is it like to stay in a real-live hostel? Maybe you've seen the horror film? That's what a lot of my friends mention when I tell them that I was staying in a hostel. Well, I've honestly never seen that movie but by judging from the reviews, I can tell you the real-life version is <i>much</i> different. I arrived at the hostel in Kiel and everyone was pretty quiet and kept to themselves. Some were more friendly and introduced themselves. But they all had their stuff locked up in little lockers except for me because my huge suitcases wouldn't fit... It was a little bit of a weird atmosphere, I thought. Like were people really so distrustful of each other? I suddenly became worried someone was going to steal my crap. Later, I asked Silke how often people actually stole and she said it only happened on two occasions because she has such a small hostel, most robbers don't bother. But I guess in some bigger hostels there's been times when people have pretended to be backpackers and then used a key to unlock all of the lockers and steal everything.<br />
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Anyway, after those two fun days reunited with Mihai, Silke picked me up, we did some grocery shopping then drove to Schwedeneck. The hostel was very isolated, literally on the side of the road across from some cornfields and next to a farm. But inside, it was gorgeous. Silke had spent a year remodeling the entire place with her boyfriend and parents. She showed me before and after photos and the transformation was amazing. Every bedroom has a different theme, such as lighthouses, waves, forests. Check out <a href="http://www.hostel-und-meer.de/zimmer-fotos/nggallery/page/1" target="_blank">her website</a> to see more pictures! It was a very unique place and you could really tell that she had put her heart and soul into it. At the moment, there was only one guest so my job was to keep the place clean, do the laundry, take out the trash and be there when more guests arrived to check them in. I had no set work hours. I couldn't believe my luck; I had so much free time! But what to do out here in the German countryside with all that free time... ? Mihai was an hour away and in school everyday so we could only see each other in the evenings and on the weekend. Except, that very first weekend, he had an AFS orientation in a different city so I couldn't see him. There was no wifi and only German television at the hostel. I was about to have to learn how to entertain myself <i>real </i>quick.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cutest little room ever</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The common room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen (with all of my crap everywhere oops)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view out of my bedroom window!</td></tr>
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So how did I escape complete boredom in the middle of nowhere northern Germany?<br />
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Well to begin, luckily, Silke had a small, pink bike that actually fit me!! So the first thing I did was go for a bike ride to explore my surroundings. I located the bus stop (so that I knew the closest way to leave) and supermarket (so I didn't starve). It's a good thing that I explored because the grocery store Silke said was "just around the corner" was actually 2 miles away... Besides that, I found a church, some more farm animals and fields.<br />
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I was really worried about the wifi thing... I needed wifi if I was going to be alone for two days straight (the guest had gone home to Hamburg for the weekend). I bought a wifi USB stick but for some reason it just would not work. The guest even called the company for me and spoke to them in German but we just couldn't figure it out... So eventually I settled for my 2G speed hotspot from my phone. It was slow as a snail but, eh, it was better than nothing.<br />
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Next, I took advantage of the free time to pursue my hobbies and do all the things I normally never have time to do. I read a few books and made a list of more books I want to read. I drank a lot of tea. I brainstormed ideas for my blog and wrote some more posts (but didn't get up-to-date at all...). I went running in the morning and realized that the countryside is really calming. I went on bike rides to nearby small towns like Krusendorf and Surendorf and to the beach. I also realized that I really enjoy cooking. I listened to a lot of music and made myself some delicious meals. I felt like my life had become a low-budget version of the movie <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0879870/" target="_blank">Eat, Pray, Love</a>. Here I was, alone in the German countryside "finding myself" (whatever that means).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuXLygD_bIpqkkYtKNWEhOYOt7HmnR7S1Du5cbKddK-_tQMO6Uvu1BVEUFhOwvULn-15IB8H5At00ZRtEd-gDHOATbh_xhFmfl-23Wn79d2F31H6fU31TYGsNwwU3SSEDoJWRSEp79OvJ/s1600/DSC_0541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuXLygD_bIpqkkYtKNWEhOYOt7HmnR7S1Du5cbKddK-_tQMO6Uvu1BVEUFhOwvULn-15IB8H5At00ZRtEd-gDHOATbh_xhFmfl-23Wn79d2F31H6fU31TYGsNwwU3SSEDoJWRSEp79OvJ/s640/DSC_0541.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where I spent some time reading in the hammock on warm days :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bundled up, drinking some tea and reading outside :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picked fresh from Silke's garden!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpgVnCrGLhzB80IO__pMWsA3tpwH9sTKCAH8DINj9oH0JEfUttLUale89VX6FQymG9fAPpcDGf27U_PQlLryUZuJLcbRqVvWZAiB8s0YjA6UAuDpMhHSNVblp-j1qw0sBqBTdp_RFKUAW/s1600/IMG_2827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghpgVnCrGLhzB80IO__pMWsA3tpwH9sTKCAH8DINj9oH0JEfUttLUale89VX6FQymG9fAPpcDGf27U_PQlLryUZuJLcbRqVvWZAiB8s0YjA6UAuDpMhHSNVblp-j1qw0sBqBTdp_RFKUAW/s640/IMG_2827.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 star restaurant ;)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSbHncScs1xLhVnfST4t9Ytem-SudAhsbqZeJqWpCzVhJbsq1HCZsZdpCv4lDcAzTEalu-4Ez2iqQ-6d-2_eNqteEsmU1B2gwvXf2WcNQUiCJWVqiNIbdMzFnuWRe0xPY2E-s56yWwaXr/s1600/IMG_2903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWSbHncScs1xLhVnfST4t9Ytem-SudAhsbqZeJqWpCzVhJbsq1HCZsZdpCv4lDcAzTEalu-4Ez2iqQ-6d-2_eNqteEsmU1B2gwvXf2WcNQUiCJWVqiNIbdMzFnuWRe0xPY2E-s56yWwaXr/s640/IMG_2903.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoked salmon!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik034RJmoI7BNjxPl6cnqSQNwL13VJRK5ETpu25LDdaxxf3MzMKgBGGKJu3_F7XPj61iLYFbw1bs3gFXfXP05TEFfmU5F_4mcDxz6ObR0olWSM8qCnLArWw2yPBYaa6LwZCKrnHlsiAb2P/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-11-21+at+12.44.31+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik034RJmoI7BNjxPl6cnqSQNwL13VJRK5ETpu25LDdaxxf3MzMKgBGGKJu3_F7XPj61iLYFbw1bs3gFXfXP05TEFfmU5F_4mcDxz6ObR0olWSM8qCnLArWw2yPBYaa6LwZCKrnHlsiAb2P/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-11-21+at+12.44.31+PM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to copy Danish smorrebrod!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBCuYMr0Pw2OJH4WDoBq1XBcc3I5VCf7IjdAgch-sHi-VeEX_M4nOcGR75cdWz0qTq04NTmB2Ao_31RjZCCPkcsqv2SjZBRUwDYWWykTOBJ2FDe-sNyl2QR97tjRXyaJqyPfwtV2fiZ1Q/s1600/IMG_2817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIBCuYMr0Pw2OJH4WDoBq1XBcc3I5VCf7IjdAgch-sHi-VeEX_M4nOcGR75cdWz0qTq04NTmB2Ao_31RjZCCPkcsqv2SjZBRUwDYWWykTOBJ2FDe-sNyl2QR97tjRXyaJqyPfwtV2fiZ1Q/s640/IMG_2817.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Oh yeah and I relaxed. After 2 months of craziness in Italy, Denmark and Finland, I finally caught up on my sleep. I'm not lying when I say I slept 10+ hours every day. It was amazing. Hey, don't judge, I'm sure next year I'll be up all night cramming in college! I got to hibernate now while I got the chance!<br />
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Then one day, Silke and I picked some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambucus" target="_blank">elderberries</a> and made homemade jam! :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj852Gwz0b309Ht-N1UsWXomyVkDUsycUvGXfgd4LeqgaFFzVTY00oGT-MC0LRGBmpN71toqUNJ9T5lmGeC8XL3nLoitE8fWbAqzknqSwRO7_A2VSBbf5VPFLmkCYwc_TXpxFAM0DmlI7XB/s1600/IMG_2889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj852Gwz0b309Ht-N1UsWXomyVkDUsycUvGXfgd4LeqgaFFzVTY00oGT-MC0LRGBmpN71toqUNJ9T5lmGeC8XL3nLoitE8fWbAqzknqSwRO7_A2VSBbf5VPFLmkCYwc_TXpxFAM0DmlI7XB/s640/IMG_2889.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The forest we picked the berries from</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reach for those elderberries!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xCc92C6ygo4RcGG_NjPW471QStjxqwOEOKvQFZCV2e4Oq1BFvF-QiECFiT-XlA4QcUl8KjxeX4J4xQpsXeTKUEnAA1z967Girt27Zs8gLcr8WeNb4P_ANrAnK8lXyT9X1u0iiPMMA63w/s1600/IMG_2888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2xCc92C6ygo4RcGG_NjPW471QStjxqwOEOKvQFZCV2e4Oq1BFvF-QiECFiT-XlA4QcUl8KjxeX4J4xQpsXeTKUEnAA1z967Girt27Zs8gLcr8WeNb4P_ANrAnK8lXyT9X1u0iiPMMA63w/s640/IMG_2888.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elderberries, buckeyes and hazelnuts</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0mUtYZuW012oXVmMvsu5VfkXffp7_9r2IISrvvV8fk_n370oepeS9qKvOMrhdXP9_-MKNQD8Lz0Oerrd3d2ZGzmCSH9SK0zgRAb0gbwbltm5l9vmJA7kjREVGqmI3hA9MrCL04DhvWyn/s1600/IMG_2891.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl0mUtYZuW012oXVmMvsu5VfkXffp7_9r2IISrvvV8fk_n370oepeS9qKvOMrhdXP9_-MKNQD8Lz0Oerrd3d2ZGzmCSH9SK0zgRAb0gbwbltm5l9vmJA7kjREVGqmI3hA9MrCL04DhvWyn/s640/IMG_2891.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkbHnetJgywK7MeDBQNG6gxsrAJXas-kwsM9TV6KgBUqAwdZ6NS37MboUcgLbTMurAYrVJSxsNwuZQDA1gRPAISBWmTzdWvDAAPb1fbL-Jq_MaYBb7l087oVfyNiNXZNlZnCU4WLMKDUU/s1600/IMG_2898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkbHnetJgywK7MeDBQNG6gxsrAJXas-kwsM9TV6KgBUqAwdZ6NS37MboUcgLbTMurAYrVJSxsNwuZQDA1gRPAISBWmTzdWvDAAPb1fbL-Jq_MaYBb7l087oVfyNiNXZNlZnCU4WLMKDUU/s640/IMG_2898.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaning the elderberries (we found a lot of bugs yum!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqRjIRTghlt0OBQNJrLnf4MuBJQgjdAdFX7YoztvwpJNgwbiKgR3gXLiZYSvucUL-ZQMiFgMNdsW4z-s4ByWS1A8w7Qh6rsKzGcUDD63AkILQOyrA22IZz6qDt4ucxq2DPwJ6nN_ZyLl7/s1600/IMG_2901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqRjIRTghlt0OBQNJrLnf4MuBJQgjdAdFX7YoztvwpJNgwbiKgR3gXLiZYSvucUL-ZQMiFgMNdsW4z-s4ByWS1A8w7Qh6rsKzGcUDD63AkILQOyrA22IZz6qDt4ucxq2DPwJ6nN_ZyLl7/s640/IMG_2901.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling them</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWAE4kGZIKnw4PVt6r8vawr2dN8PqSi1eEY8vYU405i2aLl2irYiOuQDY2ztBNtAKhvFsM1nrpB8BswxbOexTgNOJZ16-YGMBWaY0Xm_LYOFJFtiXCIN1hrUwIPIRCElfz2ymxVjRGLWl/s1600/IMG_2904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnWAE4kGZIKnw4PVt6r8vawr2dN8PqSi1eEY8vYU405i2aLl2irYiOuQDY2ztBNtAKhvFsM1nrpB8BswxbOexTgNOJZ16-YGMBWaY0Xm_LYOFJFtiXCIN1hrUwIPIRCElfz2ymxVjRGLWl/s640/IMG_2904.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blending the berries with an old-fashioned grinder (I told Silke I need to buy her a juicer; so much easier!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP6HJG8Fh7W-FvPZyg8xRNLsiP25-avRpPHdSl-CSXqSTkEbsRXvteCiRi62ggC696VT3XHNgpMmcx2_rShS6LI7CBu7YoJYhgF6nDOftJ3ykIp2lKAe8cNQ8YcRjFYFFqS44XCMev9wX/s1600/IMG_2906.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQP6HJG8Fh7W-FvPZyg8xRNLsiP25-avRpPHdSl-CSXqSTkEbsRXvteCiRi62ggC696VT3XHNgpMmcx2_rShS6LI7CBu7YoJYhgF6nDOftJ3ykIp2lKAe8cNQ8YcRjFYFFqS44XCMev9wX/s640/IMG_2906.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling them with gelatin sugar</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDDbIDkvIqyzdqGM8DItncMdfiZmxe6UJUNNvkURZJbv2CdyGArnyztq9XWP7N6ALTV7eY40YB8AMlZYM6wzdjtpJADLnKQNBwJ7FnrnVdA29NIANDXFsNmpgMXnpBVJV8HBmEuE6U76J/s1600/IMG_2915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyDDbIDkvIqyzdqGM8DItncMdfiZmxe6UJUNNvkURZJbv2CdyGArnyztq9XWP7N6ALTV7eY40YB8AMlZYM6wzdjtpJADLnKQNBwJ7FnrnVdA29NIANDXFsNmpgMXnpBVJV8HBmEuE6U76J/s640/IMG_2915.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnRdVw3PtZpD75n7kMM_1EOfdxwKvKmNIaEvmGjizSHimy1fBMPsVzaj3gnSaEz_kB11zRLnm4QN15pTaRRHvzC8CUFNKlUmwea9h9W-iDC1dXdcwbzPRhLB9ugC27wgHWJzNKinQOhMO/s1600/IMG_2908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXnRdVw3PtZpD75n7kMM_1EOfdxwKvKmNIaEvmGjizSHimy1fBMPsVzaj3gnSaEz_kB11zRLnm4QN15pTaRRHvzC8CUFNKlUmwea9h9W-iDC1dXdcwbzPRhLB9ugC27wgHWJzNKinQOhMO/s640/IMG_2908.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished! Pouring the final, delicious product into jars</td></tr>
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The worst part wasn't boredom at all but sleeping alone in a completely empty, big house. Maybe it sounds childish but I was so irrationally scared of kidnappers, thieves, murderers and ghosts; you name it, I was probably afraid of it in Schwedeneck. The roof of the hostel was made of wood so it creaked a lot, especially when it was windy (which was very frequently). It also rained a lot. The faintest sounds freaked me out and one time I seriously almost think I had a heart attack when the fire alarm went off (because it was out of batteries). I even had some nightmares. I called Mihai and my parents whenever I was scared and they assured me that I had nothing to worry about. I was probably in one of the safest locations ever. Compared to a big city, the German countryside had zero crime. I think it's just psychologically normal to worry more when you're alone. As more time passed though I got over my fears and came to appreciate the quiet nights. Riding my bike home from the bus stop in the pitch black had scared me in the beginning but I came to weirdly like the darkness. Not to mention, the stars were spectacular without the pollution and bright lights of a big city.<br />
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Being alone so much really wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. However, I was still kinda lonely sometimes. But that's okay because the loneliness definitely made me appreciate company so much more. I looked forward to spending time with Mihai and Silke and hoped to somehow make new friends as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9s83Wn6QX8tI_NkckZ-9-ZOtocbJHxBQvF1Ykv_-IJKV324maGbzXDhGUVRcwjVUQKHDxLTZvnEjbxOiMGu2ylDnWiz-gmPQcpzQgWDbiwSLX67gr-hxd3sZYfnP3SgtYkTmJVET_VkeO/s1600/IMG_2894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9s83Wn6QX8tI_NkckZ-9-ZOtocbJHxBQvF1Ykv_-IJKV324maGbzXDhGUVRcwjVUQKHDxLTZvnEjbxOiMGu2ylDnWiz-gmPQcpzQgWDbiwSLX67gr-hxd3sZYfnP3SgtYkTmJVET_VkeO/s640/IMG_2894.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing the Kiel canal</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-dx5W31uRcayscI953POP8c26lFk8hdtSSlY06thA4AJYLPi57IaE1jri4jwWplORM641k4tPtnvpcK-oNiUNd5mkwjSYIZvroFSvc01D-K_G6lSDLpqEGtRf8wZ8uh-lHfse5ATRw5B/s1600/IMG_2895.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY-dx5W31uRcayscI953POP8c26lFk8hdtSSlY06thA4AJYLPi57IaE1jri4jwWplORM641k4tPtnvpcK-oNiUNd5mkwjSYIZvroFSvc01D-K_G6lSDLpqEGtRf8wZ8uh-lHfse5ATRw5B/s640/IMG_2895.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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So next question was how do you make friends when you're alone in a foreign country?<br />
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Well, I think it's just by being outgoing and having a little bit of luck. Silke was nice enough to let me spend some nights at her hostel in Kiel when I wanted to visit Mihai so I didn't have to take the last bus ride back to Schwedeneck. There was always different people staying in the Kiel hostel; normally they were there for internships or college lectures. Sometimes they didn't speak to me and other times they were super friendly. One time, when I was drinking tea in the common room, a girl was eating her breakfast and started talking to me. Her name was Leila and she had just left her home in Kenya yesterday and was now getting her masters in marine biology from a university in Kiel! She was staying in the hostel for a week before she moved into her apartment. She said she didn't have any classes for the next week either. I immediately told her my story, added her on Facebook and said we should hangout soon! I was so happy to have found a friend!<br />
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A different day I came back to the Kiel hostel and saw Leila there again, this time talking to another guy I hadn't met yet. She introduced me to him; his name was Ajay and he was there for a week visiting his daughter. They were both super nice and we all quickly became friends and hungout a few times before I left. Ta da! You really can make friends with strangers in hostels because chances are they're probably alone and looking for friends too.<br />
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Well, I think that's all for now. I'm sorry if this post was a little bit boring but look forward to my next post about how to handle bad luck while traveling! For some reason, Mihai and I had a lot of unlucky moments in Germany that weren't too funny at the time but now I can look back on them and laugh :)<br />
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Oh yeah and check out Sanni, my Finnish friend's, new <a href="https://vivisorridiama.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog about flea markets and vegan cooking</a>!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2tx8Lb_MvCEvnQSkMI-qRjtXFHZXHVoXU6xrKab-TOuomybIcJTPgzQco1LTHRqt1duUobotF1nNLHkTgzuaQeDRYxvEdKHN7iU4M0K8hAVudc4_AifqSfliRPYXpbzxJX4K8lrv0cBS/s1600/DSC_0540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2tx8Lb_MvCEvnQSkMI-qRjtXFHZXHVoXU6xrKab-TOuomybIcJTPgzQco1LTHRqt1duUobotF1nNLHkTgzuaQeDRYxvEdKHN7iU4M0K8hAVudc4_AifqSfliRPYXpbzxJX4K8lrv0cBS/s640/DSC_0540.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-X1RGmgVEa1fEshdamxBK4ThT7pGhip3uO9DvDjr0O06RTs4cjA-F_HvbV3bUMx4WasPRJIECoOkjo_5voU2EP3IrjuE2lhP55ttIMsFH0NrCtANYKkY6u230GNSZZMD65cUuI6RIyB-y/s1600/DSC_0549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-X1RGmgVEa1fEshdamxBK4ThT7pGhip3uO9DvDjr0O06RTs4cjA-F_HvbV3bUMx4WasPRJIECoOkjo_5voU2EP3IrjuE2lhP55ttIMsFH0NrCtANYKkY6u230GNSZZMD65cUuI6RIyB-y/s640/DSC_0549.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Baltic Sea is just SO crowded in Schwe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Actually wish I would've gone swimming this day; it was so warm and nice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the nature trails I found while exploring wow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old German home with thatched roof!</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-69936046541403027212015-11-13T01:23:00.001-08:002015-11-13T17:54:47.699-08:00How to travel on a €20 per day<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">When I tell someone about my gap year, the first
response I almost always get is, "Isn't that expensive!?". The
inquisitor normally then casts me a skeptical, maybe even slightly indignant,
look (probably thinking "this spoiled little 19-year-old brat...")
and asks "How are <i>you</i> affording all of that!?".
Well, contrary to what a lot of people believe, traveling doesn't <i>have</i> to
cost a fortune (and no, I'm not <i>that</i> spoiled). </span></div>
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P.S. I sprinkled a bunch of pictures from my loner sightseeing adventures in Helsinki throughout this post!</div>
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If you remember from my <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/04/everything-happens-for-reason.html" target="_blank">first post</a> (you probably don't), this gap year was an unexpected, pretty last minute decision. I started planning in the end of April, after being rejected from <a href="http://www.nsliforyouth.org/" target="_blank">NSLI-Y</a>, and left for Italy just 3 months later. So you may wonder, how the heck did I have enough money to spontaneously just travel the world!? Well for starters, ever since I was 8, my parents forced me to put a portion of my allowance, birthday and christmas money, etc. into savings. They said I'd thank them one day (and I'll admit it, they actually weren't wrong... so thanks mom and dad!). After 10 years of saving I had $3,500.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loner sightseeing selfie! </td></tr>
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My next very small fortune was accumulated during my senior year. I got a job babysitting everyday after school for 2-3 hours and was paid $10 an hour. I was determined to spend as little of this money as possible because by September I had already applied to NSLI-Y (full merit scholarships for high schoolers/recent grads to be exchange students in critical language countries) and wanted to have some spending cash while I was in South Korea (the country I put as my first choice on my application).</div>
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In December, I decided to get another job because I wanted to save up even <i>more</i> spending $$$ for my exchange year in Korea (ha, the thought never even occurred to me that I'd be rejected). Honestly, I'm kind of a freak when it comes to money... I always get stressed that I'm not saving enough and so naturally, my philosophy for Korea was to have more saved up than really necessary, just in case. Rather be safe than sorry, I thought! Plus, I wanted to have enough to eat as much kimchi and Korean BBQ as I wanted! ;)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a lot of parks in Helsinki; Finns love their nature!</td></tr>
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Anyway, my second job was at a local grocery store making minimum wage and working 8-hour shifts almost every single Saturday and Sunday and also some weeknights after babysitting. Not going to lie, my senior year was a little bit stressful, trying to balance 20-30 hour workweeks in addition to school, clubs, 5 AP classes, sleep and a social life. I didn't play lacrosse, stopped exercising as much and was basically always tired. But it's okay, it all ended up paying off because look here I am, currently in Tokyo, writing this post right now!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kansallismuseo.fi/en/nationalmuseum" target="_blank">The National Museum of Finland</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A model of an old, traditional Finnish log cabin</td></tr>
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I saved up a lot of my pay, which wasn't too hard because I'm super stingy. I <i>hate</i> spending money on dumb things. I don't like shopping, I buy most of my clothes from secondhand stores, love searching for bargains and try to eat at home/pack lunches. Once I was rejected from NSLI-Y, I was more determined than ever to travel and realized I had a decent amount of money saved up to do so but not quite enough so I picked up more shifts and worked almost full time during the summer. In total, I saved a bit over $3,200 from both of my jobs.</div>
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Next, comes the part where I'm a little bit spoiled. From my grad party, I was given $2,000. I'm really lucky to have so many generous family members and friends; if you're reading this right now, you guys all know who you are, thank you so much!! I hope you realize you made this year possible for me!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helsinki ranks #8 on <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-30-most-prosperous-countries-in-the-world-2014-11" target="_blank">the list of the most prosperous countries</a> so it makes sense they have a lot of construction</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finland has a lot of new infrastructure due to it's thriving economy but also due to the fact that 109 buildings were destroyed, 300 damaged and 111 set on fire during the <a href="http://20thcenturybattles.com/2014/03/30/the-bombing-of-helsinki-in-world-war-ii/" target="_blank">Great Raids</a> of WWII</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span>So if you did the math, after my grad party I had a total of $8,700 for my gap year. I spent days and I mean <i>days </i>deciding where I wanted to travel and making hypothetical budgets. At first I wanted to go to Nepal instead of Ghana because it's a lot cheaper to fly from Japan to Nepal but my parents were worried about the possibility of future earthquakes so they said they'd give me $1,100 to compensate for the travel costs if I went to Ghana instead (yay thanks again mom & dad!).</div>
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So there you go, the grand total for traveling the world for 9 months.... <b>$9,800</b>. Bet you thought it'd cost a lot more, right? Or maybe you think almost 10 grand is a lot of money? Well to me, it’s well worth it to travel to 3 continents for 9 months. The average cost of one year of American private high school is <a href="http://www.privateschoolreview.com/tuition-stats/private-school-cost-by-state" target="_blank">$12,875</a>. And <a href="http://oneblondelooseinitaly.blogspot.jp/" target="_blank">the 10 months I spent in Italy</a> with <a href="http://www.afs.org/" target="_blank">AFS</a> back in 2012/2013 cost $13,500 tuition (it now costs <a href="http://www.afsusa.org/study-abroad/high-school-abroad/display-program/?destination=42&category=1" target="_blank">$15,650</a>). Not to mention, plenty of people blow 5k on a 2-week long extravagant vacation. Plus, I'm visiting 3 of <a href="http://travel.usnews.com/gallery/15_Most_Expensive_Places_to_Visit/" target="_blank">the most expensive cities for tourists to travel to</a>, rated by U.S. News Travel (Finland #8, Tokyo #6 and Copenhagen #4) so I'm spending a lot more money than someone who would travel throughout southeast Asia, Africa or south America. </div>
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The biggest reason it costs so little is because I’m not paying for accommodations (except while volunteering in Ghana, <a href="https://www.volunteerhq.org/volunteer-in-ghana" target="_blank">the IVHQ fees are $1,000</a> for 2 months but that's still relatively cheap considering I'm provided with room and board). Once again, I am SO lucky to have friends/families, like Sabrina in Italy, Victoria in Copenhagen, Sanni in Helsinki and my great aunt in Tokyo, that are willing to host me. But just because you can't be as cool and me and know so many people around the world doesn't mean you can't travel on a budget ;) There's plenty of other options! For example, I didn't know anyone in Germany so I did a <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">Workaway</a> (my next few posts will talk more about this). I've probably mentioned workaways a million times in my blog already but basically it's a craiglist-stype website where budget travelers can find hosts (families, farms, hostels, etc.) and work part time for them (housework, babysitting, construction, etc.) in exchange for room and board. When I explain this website to people, they're normally sketched out. You met these people <i>online</i> and then you just go and stay with them!? I mean I guess when you put it that way, it sounds a little shady but you just got to trust your instinct. You can e-mail, call or even ask to Skype with the hosts to help you feel more comfortable. Another option is to be an <a href="https://www.aupairworld.com/en" target="_blank">Au Pair</a><span id="goog_1751739982"></span><span id="goog_1751739983"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>. I've also mentioned this before in <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/10/how-to-be-danish-girl-without-actually.html" target="_blank">another post</a>. Au pairing is when you work as a full time nanny in exchange for room, board and sometimes spending money (depending on the family). I know a lot of people who've had au pairs and who've also been au pairs; it seems really cool and I hope to do it one day too! Last but not least, you can always try out <a href="https://www.couchsurfing.com/" target="_blank">couchsurfing</a>, in which people around the world offer up their homes (usually for a week or so) to travelers simply because they want to make new friends. No work necessary here! I haven't tried couch surfing yet so if anyone has done it, let me know, I'm curious because honestly it seems a little questionable to me. </div>
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Another way I cut down costs on my gap year is by using discount flight sites aimed toward students. As long as you have a student ID and some other proof of identification as a student (I used an acceptance letter), you can use <a href="https://www.studentuniverse.com/" target="_blank">StudentUniverse</a> to find flights that are can be around $20-$100 cheaper than usual. Extra hint, make sure to choose "flexible" on your dates because it gives you the price ranges for each day (which for some strange reason, vary <i>a lot</i>). In regards to when the best time is to buy a plane ticket, I'm still not quite sure. <a href="https://www.cheapair.com/blog/travel-tips/when-to-buy-airline-tickets-based-on-1-5-billion-airfares/" target="_blank">Online</a> I read that about a month and a half prior to your departure is the best time but from personal experience I think the earlier the better. Another good trick is to use StudentUniverse to find out which airlines/dates are the cheapest and then go directly to the airline's website. Since StudentUniverse is a third party website, they tack on a little extra for handling costs, etc. Sometimes it's cheaper on StudentUniverse and sometimes it's cheaper to buy directly from the airline so just check out both! If you're not a student, a good discount flight-finder website is <a href="http://www.skyscanner.dk/" target="_blank">Skyscanner</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="https://www.helsinki.fi/en" target="_blank">University of Helsinki</a> library</td></tr>
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There's only two drawbacks to my style of budget travel. Well, actually, I really don't think the first one is a drawback but whatever it might be a problem for some people. You can't really just zip around the world to a million different cities in one year because with workaways and au pairing the hosts normally want minimum of a 1 month stay. I see a lot of posts on social media from other travelers/backpackers who just jet from city to city, staying only a few nights or a week in hostels. I guess this is nice for them because they get to cover a lot more ground but I don' think it's as in-depth of an experience. For starters, I can't even <i>afford </i>to stay in hostels but I honestly don't want to either. Staying with a local family allows you to really immerse yourself in the culture and gain a richer experience compared to just staying in a hostel, seeing the best sites, eating the best food and leaving. That's not really an accurate representation of a country. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki_Cathedral" target="_blank">Helsinki Cathedral</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXWaw3ZmT3Ds1CC7taJUta5gzoiCMezZ8wqFgvbnvnMohn-K37U_3MoznYceQM0f9Ra37SJSKUNSzFlOcW83hgoa9cM4jfqN2PoGob28JoA2iRCKvBQLb0z-0MlVa3Kp7mnWSmwF393RI/s1600/DSC_0292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXWaw3ZmT3Ds1CC7taJUta5gzoiCMezZ8wqFgvbnvnMohn-K37U_3MoznYceQM0f9Ra37SJSKUNSzFlOcW83hgoa9cM4jfqN2PoGob28JoA2iRCKvBQLb0z-0MlVa3Kp7mnWSmwF393RI/s640/DSC_0292.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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The other drawback is that I'm not living a life of luxury; I'm on a $22 (20 euro) budget per day. Which can get pretty difficult at times. Especially in Helsinki, which (as I mentioned before) was ranked #8 by U.S. News Travel for <a href="http://travel.usnews.com/gallery/15_Most_Expensive_Places_to_Visit/" target="_blank">the most expensive places to visit</a>. Bus tickets from Sanni's town, Numrijarvi, to Helsinki cost 8 euros just <i>one way</i>. Think about it, just to go to Helsinki for the day costs 16 euros and then say I want to buy a sandwich or something for 4 euros. Bam. All of my money is gone for that day, just like that What if I get hungry again? Or what if Sanni wants to go to a bar/club? 20 euros seriously disasters so quickly without even realizing it.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><o:p>Thankfully, I quickly learned to adapt to the high prices and develop my own tricks on how to survive off 20 euros a day! The buses offer discounted student tickets (5.70 euros instead of 8, whoo!) but these are technically only meant for <i>Finnish students</i>. I decided I would try to flash my Ole Miss student ID to the bus driver and see what would happen. Probably around 70% of the time they just gave me the discounted price! Probably because I'm clearly foreign. However, Sanni wasn't as lucky... she's Finnish but doesn't have a Finnish student ID since she goes to college in Italy. she tried using her Italian student ID but since her name, Sanni Karppanen, is clearly Finnish, the bus driver must've thought she was using a fake ID or something and made her pay full price. Sorry, Sanni. </o:p></span></div>
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Instead of buying overpriced sandwiches from little shops, I started doing my own grocery shopping. I'd buy a bag of these dry, brown bread rolls that only cost 50 cents, cheese spread for 1 euro and a pack of bologna for 70 cents. Not the tastiest but it lasted me 2 meals, meaning that I only spent 1.10 euros per meal compared to a 4 euro café meal. I'm not proud to say it but I even once succumbed to McDonald's and bought a cheeseburger for 1 euro... It's so difficult being healthy on a budget! Ugh. Another time, I packed cold, leftover pizza to eat for lunch. Ew. Traveling on a budget makes me seriously miss and appreciate a home-cooked meal.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really cool store that sells healthy snacks (dried fruits, nuts, etc.) in bulk! Of course I can't afford it though.. way too expensive</td></tr>
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Another tactic Sanni and I used to save money was by becoming homeless. Okay, not literally homeless but pretty much. Since it's so crazy expensive to go to and from Helsinki, Sanni always tried to find friend's houses that we could spend the night at and extend our stay as long as possible. We'd go to Helsinki early in the morning, stay all day, me sightseeing alone while Sanni worked, then go out at night, sleep at a friend's and spend the whole next day in Helsinki again. I did feel slightly homeless because I had to carry what seemed like all of my belongings (two days worth of clothes, food, phone & charger, alcohol, Nikon camera, makeup, toothpaste, etc.) and go without a shower for two days. But carrying such a heavy backpack helped me burn some calories! Yay! At least I'm not going to gain weight from all the McDonalds! </div>
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To avoid the steep public transportation costs, Sanni and I almost always walked everywhere (more good exercise!). But we'd always end up being late so it'd turn into an extremely face-paced, sweaty walk carrying our enormous backpacks. When we went to Estonia we bought a lot of bottles of alcohol and then hard to carry all of them for the rest of the night when we went bar-hopping... I feel like we were probably a funny sight; tired, disheveled and lugging around so much crap, compared to the chic, freshly made-up girls carrying slim clutch purses. Eh whatever, I bet they weren't saving as much money as us. </div>
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Speaking of alcohol, if you're traveling on a budget do not buy many drinks from pubs/bars/clubs. It's the biggest rip off! I can't stress this enough. Buy alcohol from a grocery store (or in Estonia) and drink it on the street <i>before </i>going inside, then just get one overpriced drink and nurse it for the rest of the night. However, sometimes this practice backfires and you end up getting so drunk and blowing all your money inside the bar... Be careful! </div>
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Europe is cool and all but the fact that water isn't free from restaurants really sucks. Oh yeah, and you have to pay to use public bathrooms. I always carry a water bottle with me and refill it from bathroom sinks (and then it somehow always ends up leaking all over my stuff; make sure to buy a reliable water bottle!). Instead of paying to pee you can normally find free bathrooms inside shopping malls. But don't even bother with McDonalds; in order to use their bathroom you have to buy something because the bathrooms require a passcode that's printed on receipts. I get so angry about the whole bathroom thing... peeing is a fundamental human need!! I think I might invent a GPS app to tell people where the closest free bathrooms are located. </div>
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Even with all of my thrifty tricks, being on a 20 euro per day budget in Helsinki was still difficult. I often found myself freaking out and stressing about money instead of having fun. I counted every cent. One night I even called my boyfriend in tears complaining that I was $15 over my budget. Slowly, I started to realize that I needed to stay calm. $15 isn't something worth crying over. What's more important, staying under your budget or having a good time on your gap year? I don't want to look back on my time in Finland and only have sad, stressful memories. That's why it's a good idea to leave yourself some room to breathe. Try to over-budget so that you have extra money just in case. Who knows what could happen; flights could end up costing more than expected, you could take unplanned trips (ex. Finland was spontaneous, thus not in my original budget) or find yourself in a super expensive city. Also it's helpful to keep track of how much you spend (maybe not down to the cent though... that's a little insane). I have an excel spreadsheet so I can keep track of my budget surpluses and deficits for each week. That way if I go way over budget one week (Helsinki), I know that I just have to try and stay under budget by the same amount the next week (Germany). It's all about balance. tHe most important thing is to remember not to let money control your happiness. After all, you're still traveling around the world! So what if you have to eat some cold, leftover pizza for lunch one day? ;)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcSCsO8niTy_y0qeTjbmwQBK8o_s1-s0tiOaCiAu0X1NqVZyqTUWJtFNy3GneTaHdfPtvvxjS7FjeHR3x44gkvCIqMDOKTSLS3k3ClbpzEbeU_1Nv7Yxe_Ge8WSzsK_gqlV73v5vb-5A7/s1600/church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcSCsO8niTy_y0qeTjbmwQBK8o_s1-s0tiOaCiAu0X1NqVZyqTUWJtFNy3GneTaHdfPtvvxjS7FjeHR3x44gkvCIqMDOKTSLS3k3ClbpzEbeU_1Nv7Yxe_Ge8WSzsK_gqlV73v5vb-5A7/s640/church.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coolest, most unique chapel I've ever seen; <a href="http://www.helsinginkirkot.fi/en/churches/kamppi-chapel-of-silence" target="_blank">Kamppi Chapel</a></td></tr>
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<o:p>I hope this post helped you realize that traveling is within everyone's reach. Yeah, I'll admit it, I'm a bit luckier/spoiled than most (money from grad party/parents plus my friends/family willing to host me) but I think I could still travel without those advantages and so can you! If you plan ahead, take some time to work and save up a decent amount of money, find yourself some hosts (and be willing to work) through workaways, au pairing and couchsuring and be smart with your money, you too can travel! :) </o:p></div>
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Watch out for my next posts about my month spent in northern Germany visiting my boyfriend in Kiel! <3 Oh & here's some pictures from a loner day trip I took to <a href="http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/" target="_blank">Suomenlinna</a> (a really pretty sea fortress island founded in 1748 that first defended Sweden then Russia and lastly Finland; now home to 800 residents). If you go to Helsinki, I think Suomenlinna should be the first thing on your list, I loved it! Ferry tickets are only a few euros too so that's a plus ;)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXc9xb6bAAbiBYrHyJdgpKYL196w7nsrIIZU3N4xXGSHIR3taa7w1gnmuJMTp_r_AqQ89lrLN204vyuDZOwD7AVX9o0DB9_Ru_oFsSLtrLXH363uVuxmxEjf1Mle8YLqxMNWbaNk32YTY8/s1600/DSC_0339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXc9xb6bAAbiBYrHyJdgpKYL196w7nsrIIZU3N4xXGSHIR3taa7w1gnmuJMTp_r_AqQ89lrLN204vyuDZOwD7AVX9o0DB9_Ru_oFsSLtrLXH363uVuxmxEjf1Mle8YLqxMNWbaNk32YTY8/s640/DSC_0339.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">20 minute ferry ride</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk7dJjmygKl8McysZFkgVLQWNCeqMaqsvC6WqULonZpJeXvP0HgHJfXuQIXFK0DJoUi9P4UfWmsXC1Uxu3IFY63oXnbdgstfWwl_Q7cPAGiMwH_-2mC7M4lVXDlgtPreQicuZmWZwUWny/s1600/DSC_0358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk7dJjmygKl8McysZFkgVLQWNCeqMaqsvC6WqULonZpJeXvP0HgHJfXuQIXFK0DJoUi9P4UfWmsXC1Uxu3IFY63oXnbdgstfWwl_Q7cPAGiMwH_-2mC7M4lVXDlgtPreQicuZmWZwUWny/s640/DSC_0358.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/visitor/sights/great-courtyard/" target="_blank">The Great Courtyard</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/visitor/sights/dry-dock/" target="_blank">The dry dock</a>, one of the oldest operational docks in Europe</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone's home</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sign says private property; imagine living here, I think it's so nice!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suomenlinna.fi/en/visitor/sights/kings-gate/" target="_blank">King's gate</a>, the icon of Suomenlinna</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-16512643580936148022015-11-05T02:16:00.001-08:002015-11-09T03:54:08.880-08:00How to party like a Finnish university studentSo maybe you remember my Italian friends <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/09/surprise.html" target="_blank">Federico and Alexandria</a> from my posts about Copenhagen? My Danish friend that I stayed with, Victoria's host brother and girlfriend from Torino? Well if you remember really well, <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.jp/2015/09/day-cation-to-sweden.html" target="_blank">they studied abroad in Helsinki for a semester</a>. Before coming to Helsinki, I asked them what Finnish people were like. They told me Finns were a little reserved toward foreingers <i>unless</i> they're drunk (which is pretty frequently), then they're the most talkative, friendliest people ever. Well, Federico and Alexandria weren't wrong.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helsinki!</td></tr>
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As I mentioned in my <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/11/the-land-of-thousand-lakes.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, a Finn consume on average 10.1 liters (2.67 gallons) of alcohol per year. Which isn't actually <i>that</i> much (only #14 on the list of countries that drink the most) but the thing is that Finnish people drink it <i>all</i> on Friday and Saturday nights. And when Finns drink, they <i>drink.</i> Similar to Denmark, they're not the type to casually sip on a beer or glass of wine during dinner. They're the type to chug straight vodka. Seriously. One of Sanni's friends brought a small bottle of vodka with him when we were pre-gaming and drank it plain, directly from the bottle. He said to be a true Finnish man you have to drink vodka without mixing it or chasing it. I took one sip and almost puked. Ew. I guess I'll never be a true Finnish man... darn.<br />
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But why is this excessive drinking so prevalent in Nordic countries (namely, Iceland, Finland and Denmark)?<br />
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Everyone jokes that there's nothing else to do in these frigid cold, dark places so they resort to binge-drinking to avoid boredom. Well, this could be partially true, I guess, but I found some other explanations from a book I'm currently reading called the <a href="http://www.ericweinerbooks.com/books/the-geography-of-bliss/description/" target="_blank">Geography of Bliss</a> by Eric Weiner (the author travels around the world to the happiest countries in search of happiness; it's reallllyyy good so far!). He visited Iceland and learned a bit about why Icelanders like getting so trashed, Weiner writes, "During the harsh days of yore, people never knew when the next catch of fish or crop of vegetables might arrive, so when it did, they devoured it greedily. Of course, nowadays there isn't a shortage of anything in Iceland, except sunlight, but the old binge mentality remains". The same could be said for Finland, the harsh climate didn't make it easy for survival back in the post Ice Age times so the Finns probably pigged out too whenever they had a chance.<br />
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Weiner also mentioned that the minuscule population of Iceland (323,000) could have something to do with their hobby of getting so wasted on the weekends: "They see the same familiar faces, day in and day out. By the end of the week, they need a break, but getting off the island isn't easy. So they drink <span style="text-indent: -24px;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">– heavily – and suddenly all those familiar faces look a little less familiar... </span><span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;">It’s
sort of like putting on a new pair of glasses, with a different prescription,
the world looks a bit different". </span><span style="text-indent: -24px;">Now this theory might not be quite as applicable to Finland because its population is 6 times as big as Iceland (5.6 million), however I still think the explanation could apply to some of the smaller, more remote Finnish villages. </span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: -24px;">Anyway, the main culprit of binge drinking in Finland has definitely got to be the teenagers and university students, which I was lucky enough to spend all of my time with! ;) The best thing about Finnish universities, though, is not the binge drinking but rather the crazy traditions they have. Freshman are inaugurated through some themed parties, games and challenges planned by the older students. I heard a story from one of Sanni's friends about a 24-hour bus trip through Finland where the freshman are forced to drink, at least a little bit, the <i>entire</i> time. Talk about car sickness. Then there's Laskianinen (Shrove Tuesday) in February where all of the university students in Helsinki slide down Ullanlinnanmaki hill using their own umm, how do I say this?, <i>creative</i> inventions. Check out some photos from last year's even <a href="http://www.metro.fi/uutiset/a1387809776368" target="_blank">here</a>! </span><br />
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Another cool thing is that each department (engineering, biology, history etc.) has their own color of university overalls. Some programs have an event called "haalarinkastajaiset" (roughly translating to "baptizing the overalls") where the new students put their overalls on for the first time. Some even dip into a pool of water! Freshman at the Tampere University of Technology dunk themselves into the freezing Temmerkoski river wearing just a kastepaita (baptizing shirt). Not exactly sure why they're nude on the bottom half of their bodies when I thought the whole point of this ritual was to baptize the <i>overalls</i> but whatever! If the teekkaris (tech students) don't want to wear pants (or underwear for that matter) who am I to judge!? Anyway, this tradition allows the freshman to transition into "real and actual Teekkaris ", a Finnish tech student herself, told me.<br />
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Students can also buy patches at each party/event they attend to sew onto their pants. Some of these patches have really funny pictures and captions too. I seriously love the university overalls so much!! They kind of remind me of American sorority/fraternity t-shirts but waaayyyy cooler. Ugh, I wish I could be a Finnish university student. Then there's May Day too, t<span style="text-indent: -24px;">he biggest student event of the year, with different traditions in every part of Finland. In Helsinki, everyone, adult alumni included, come to the center of of the city in their overalls for a huge drinking party! </span><br />
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Sanni's friend, Veronica, is a second-year environmental science major at the University of Helsinki and took us under her wing to two different parties (since Sanni goes to college in Italy). The first had a costume theme: to wear clothes that you wouldn't normally wear to a party. Unfortunately, I'm stupid and didn't partake in the theme (mainly because I don't have many crazy clothes in my limited packing for a year around the world) but I saw some interesting costumes! There was also a dance floor, DJ, beer pong tables, bar and outdoor sitting area. I spent most of my time conversing with the drunk Finns! From one drunken conversation, I learned that Finland is <i>not</i> part of Scandinavia. Maybe you already knew this and I'm just dumb or maybe it's new for you too. Only Denmark, Sweden and Norway make up Scandinavia and if you add Iceland and Finland to that list, those are the Nordic countries. Check out <a href="http://en.biginfinland.com/nordic-or-scandinavian/" target="_blank">this article</a> to learn more (maybe you're curious or maybe you could care less, idk!?). Oh yeah and remember <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/10/how-to-be-danish-girl-without-actually.html" target="_blank">that disgusting licorice shot I drank in Denmark</a>? Yup, Finns love that crap too and Sanni tricked me into drinking one with her... I immediately bought some cheap hot dog that they sold at the party to get rid of the taste. Bleh. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what I mean about the interesting costumes!?</td></tr>
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The other party was really cool. Veronica and the older students set up little stations all around the center of Helsinki and the freshman had to find them and complete the games at each one. Sanni and I stayed with Veronica at her station and watched the freshman play charades and drink. The best part was that it was a Monday night and here we were drinking wine straight from the bottle on the side of the street... but that's the thing, no one really cares in Finland! It was hilarious, we accidentally bought a bottle of wine that needed a bottle opener but we didn't have one so we spent a good 30 minutes getting it open! First we asked people walking by if they had a bottle opener then finally some guy shoved the cork inside the bottle and it opened, yay!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the stations</td></tr>
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After all of the freshman completed the tasks at every station, the freshman, older students and us tagging along (party-crashers) met up at a designated location in the city. There, the older students mixed together some jungle-juice like concoction and passed out cups to everyone. Then they recited a chant/song and everyone had to repeat it. I did my best to imitate the insanely-difficult Finnish words but probably ended up sounding like a moron because a lot of Finns looked at me with "wtf?!" expressions.<br />
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Next, we walked to an apartment where the final party was held. There was a small bar run by the students with cheap drinks and food. So apparently, these university parties are really easy to sneak into (the uni buildings don't have a lot of security) because someone made an announcement to watch out for random, uninvited people that might be trying to roofie your drink... when I heard that I looked at Sanni, alarmed, and asked "Is he talking about us!? Do they think we're trying to drug them!? What the heck??". But she reassured me that he wasn't referring to us but rather shady adults who've snuck into the parties in the past and slipped stuff in peoples drinks.<br />
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Lastly, in groups, the freshman performed little skits where they danced, sang and acted. I didn't understand any of the Finnish (and every time I asked Sanni to translate she'd just say, "Oh, what they said is stupid, it doesn't matter" lol) so I honestly can't tell you exactly what was going on in these performances but it was entertaining! I guess they had practiced them a bit because the older students judged and chose a winning group.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous university overalls! I want some...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite patches</td></tr>
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One of the first days I was in Finland, Sanni said to me, "Thursday I think we'll go to Estonia, if that's okay with you?". I immediately answered "Of course!!" Add another country to my list, heck yeah! Sanni said the boat trip to the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, only took 3 hours and cost 20 euros. Wow, even cheaper than <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/09/day-cation-to-sweden.html" target="_blank">when I went to Malmo, Sweden from Copenhagen</a>! Little did I know that Tallinn is <i>the </i>place for Finns to buy alcohol.<br />
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Alcohol in Finland is super expensive (just like everything else... but I'll get to that in my next blog post about how to live on a budget) so Finns go to Estonia to stock up on booze where it's waaaayy cheaper, then bring it back to Finland and either save it for later or sell it. I swear, every single Finn has a stash of bottles in their closet (Sanni and her younger brother both do). So it's not illegal to buy alcohol in Estonia and bring it back just for just yourself but if you re-sell it in Finland, that's illegal. Yet many Finns still do it anyway. They just claim the 10 cases of beer they're carrying is for "personal consumption".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanni's stash!</td></tr>
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The drinking age in Finland is 18 for alcohol under 20% and 20 for over 20%. I was surprised to discover the relatively old drinking ages (in Italy it's 16 for beer & wine and 18 for liquor) considering Finns drink so much. But this is why a lot of Helsinki teens go to Estonia because the drinking age is 18 for everything. They can buy booze and then re-sell it to their underage friends and make a decent profit.<br />
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Once our ship docked in Tallinn we walked out onto the harbor and some of the first things I saw were 24 hour clubs, bars and liquor stores. Sanni said some Finns don't even bother going past the harbor, they just step off the ship, get plastered, buy some booze and go back home. I bet these people had unforgettable vacations (haha get it? Irony because they probably don't remember anything, I'm so funny!).<br />
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We, however, actually made it farther than just the harbor, yay! We went to a flea market that Sanni found online (of course... she's seriously addicted), a park with the parliament house and a palace, bought some food from a grocery store and had a picnic, climbed some really steep steps to the top of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Olaf%27s_Church,_Tallinn" target="_blank">St. Olaf's church</a> for some awesome views of the city, walked around <a href="https://www.visitestonia.com/en/holiday-destinations/city-guides/tallinn-the-capital/medieval-old-town" target="_blank">Old Town</a> and <i>then</i> stocked up on booze! I honestly <i>really</i> liked Tallinn! Mainly Old Town was my favorite, it was a really well preserved medieval town! Definitely make a stop if you ever have the opportunity :) We didn't buy a crazy amount of alcohol though so we could easily conceal it in our purses and backpacks. But I saw some other people getting stopped by officials when we were boarding the ship on the way back to Helsinki. These people literally had carts full of cases and cases of beer! Maybe they were planning on opening their own liquor store when they got back? Not a bad idea... haha just kidding.<br />
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Here's some pictures from our Estonia trip! I hope you enjoyed reading and don't miss my next post about how to travel on 20 euros a day! Oh & if you want to follow me on snapchat just leave your snapchat username below and I'll add you! Plus don't forget about <a href="https://instagram.com/jdawgxx/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/JDAWGxx" target="_blank">Twitter</a> ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estonian parliament building</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone got married!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kadriorg_Palace" target="_blank">Kadriorg Palace</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picnic lunch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Less than 1 euro per bottle!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrying our precious cargo ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our purchases!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<!--EndFragment-->Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-11607032751445235092015-11-02T02:50:00.003-08:002015-11-04T09:24:49.494-08:00Why don't Finnish people like small talk?<div class="MsoNormal">
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Let’s play a guessing game!<br>
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Which country…</div>
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Experiences 40% less of a class divide than the United States?</div>
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Has only been an independent nation since 1917?</div>
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Is the 6<sup>th</sup> happiest country in the world <i>but</i> also<i> </i>has the 5<sup>th</sup> highest suicide rate?</div>
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Has people who are reserved and don’t particularly enjoy small talk?</div>
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Has the 4<sup>th</sup> most difficult language to learn for native English speakers?</div>
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Has 26 lakes for every person?</div>
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Consumes on average 2.67 gallons (10.1 litres) of alcohol annually per capita?</div>
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Practices official bilingualism?</div>
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Has the 6<sup>th</sup> best education system in the world?</div>
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Experiences 18+ hours of darkness per day in the winter (depending on the region)?</div>
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Is home to Santa Claus?</div>
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Ding, ding, ding… if you guessed Finland, you’re correct! If you guessed anything else than you’re an idiot because the last clue should've totally given it away (not to mention the name of this blog post...).</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP9ZZ-Ye9oT_3WI_sYAWNR1zX02-KMi5Ywk2qBGkAegU3g47YsaxL-mXo0V5cMpWKTNUQVmlKy1YuGLFozviA5a_bdEC5CgKrUjyufrA4ko-c28OxBl3Hyxcp_GHc9iSnf4sZz7KG1WWF/s1600/IMG_2568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibP9ZZ-Ye9oT_3WI_sYAWNR1zX02-KMi5Ywk2qBGkAegU3g47YsaxL-mXo0V5cMpWKTNUQVmlKy1YuGLFozviA5a_bdEC5CgKrUjyufrA4ko-c28OxBl3Hyxcp_GHc9iSnf4sZz7KG1WWF/s640/IMG_2568.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who said Finland has bad weather!? The sun comes out sometimes...</td></tr>
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So as you probably already figured out, Finland is the next country I knocked off my bucket list, after Denmark. I stayed 10 days in a small town an hour north of Helsinki, called Nurmijärvi, with my friend Sanni. Just like Victoria, Sanni was an exchange student in Turin, Italy the same year as me so we became really close and kept in touch :) She actually moved to Italy a year ago to go to university and live with her boyfriend, Lorenzo (who she met 3 years ago when she was an exchange student in Turin, isn't that adorable?!). She only goes back to Finland in the summer to work, visit her family and old friends.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So excited to see one of my best friends after two and a half years! <3</td></tr>
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Going to Finland was actually a spur-of-the-moment decision. I thought I’d stay in Copenhagen for another week but when Sanni invited me to come visit, there’s no way I could say no! I was greeted at the Helsinki airport back on September 16 by Sanni, her mom and step dad. By the time we got home, it was past midnight so Sanni’s parents went to sleep. I was talking to Sanni while she guided me to her bedroom. As she closed the door she told me to quiet down a little bit because most Finnish people are private and reserved. I was surprised to hear this because Sanni is extremely outgoing and talkative. She explained that she’s not the typical Finnish. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanni's home!</td></tr>
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When hanging out with Sanni's friends once, we had plenty of moments, a couple minutes long, of complete silence. At first I thought it was really awkward, aren't these people friends?! Shouldn't they be talking?! But I just realized that no one had anything really important to say. Not by any means do Finns dislike conversation. It's just that they don't beat around the bush. If you ask a Finn how they are, they won't just say "I'm good, how are you" (as most Americans and Italians would), a Finn will say, "I'm okay but my family's not doing well, my mom lost her job". They will tell the truth about everything going on in their life. However, they will only do this with people they're familiar with. They're not going to spill the details of their problems to a random stranger so that's why they tend to come off as closed and reserved to foreigners; they're trapped because they feel it's rude to say "I'm fine" when it's not the truth. Small talk culture simply doesn't exist in Finland, you either tell every detail of the truth or not much at all.</div>
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But <i>why</i> is small talk not a part of Finnish culture? I asked Sanni but she said she's not sure, that's just the way they are. Hmm... I'm not convinced, there's got to be a reason.</div>
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Maybe it’s because their language is so gosh darn difficult, they don’t even have the patience to speak it themselves! Finnish is an Uralic language, along with Estonian and Hungarian. Finnish words are so confusing and can get crazy long because they string together multiple words into one word. So for example instead of saying "she is on", in Finnish it would be something like "sheison" (at least I think that's how it works). Check out this comparison between how to say "the dog and two dogs" in Finnish, Swedish, German and English to see what I mean... (I found it on a tumblr page called <a href="http://depressingfinland.tumblr.com/post/65222506844/what-do-you-mean-finnish-is-difficult" target="_blank">Depressing Finland</a>)</div>
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What do you mean Finnish is difficult?</div>
<div class="chat" style="background-color: white; border-left-color: rgb(222, 221, 221); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 5px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 10px 10px 0px;">
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<strong>English:</strong> A dog</div>
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<strong>Swedish:</strong> What</div>
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<strong>English:</strong> The dog</div>
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<strong>English:</strong> Two dogs</div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
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<strong>Swedish:</strong> En hund, hunden</div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong> Två hundar, hundarna</div>
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<strong>German:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>English:</strong> No, go away</div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong> No one invited you</div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>German:</strong> Der Hund</div>
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<strong>English:</strong> I said go away</div>
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<strong>German:</strong> Ein Hund, zwei Hunde</div>
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<strong>Swedish:</strong> Stop it</div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>German:</strong> Den Hund, einen Hund, dem Hund, einem Hund, des Hundes, eines Hundes, den Hunden, der Hunden</div>
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<strong>Finnish:</strong> Sup</div>
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<strong>English:</strong> NO</div>
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<strong>Swedish:</strong> NO</div>
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<strong>German:</strong> NO</div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Finnish:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>English:</strong></div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>German:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Finnish:</strong> Koira, koiran, koiraa, koiran again, koirassa, koirasta, koiraan, koiralla, koiralta, koiralle, koirana, koiraksi, koiratta, koirineen, koirin</div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>German:</strong></div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Finnish:</strong></div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>English:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Finnish:</strong> Aaaand... koirasi, koirani, koiransa, koiramme, koiranne, koiraani, koiraasi, koiraansa, koiraamme, koiraanne, koirassani, koirassasi, koirassansa, koirassamme, koirassanne, koirastani, koirastasi, koirastansa, koirastamme, koirastanne, koirallani, koirallasi, koirallansa, koirallamme, koirallanne, koiranani, koiranasi, koiranansa, koiranamme, koirananne, koirakseni, koiraksesi, koiraksensa, koiraksemme, koiraksenne, koirattani, koirattasi, koirattansa, koirattamme, koirattanne, koirineni, koirinesi, koirinensa, koirinemme, koirinenne</div>
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<strong>English:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
<div class="line odd" style="background-color: #eaeaea; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>German:</strong></div>
<div class="line even" style="background-color: #dedddd; color: #494949; margin-bottom: 1px; padding: 3px 5px;">
<strong>Finnish:</strong> Wait! then theres koirakaan, koirankaan, koiraakaan, koirassakaan, koirastakaan, koiraankaan, koirallakaan, koiraltakaan, koirallekaan, koiranakaan, koiraksikaan, koirattakaan, koirineenkaan, koirinkaan, koirako, koiranko, koiraako, koirassako, koirastako, koiraanko, koirallako, koiraltako, koiralleko, koiranako, koiraksiko, koirattako, koirineenko, koirinko, koirasikaan, koiranikaan, koiransakaan, koirammekaan, koirannekaan, koiraanikaan, koiraasikaan, koiraansakaan, koiraammekaan, koiraannekaan, koirassanikaan, koirassasikaan, koirassansakaan, koirassammekaan, koirassannekaan, koirastanikaan, koirastasikaan, koirastansakaan, koirastammekaan, koirastannekaan, koirallanikaan, koirallasikaan, koirallansakaan, koirallammekaan, koirallannekaan, koirananikaan, koiranasikaan, koiranansakaan, koiranammekaan, koiranannekaan, koiraksenikaan, koiraksesikaan, koiraksensakaan, koiraksemmekaan, koiraksennekaan, koirattanikaan, koirattasikaan, koirattansakaan, koirattammekaan, koirattannekaan, koirinenikaan, koirinesikaan, koirinensakaan, koirinemmekaan, koirinennekaan, koirasiko, koiraniko, koiransako, koirammeko, koiranneko, koiraaniko, koiraasiko, koiraansako, koiraammeko, koiraanneko, koirassaniko, koirassasiko, koirassansako, koirassammeko, koirassanneko, koirastaniko, koirastasiko, koirastansako, koirastammeko, koirastanneko, koirallaniko, koirallasiko, koirallansako, koirallammeko, koirallanneko, koirananiko, koiranasiko, koiranansako, koiranammeko, koirananneko, koirakseniko, koiraksesiko, koiraksensako, koiraksemmeko, koiraksenneko, koirattaniko, koirattasiko, koirattansako, koirattammeko, koirattanneko, koirineniko, koirinesiko, koirinensako, koirinemmeko, koirinenneko, koirasikaanko, koiranikaanko, koiransakaanko, koirammekaanko, koirannekaanko, koiraanikaanko, koiraasikaanko, koiraansakaanko, koiraammekaanko, koiraannekaanko, koirassanikaanko, koirassasikaanko, koirassansakaanko, koirassammekaanko, koirassannekaanko, koirastanikaanko, koirastasikaanko, koirastansakaanko, koirastammekaanko, koirastannekaanko, koirallanikaanko, koirallasikaanko, koirallansakaanko, koirallammekaanko, koirallannekaanko, koirananikaanko, koiranasikaanko, koiranansakaanko, koiranammekaanko, koiranannekaanko, koiraksenikaanko, koiraksesikaanko, koiraksensakaanko, koiraksemmekaanko, koiraksennekaanko, koirattanikaanko, koirattasikaanko, koirattansakaanko, koirattammekaanko, koirattannekaanko, koirinenikaanko, koirinesikaanko, koirinensakaanko, koirinemmekaanko, koirinennekaanko, koirasikokaan, koiranikokaan, koiransakokaan, koirammekokaan, koirannekokaan, koiraanikokaan, koiraasikokaan, koiraansakokaan, koiraammekokaan, koiraannekokaan, koirassanikokaan, koirassasikokaan, koirassansakokaan, koirassammekokaan, koirassannekokaan, koirastanikokaan, koirastasikokaan, koirastansakokaan, koirastammekokaan, koirastannekokaan, koirallanikokaan, koirallasikokaan, koirallansakokaan, koirallammekokaan, koirallannekokaan, koirananikokaan, koiranasikokaan, koiranansakokaan, koiranammekokaan, koiranannekokaan, koiraksenikokaan, koiraksesikokaan, koiraksensakokaan, koiraksemmekokaan, koiraksennekokaan, koirattanikokaan, koirattasikokaan, koirattansakokaan, koirattammekokaan, koirattannekokaan, koirinenikokaan, koirinesikokaan, koirinensakokaan, koirinemmekokaan, koirinennekokaan</div>
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<strong>Swedish:</strong></div>
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<strong>German:</strong></div>
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<strong>English:</strong> Okay, now you're just making things up!</div>
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<strong>Finnish:</strong></div>
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<strong>Finnish:</strong> And now the plural forms...</div>
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Or maybe it's their history that accounts for their lack of interest in small talk? My first day in Finland, I had lunch at home with Sanni and her family. I was ogling a carton of milk when I realized everything (the nutrition facts, brand label, etc.) was written in Finnish and another language that I didn't recognize. Confused (like usual, what do you expect, I'm American haha), I asked Sanni what the other language was. She explained that Finland is officially bilingual, meaning that everything (ads, signs, documents, etc.) must be written in both Finnish <i>and </i>Swedish. However, just because Finland is officially bilingual doesn't mean everyone actually <i>speaks </i>Swedish. Only 5% of Finns speak Swedish as their mother tongue. Although it's mandatory for all Finnish students to learn Swedish, few become fluent. Helmi, Sanni's older sister, told me that, "Most Finns have something against Swedish so they don't want to learn it, although it's an easy language and kinda useful". Hmmm... resentment over history, perhaps? Finland was a kingdom of Sweden until 1809 when Finland then became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland, under the control of the Russian Empire. Not until 1918 did Finland finally declare independence. Sanni and her family said that bilingualism in Finland is heavily debated and there are often talks of becoming a monolingual country but nothing ever happens because "Finnish people and government are slow in making changes". </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKExScSpU3m74LwcmcBMycvrPaQ1VRXBZhqtEE60fG9WkteURPHfOm3-0awem-VMT9upsBYrfBVdJI2iTtSF1icqT1GWanT-et3Woryu405TgEoZy7PnCU_7UaJCpEnyYOENENszS421R2/s1600/IMG_2745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKExScSpU3m74LwcmcBMycvrPaQ1VRXBZhqtEE60fG9WkteURPHfOm3-0awem-VMT9upsBYrfBVdJI2iTtSF1icqT1GWanT-et3Woryu405TgEoZy7PnCU_7UaJCpEnyYOENENszS421R2/s640/IMG_2745.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akseli, Sanni's younger brother (17) and Helmi, Sanni's older sister (22)</td></tr>
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Okay, sorry I just got a little sidetracked... so how could Finnish history play a role in their lack of small talk? Well it can be rooted back to around after the last ice age (9000 BCE). Helmi says that, "Even thousands of years ago it was easy to travel in Europe, from one country to another but if you wanted to come to Finland it was harder because we are isolated so far up north". Thus, the Finnish people never got accustomed to talking to strangers. Even today, the population of Finland is only 5.4 million and 93% are ethnic Finns, meaning that most of the time Finns don't have to make small talk with strangers. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sanni is obsessed with flea markets!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioUgOCkTayfKiHWCwW3DmEgrxb8h70hQXtkOlRzWm79mc4LdU6v3c7noPnpNhd7hu-wfqiKIqqJqwJHyPFUXJ2_gsUW8rGytwoiHMHrZ2QDAZCXkEL7sqNzuFLuQLosP1RfBW9ZHxs86X/s1600/IMG_2480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioUgOCkTayfKiHWCwW3DmEgrxb8h70hQXtkOlRzWm79mc4LdU6v3c7noPnpNhd7hu-wfqiKIqqJqwJHyPFUXJ2_gsUW8rGytwoiHMHrZ2QDAZCXkEL7sqNzuFLuQLosP1RfBW9ZHxs86X/s640/IMG_2480.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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I don't mean to sound rude but once I got to know some Finns, I felt like they never shut up! If you start asking questions, they don't hold back. But that's perfectly fine with me because I love talking! I would have hour long conversations with Sanni's mom about <i>everything.</i> From her marriage to her family to Finnish economy to her favorite books to her job as a midwife to Finnish geography and history, we touched on many subjects. The same goes for Sanni's friends, they didn't shy away when I asked them about education, taxes, healthcare and work in Finland. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM3zGgaGcGpqV5AVOX4uSi3C74yteN0kGfWNVfp_8tiWwrG-vjehgNkrMb8PlNwytJnvVeSJ8ieCrlGEzBdjwFPLrl55mGKIXamOrt1vol6Wy24E0RdBNkBq4BavLmX6HX2TY4kXwHU_8/s1600/IMG_2650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZM3zGgaGcGpqV5AVOX4uSi3C74yteN0kGfWNVfp_8tiWwrG-vjehgNkrMb8PlNwytJnvVeSJ8ieCrlGEzBdjwFPLrl55mGKIXamOrt1vol6Wy24E0RdBNkBq4BavLmX6HX2TY4kXwHU_8/s640/IMG_2650.jpg" width="358"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outi, Sanni's mom and some cranberry pudding she made!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can tell from her copious book collection that she loves reading!</td></tr>
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So... what did I learn from all of these in-depth conversations?<br>
<ul>
<li>Finnish college students have it goooood. Just like in Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries, in addition to free education, they get stipends from the state to help with living costs while they study. </li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Protests in Finland are rare but one actually happened while I was there because public transportation workers were protesting for higher wages and changes in the sick leave policy. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9mq9mKRsCWcGq9chhjFUMIjmCWylnGZ2ad9ebKZofs0X4VuRclc0k17x_1JMH6tUmtZUHlCoJw5Ltm8z58lK0pDixjKChNWZLMcJXto88hSCVJzvW_MZ9bPNP_gzVOGhA0Pw6NpCEfpH/s1600/DSC_0297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil9mq9mKRsCWcGq9chhjFUMIjmCWylnGZ2ad9ebKZofs0X4VuRclc0k17x_1JMH6tUmtZUHlCoJw5Ltm8z58lK0pDixjKChNWZLMcJXto88hSCVJzvW_MZ9bPNP_gzVOGhA0Pw6NpCEfpH/s640/DSC_0297.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The guy on the far left saw that I was taking a picture and waved! There was also some Estonian flags being waved but I'm honestly not sure why.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJQBa5jopqwdpShLLvi64mLH_6n2JOFtE7ngknWB7Om2UbAtqM_Lnx2sz9Mho5gZhUz8PpDNA8jx4w91X2H8pxiUusXNp_2BlrazUhVJZzYePn9ob-xbc_DRdP-sLEuX4JrgOIbuoY-fe/s1600/DSC_0299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJQBa5jopqwdpShLLvi64mLH_6n2JOFtE7ngknWB7Om2UbAtqM_Lnx2sz9Mho5gZhUz8PpDNA8jx4w91X2H8pxiUusXNp_2BlrazUhVJZzYePn9ob-xbc_DRdP-sLEuX4JrgOIbuoY-fe/s640/DSC_0299.jpg" width="640"></a></div>
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<ul>
<li>When Sanni's mom's dad was only a baby, him and his family were forced to evacuate their home in the south-eastern region of Karelia due to the Winter War against the Soviet Union (1939-1940). Finland was forced to cede 11% of it's land to the USSR. </li>
<li>Finnish people <i>love</i> their saunas. Almost every house in Finland has a sauna built into one bathroom (to keep warm during the frigid Finnish winters) and it's customary to go in naked. Sanni said most people sit in a way that covers their body but it's still not unusual at all to see your friends naked in the sauna. She said it's not really a steamy, sexual practice but more of fun, social one. Her and her friends will drink beer in the sauna then get out and jump in the snow outside, then return. I went in the sauna a few times and really liked it and wasn't really fazed by the nakedness but Outi told me that they hosted an Italian boy exchange student for a couple weeks and he was like a little more shy! There's also <a href="http://www.finnleo.com/pages/health-and-wellness.aspx" target="_blank">health benefits </a>of deep sweating like flushing toxins and soothing muscles. </li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9T5fblHTTl-dkTf7Viy8GqIy_YnIzU6BQu2Yc2V67FESrR5gdBFaMI6wwYHH7bhS8g9xV5Ky9fZ-7MevLmcMWqK3UR2cwNrv96r7S6vKqAYbILgtL-8oE_Nw5QfYK4xZcHQov01OGWA7/s1600/IMG_2562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9T5fblHTTl-dkTf7Viy8GqIy_YnIzU6BQu2Yc2V67FESrR5gdBFaMI6wwYHH7bhS8g9xV5Ky9fZ-7MevLmcMWqK3UR2cwNrv96r7S6vKqAYbILgtL-8oE_Nw5QfYK4xZcHQov01OGWA7/s640/IMG_2562.jpg" width="480"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long ago, Finns took these birch leaves from outside and smacked each other with them in the sauna, now you can buy them in stores! ahahaha I think it's hilarious!</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Reindeer is eaten only at special occasions (usually at Christmas along with many different types of vegetable casseroles, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes) because it's so expensive since it has to be imported from the northernmost region of Lapland, where reindeer are plentiful. Reindeer is a very dry red meat so it's cooked with beer and fatty bacon to make it juicier and more flavorful. I was lucky enough to be considered special enough for a nice, delicious reindeer dinner! I thought it was really yummy! :)</li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvjtQXU04MGHJBis7O-LduS6ZYXNuCbEgN523P3V3Uaj4xOHRi5z0LEoilbDQHNxUn1cEf3LgXLSCjN0zVteEB9viQHDnozZ498NZBns-mTBz7biiOJjaFmj9lskDo7-EtiQQYJjcfUER/s1600/IMG_2648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKvjtQXU04MGHJBis7O-LduS6ZYXNuCbEgN523P3V3Uaj4xOHRi5z0LEoilbDQHNxUn1cEf3LgXLSCjN0zVteEB9viQHDnozZ498NZBns-mTBz7biiOJjaFmj9lskDo7-EtiQQYJjcfUER/s640/IMG_2648.jpg" width="480"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking the reindeer!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadJ3DqABRwyFBiCNmT5cAJVc4XsP6oYqSaaCg0iR8E95HD19SuWGQHlBofgbkHDlK5NR75K4kp_s8KTX19tXoKP8E5lbNW89oX5vINfJaNaKKxp11qYHBl7FphKCXHNTRh3Kj71Xe3Txj/s1600/IMG_2649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadJ3DqABRwyFBiCNmT5cAJVc4XsP6oYqSaaCg0iR8E95HD19SuWGQHlBofgbkHDlK5NR75K4kp_s8KTX19tXoKP8E5lbNW89oX5vINfJaNaKKxp11qYHBl7FphKCXHNTRh3Kj71Xe3Txj/s640/IMG_2649.jpg" width="480"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's almost like Thanksgiving dinner except reindeer instead of turkey! ;)</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Sanni and her family (mom, step-dad, sister and brother) have gone on 2 huge <a href="http://www.eurail.com/eurail-passes" target="_blank">Eurail</a> trips. One lasted 2 and a half weeks and the other a whole month! They showed me their impressive digital scrapbooks; they visited Croatia, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and France! I think I might want to do this one day too.. :)</li>
<li>Although <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/where-santa-claus-live-hometown-north-pole-180953723/?no-ist" target="_blank">many places</a> around the world have Santa Claus tourist destinations, personally I think that Rovaniemi (located on the Arctic Circle), the capital of Lapland, seems the most authentic with its <a href="http://www.santaclausvillage.info/" target="_blank">Santa Claus Village</a>. It's <i>always</i> snowing in Rovaniemi and reindeer roam in the wild plus you can send a letter to Santa's main post office here! I <i>definitely</i> want to come back to Finland someday and visit Lapland!!</li>
<li>Finns are obsessed with candy. Particularly, gummies and licorice. However, I thought their <a href="http://www.fazer.com/our-brands/karl-fazer/" target="_blank">Karl Fazer</a> chocolate was the absolute best I've ever had in my life. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM8BynbURUc3BK4FUcLYGSaa7ktMY18_FEaAml3my77gXjCXcKq8RYFEO3xv_D39J1Wx8vrPQ9yxa-ORp2IS86rxFLmiLOMGqIjUHgLn294J98BquOKjuKnwsj_A1SjPC-eve138lRe9y/s1600/IMG_2564.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjM8BynbURUc3BK4FUcLYGSaa7ktMY18_FEaAml3my77gXjCXcKq8RYFEO3xv_D39J1Wx8vrPQ9yxa-ORp2IS86rxFLmiLOMGqIjUHgLn294J98BquOKjuKnwsj_A1SjPC-eve138lRe9y/s640/IMG_2564.jpg" width="480"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gummies galore!</td></tr>
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<ul>
<li>Since Finland is such a small country, it is mandatory for every Finnish male to serve 6 months to one year in the military or do 12 months of civil service, after high school. If someone refuses both options, they must go to jail or be on house arrest for up to a year. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjSMRuDh_w3b3dHv7kSuFQ79fZ_OFMLmbbLgcJEsXc3aJ6QC5_qtbuRO7ondyBrjUmyCpAOX34zd02H0gksjciHV4X6Boo-kNXa_bEKpIzhE_0ag4b03wTxzM_MgHPM9PvWEcoqZICl41/s1600/IMG_2565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjSMRuDh_w3b3dHv7kSuFQ79fZ_OFMLmbbLgcJEsXc3aJ6QC5_qtbuRO7ondyBrjUmyCpAOX34zd02H0gksjciHV4X6Boo-kNXa_bEKpIzhE_0ag4b03wTxzM_MgHPM9PvWEcoqZICl41/s640/IMG_2565.jpg" width="486"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Akseli, Sanni's brother will join the military next year!</td></tr>
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<div>
<ul>
<li>Just like in Denmark and the other Scandinavian countries, T.V. shows and movies aren't dubbed but rather subtitled, contributing to their impressive English skills. </li>
<li>Sanni is an AFS (American Field Service exchange student program) volunteer and said that almost no exchange students ever learn Finnish because one, it's so difficult and two, almost everyone speaks perfect English. Even Sanni's <i>grandmother</i> could understand me if I spoke slow enough and knew a decent amount of English!</li>
<li>Finland is the only Nordic country to not allow gay marriage. A law was passed to legalize gay marriage in March 2015 but it won't be active until 2017 because the government must make revisions (Sanni and her family was right, the Finnish government seems slow in making changes).</li>
<li>Every Finn has a pretty extensive knowledge of native plants and berries. Sanni and I went for a bike/hike through a forest near her house and she could identify which plants were poisonous and which weren't. She said that Finnish children are taught from a young age since berry-picking is so prevalent. </li>
</ul>
<div>
Well that's all for now, stay tuned for my next post about how to smuggle alcohol from Estonia! ;) Here's some pictures from our bike/hike!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKGF6FxYoF1IElr_gKVsDSGc32r5TG2IEfxMETjnqFO72GRc5e2CZz8bSy7p0Sk0SLa9vL7e5pLYHtq7uPFDPOH-Ff93b6HMPGYPFr14y8Jx20X1DY3_-Swe-Ur9StXuxulq3XXBMDxtr/s1600/DSC_0427.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisKGF6FxYoF1IElr_gKVsDSGc32r5TG2IEfxMETjnqFO72GRc5e2CZz8bSy7p0Sk0SLa9vL7e5pLYHtq7uPFDPOH-Ff93b6HMPGYPFr14y8Jx20X1DY3_-Swe-Ur9StXuxulq3XXBMDxtr/s640/DSC_0427.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finns have a lot of campouts and bonfires out in the forest, so cool!</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-87743898080606643672015-10-19T02:13:00.000-07:002015-10-19T09:56:29.922-07:00How to be a Danish girl without actually being Danish<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
During my time in Denmark I was often mistaken as a Danish girl (due to
my blonde hair and blue eyes) and was asked for directions and translations. Flattered
by the mix-up (psh there’s no way I’m Danish; they’re too tall and
sophisticated) I would smile and just watch the surprised look I got when I
explained that I’m actually American. However, after spending more and more
time amongst the Danes, I began to wonder if I could have more in common, other
than my hair and eye color, with a Danish girl? Could I figure out how to be
Danish without, of course, actually being Danish at all!? Hmm… that’s going to
be tough. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could totally be sisters right!?</td></tr>
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Before I begin, a quick disclaimer – I’m not trying to make
generalizations of ALL Danish people because, obviously, every area and family
is different. These are just my personal impressions as an 18-year-old American
girl living in the Copenhagen suburb of Hellerup for three weeks. What I think
may be completely different to someone else’s experience, that’s why I
encourage you all to travel and see things for yourself because who knows I
could just be making all of this stuff up! Mwhaha just kidding, I’m not. Or am
I!? Go to Copenhagen and find out for yourself ya fool! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My friend Kaylin (the American who goes to college in Rome) came to visit for a weekend!</td></tr>
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Alright, so back to what I was actually talking about, how to be a Danish
person. First things first, let’s start with how to look like a Dane. If you’re
not naturally tall, gorgeous, blonde and blue-eyed, you can fit in by wearing
black. Yup, it’s really that easy. Just wear black. Every. Single. Day. As I
mentioned in an earlier blog <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.com/2015/09/hej-kbenhavn.html" target="_blank">post</a>, black is the color of class and
sophistication in Denmark. But don’t be fooled, just because Danes love wearing
black doesn’t mean they’re depressed and dark-natured, they know how to have a
good time. I’ll get to that later.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Personally, when it comes to style, I think less is more so I easily
adapted to the black trend by purchasing some black sneakers (that’s another
thing, fashionable sneakers are very popular in Denmark, which I LOVE because
they’re so comfortable and cool). After buying some black items for your
closet, get your running shoes on (not your fashionable sneakers) and get ready
to get your lazy bum in shape! Just like many other big western-cultured
cities, Copenhagen is on a health craze. Healthy is trendy. At almost any moment
of the day, you can find someone jogging down the street. Grocery stores sell
organic products. People are obsessed with “Joe and the Juice” (basically the
Starbucks of juicing). Even 7-11 has nutritious options such as “protein
packs”. However, although being healthy is trendy, by no means are Danish bakeries
losing any business. I think Danes will always indulge in their delicious
pastries. Oh and <i>everyone</i> owns a bike
and cycles everywhere, I swear, even in the middle of a tornado, the Danes
would still ride their bikes to school or work. The city even clears the bike
paths of snow in the winter so everyone can cycle. A bike is a <i>must-buy</i> if you’re trying to be Danish. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish market! mmm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love the national pride in Danish supermarkets</td></tr>
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Myself, I’m relatively healthy and fit so this aspect of Danish life
wasn’t too hard to pick up either. I happily ran with Victoria, her mom and
sister in the mornings to the Baltic Sea (mainly because I had to burn off the
calories from all the pastries). I loved cooking up delicious, nutritious
dinners with Victoria and her family. Except one thing posed a challenge to me
– a complete juice diet. For her birthday, Victoria had received a juice
machine and was determined to use it as much as possible, hence the juice diet.
I was reluctant to join because, what the heck no, I’m in a different country;
I want to enjoy the food!! In the end, though, I didn’t want to be a buzz kill
and decided to follow my “Yes Man” policy and join all the females in the
family on a 2-day juice diet. The first day I thought I was going to die,
living off only tea and water for breakfast, apple juice for lunch and raw
vegetable juice soup for dinner. Surprisingly though, the second day it got
easier and I didn’t feel the need to chew my own arm off, plus my skin became
really clear! Victoria, her mom, sister and I were so proud of ourselves! We
did it! We flushed our systems clear of toxins! Yay! Yeah, so if living off
only liquids for two days doesn’t make me a healthy Danish girl, I don't know
what does. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Runnin on the Baltic sea in the morning :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunrise was definitely worth waking up at 6 am!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No this isn't a 5 star restaurant, it's dinner in a Danish household </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Best breakfast</td></tr>
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The bike necessity was another challenge in becoming Danish that I never
did accomplish. I was supposed to ride a bike to school with Victoria but we
realized that my legs couldn’t reach the pedals on any of the bikes (shocker)
so we decided Victoria would ride her bike to get to class on time and I’d just
take the train and get there later. I took the train, got off at the right
stop, punched Victoria’s school address into my iPhone GPS and walked. Except,
I had unknowingly put the wrong school (typical dumb blonde mistake) and walked
30 minutes in the opposite direction. Oops. Oh well, I thought, I’ll just turn
around and walk back. I got to the correct school an hour late only to find out
that I walked almost the entire way back to Victoria’s home and could’ve just
taken the train again instead. Yeah, okay, so I failed the bike thing for sure.
A true Dane would’ve effortlessly cycled the 20 minutes to school without
getting lost. <o:p></o:p><br />
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Whatever, the bike thing is irrelevant because I hit the next Danish
quality right out of the park. The majority of Danes that I met were extremely
cultured and had traveled quite a bit. <i>Not</i>
taking a gap year after high school and before college is considered unusual.
Dicte, Victoria’s older sister, told me that 99% of students take one gap year
and some even take two! Dicte took a gap year with her best friend to backpack
through Asia, Australia and the United States (check out her blog <a href="http://ravndonner.bloggersdelight.dk/" target="_blank">here</a>; it’s in
Danish though so good luck). Susanne, Victoria’s mom, took a gap year to au
pair in California. However, Danish gap years don’t always mean you’re
traveling. Many Danes take gap years to work as well. Christoffer, Victoria’s
older brother, took a gap year to serve as a guard at the queen’s palace. The
reason gap years are so prevalent is because in addition to grades, Danish
universities value life experience. For each type of major, there’s a minimum
required grade point average, however, if you don’t meet these requirements,
you can also submit a personal letter of experience and still get accepted.
Dicte even said that a student who got pregnant and had kids during her gap
year could use this as a life experience if she learned something from it.
While I’m talking about education in Demark, in case you already didn’t know,
college in Scandinavia is completely FREE. Not only is higher education free
but students are also given monthly stipends from the government for books,
rent, transportation, etc. Even in high school, Victoria receives a couple
hundred euros per month for study needs. I met a Danish guy who joked that he
can buy exactly 24 Pilsner beers per day with the government money (I think
that’s what they <i>really</i> meant by
“study needs”). Well, it goes without saying that I fulfill the gap year/travel
aspect of being Danish but I’m still lacking the free college and monthly stipends…
:/ Ugh. If only I could be Danish for real and be able to buy 24 beers
everyday!!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Last but not least, Danes know how to have fun. As I wrote about in an
earlier blog <a href="http://oneblondearoundtheworld.blogspot.dk/2015/09/hej-kbenhavn.html" target="_blank">post</a>, a Danish night out begins at 6 pm with a “warm up” and ends
at around 3 in the morning. And Danes don’t just casually sip on a beer or
glass of wine for a couple of hours, the way Italians do. Danes chug, play
drinking games and bong beers (just like Americans, except Danes can handle their alcohol). At all of the Danish parties/clubs I went to, everyone was
tipsy if not totally drunk. Beware though, if you’re handed a shot of something
black, don’t drink it. Seriously, don’t do it. Danish people love this black
licorice flavored liquor. It’s disgusting. No matter how much I want to be
Danish, I’ll never drink that toxic liquid again. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Most Danes are laid back but Danish nightclubs are not. My friends and I
went to this club that was supposed to be offering free entrance until 11pm. We
got there at 9, waited in line for 2 hours only to be let in right after 11
just so that we’d have to pay entrance. My friend told me that there are people
who work at the clubs called “pickers” that choose the most attractive people
and let them in first (so apparently, I’m ugly but whateva). Or if you’re
willing to buy a bottle of liquor for 60 euros, they’ll also let you in. So
stupid. And drinks cost around 10-15 euros, which is just plain ridiculous. Eh
I guess I can’t really bash Danes for these types of snobby nightclubs, though,
because they exist everywhere. “The most exclusive night club” my butt. I
discovered I’m more of a bar person than nightclub person. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some quick random, irrelevant facts about Denmark. Gender-neutral public
bathrooms exist, which I think is really cool. Also, when you buy a bottle of
something to drink, you have to pay an extra 20 cents or so but you get that
money back when you recycle the bottle. But most people just leave their
bottles on the street so gypsies can collect them and make some cha-ching. It’s
a good idea, keeping the streets clean, helping the environment <i>and </i>the homeless. <o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danish senior classes get to take one crazy picture for their yearbook and each class chooses a theme, Victoria's class chose yogurt so they poured yogurt all over each other in the picture!!</td></tr>
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I had an advantage that helped me become Danish; I lived with a Danish
family so I got to spend time, up close and personal, with a bunch of Danes. By
the last week, life almost began to feel normal, like I really was a part of
their family. Personally, I love this type of traveling much more than staying
in a hotel for a couple nights with a fellow American, seeing the best sights,
eating the best food and leaving. Staying with a family allows you to really
immerse yourself beyond the surface of a country. Not only do you get to do all
the tourist stuff but you also get to experience daily life and understand the
culture. However, I know chances are that most of you aren't as awesome as me
and don't have friends living around the world welcoming you into their homes
;) But don't worry; even if you don't have international friends, you can still
easily live with a Danish family! No, I’m not going to invite you to my friend,
Victoria’s home (although I’m sure she’d love having a bunch of strangers show
up on her doorstep). Instead, you can look into being a workawayer (I’m
actually doing a workaway right now in Germany and it’s awesome!!) or an au
pair (I’ve never done this before but really want to one day and know a lot of
people who’ve done it). I’ve mentioned both of these options in earlier blog
posts but I’ll refresh your memory real quick, <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">Workaway</a> is a
craiglist-style website where budget travelers can find hosts (families, farms,
hostels, etc.) and work for them in exchange for room and board. <a href="https://www.aupairworld.com/en" target="_blank">Au pairing</a> is
when you work as a live-in nanny in exchange for room, board and spending money
(depending on the family). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victoria's cat gave birth on my second day in Denmark!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twins!!</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">Okay, so after all these attempts to be Danish, you’re probably wondering,
did I achieve it? Was I accepted in Copenhagen society as a Danish girl!? Well,
the answer is yes. Let me tell you how! I went to school with Victoria a couple
times and once was picture day. I stood near the photographer during the class
photo (no way was I going to photo bomb their yearbook, that’s weird) but the
photographer wouldn’t have any of it. He asked me why I wasn’t joining the
class, I explained I was American and just visiting. He replied, “well you’re
visiting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> class, right?! So you
have to be in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> picture!”. He
placed me right smack dab in the middle, see the picture below, I stick out
like a sore thumb because I’m about a foot shorter than Victoria and Josephine
next to me. I was a little nervous that Victoria’s classmates would be angry
that I was in their picture but most thought it was hilarious but there were
also a few girls that were like, “In 30 years, I’m going to look back in my
yearbook and wonder who this random girl is”. Hahahaha oops. I’m happy though
because now I can always look back at that picture and feel like a true Danish
school girl ;)</span><br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt;">P.S. I took a little day loner sightseeing trip to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roskilde" target="_blank">Roskilde</a>, one of the oldest cities in Denmark and once the hub of viking activity. I went to the viking museum as well, here's some pictures! :)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Roskilde cathedral; a UNESCO World Heritage Site</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The remnants of an actual viking ship from the 11th century!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The museum attempts to recreate viking ships using the same, original techniques</td></tr>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-30572598874858444122015-10-07T14:30:00.002-07:002015-10-09T00:29:55.297-07:00How not to feel like a loner while sightseeing alone<div class="MsoNormal">
Traveling alone means sightseeing alone. Hmm sounds a little lonely right? But plenty of people do it, like
backpackers and travel bloggers. I mean I guess I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">am </i>traveling alone too but it almost never feels like it since I’m
always staying with friends. Nevertheless, I got a taste for what it’d be like
if I did the whole backpacking/hostel/alone thing because I went sightseeing in Copenhagen by myself while Victoria was at school. I was a
little timid venturing solo into a foreign city but it turned out being
really fun! So how do all the backpackers do it? How <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i> you sightsee alone without feeling like a loner? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/amalienborg-palace-gdk492887" target="_blank">Amalienborg Palace</a>, the winter home of the Danish royal family who are apparently very down to earth. The royal children attend elementary school only 5 minutes from Victoria's house!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/the-marble-church-gdk414142" target="_blank">Frederik's church</a>, the royal church right across from the palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkygp2z8YvJbYcxmZGXr3wm2bA7kbYv_6LM1BdYFsPuid-vtZtIo5yHgIzxPxjh_fMkQ7yZuk0M8gUqZFX9nFHgXH4-JlH_PHqJ6Mql4SJhMJsk4tCBN6C9rW4UkfU9EdcLn_VL92H2Hq/s1600/DSC_0126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkygp2z8YvJbYcxmZGXr3wm2bA7kbYv_6LM1BdYFsPuid-vtZtIo5yHgIzxPxjh_fMkQ7yZuk0M8gUqZFX9nFHgXH4-JlH_PHqJ6Mql4SJhMJsk4tCBN6C9rW4UkfU9EdcLn_VL92H2Hq/s640/DSC_0126.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/the-royal-danish-opera-house-gdk422032" target="_blank">Opera House</a> which was built across the water from the palace and church so that the three are in a perfectly straight line</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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First things first, have a set plan for the day this way
you’re not aimlessly wandering around the city like a moron. I normally pick a
museum, castle or area of the city to focus on. Museums are the best because
everyone is kind of a quiet loner reading/observing so you’ll fit in great!!
Try to pick a museum that actually interests you so you’re not bored and
wasting your money. Hint, always bring a student ID (even if it’s an old one
from high school) because you’ll get student discounts. It’s usually only a few
Euros cheaper but hey, when you’re living on a budget like me, every cent
counts! Also, check online because some museums have one day a week that’s free
admission for all. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOOLdTEpPDWqOU44A9JsSqIDoMI-nLEwWg_o9NG3KZF6SKwPwO2AL0LUoAZt35G6-55ejQQyTzzHhVa-SIIOnIfVtleZ4vXSTGWo7bO25m7HbZfkZKpMiJUUWXDWwhMyBHZoujGEi8QLg/s1600/DSC_0179.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwOOLdTEpPDWqOU44A9JsSqIDoMI-nLEwWg_o9NG3KZF6SKwPwO2AL0LUoAZt35G6-55ejQQyTzzHhVa-SIIOnIfVtleZ4vXSTGWo7bO25m7HbZfkZKpMiJUUWXDWwhMyBHZoujGEi8QLg/s640/DSC_0179.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://www.glyptoteket.com/" target="_blank">Glyptoteket</a> art museum, which has really nice sculptures </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGx4ZKLZhXhyphenhyphenagchoyZH_ngAaKW43b3MlGQf5Cq-t1mKwlrzM0T6LAACXuMlJm0gLDonpjBSBrFsTVqcgCpomt8ABBSGPCLABNxiA5C_n4QrK55hmV5H4_4jie4OjOc_-mYIbTECziFqy/s1600/DSC_0180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGx4ZKLZhXhyphenhyphenagchoyZH_ngAaKW43b3MlGQf5Cq-t1mKwlrzM0T6LAACXuMlJm0gLDonpjBSBrFsTVqcgCpomt8ABBSGPCLABNxiA5C_n4QrK55hmV5H4_4jie4OjOc_-mYIbTECziFqy/s640/DSC_0180.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGeK0AaS0Gt8TGHEFtKiJQvIlAXYj03uEfLjtfnTXldHeq6D_kKCSMu58FaTjaVHJMyC9-fpuXOGye4H7M3dvGfMayypqR0vmIISFVRFJFKuZ6o4uQaf_MZaSKRRK0i-zOzyyfYYVFJQv/s1600/DSC_0196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUGeK0AaS0Gt8TGHEFtKiJQvIlAXYj03uEfLjtfnTXldHeq6D_kKCSMu58FaTjaVHJMyC9-fpuXOGye4H7M3dvGfMayypqR0vmIISFVRFJFKuZ6o4uQaf_MZaSKRRK0i-zOzyyfYYVFJQv/s640/DSC_0196.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8z0ofMeoXPTxNcQjL2isNrUwQEWjwDujrp-zkejfKdp_08BkeRDmuVNg7IEAILIUxSsCjSqWf8B__gutdOoxF1eK0GFw_o7GzAlo2i3I764RvGBkWIq1isQOQ-A7FT271In8afHZHbYgW/s1600/DSC_0181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8z0ofMeoXPTxNcQjL2isNrUwQEWjwDujrp-zkejfKdp_08BkeRDmuVNg7IEAILIUxSsCjSqWf8B__gutdOoxF1eK0GFw_o7GzAlo2i3I764RvGBkWIq1isQOQ-A7FT271In8afHZHbYgW/s640/DSC_0181.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqNLO70Nvz783SgBI1ajtAqX6gShzR1vB51wj6Nh3eCVIeToKnaDmTA3Z72QG1nJycufYt6b5lWt1PVzMXM0zCLpkodB_oeWHMNwrElK4j_RFcDS4_9TIf8S6CKUaxxJLMyMzLjQoNX25/s1600/DSC_0184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqNLO70Nvz783SgBI1ajtAqX6gShzR1vB51wj6Nh3eCVIeToKnaDmTA3Z72QG1nJycufYt6b5lWt1PVzMXM0zCLpkodB_oeWHMNwrElK4j_RFcDS4_9TIf8S6CKUaxxJLMyMzLjQoNX25/s640/DSC_0184.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhwZiLcpQFSuBl-INBRZqHyqGD91ywPPrg1YLxT8u-qR1SnMjjkZMUpZJSwOlzvbxZY2xlE7ln2ZzUA-cQnOifxyA_XRFdbHgFGd77GCkBJ0f4uCY0_a9dTVxyNUA3Lyvhyphenhyphenio0qUQrOg0/s1600/DSC_0192.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhwZiLcpQFSuBl-INBRZqHyqGD91ywPPrg1YLxT8u-qR1SnMjjkZMUpZJSwOlzvbxZY2xlE7ln2ZzUA-cQnOifxyA_XRFdbHgFGd77GCkBJ0f4uCY0_a9dTVxyNUA3Lyvhyphenhyphenio0qUQrOg0/s640/DSC_0192.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Recognize this place?? It's Capri! Remember that island near Naples that I went to back in August!?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74LysXLpxYnpE3bRuTPRCmxtP1NN2NO3XdyI03brrvxtogj25sJyyLxBgCNQ5tV5lh80Sh8vO0dLLJsCwG5Drv5I3rTWWLPi4GfscqGsou6_pJ5JWsdSTnBvr3Z1VV-GTPpIuWfkvuZhn/s1600/DSC_0186.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74LysXLpxYnpE3bRuTPRCmxtP1NN2NO3XdyI03brrvxtogj25sJyyLxBgCNQ5tV5lh80Sh8vO0dLLJsCwG5Drv5I3rTWWLPi4GfscqGsou6_pJ5JWsdSTnBvr3Z1VV-GTPpIuWfkvuZhn/s640/DSC_0186.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQkSqdco3fNzaqM6_yg9NypMiXZ7byHFNc12n7qXWwFYEJvyLBqGdE1yidJ9rSVvKWOufvgs5ehixIw-9TlIrtnltIvZ5F0LCvqzbg9CRRxOLuukvba-XdhqfAN5aMU_RM7EN6o8qreWh/s1600/DSC_0187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqQkSqdco3fNzaqM6_yg9NypMiXZ7byHFNc12n7qXWwFYEJvyLBqGdE1yidJ9rSVvKWOufvgs5ehixIw-9TlIrtnltIvZ5F0LCvqzbg9CRRxOLuukvba-XdhqfAN5aMU_RM7EN6o8qreWh/s640/DSC_0187.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOJ3gxE0E6olrSLzKjHqJW9ode0fUqTpTo890c2gXjFIC0h418wYt8QccO_aMCNBnEDYsnDVLY5Ff2_9StRbB-LoBaTxdyvVQzPKvB79AL62Gahd_h_8Zq3osVEKwNf3waYHeENL-Ngt3/s1600/DSC_0191.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOJ3gxE0E6olrSLzKjHqJW9ode0fUqTpTo890c2gXjFIC0h418wYt8QccO_aMCNBnEDYsnDVLY5Ff2_9StRbB-LoBaTxdyvVQzPKvB79AL62Gahd_h_8Zq3osVEKwNf3waYHeENL-Ngt3/s640/DSC_0191.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What about this place? It's Mount Vesuvius! I love seeing paintings of all these places I've already been because I feel so cool</td></tr>
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Make sure to know what public transportation you have to
take ahead of time so that way, once again, you’re not cluelessly taking the
wrong bus, train or subway in the complete opposite direction, like a moron.
Also, obviously know where you have to walk so bring a map or use the GPS on
your phone if you have internet connection (There’s even step-by-step walking
directions on iPhones if you’re extremely navigationally challenged, like me). If
you don’t have a map or phone, you’re screwed. Just kidding! If you’re
seriously lost you can always ask someone for directions (assuming that you
find someone who speaks English) but in Denmark that’s not a problem because
everyone’s fluent in English and so friendly and helpful. I almost feel bad
asking Danes for directions because they become so preoccupied with making sure
you find your way. Danish people actually <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i>
to help you, which is really cool because I feel like in most places the locals
get irritated with the oblivious tourists. Hint, most countries have public
transportation apps, which are LIFESAVERS (If you’re in Denmark, use
<a href="http://www.rejseplanen.dk/" target="_blank">Rejseplanen</a>)!! You can download them in English, then all you have to do is put
in your current location and where you want to go and the app gives you all the
times and instructions on which buses/trains/subways you have to take to get
there. Basically, public transportation for dummies!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHwzRMZnS12RGBaelHDlIMUbVX7C_RNvXl-7V8I8qg4t45oWiBYvdn4M8c_d7aJCgKbuhGS2FgEjxgI31oqDqHyqUU06B-jKA_di_sz-5NrsDi5mmEZK4ak7xXsRoapwR3m-94jYV8ZgB/s1600/IMG_2135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHwzRMZnS12RGBaelHDlIMUbVX7C_RNvXl-7V8I8qg4t45oWiBYvdn4M8c_d7aJCgKbuhGS2FgEjxgI31oqDqHyqUU06B-jKA_di_sz-5NrsDi5mmEZK4ak7xXsRoapwR3m-94jYV8ZgB/s640/IMG_2135.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/nyhavn-gdk474735" target="_blank">Nyhavn</a> street</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Since you’re going to be alone all day, it’s essential to
have some good tunes to jam out to so pack your iPod, iPhone, MP3 player, CD
player or whatever the heck you use to listen to music. Hearing your favorite
songs will cheer you up about the fact that you have no friends!</div>
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Okay so hopefully you took my earlier advice and chose a
museum that you actually care about. If you really just hate museums and don’t
care about anything, ask a local which museum they recommend! Try not to think
of museums as boring (even though I know they can be), instead think about the
fact that you’re in a different country, learning cool stuff that will make you
a very cultured an interesting person! But remember, this isn’t a school field
trip, it’s supposed to be fun so don’t feel obligated to read every single information
thingy.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kYY5aoZ17B1EkD7uWC3SPgr3Cq06OchFX6rfnMUvuBk6OqnfGkhw_9U7y7F-aOrtY-oQgo3jHQPT9ta2ajEQH-c0qNZ0WVBYQYiEPg40ay06RZzN0ZJmi-ASqi2uyKuoAhVby1qMNC02/s1600/DSC_0162.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kYY5aoZ17B1EkD7uWC3SPgr3Cq06OchFX6rfnMUvuBk6OqnfGkhw_9U7y7F-aOrtY-oQgo3jHQPT9ta2ajEQH-c0qNZ0WVBYQYiEPg40ay06RZzN0ZJmi-ASqi2uyKuoAhVby1qMNC02/s640/DSC_0162.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 400 year old <a href="http://www.kongernessamling.dk/en/rosenborg/" target="_blank">Rosenborg castle</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FpSpTd_sqlUh8p5UhA4aQjjbxnNTpjnQZHpXiw6psVi5PdK0oBmklUCHENP9P4kofqXNlZqhwLYrYh9IR-Az9kXgGqWTJCYMbrqgjlJpYtBQRJDJvjsikoQ31tQ9AV26pFQahg3S8fDo/s1600/DSC_0153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2FpSpTd_sqlUh8p5UhA4aQjjbxnNTpjnQZHpXiw6psVi5PdK0oBmklUCHENP9P4kofqXNlZqhwLYrYh9IR-Az9kXgGqWTJCYMbrqgjlJpYtBQRJDJvjsikoQ31tQ9AV26pFQahg3S8fDo/s640/DSC_0153.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDs3ATk8P-yogVwfLYf9w1qNjsGyo08W6B8PNAHwEC6o4YI3xjcap834jjK6slDqLGZDjXyfgqYEhZgbiBGVUSBtI7VlpbsVAES68iMQW7QCA-XI-aAGpS8BaqAw5WKwHHEov6c_V90Oz/s1600/DSC_0159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmDs3ATk8P-yogVwfLYf9w1qNjsGyo08W6B8PNAHwEC6o4YI3xjcap834jjK6slDqLGZDjXyfgqYEhZgbiBGVUSBtI7VlpbsVAES68iMQW7QCA-XI-aAGpS8BaqAw5WKwHHEov6c_V90Oz/s640/DSC_0159.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS_Qj_soPsUtJuQPzL1HJEbCRU3XKVIwT7B97-4gon9vnPjbRaiFDwGNwwSyklguH7X7q4oD9FMOPtjFdWRVleqvulv-RaAjUMtGDFBd1RYPei2dVCZO3BQPcdxr-6wcEQWZQHAOx_wiv/s1600/DSC_0134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisS_Qj_soPsUtJuQPzL1HJEbCRU3XKVIwT7B97-4gon9vnPjbRaiFDwGNwwSyklguH7X7q4oD9FMOPtjFdWRVleqvulv-RaAjUMtGDFBd1RYPei2dVCZO3BQPcdxr-6wcEQWZQHAOx_wiv/s640/DSC_0134.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilF4Jy-zD_yrz9Jpkp776bFes2H0cJ8f-eGCbBoQR6YfdDPbHaaXLCXmpP_GwKZgtUxjHenlmnrC5e1rXusF6Sx7zPIBF94YbMS9TTt9H5GZF20TfCmktRJSUnQ6NCB6AGa5RVouMAdfd7/s1600/DSC_0145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilF4Jy-zD_yrz9Jpkp776bFes2H0cJ8f-eGCbBoQR6YfdDPbHaaXLCXmpP_GwKZgtUxjHenlmnrC5e1rXusF6Sx7zPIBF94YbMS9TTt9H5GZF20TfCmktRJSUnQ6NCB6AGa5RVouMAdfd7/s640/DSC_0145.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So mad this dude ruined my picture...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsoM89rB9mNn_xzcUdDNM7qKCIHyRxZ-hZemzwVbQth9o0EHNL7GzFhKsFKH_MWihMXXvvisI3poturvoxr4NvlI75jsH2xugPnDdUcOt_QyfXQphjcrIfemaSYM8nBnkX62tdJRCEo_z/s1600/DSC_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsoM89rB9mNn_xzcUdDNM7qKCIHyRxZ-hZemzwVbQth9o0EHNL7GzFhKsFKH_MWihMXXvvisI3poturvoxr4NvlI75jsH2xugPnDdUcOt_QyfXQphjcrIfemaSYM8nBnkX62tdJRCEo_z/s640/DSC_0136.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRS0Tpu-24zdgk2nsS4UILVfyP4K8TQc_oHLlSkq_g1pdtdPx4f4Jk7O5NVOFnSLtLHmJNTuuk6mnELI-fyZmzDWyf4vAm2GkojUpNacyXRZs0z2bqPfqYHgT1puEoSFZwLSKNI26b4B/s1600/DSC_0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeRS0Tpu-24zdgk2nsS4UILVfyP4K8TQc_oHLlSkq_g1pdtdPx4f4Jk7O5NVOFnSLtLHmJNTuuk6mnELI-fyZmzDWyf4vAm2GkojUpNacyXRZs0z2bqPfqYHgT1puEoSFZwLSKNI26b4B/s640/DSC_0137.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCzvCD6TxXgOI7GB0Vvsas1gU6ZSnDeCU2DhKScg6oK44puUUJGhSAWjgkbTMTPXWL_B09MBeLZeOCdirAFewYfkptB9pyv7dJGHvXkJk2fHK2-Y2opMvur9xNSHfFxGOx4hoVlnD8I1g/s1600/DSC_0147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCzvCD6TxXgOI7GB0Vvsas1gU6ZSnDeCU2DhKScg6oK44puUUJGhSAWjgkbTMTPXWL_B09MBeLZeOCdirAFewYfkptB9pyv7dJGHvXkJk2fHK2-Y2opMvur9xNSHfFxGOx4hoVlnD8I1g/s640/DSC_0147.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYbd1V9O9iRu_GcQAr1DDtUY8AgUTB3idDsTiFbZsYzhq__W-KNQfBztEIuda6u-jf7_c1_dUvzwWtttPyADh2heT84_7Kx-xafAhuc3tr9Y3i6FdUjuIBGv9qBerGBq1ST2Td1cVGy3S/s1600/DSC_0148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYbd1V9O9iRu_GcQAr1DDtUY8AgUTB3idDsTiFbZsYzhq__W-KNQfBztEIuda6u-jf7_c1_dUvzwWtttPyADh2heT84_7Kx-xafAhuc3tr9Y3i6FdUjuIBGv9qBerGBq1ST2Td1cVGy3S/s640/DSC_0148.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd say the Rosenborg was my favorite historical site in Copenhagen, just look at this room!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZShsziKEerB52RTNNKfpG0s7LOZ5S7wGmEI0pBu7R9C_7iR_NBkaLR-tKjh2eVr6c0maCc51rMQRovyKbhCQwdkAyJOUWu_Os_R7GqYPVdll0OutdHgSpSNMJ3wvWq1QIODEDNV1zV-_j/s1600/DSC_0149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZShsziKEerB52RTNNKfpG0s7LOZ5S7wGmEI0pBu7R9C_7iR_NBkaLR-tKjh2eVr6c0maCc51rMQRovyKbhCQwdkAyJOUWu_Os_R7GqYPVdll0OutdHgSpSNMJ3wvWq1QIODEDNV1zV-_j/s640/DSC_0149.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Of course, you don’t always have to go to museums; they’re
just convenient for loners. I also like walking around the main tourist sites
with my Nikon camera and pretending to be a professional photographer (even
though in reality, I have no clue). I really encourage you to take lots of
pictures because it’ll keep you busy, it’s fun and gives you memories to look
back on! Plus, who knows maybe you’ll take a super awesome picture (like the ones I took below!) that’ll get
you a million likes on Instagram ;)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSqxnhgjElhCpc87mcduXxpVCwci3CTe1bwcNy2t19jmkb7-0unzvqqK4ItN2lm44YGBFV5XePfMRuvpmiY7PJKsA_aYCXKWBLjV0iXo4GQKGofypEJW2E1R4nW4ExqxER1pUl7di3H1/s1600/IMG_2313.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="510" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoSqxnhgjElhCpc87mcduXxpVCwci3CTe1bwcNy2t19jmkb7-0unzvqqK4ItN2lm44YGBFV5XePfMRuvpmiY7PJKsA_aYCXKWBLjV0iXo4GQKGofypEJW2E1R4nW4ExqxER1pUl7di3H1/s640/IMG_2313.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/christiansborg-palace-gdk420896" target="_blank">Christiansborg Palace</a> holds the Danish parliament, Supreme Court and Ministry of State</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68fReRul4WHg4w_5wdX5fczgK8R0xlRfBF3qJfeB4c_yJZYe08jfiX1CSpzIXK0ve3KNnyBO0ZdxSkka_vxcbgOdshJWVTIwdI-ZBi7cKbYqdoXHmj0xWPTUg6U0NJY3s8MIum7JV7_tg/s1600/IMG_2193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68fReRul4WHg4w_5wdX5fczgK8R0xlRfBF3qJfeB4c_yJZYe08jfiX1CSpzIXK0ve3KNnyBO0ZdxSkka_vxcbgOdshJWVTIwdI-ZBi7cKbYqdoXHmj0xWPTUg6U0NJY3s8MIum7JV7_tg/s640/IMG_2193.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some random street in Copenhagen</td></tr>
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If you really start running out of things to do just look at
your map (or iPhone) and see what’s nearby. Chances are, there’s at least a
corner of the city that you haven’t explored yet so just go there! I like
finding parks, churches, lakes, gardens, libraries, parliament houses, castles
or anything else that sounds remotely nice. Whatever you find may not be a main
tourist attraction or a UNESCO world heritage site but it’s still foreign to
you and probably pretty cool! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRhQ8MKWiZ88JP8mv5Ld8aMqwXTDmWa_tzuPAqM69gToI_E-sLF08G-xtSloaLgypLaPfVOQ-40mDxhXLvPQPM7V6TimuJ18YtRO8fi9ZhQoa9H4YrGugzPd7ss6ogu9NISnriYW8jHIt/s1600/IMG_2339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRhQ8MKWiZ88JP8mv5Ld8aMqwXTDmWa_tzuPAqM69gToI_E-sLF08G-xtSloaLgypLaPfVOQ-40mDxhXLvPQPM7V6TimuJ18YtRO8fi9ZhQoa9H4YrGugzPd7ss6ogu9NISnriYW8jHIt/s640/IMG_2339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">University of Copenhagen's <a href="http://botanik.snm.ku.dk/english/" target="_blank">Botanical Garden</a></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sCUNXqE_j49p3iVXK5oRtlmImBgHycKKfIrvwYGQdmh8-fHTS39Rrz3rZtB9MEKzb7B2A9CvTOnn3MzgyErboRP1KtOlBGVF1dLDec3so9uB3F3VBr_8OLinfkQqsQplbKuzYREfOWqN/s1600/DSC_0131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sCUNXqE_j49p3iVXK5oRtlmImBgHycKKfIrvwYGQdmh8-fHTS39Rrz3rZtB9MEKzb7B2A9CvTOnn3MzgyErboRP1KtOlBGVF1dLDec3so9uB3F3VBr_8OLinfkQqsQplbKuzYREfOWqN/s640/DSC_0131.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I personally hate shopping, partially become I’m poor and
partially because I don’t have any room left in my suitcase, but if you do like
shopping, that’s another good loner activity. Only problem is that you don’t
have friends to consult so you don’t know if the clothes you’re about to buy
make you look like crap or not… Hmm. Maybe just window-shopping is a better
option? Haha</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliSzp7evy5S6Y2wrcLa7HMMY4qdJDXq_JSQwSZJogy6Hk6gJAt9k0okn0_91SzRluuB9-abaKx46rYV1ygjC4F2JJ2506_11jFLTEYBOaOr-GuAjeid7l-UXWVdWRvdmhSgZ6hUk7YTWK/s1600/DSC_0175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliSzp7evy5S6Y2wrcLa7HMMY4qdJDXq_JSQwSZJogy6Hk6gJAt9k0okn0_91SzRluuB9-abaKx46rYV1ygjC4F2JJ2506_11jFLTEYBOaOr-GuAjeid7l-UXWVdWRvdmhSgZ6hUk7YTWK/s640/DSC_0175.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.smk.dk/en/" target="_blank">National Gallery of Denmark</a> has free entrance but only decent art</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzrF_bv-X5cIN6F62hWS6HUFeGnHVft0AQBLbkC8cWpx42bi_fTGIo_i_AFZOzHUGOU3_gUWyucZcz5C0sd5bBn7X9j5ClkhsI1skElXwxQEnAtIIjN3UH4zuvYJCwZ-rAyRGRy6xaCAa/s1600/DSC_0177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzrF_bv-X5cIN6F62hWS6HUFeGnHVft0AQBLbkC8cWpx42bi_fTGIo_i_AFZOzHUGOU3_gUWyucZcz5C0sd5bBn7X9j5ClkhsI1skElXwxQEnAtIIjN3UH4zuvYJCwZ-rAyRGRy6xaCAa/s640/DSC_0177.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qCDvR9Bn0KiAyA8-8NLYrA6KJbwhZOiM_blmKADhmkUW2HodB_3v5E7RWkxlxII1k5XesSbxELeIa01MRMTLove6UNtOSsj38qrBxOO7pLu_mOtH8jMHP54619N8f7JaTt_1UrUVAVc-/s1600/IMG_2305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-qCDvR9Bn0KiAyA8-8NLYrA6KJbwhZOiM_blmKADhmkUW2HodB_3v5E7RWkxlxII1k5XesSbxELeIa01MRMTLove6UNtOSsj38qrBxOO7pLu_mOtH8jMHP54619N8f7JaTt_1UrUVAVc-/s640/IMG_2305.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view outside the gallery however is really nice</td></tr>
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By this point in your day, you’re probably starving so time
for a lunch break! I almost always pack food from home. Eating out is fun and
all but not when you’re alone, it’s just kind of depressing, not to mention
expensive! I mean if you’re rolling in the dough and want to treat yourself to
a meal in solitude, go ahead, but I always secretly feel bad for those people
eating alone at restaurants (loners!). Of course, you can also always just grab
a quick sandwich or something but it’s even cheaper to pack a lunch! Or if you’re
seriously dirt poor, you can always try to find markets/grocery stores that
give out free samples (I’m guilty of doing this on many occasions). Once, my
friends and I found hit the jackpot and found this fish market that was about
to close so they were handing out huuuge samples just to get rid of them (think
tiny plates of oysters and fish cakes)! In Copenhagen, check out <a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/torvehallerne-gdk545401" target="_blank">Torvehallerne</a>,
they normally have some decent free samples. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvEpa8ZQMeIiAL7Xbi1BhMsHSnrtUjLhUIJ37RTxvslT0rjSqfNiUL2VgZgIbdFrPlw3HaS0_nfneOqwy4CfTIXTgMwbLRqffrTwtlSrU-Ql5K75JqzkOkTYlK6ovZn2itCSeFAOyPiTd/s1600/DSC_0113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWvEpa8ZQMeIiAL7Xbi1BhMsHSnrtUjLhUIJ37RTxvslT0rjSqfNiUL2VgZgIbdFrPlw3HaS0_nfneOqwy4CfTIXTgMwbLRqffrTwtlSrU-Ql5K75JqzkOkTYlK6ovZn2itCSeFAOyPiTd/s640/DSC_0113.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Military barracks and offices</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBEWcsuYHzV5d-xR_1vS4iP1byz0u9kS377DggqTrJe7kO9LNWgxIWx9RrP3oLWvlFt-sVIiClxzbHei0wofbjnh931OVIlWvkoZjAOkZEHW96Kcdyg0jOX6ILxhaV7PN_dYl0oJXFvHd/s1600/DSC_0115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBEWcsuYHzV5d-xR_1vS4iP1byz0u9kS377DggqTrJe7kO9LNWgxIWx9RrP3oLWvlFt-sVIiClxzbHei0wofbjnh931OVIlWvkoZjAOkZEHW96Kcdyg0jOX6ILxhaV7PN_dYl0oJXFvHd/s640/DSC_0115.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CusEveNKT4vIXI-4U7zkqPzTxe05nay-lZxRoDXzwL431nih5lnfefDNjoJEnUugjX90YZcP77XmkDQxd5TMNOkp5-pPF4_dEdD5mlAOu5AB1Ww3nltilw77sMIhfnsocrU-LQm3UmVV/s1600/DSC_0120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5CusEveNKT4vIXI-4U7zkqPzTxe05nay-lZxRoDXzwL431nih5lnfefDNjoJEnUugjX90YZcP77XmkDQxd5TMNOkp5-pPF4_dEdD5mlAOu5AB1Ww3nltilw77sMIhfnsocrU-LQm3UmVV/s640/DSC_0120.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjdBzPr4KnUu9in228ouA6dXMC3DjKp-luibBg3ZcWPkjRBWOdaL0za4U70KmKGq8ZSb8HFiPme1TsaJvCBx214MqCEf8hh-OPbfQIbalEnqgdu0a9EEa2XUWwCAvJFhdODdopq81Ag0W/s1600/DSC_0121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjdBzPr4KnUu9in228ouA6dXMC3DjKp-luibBg3ZcWPkjRBWOdaL0za4U70KmKGq8ZSb8HFiPme1TsaJvCBx214MqCEf8hh-OPbfQIbalEnqgdu0a9EEa2XUWwCAvJFhdODdopq81Ag0W/s640/DSC_0121.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <a href="http://www.copenhagenet.dk/cph-map/CPH-Citadel.asp" target="_blank">Citadel</a> (fortress) of Copenhagen</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn-T8eWLKHDfq7GaRAxpz5jb1ERPnSB5oehb3ZSO3eihGOKWTBwbLKhXTwrLL3pXcn4CAsbt8AdeDNRxFEQs9HHcvh7l9edFmUXf_zvGgKJi-5cyT3820GzkpR57CQruPJjtWz7pTKtkm/s1600/DSC_0122.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTn-T8eWLKHDfq7GaRAxpz5jb1ERPnSB5oehb3ZSO3eihGOKWTBwbLKhXTwrLL3pXcn4CAsbt8AdeDNRxFEQs9HHcvh7l9edFmUXf_zvGgKJi-5cyT3820GzkpR57CQruPJjtWz7pTKtkm/s640/DSC_0122.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Next step is to find a nice park to chill, listen to music,
munch and maybe even take a little snooze under the sun. If you like reading,
bring a book. Or if you like writing, bring a journal. Or if you like drawing,
bring a sketchbook. You get the idea; bring crap that’ll keep you entertained
in a park. If you’re busy doing something that you enjoy, you’ll feel like less
of a loner than if you were to just sit there staring at the grass, like a
moron.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlS_n3dNUUW4iijYMIeppwIK3Kp6QeFDf-rTybAAO8oIWDN9EXdCLEcX_2aF_VELWLUHGzyHsaLX96LAeIeSsooluqbCB19s4DpfX-blPqf_lGdlOlTiJPFbl_OIpI-7hjDeTnSz1hJMn/s1600/DSC_0163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlS_n3dNUUW4iijYMIeppwIK3Kp6QeFDf-rTybAAO8oIWDN9EXdCLEcX_2aF_VELWLUHGzyHsaLX96LAeIeSsooluqbCB19s4DpfX-blPqf_lGdlOlTiJPFbl_OIpI-7hjDeTnSz1hJMn/s640/DSC_0163.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rosenborg castle gardens</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaS10QzOuV96t8dy_X-Qt2wJxZUqTYozKeGW26A0s0dw2Q5Qhsz1B1VBM8pNY5V6lV937tU8JF6HMN-7SKSHw0nAZOlPEYv8zU1oygna0QhWfSxCUbjDqbMcVRvecH9FL1OIKA-cI2aT1/s1600/DSC_0164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaS10QzOuV96t8dy_X-Qt2wJxZUqTYozKeGW26A0s0dw2Q5Qhsz1B1VBM8pNY5V6lV937tU8JF6HMN-7SKSHw0nAZOlPEYv8zU1oygna0QhWfSxCUbjDqbMcVRvecH9FL1OIKA-cI2aT1/s640/DSC_0164.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxXoXBZ3KgFl21H0iPzWar3He5JKoHLCUvr8OCRU92T7YaQArCp3vepdPKgJaFxbUE9DlMHrwlYoaFujhjNty9cUPyvoGYSVBVtY61snWqfYha16Q4lz9SNvF9v1BV3kOpPvAtuAuBfRU/s1600/DSC_0167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaxXoXBZ3KgFl21H0iPzWar3He5JKoHLCUvr8OCRU92T7YaQArCp3vepdPKgJaFxbUE9DlMHrwlYoaFujhjNty9cUPyvoGYSVBVtY61snWqfYha16Q4lz9SNvF9v1BV3kOpPvAtuAuBfRU/s640/DSC_0167.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimJMPoWMj4STHY9r5OZx2aK2dqRD3gLVlnhTsz_vso31KNfCYraAPGm67wUVlrxjQ4xKi7ZfMrCYZw23Zes1PUuGl4SuLMemhjrNQ9SQYgi-FuklPI5boHP37rEF0Oko6NNzkHWgIshnz/s1600/DSC_0170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimJMPoWMj4STHY9r5OZx2aK2dqRD3gLVlnhTsz_vso31KNfCYraAPGm67wUVlrxjQ4xKi7ZfMrCYZw23Zes1PUuGl4SuLMemhjrNQ9SQYgi-FuklPI5boHP37rEF0Oko6NNzkHWgIshnz/s640/DSC_0170.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect for midday napping :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rosenborg again from a different view</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE493UbsadshmqCuO7vYnPI_m99Pe01XnlQHlofSGF-JAtExHvAhHErvKhtcG7q1M-IQ4h4VElqIyn9qetw35pcX28VwanHfvKhOYMZbXdjBO4Z2aOdUV78fTs_MULaJ2FK_XXJaod8sr/s1600/DSC_0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjE493UbsadshmqCuO7vYnPI_m99Pe01XnlQHlofSGF-JAtExHvAhHErvKhtcG7q1M-IQ4h4VElqIyn9qetw35pcX28VwanHfvKhOYMZbXdjBO4Z2aOdUV78fTs_MULaJ2FK_XXJaod8sr/s640/DSC_0140.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
For those of you who are extra daring, strike up a
conversation with a fellow loner! You could ask for directions, a lighter
(assuming you smoke) or a translation of something to seem less creepy than
just saying “Hi!”. Once I was sitting on a bench, eating my lunch, across from
some dude smoking a cigarette alone. I accidentally dropped my fork (moron),
the guy said something to me in Danish (Aw, that sucks), and I responded with a
puzzled look and asked if he spoke English. He translated and asked me where I
was from. We actually ended up talking for a while because was also a lone
traveler from Chile! Ta da! Two loners became two socializers! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4wilyo2zZjAl29XRf4M6dXH5q4_Tixh-wcQDzXpFPQDkPJwplMDtpoB8tZOuFlmwrrKAFuVpyz9MDMSUmIn4q1XtNPb3pDxOwhHaTmozJSgN4WSj7qM7ynQC9_0gt2vgFJikrovmW548/s1600/DSC_0124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4wilyo2zZjAl29XRf4M6dXH5q4_Tixh-wcQDzXpFPQDkPJwplMDtpoB8tZOuFlmwrrKAFuVpyz9MDMSUmIn4q1XtNPb3pDxOwhHaTmozJSgN4WSj7qM7ynQC9_0gt2vgFJikrovmW548/s640/DSC_0124.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The famous <a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/the-little-mermaid-gdk586951" target="_blank">little mermaid sculpture</a> inspired by Danish writer, Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Lastly, always remember to appreciate the fact that you’re
in a different country or new place. If you’re feeling really lonely and sad,
remind yourself how lucky you are. Yeah, you might be alone, but not many
people get the opportunity to travel the world and explore foreign cities. So
suck it up and make the best of it! ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh24ll4NVhG1VolLHjgKdJUTg_n4qFNlN2-bfuvQ6uGEQs6T74tGwy6vTt5WKpBOP8Ja7J3-5D45q2NiaEDLW9tSjrqQ8VD0FRrp6dXdxfH2kBcc-q9PAXGiNcN_Ko8zKV3B1-C1r-7YK/s1600/DSC_0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIh24ll4NVhG1VolLHjgKdJUTg_n4qFNlN2-bfuvQ6uGEQs6T74tGwy6vTt5WKpBOP8Ja7J3-5D45q2NiaEDLW9tSjrqQ8VD0FRrp6dXdxfH2kBcc-q9PAXGiNcN_Ko8zKV3B1-C1r-7YK/s640/DSC_0127.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
<br />Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-13136040180803033212015-10-04T10:28:00.001-07:002015-10-04T10:50:20.533-07:00Happy birthday Victoria!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Whether it be blowing out candles, receiving birthday spanks or smashing open a piñata, every culture and family has their own unique birthday traditions. I've experienced birthday celebrations in the United States, Australia and Italy but nothing compares to the Ravn-Rahbek family's Danish festivities!</div>
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Victoria explained to me that every year her family has rented tents and thrown a huge, backyard birthday party for her with all their neighbors, friends and family. However, this year, she said that she wanted to do something a bit more low-key and small only with her closest friends and family because she's turning 19 now and is becoming more of an adult (psh whatever you say Victoria...). </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlskB76f_qMqpEIyFAJAl-Grx7cGpVD2mXCO7OmR_pKkraxooRM7X4q8seEWV7Xq1OfueG2KirfLHGwi36J463hVeLQtfnTs7gl14HLW6a5q4uMUHZAyrGN1AcojHVG2cGxSo1nIujzow/s1600/IMG_2091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlskB76f_qMqpEIyFAJAl-Grx7cGpVD2mXCO7OmR_pKkraxooRM7X4q8seEWV7Xq1OfueG2KirfLHGwi36J463hVeLQtfnTs7gl14HLW6a5q4uMUHZAyrGN1AcojHVG2cGxSo1nIujzow/s640/IMG_2091.jpg" width="423" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Danish sis Vicky <3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
So our "low-key" celebration included not one but <i>three</i> lavish dinner parties at the Ravn-Rahbek home. Victoria's mom, Susanne, loves celebrating her youngest daughter's birthday because it was a "victory" childbirth (hence Victoria's name). She was in labor for less than 20 minutes!<br />
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The first dinner was two days before Victoria’s
birthday and included the usual family members, me, Federico and Alexandria
plus the guests, Victoria’s aunt and uncle who live down the street. We drank wine and feasted
on quiche, potatoes, salad, and last but not least pork tenderloin. However,
this wasn’t just any old pork tenderloin. It was pork tenderloin bought from
the same meat supplier that the restaurant Noma buys their meat. If you’ve
never heard of Noma before, let me fill you in. <a href="http://noma.dk/" target="_blank">Noma</a>, located in Copenhagen, was
rated the world’s best restaurant from 2009 to 2014, excluding 2013 when it <i>only</i> got second place, by Restaurant magazine. The type of food served is "re-invented" Nordic cuisine with an emphasis on organic ingredients collected from nearby forests and shores. A tasting plate is around $300 per person along with a $200 wine pairing. Not only do you need the $$$ to eat there but you also must book a reservation at least six months in advance, Victoria's dad, Olfort, told me. Ever since I found <a href="https://instagram.com/nomacph/?hl=en" target="_blank">Noma's Instagram page</a> a few months ago (seriously check it out, the food looks superb), it's been a dream of mine to eat there one day! However, of course, I didn't book a reservation in time so eating the pork tenderloin from the same meat supplier was the next best thing and geez did it taste good... so juicy and flavorful ahhhh I love good quality food, back in Ohio my family buys all of our meat grass-feed from a farm, so this pork was such a treat for me! Hopefully one day I'll come back to Copenhagen and eat at the world renowned Noma!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GtX-25DSz6IkyDeTraXgtCASQY0YFdYBQzYkkp-fU4A0AMa_prvFkslmgef_sKxzecScdNsi9CiRZreJ0hG423n6hcax7mZlPUjt0k4ox2SvjZtj3-_3aRwCuqbgIyix_IG1CNqkPDSt/s1600/IMG_2103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2GtX-25DSz6IkyDeTraXgtCASQY0YFdYBQzYkkp-fU4A0AMa_prvFkslmgef_sKxzecScdNsi9CiRZreJ0hG423n6hcax7mZlPUjt0k4ox2SvjZtj3-_3aRwCuqbgIyix_IG1CNqkPDSt/s400/IMG_2103.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadly I never took a picture of the pork but this is the quiche!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDu6WDocE2yHJqU5mh6Mz_MkwnFL3_b6j-NW8qIClC58w_VQ0KzAa0km6AzLjRhu05KllqsL8fPitKrif2YVZIBeh3ThvK0Acdhsp0b_MTjvrSD1oJsIzf0tAD3sMK5xMbDwYCuqdx4lA/s1600/11960173_909191932507648_4710985056828966719_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwDu6WDocE2yHJqU5mh6Mz_MkwnFL3_b6j-NW8qIClC58w_VQ0KzAa0km6AzLjRhu05KllqsL8fPitKrif2YVZIBeh3ThvK0Acdhsp0b_MTjvrSD1oJsIzf0tAD3sMK5xMbDwYCuqdx4lA/s640/11960173_909191932507648_4710985056828966719_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Victoria's birthday was on Tuesday and the fact that it was a school day didn't dampen the festivities one bit! Bright and early before school, Victoria was woken up and told to follow the string that was tied to her toe, which led her all throughout the house and finally to her gifts! This is the Ravn-Rahbek family tradition. Everyone also waves Danish flags while the person who's birthday it is follows the string. I really liked this tradition, it was unique and really fun! Not to mention afterwards we ate a huge breakfast :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay go find your presents Vicky! :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After school on Victoria's birthday we visited the botanical gardens :)</td></tr>
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Victoria's family spent hours preparing the second birthday dinner for Victoria that night. This dinner was just with Victoria's family, Federico, Alexandria and I, so no extra guests. They made smørrebrød, which are Danish open-faced sandwiches. I loved smørrebrød because it reminds me a lot of sushi. Both are like art, very intricate. The toppings on smørrebrød differed from shrimp to salami to mayonnaise to red onions and parsley but I'll just let you look at the pictures because I took about a million... ;)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susanne slaving away!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful dinner table</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marzipan birthday cake! mmm</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone minus Federico <3</td></tr>
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After dinner, Victoria chatted with the rest of her old Italian host family on Skype. Back in Italy I spent a lot of time at Victoria's home so I got to know her host family and it was nice to say hi too! They were happy to see me as well and asked me to pronounce Villarbasse (the town where I lived in Italy) because they love hearing my American accent! It made me a little sad though because I barely talk to my Turin host family anymore. I message them on birthdays and holidays but that's about it. It's not that we don't get along but we just didn't click as well because we're very different. Oh well, no reason to dwell on the past, I still had an amazing exchange year in Italy!<br />
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The last birthday dinner party occurred later that week after Federico and Alexandria had left. I had mentioned to everyone that one time during my
stay in Denmark, I wanted to make my signature American dessert, apple pie.
Olfort and Susanne asked me if I could make the apple pie that night for the
dinner party. In both Victoria and her aunt’s backyard, there’s an abundance of
fresh apples falling from their apple trees, so we couldn’t let them
go to waste! I spent at least three hours preparing two apple pies and a mini
strawberry tart in hope of impressing all the Danes with my American baking skills!</div>
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In the Ravn-Rahbek family, everyone contributes and helps out around the house, including me! Wherever I stay I always offer to help cook or clean but Victoria's mom was the first one to take me up on my offer! I vacuumed, folded laundry, set the table and helped prepare dinner during my stay. She was surprised when I told her that back home in Ohio I have very little responsibility and said that my mom will be delighted to know that I'm learning how to do household chores! Surprisingly I didn't mind helping out at all, it actually made me feel like a part of the family. Victoria even said she felt like I was part of the fam! I mean I definitely look like I could be Victoria's sister! People often confused me as Danish and asked for directions and translations! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Danish fam! :)</td></tr>
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Anyway, I made the apple pies and helped clean and prepare for the final birthday dinner party that night. Two families, both close friends of the Ravn-Rahbeks, joined us for dinner. After our meal, I warmed up my apple pies in the oven and brought them out nervously. I served everyone a piece and waited for their reactions... overwhelming "mmmm"'s came from everyone's stuffed mouths. They praised my pie as something you'd steal from the window of a bakery and complimented my extremely thin-slicing of the apples and use of cinnamon, nutmeg and sparingly sugar (the apples were already sweet enough on their own!). Apparently, cinnamon is a delicacy in Denmark. I was elated! Later, Susanne told me that those guests appreciate good food and wine and often travel to some of the best vineyards in France and Italy, so I was very pleased that they approved of my dessert!</div>
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That night I also discovered that Victoria's family has had 19 au pairs!! In case you don't know what an au pair is, it's a foreign live-in nanny that usually stays with a host family for at least a month. I met a couple German au pairs in Turin 3 years ago who were taking the same Italian fluency exam that I was,and ever since then the idea of being an au pair has intrigued me. The Ravn-Rahbeks have photos of their favorite au pairs on their fridge and still keep in touch with them. Victoria said that as a child she remembered connecting with them and making so many nice memories. During Susanne's gap year, she was an au pair herself in California and still keeps in touch with the girl she took care of; she actually planned the girl's wedding last year! Hearing them talk so fondly of their au pairs really makes me want to be one as well one day! To learn more about becoming an au pair click <a href="https://www.aupairworld.com/en" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
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Well that's all for now! :) Right now I'm actually in Germany but I'm so far behind on my blog posts... sorry!! I'm going to work hard on catching up so expect a new post very soon! </div>
<br />Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-67419911874560657412015-09-23T13:22:00.000-07:002015-09-25T07:42:42.291-07:00Day-cation to SwedenFor travelers, the most amazing and convenient thing about Europe has got to be it's size. As you (hopefully) already know, European countries are very resemblant of American states. This close proximity is exactly what allowed Federico, Alexandria and I to casually spend a day in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malm%C3%B6" target="_blank">Malmö</a>, Sweden!<br />
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Quick geography lesson, Denmark proper is connected to Germany but the country also consists of a peninsula (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jutland" target="_blank">Jutland</a>) and 406 islands (although only around 70 are actually inhabitated). Copenhagen is located on the largest island, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zealand" target="_blank">Zealand</a>. So Copenhagen is actually closer to Sweden than the next biggest Danish city (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aarhus" target="_blank">Aarhus</a>). See the map below!<br />
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When Federico and Alexandria invited me to come to Malmö with them while Victoria was at school, I was so excited! Since I had arrived in Denmark, I had yet to spend a day alone because I went to school with Victoria on Friday and then it was the weekend but I wasn't really looking forward to when I'd have to be alone so it worked out perfectly that I had some travel buddies! :)<br />
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We packed a lunch, took a train from Hellerup (the round-trip ticket cost 30 euros) and 45 minutes later we were in Malmö! Of course, since both countries are part of the <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/schengen/index_en.htm" target="_blank">Schengen Area</a> we didn't have to go through border control. So easy!<br />
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Malmö was actually one of the biggest cities in Denmark until the 17th century when Sweden took over control. Honestly, besides the differing language and currency, I didn't notice many other differences between Sweden and Denmark. However, I was only there for one day so obviously I'm not saying that Sweden and Denmark are the same but at least on the surface they look very similar!<br />
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I know it sounds harsh but I didn't think Malmö was anything that special. Victoria said that she pretty much only goes there when she wants to do some shopping because it's a bit cheaper but there's not much else to do. I mean I still thought it was cool just being in Scandinavia in general but I think Stockholm seems much nicer. Whatever, even though Malmö wasn't all that great, at least I can say I've been there! If I never went, I never would've known what it's like. I think to be a true world traveler, you have to be able to visit every place (even if it's nothing extraordinary) and gain your own personal understanding/opinion of it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No idea who put this on display in the center of the city or why?</td></tr>
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So I did a little research online about Swedish and Danish and, to my surprise, discovered that they're both supposebly easy for English speakers to learn... This <a href="http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/9-easy-languages-for-english-speakers-to-learn/" target="_blank">article</a> on Matador Network has Danish listed as the second easiest language for English speakers and Swedish as #9. Wtf... Maybe it's because I honestly haven't attempted to learn either language but their pronunciation just seems impossible!! According to Matador, both languages have simple grammatical structures but difficult speaking patterns and vowel sounds. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aw someone's trying to find their lost teddy bears!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scandinavians LOVE their bikes!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kungsparken</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought this tree looked really cool! </td></tr>
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We saw two Swedish daddies on a stroller date with their babies! I thought this was the cutest thing ever and also really suitable because Sweden ranks #4 in the <a href="http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2014/rankings/" target="_blank">Global Gender Gap Report 2014</a> (followed by Denmark), so it makes sense that men would be doing so-called "feminine" duties. After reading online a little bit, I discovered that in Swedish a new gender-neutral pronoun "hen"is becoming more common instead of using "hon" (she) and "han" (he). I think this is really interesting because it shows just how committed Swedes are to obtaining 100% gender equality. To read more on gender equality in Sweden click <a href="https://sweden.se/society/gender-equality-in-sweden/" target="_blank">here</a> :)</div>
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Although Malmö wasn't the coolest city ever, I had so much fun hanging out with Federico and Alexandria! It was awesome to speak Italian again and I got along with them really well :) They're such a nice couple and remind me so much of me and my boyfriend, Mihai, because they love to travel! Last year, Federico and Alexandria spent a semester living in Helsinki with <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/discover/index_en.htm" target="_blank">Erasmus</a> (An EU university student exchange program) and also take two trips together every year to a new European city. </div>
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Speaking of Mihai, in case anyone is wondering, our long-distance relationship is going great :) He's now living in Kiel, a medium-sized city in the northern-most region of Germany (if you look at the map at the beginning of this post you can see Kiel; it's only 4 hours from Copenhagen!) with his permanent host family. He said his host family is a perfect fit for him, which is great news!! Check out his blog <a href="http://mihaigoesgerman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">here</a> for more info! </div>
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Sometimes the distance is really hard though because it's easy to feel a little bit forgotten whenever the other is having a ton of fun in a new country. It's important for us to remind each other just how much we care by making the time to talk. Me and Mihai can both be really busy sometimes but we always try to wake up earlier or stay up later to talk on the phone. Communication is key :)</div>
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Some really good news is that Mihai and I will be seeing each other in 5 days!! I found a <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">workaway</a> (budget travelers can work for someone 20-25 hours a week in exchange for room & board) only 45 minutes away from Kiel! I'll be staying in Germany for a month and I'm beyond excited to see Mihai after 2 months apart! </div>
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Hope you're enjoying reading my blog just as much as I'm enjoying writing it! I have a lot of blog posts to catch up on (the stuff I wrote about in this post actually happened 3 weeks ago...) so expect another post verryyy soon! Until then, hej hej! :)</div>
Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-22057679072234564442015-09-22T13:47:00.001-07:002015-09-22T15:15:31.876-07:00Surprise!!Alright so I'm going to continue where I left off with my last post! The next morning after we went out, we slept in, Victoria made me breakfast and then we went to the center of Copenhagen for the day to do some shopping, sightseeing and get some lunch :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love their <a href="https://www.royalcopenhagen.com/home" target="_blank">Royal Copenhagen</a> porcelain!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tiger-stores.com/" target="_blank">Tiger</a> is the coolest Danish store ever! You can find everything here at really good prices</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF4n2o4GUBj1q15nN6pK0g3jd0md3ciJbM3lZYJ75GglIKTLjAZPBRblgQlM2aOIovksjng_Yw06v7XqcZ3Mck-YucVYi-9x0bYezkenbvaNVYQ9E745WYxu0ElOE2jhhn3f6b_bg5kQu/s1600/DSC_0056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCF4n2o4GUBj1q15nN6pK0g3jd0md3ciJbM3lZYJ75GglIKTLjAZPBRblgQlM2aOIovksjng_Yw06v7XqcZ3Mck-YucVYi-9x0bYezkenbvaNVYQ9E745WYxu0ElOE2jhhn3f6b_bg5kQu/s640/DSC_0056.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy Danish pastries at the best bakery <a href="http://www.lagkagehuset.dk/" target="_blank">Lagkagehuset</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danish brown bread filled with nuts & grains, so good & healthy!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dCWIA9K9N4WZsVB7u0mIw3HV5F8AITtbA9cvdR1I1IpwqcNSmxF5943T35tBzgFcO_Tumott6kwWGYhRsZJOzybLRqoD_T7uVkdmWpZkIDQgmMqXyn3ZzD6AMt1Ry546sG57kVpqH7iK/s1600/IMG_2024.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_dCWIA9K9N4WZsVB7u0mIw3HV5F8AITtbA9cvdR1I1IpwqcNSmxF5943T35tBzgFcO_Tumott6kwWGYhRsZJOzybLRqoD_T7uVkdmWpZkIDQgmMqXyn3ZzD6AMt1Ry546sG57kVpqH7iK/s640/IMG_2024.jpg" width="358" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrrBu6Gio9leJUnlEGqgrSX6Eb2fDXLX6HnXLlJFhOlPLxo5vOB2ZKX0RfnHIZDqaCAVwXynL-73gyGoB8USiPnjzHtoinIHCEYbwLHtCqGb9Jsq76EAa2qH2zEtBvYEAxQmdIqyZT2MI/s1600/IMG_2031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrrBu6Gio9leJUnlEGqgrSX6Eb2fDXLX6HnXLlJFhOlPLxo5vOB2ZKX0RfnHIZDqaCAVwXynL-73gyGoB8USiPnjzHtoinIHCEYbwLHtCqGb9Jsq76EAa2qH2zEtBvYEAxQmdIqyZT2MI/s640/IMG_2031.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/nyhavn-gdk474735" target="_blank">Nyhavn</a>, the iconic, colorful, waterfront area, a must-visit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sunday morning, Susanne woke us up at 8am to go running. We went through the park and along the Baltic Sea. The view was so beautiful and there was actually a really small campsite hidden next to the sea! So if you ever want to take a camping trip to Copenhagen, check out Hellerup! We also saw some people swimming in the sea!! I couldn't believe it... it was September in Denmark (not exactly ideal beach weather) but Victoria and Susanne told me it's normal for Danish people to take a little freezing cold dip in the morning to wake up and get their blood pumping. Well here's a couple pictures from the park and beach path! :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGxQ3eecNzCIhrisNgLyMNEaVfkG1ky5wikZnnO9D0AtoGx3Y2AB93X9c4afLVfm-n3Nm5cWdah7gDYapXrVODKDtj9Y-13od53fcYvKFitAwlgt7eoIZmSi5fyvVEGQHLrwV4Nay3z2n/s1600/IMG_2090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaGxQ3eecNzCIhrisNgLyMNEaVfkG1ky5wikZnnO9D0AtoGx3Y2AB93X9c4afLVfm-n3Nm5cWdah7gDYapXrVODKDtj9Y-13od53fcYvKFitAwlgt7eoIZmSi5fyvVEGQHLrwV4Nay3z2n/s640/IMG_2090.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlottenlund_Palace" target="_blank">Charlottenlund Palace</a>, a former royal summer residence </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9qZyPQbXBkU9k4NrPtt3eM8OsyN-1F-W0QhhiRnz2PUF3MGzOepY0OnuiJiR9yd7amFSx1doPo7akqV3WdCANw9KLkddHjyrZPrzN84zcwpx-tk5ktpRkWi_KToJh2foyovGOXpT-mfW/s1600/IMG_2110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin9qZyPQbXBkU9k4NrPtt3eM8OsyN-1F-W0QhhiRnz2PUF3MGzOepY0OnuiJiR9yd7amFSx1doPo7akqV3WdCANw9KLkddHjyrZPrzN84zcwpx-tk5ktpRkWi_KToJh2foyovGOXpT-mfW/s640/IMG_2110.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love this cute little cottage in the park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmym7fpy5OtTZz572WsLasEaAYOagCAKE6pYbbbY_GHVyj0kAMx9ZfZo8dQUkASZnw5jxRrNdCQXboJ8bHDLnEwC32wmqdimBXe2JgvV-p8ehuXtdFzo0RQohrs01o36VdfrGpaeBNkPl/s1600/IMG_2097.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmym7fpy5OtTZz572WsLasEaAYOagCAKE6pYbbbY_GHVyj0kAMx9ZfZo8dQUkASZnw5jxRrNdCQXboJ8bHDLnEwC32wmqdimBXe2JgvV-p8ehuXtdFzo0RQohrs01o36VdfrGpaeBNkPl/s640/IMG_2097.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
When we got home, the Ravn-Rahbek family was preparing a huge Danish brunch. Victoria and I were cooking in the kitchen when Susanne, Victoria's mom, asked us to come outside and help her carry something. Victoria's hands were covered in flour because she was making crust for a pie so told her mom she was too busy to help. But Susanne wouldn't have it, she just kept begging us to come outside and help her! The two actually started arguing but we finally went outside only to find a huge surprise waiting... Victoria's Italian host brother, Federico, from Turin and his girlfriend, Alexandria, sitting there!! I was so confused... I had no idea they were visiting and neither did Victoria; it was a surprise visit for her birthday, which was 2 days later! Susanne, explained that she woke us up early that morning so we'd be ready when they arrived and she made us clean the house the night before in preparation for the guests. A very successful surprise, I'd say! :)<br />
<br />
After a delicious brunch full of Danish pastries and bread with this strong but good Danish cheese called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danbo" target="_blank">Danbo</a>, bacon and eggs, Skyr (Danish yogurt, so yummy and filled with tons of protein!), fresh fruit, tea and coffee, Federico, Alexandria, Victoria and I headed into the city!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: me, Benedicte (Victoria's older sister), Susanne (Victoria's mom), Olfort (Victoria's dad), Christoffer (Victoria's older brother), Alexandria and Federico</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning! ;)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Federico studied
design in college and is really interested in architecture so we went to see a <a href="http://www.dezeen.com/2015/08/22/copenhagen-denmark-cirkelbroen-circle-bridge-olafur-eliasson-ship-masts/" target="_blank">new bridge</a> that was just built a couple weeks ago across a canal. </div>
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We climbed the 400 steps to to the top of the <a href="http://www.vorfrelserskirke.dk/" target="_blank">Church of our Savior</a> and saw an amazing view of
Copenhagen 90 meters above street level. I’d definitely recommend visiting this church, entrance was only 5 euros with a student card! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie at the very top of the spiral!</td></tr>
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<br />
Next we walked through
<a href="http://www.christiania.org/info-type/english-2/" target="_blank">Christiania</a>, which is a small community, founded in 1971, within the city that’s
independent from Denmark. There are around 850 residents and they don’t have to
pay taxes to the state. It’s like a mini-Amsterdam because although the sale of
cannabis is still illegal there, it’s been tolerated by the authorities in the
past and continues to thrive. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As soon as I walked
through the arch, I knew Christiania was very unique. There were colorful
paintings all over the wall, people relaxing smoking weed, stands selling
tie-dye shirts and pipes. Basically, hippie central. There’s a “Green-Light
District” filled with stands selling hash, weed, pre-rolled joints and space
cake. I wish I could’ve taken pictures to show you but there’s signs
prohibiting cameras because the residents want to keep their activities
(smoking/selling dope) private from the authorities. The drug sellers conceal
themselves behind black sheets that hang from their drug stands and also wear
bandanas and hats so only their eyes are visible just in case some Copenhagen
police decide to raid the place (which they do <o:p></o:p></span>occasionally). </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A lot of Danish people really resent Christiania.
Victoria’s mom, Susanne, described Christiania as “the place where all the bums
hangout smoking hash and do nothing productive for society”. Victoria said that
it’s not fair that Christiania residents don’t have to pay taxes since a lot of
them are actually extremely wealthy from selling drugs. However, there’s also
people who believe that Christiania benefits Copenhagen because it concentrates
all the drug trade in one small neighborhood. It’s a pretty controversial
subject. </span></div>
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Christiania has actually done some
productive things as well! They invented the Christiania bike,
which has a small basket attachment in the front for children to sit in or to
put groceries and <a href="http://www.christianiabikes.com/en/about-cb/dansk-design/" target="_blank">won the classic Danish design award in 2010/11</a>. There’s also a famous Danish singer <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LukasGraham" target="_blank">Lukas Graham</a> who grew up in
Christiania (he sings songs in English and they’re really good! Check
out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwGypUTEP4M" target="_blank">“Drunk In The Morning”</a>). There are some very high-rated restaurants in
Christiania as well. <o:p></o:p>It's without a doubt a one-of-a-kind place that deserves a visit!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the entrance to Christiania</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I snuck a picture of this sign!</td></tr>
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We went to <a href="http://copenhagenstreetfood.dk/en/" target="_blank">Copenhagen Street Food</a> where there were little food stalls with a
lot of different types of food from around the world. We got shared fish and chips and a meat platter, it was good but not amazing and a
little expensive. There's another food market that's very similar called <a href="http://torvehallernekbh.dk/" target="_blank">Torvehallerne</a> that I think is much better! We wandered around the canals and streets a bit more before returning home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRNIzQ12MIw6C3usW24c0zrAG_6td9cPlbA0bvMuHCUZwjYxY3OLzY9sQwfpucVelwKETvQszaE-GTIjLQgSwSwaYbW2JH4Xn2ooeyRREP74Gep_dYMjyD9Goq7t3HyMrmW7R3HKWvXY3/s1600/DSC_0076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRNIzQ12MIw6C3usW24c0zrAG_6td9cPlbA0bvMuHCUZwjYxY3OLzY9sQwfpucVelwKETvQszaE-GTIjLQgSwSwaYbW2JH4Xn2ooeyRREP74Gep_dYMjyD9Goq7t3HyMrmW7R3HKWvXY3/s640/DSC_0076.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danes ride bikes everywhere!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FYoUNyszxcUs2L0O8lk9HKM3mcqNwnDMIsWRtOUiQKQYwOz5QhpCH3ssRNr2P5rx5gfzcqgOPmQFU9Z2eq5EVS0f7uFFslEwt7GykIuokZ9mrURFZ3tXJCteoXH008K88n-rYrYhizb3/s1600/DSC_0087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0FYoUNyszxcUs2L0O8lk9HKM3mcqNwnDMIsWRtOUiQKQYwOz5QhpCH3ssRNr2P5rx5gfzcqgOPmQFU9Z2eq5EVS0f7uFFslEwt7GykIuokZ9mrURFZ3tXJCteoXH008K88n-rYrYhizb3/s640/DSC_0087.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well that's all for now... look forward to my next posts soon, which will be about Danish birthday celebrations and a mini-vacation to the Swedish city of Malmo! Also if you're looking for some creative/style inspiration check out my friend's fashion, art and photography blog <a href="http://toristateofmind.com/" target="_blank">Tori State of Mind</a>! One last thing, if you want live updates of my adventures add me on snapchat @jdawgxx :)</span></div>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-57774455526314151332015-09-16T10:56:00.000-07:002015-09-16T11:42:35.667-07:00Hej KøbenhavnI'm leaving Denmark today... I can't believe how fast time has flown by! It seems like just yesterday that I got here. Well I should probably catch you up on everything that's happened in Denmark these past 3 weeks! I'm definitely going to have to do more than just one post though ;)<br>
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I arrived here back on August 27th. Victoria's mom, Susanne, picked me up from the airport and drove me throughout Copenhagen giving me a mini tour before taking me to their hometown of <a href="http://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/culture/hellerup-copenhagens-beverly-hills" target="_blank">Hellerup </a>(only a 10 minute train ride from the center of Copenhagen). As soon as we got to the Ravn-Rahbek household, I was awestruck. They live in a huge 100-year-old house that was originally built in a dorm room style for young people/students. They have a large, charming backyard filled with apple and pear trees, flowers blooming everywhere and an idyllic swing set. We walked inside and I met Victoria's dad, Olfort, who was cooking up some delicious pasta with sugo for dinner. Conversation was easy with Victoria's parents; they were both so friendly and welcoming! I remember being so excited to call this place home for the next 3 weeks.<br>
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After unpacking, Susanne and I went to pick Victoria up from the furniture store where she works. Just to explain really quick, Victoria was also an exchange student in Turin for the 2012/13 year so that's how we became friends. As soon as we saw each other, Victoria and I ran up to each other and hugged. I hadn't seen her in over 2 years but it was like nothing changed at all! I love how when you're true friends with someone, the time spent apart doesn't affect the friendship one bit :)<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my favorite spots to relax, the sun room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing better than a sunny day at the most charming house in Hellerupe ;)</td></tr>
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After 3 crazy weeks of sightseeing and going out in Italy, I was exhausted and looking forward to some R&R. So when Victoria asked me if I wanted to come to school with her the next day, I may have cringed a little. Then when she asked me if I wanted to get up at 6 am to go running with her before school, I may have cringed a lot... but I couldn't say no! While traveling, my policy is to always say yes to any opportunity. I don't want to have any regrets or missed experiences just because I was "too tired" or maybe "too nervous". Anyway, the next morning Susanne burst into our room bright and early, as promised, telling me to take my sleeping mask off and for us to get running! It was definitely a wake up call compared to sleeping till at least noon every day in Italy... I've come to learn that Danish people are extremely fit and active. Huge difference to my Pugliese family (Sabrina failed gym class last year) haha. </div>
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After our quick run through a cute little park near Victoria's neighborhood we got ready and left for school. In Denmark, they attend 10 years of primary school and then 3 years of "gymnasium" (high school). They're 18/19 years old when they finish gymnasium so it's one more year of high school compared to the United States (random note: Italy also has one more year of high school compared to the U.S.). However, in Victoria's family everyone took a gap year to travel at age 15/16 before they went to gymnasium. Victoria went to Italy at this time and technically "lost" a year of school because her credits didn't transfer over from Italy but her parents would argue that she "gained" a year of intelligence and experience and it doesn't matter that she'll be one year older than her classmates in gymnasium. Victoria has an older brother, Christoffer, and older sister, Benedicte, who both also went to Asia (Hong Kong and China, respectively) with AFS between primary school and gymnasium. This isn't extremely common in Denmark but I've met a couple other Danes who've done it as well.</div>
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Anyway, to me, gymnasium felt a little bit like college. Basically, you take all of your core classes with the same 20-30 students all 3 years of gymnasium and this class becomes almost like your family. Except every gymnasium offers slightly different education tracts and every student decides which classes they'd like to focus on the most. For example, Victoria does the music and Italian tract so she'll be with different students in music and Italian class but then she's with her main class for the core subjects like science, math, English, etc. Another student may choose to focus on biology and physical education and will thus have more class hours of those subjects. Victoria's classes are different every day. Sometimes she finishes at 3pm, sometimes 1, it all depends on which classes she has that day or if the teacher is present. Just like in Italy, if the teacher is sick or absent then that class is just canceled for that day.</div>
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Students also have a lot more freedom in gymnasiums; part of the campus is outside and they're free to walk down the street and buy lunch from a cafe. Also something that really astounded me was the fact that Danish students call their teachers by their first names! Most of the teachers are very young (in their late 20s) and extremely friendly/casual with the students. There's a lot of group work and discussion. It felt like students and teachers were on an equal level which allows students to really state their ideas/opinions without being intimidated. This critical thinking style of learning definitely works because Denmark ranks #1 in the <a href="http://www.ef-danmark.dk/epi/" target="_blank">Education First English Proficiency Index</a>. I have yet to meet a Danish person that is not fluent in English. I think the country could be considered bilingual; their English vocabulary is astounding (possibly better than mine! haha) and they speak with ease and without strong accents. Danish people say that in order to be successful on a global level, English is necessary because since Denmark is such a small country that could easily be overlooked since no one around the world speaks Danish. </div>
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I thought I might pick up a little bit of Danish after being here for 3 weeks but to be honest I barely even tried... it's just that since everyone speaks perfect English there's no need to learn Danish, not to mention the pronunciation is IMPOSSIBLE. Nothing is pronounced the way that it's written and you need to use the back of your throat to make the sound! When I told Victoria's parents I wanted to try and learn a little bit of Danish they just scoffed and said "Psh forget it!". </div>
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Anyway, back to Danish school. All the students literally looked like models; tall, skinny, blonde, blue eyes and dressed head-to-toe in designer brands. Everyone is so stylish and trendy, especially in Hellerup. Hellerup could be described as the Beverly Hills of Denmark. It was rated to have the most attractive singles in Copenhagen and everyone is pretty wealthy. Sometimes when I tell other Danes that I'm staying in Hellerupe they give me a condescending look and claim it's filled with snobs. I think this could be partially true but I've also met tons of down-to-earth, friendly people as well, including Victoria and her family. </div>
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Okay, sorry I keep getting off subject, so Danish teens are very mature and sophisticated. It's funny because EVERYONE in Copenhagen ALWAYS wears black! Victoria says it's just the classiest color and very fashionable. When I asked her friends what to wear when we went out, they all answered, "Black!!" haha I think it's ironic because I feel like Danish people are very happy yet they always dress like they're going to a funeral! Well here's some pictures of Victoria's gymnasium! :)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiIWVUZSFtrBjOHNXXz3mUSgWnIriRdn4b4sUSDBCAxC-k_x524w6NWlwZtUZq7tILcAfA2sJPsdJ_pIdiSL92_Qf2zerbqsygeyhxVq6fNFa2FSOzIowHMz2324s0INcu4obsKzBuZwH/s1600/IMG_2264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIiIWVUZSFtrBjOHNXXz3mUSgWnIriRdn4b4sUSDBCAxC-k_x524w6NWlwZtUZq7tILcAfA2sJPsdJ_pIdiSL92_Qf2zerbqsygeyhxVq6fNFa2FSOzIowHMz2324s0INcu4obsKzBuZwH/s640/IMG_2264.jpg" width="358"></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">During gym class I went to the library to "read" ahaha</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New glass study area added to the old school building</td></tr>
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After school we took the train home (most Danish teens either walk, ride their bike or take public transportation to school because it's the most convenient and you must be 18 to get your drivers license). We relaxed for a little, ate some dinner then got ready to go out! Once a month, Victoria's gymnasium hosts a huge party for the students but first we had to go "warm-up". "Warming up" is how Danish people say pre-gaming; I think it's such a cute expression! They start warming up so early too, at around 6 we went to her friends house which was filled with people everywhere drinking beer, wine, gin & tonic, vodka and this weird licorice liquor (Danes love black licorice!). I've always heard that Danish people drink a lot, which is definitely true. Denmark is rated #11 in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_alcohol_consumption_per_capita" target="_blank">list of countries by alcohol consumption per capita</a>, drinking on average 10.6 liters annually per capita. However, I feel like they learn how to handle their alcohol since they start drinking at such a young age. Beer and wine is legal at 16 years old and liquor at 18. Despite being such a health-conscious country, a lot of teenagers smoke cigarettes. Victoria says it's more like a social trend in high school but most people stop once they graduate. </div>
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So anyway that night we "warmed-up" for a couple hours and then walked to the party at Victoria's gymnasium. It was so crazy (a lot cooler than homecoming back in the U.S.)! Everyone was drunk and the school was selling beer. I couldn't believe that a school party sold alcohol to the students but that's Denmark for you! So relaxed. Every room had different types of music and flashing lights just like a night club. But the night didn't end here; after staying at the gymnasium for a couple hours we took a train into the center of Copenhagen to go to a legit night club!<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gymnasium party!!</td></tr>
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In Denmark it's legal to drink in public so I brought a beer with me on the train but I accidentally dropped it all over the floor... it was so embarrassing! Public transportation in Denmark is very clean so I felt really bad! Anyway, we went to "the most exclusive" night club in Denmark called <a href="http://zen.dk/" target="_blank">Zen</a>. It was a little expensive to get in: 100 kroner. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Denmark isn't on the euro and has their own currency called the krone (plural = kroner and it literally translates to crown). About 7 kroner equals 1 U.S. dollar. Before coming here, I thought Denmark was on the euro and was really surprised when I first arrived at the airport and saw signs saying candy bars cost 40. I was like wtf 40 euros for a candy bar?! Haha oops I'm dumb. But anyway, Susanne said that Denmark stays on the kroner because it benefits their economy since their currency isn't dragged down by other EU member nations. In 2000, Denmark tried to introduce the euro but it was rejected in a referendum.<br>
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Okay sorry back to the nightclub! So we stayed at Zen for a while then stopped for McDonalds (I was starving after 6+ hours of partying!!) before going home at around 3:30 am. To say the least, I was exhausted! Danes really go hard!<br>
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Well that's all for now because this post is already SO long (and I only wrote about the first 2 days in Denmark...). Stay tuned for more posts about life in Copenhagen! Don't forget to sign up for e-mail notifications! :)Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-6150433670192618892015-09-09T12:34:00.001-07:002015-09-09T13:13:02.011-07:00When in Rome..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Before leaving Italy for good, I had to make a quick pit stop in Rome to stay with my friend Kaylin and her mom! I met Kaylin 2 year ago in Italy, she was also an American exchange student in Turin for the year and actually from Ohio too! Anyway, Kaylin did her freshman year of college at <a href="http://www.richmond.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Richmond University</a> in London and then this year she transferred to <a href="http://www.johncabot.edu/" target="_blank">John Cabot</a> in Rome. This was her first week in Rome so she was busy with orientations and moving in but I'm so happy and grateful that she still took the time to let me visit for a couple days :) </div>
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So I took a train from Brindisi to Rome, which lasted 5 hours and cost $75. I found some flights that were actually cheaper but a train was more convenient since it arrives in the center of Rome so I didn't have to take a shuttle from the airport with 2 heavy suitcases. Quick little tip for taking trains in Europe: make sure to use the actual native site (ex. <a href="http://www.trenitalia.com/" target="_blank">Trenitalia</a> in Italy) to find tickets NOT an American company (ex. Eurorail) because you'll get ripped off. If you don't know the country's train site, just ask a local! Anyway, once I got to the train station Kaylin told me I had to take bus H and get of at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trastevere" target="_blank">Trastevere</a>. I was a little nervous but I found the bus stop easily and then asked the driver which was the right stop so it wasn't too bad but definitely a challenge dragging more than 80 pounds of luggage around with me (not to mention my biggest suitcase is slowly falling apart). I completely ran over some guys foot but thankfully he wasn't too pissed haha </div>
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Trastevere is a cute little area right next to central Rome where John Cabot's campus is located and where Kaylin's mom rented a flat for all of us. Kaylin said Trastevere has better bars and clubs than central Rome as well. So after taking a quick shower we left the flat to go out for dinner and then go bar crawling afterwards. We got bruschetta and smoked salmon as appetizers and I ordered a delicious gnocchi and eggplant dish. The sangria was also amazing!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tara & Kaylin :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmm bruschetta with pesto, tomato & mozzarella plus some sangria ;)</td></tr>
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After dinner we went out to a bunch of different bars in the area trying out drinks at each one. We ended up spending the majority of the night at this place called <a href="http://www.g-bar.it/" target="_blank">G-Bar</a>. Idk if I would recommend it because it felt like we were in an American college bar since there were so many John Cabot students there! Most of the conversations around me were in English so the moment I heard some people speaking Italian I started talking to them.<br />
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I ended up spending a lot of the night talking to this guy about Rome's corruption and issues with the mafia. Back when I was in Italy 3 years ago, at Italian lessons we watched a movie and read a book about the mafia so I knew it existed however I honestly never knew how tremendous it's influence is on Italy. Most Italians don't like talking about the mafia and I've never wanted to offend anyone by asking. This guy at the bar though wasn't shy about telling me the truth and I'm really grateful for that. He said that on the outside Rome is a beautiful city, full of history and culture, but what most tourists don't realize is that it's the central of mafia activity. In order to rent a space to open up a business you have to pay a large sum of money to the mafia. In order to prevent your business from getting robbed or burned, you have to pay the mafia. The mafia uses the money to infiltrate the political system and gain even more power. He said Italy is stuck like this because it's nearly impossible for the people to rise up against the mafia since the mafia already has so much authority; people are scared of what can happen to them and their families. </div>
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He went on further to explain how the mafia culture affects the economic system in Italy, particularly southern Italy. Basically if you don't have money or know people it's impossible to get a high paying job. I understood exactly what he meant because from my exchange year in Italy I learned that even the school system is somewhat corrupted. Expensive private high schools exist that allow students who fail a year of normal public school to do 2 years in one for a high price. I've even heard a story of a someone who paid to receive a high school diploma but didn't actually attend that school at all. </div>
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Anyway, this guy at the bar went to college and got a degree in engineering but now is only working at a train station because he can't find any work. He told me that he has no ambition toward his job but has accepted that there's nothing he can do about it. He said many Italians accept a mediocre job as the best they can do and thus focus a lot more on partying and having fun in their free time. I asked him if this lack of enthusiasm toward work may also contribute to the importance of family in Italy? He agreed with me and said that a lot of Italians value family, friends and having fun before making money. He said that he's not happy with his life but he's just trying to make the best of it and that's why he's out drinking right now. Although I think he was right with many of the things he said, I felt like he was being slightly cynical. I challenged him by saying that my previous host parents in Turin had good-paying jobs but he quickly came back saying that there's much less mafia and more wealth and industry in northern Italy. I couldn't really argue with anymore because I knew he was right. After seeing my host mom in Puglia work for only 3 euros an hour to support her family, I understand that southern Italy is in a much more difficult economic situation than the north. It's very sad that southern Italians can't achieve their career goals but I think it's admirable that they replace that lost opportunity with a new passion towards family, friends and enjoying their free time in order to be happy. All of the southern Italians I know are extremely fun, open, kind-hearted, friendly, relaxed and generous. I will always respect them and their way of life because they do their best to be truly happy despite economic difficulty. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I thought this was disgusting... sambuca, absinthe and strawberry vodka</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunited!</td></tr>
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The next morning I woke up bright and early (and slightly hungover) to go sightseeing all day with Kaylin's mom, Tara! Kaylin had to go to orientation so her mom (who's favorite city is Rome and has been here more than 10 times) agreed to take me out. I'm so lucky to have had Tara because she knew Rome like the back of her hand; I definitely would've gotten lost without her! Plus it was so much fun having someone to chit chat with all day :) Since we only had one day to see ALL of Rome we just went to all the main sights but didn't take any tours. It was nice to skim the surface of Rome and get a feel of the ancient and beautiful city but I'd definitely want to come back one day and actually dive into the history a bit more! I still managed to take a million pictures though ;)</div>
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The <a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome/sights/historic/roman-forum" target="_blank">Roman Forum</a>, the ruins of what was once the political, cultural and social center of Roman public life filled with marketplaces, government buildings and social gatherings. </div>
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<a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/victoremmanuelmonument.htm" target="_blank">Altare della Patria</a> (in English: altar of the fatherland), also known as the national monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-9JCGAzLTL3GKa2eDHD1qzGp1q7bT3YRDRYCG1ErbYT9Xu7QqMV35hc24VbXym8K2QzbHm5aPRYQ57nFhAlsj49mhafZaH6tYqmZOqAJt8Pa3D_aVDOwkQ1sGYcwpt_jNi25D8cA7D7I/s1600/DSC_0054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK-9JCGAzLTL3GKa2eDHD1qzGp1q7bT3YRDRYCG1ErbYT9Xu7QqMV35hc24VbXym8K2QzbHm5aPRYQ57nFhAlsj49mhafZaH6tYqmZOqAJt8Pa3D_aVDOwkQ1sGYcwpt_jNi25D8cA7D7I/s640/DSC_0054.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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The <a href="http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/cityofrome/g/TiberRiver.htm" target="_blank">Tiber river</a>, the second longest river in Italy (after river Po in Turin of course!)</div>
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colosseum" target="_blank">Colosseum</a>, the largest amphitheater ever built, used in the Roman age for gladiator contests, public spectacles and mythological dramas.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.trevifountain.net/" target="_blank">Trevi Fountain</a>, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, completed in 1792. Sadly while we were visiting the fountain was under construction so I couldn't throw a penny in :(</div>
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<a href="http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzanavona.htm" target="_blank">Piazza Navona</a>, a long oval shaped city square built in the area that once used to be a very large arena. Navona was definitely my favorite square in Rome because it was so picturesque with all the artwork, cafes & cute little apartment windows with flowers :)</div>
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The <a href="http://romeonsegway.com/7-facts-about-the-spanish-steps/" target="_blank">Spanish Steps</a>, 135 steps built in the early 18th century to connect the Bourbon Spanish Embassy and a church under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France.</div>
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The <a href="http://www.rome.info/pantheon/" target="_blank">Pantheon</a>, finished in 128 AD, it's STILL the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and is still in use as a church today. Definitely my favorite building because it's hard to believe that such an archetectural feat was constructed 2,000 years ago... wow.</div>
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All that sightseeing and walking got us exhausted so we stopped for lunch. I bet you'll never guess what we ate?! Pizza of course! We went to a little cafe called <a href="http://www.osteriamargherita.it/en/who/" target="_blank">Osteria Margherita</a>, which we were surprised to discover is actually a chain restaurant in Rome! I would definitely recommend this place, they had an extensive menu with at least 30 different types of pizza! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw a pizza with smoked salmon and buffalo mozzarella... literally my 2 most favorite foods on top of a pizza! To say the least it was the best pizza I've eaten in my life. Kaylin's Italian friend Giulia, who's also going to John Cabot this year, met up with us and walked around the Vatican with me and Tara afterwards! </div>
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After the lunch break we continued our tour with <a href="http://www.vaticanstate.va/content/vaticanstate/en/monumenti/basilica-di-s-pietro.html" target="_blank">St. Peter's Basilica</a> in Vatican City. St. Peter's is the most renowned work of renaissance architecture and one of the largest churches in the world. I was also really impressed by the square surrounding the basilica with the array of pillars surrounding the wide open space. We walked all the way around the basilica to see the Vatican museum so we could go inside the Sistine Chapel but it was closed :( But there was a gelateria right across the street that Giulia said we had to try. Tara said one of her tour guides form a previous trip to Rome said that it had some of the best gelato in Rome too. Oh my gosh that tour guide was right. They had so many unique flavors, I tried kiwi and my personal favorite flavor yogurt on a cone. Two huge scoops only cost 2.50 euros too! Although we didn't get to see the museum, I at least ate the most refreshing, delicious, flavorful gelato ever! :) If you go to Rome be sure to stop at <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1494588-Reviews-Old_Bridge_Gelateria-Rome_Lazio.html" target="_blank">Old Bridge Gelateria</a>! </div>
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Even though by this point our feet were killing us, Tara and I decided to rally and make the climb up the <a href="http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1850368_1850304_1850287,00.html" target="_blank">Gianicolo</a> hill to see one of the best views of Rome. By the time we reached the top we were a sweaty, hot mess and chugged a bottle of water! Honestly, I think Rome is an outstanding city but the view from above isn't nearly as gorgeous as Naples. However, it was still really awesome to point out all the buildings that we had walked around and saw that day. It was a perfect way to end the sightseeing by looking down at all that we accomplished. </div>
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That night we walked around a did some shopping for Kaylin's dorm then got dinner and wine. Of course I got more smoked salmon (I might turn into a fish one of these days from all the salmon I eat...). I had SO much fun on this mini vacation to Rome, I'm really thankful to have such great friends like Kaylin and Tara to show me around! :)</div>
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The next morning I had to pack up my messy suitcases once again and hit the road to catch another flight. It was tough packing because we didn't have a scale and Norwegian Air limits my large checked in suitcase to only 20 kg (44 lbs). I really didn't want to pay extra so I put all of my shoes in my carry-on along with heavier clothing items like sweaters wrapped up into little balls. Tara also took some of my summer clothes back to Ohio for me, which was really nice! My carry-on was so densely packed, it must've weighed at least 14 kg (30 lbs). I then put all the light clothes into my checked in suitcase. I prayed that my luggage wouldn't exceed the weight limit and no one would question my extremely fat, bulging carry-on. </div>
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My next struggle... getting from Trastevere to the airport. Kaylin and Tara said that they always just take taxis to and from the airport because it's such a hassle with heavy luggage. I didn't want to spend 50 euros on a taxi ride though so Kaylin and Tara said they heard from someone that there's a tram that can take me to the train station then a shuttle to the airport from there. It sounded really complicated and they weren't sure exactly where the tram was either... I was really paranoid of missing my flight since I missed my flight last time in Rome to Bari so in the end I decided to call an Uber but it turned out being more expensive than a taxi ride because I messed up the directions of where he was supposed to pick me up and canceled by accident... there's a $9 fee every time that you cancel. Oops... oh well eventually the driver found me and I made it safely and on time to the airport! Honestly, one thing I'm learning from traveling is that sometimes it's worth it to dish out the money for more comfortable transportation when you're all alone and carrying 9 months worth of clothes and belongings. I think it would be different if I was traveling with a friend because we could help each other out but alone I get a little intimidated and worried sometimes. </div>
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The good new is that when I checked in my large suitcase only weighed 16 kgs (35 lbs) so I did a really good job packing! However, once I boarded the plane, one of the flight attendants questioned whether my carry-on was under the "10 kg weight limit"... I just said yes and shoved it in an overhead locker and walked away ahaha I mean come on what airline seriously weighs carry-on luggage? Psh whatever. </div>
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Sorry this post was a bit long but I hope you all enjoyed! If you have any questions, don't be afraid to leave a comment below or send me a message through the contact form on the left of my blog! Look out for my next post in a new city... COPENHAGEN!! :)</div>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-18111945403518761842015-09-08T04:21:00.001-07:002015-09-08T13:43:56.829-07:00L'ultima settimana in San VitoThe night we got back from Naples was the Rezzica Festival in San Vito. Basically a rezzica is a wooden shutter that covers a door and every year during the rezzica festival, artists decorate these doors with their own images. You can also pay to decorate your own rezzica!<br>
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We went to an Italian band's concert called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC43xVNs0QgMFYZqkQ5yxY8A" target="_blank">Subsonica</a>. I wasn't too excited to go to the concert since I've never heard of Subsonica before but it actually turned out being so much fun; I really enjoyed their music! Subsonica was formed in my Turin (my home town!) and have been around for 20 years now so they're really popular in Italy. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone interested in listening to some Italian music! My favorite song is definitely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjfxLjdR1Bg" target="_blank">Lazzaro</a>! Oh and real quick a couple other Italian songs we listened to a lot were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rekwTmhYtQ" target="_blank"># fuori c'é il sole by Lorenzo Fragola</a> (hashtag the sun is out) and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDCHk6JhFzQ" target="_blank">Vieni a ballare in Puglia by Caparezza</a> (come dance in Puglia)! Give them a listen ;)</div>
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So I know I'm in Italy but one night me and Sabrina decided to make sushi because it's both our absolute favorite food! Sadly, it was a Sunday so barely any grocery stores were open except one and they already sold all of their fresh fish that day so we couldn't buy any raw salmon :( We settled for shrimp and avocado! Making sushi really isn't that hard, it just takes a lot of time and a bit of expertise to roll it up at the end. A lot of our rolls turned out falling apart but whatever it still tasted delicious! </div>
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Okay so I have a really fun story to tell (well at least I think it's hilarious). So one day we decided to go to this beach that was an hour away called San Pietro in Bevagna. Once we got there we were a little lost on where the actual beach was so we called Sabrina's friend, Noemi, who's family has a beach house in the same area. The friend and her parents were just about to eat lunch so they invited me, Sabrina, Leo and our friend Andrea ALL over to eat with them! We tried to say no because we didn't want to impose but Noemi's parents just wouldn't have it. Once again, can you believe how friendly Italians are!? So on the table first there was a bunch of bread with toppings for an appetizer then they brought out plates of pasta. I ate a decent amount because I thought after the pasta the meal would be over. Oh boy was I wrong... the pasta was only the "primo piatto", next they brought out fresh cucumbers and a sausage/veggie stir fry. I nibbled on the "secondo piatto" because I didn't want to insult Noemi's mom by not eating the food she served me. I thought, "Okay after this we're definitely done eating, right?!". Nope. Next came the fresh fruit, watermelon, cantaloupe and figs from the mom's garden. I've never eaten a fig before in my entire life so of course I had to try one (even though I was already stuffed), I absolutely loved the figs so they cut open 3 more for me... Next they brought out limoncello and amaretto, which are strong liquors that you eat after dinner to help digest your food. NEXT they brought out a chocolate cake. And last but not least, espresso. I think the lunch lasted about 3 hours but this is typical of southern Italy. No one in a rush to do anything, breaks in between each plate and a lot of conversation. I really enjoyed this lunch and I'll never forget the hospitality in Puglia! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soooo delicious</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing on the beach after our amazing feast</td></tr>
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The rest of my time in San Vito was spent soaking up the sun, going out with friends and just enjoying summer. Sabrina's family came to visit from Milan so we spent a lot of time with her cousins. Also, Sabrina's German friend, Christian, came to visit! He drove 18 hours straight to San Vito in his small RV camper all the way from his hometown near Stuttgart! When Christian arrived his eyes were red and he looked strung out on caffeine. He said he drank 6 espressos, a couple energy drinks and energy bars! hahaha It was an amazing last week, I had so much fun! Here's a bunch of pictures :)<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night out at the local (always busy) bar Gin Fizz!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfrwecrav1HNBH7bYfGg7XrWGsZLd4nOQ_HLA3o26dNTKeq5A246IblmGRops2P-NZHcstLHHcprzowcahfMuNDi3shu9_xTYcMoXd00W0_R-JSSBehE9bIzjb8i2Z_JtGJgAq8jdVpnB/s1600/IMG_1647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfrwecrav1HNBH7bYfGg7XrWGsZLd4nOQ_HLA3o26dNTKeq5A246IblmGRops2P-NZHcstLHHcprzowcahfMuNDi3shu9_xTYcMoXd00W0_R-JSSBehE9bIzjb8i2Z_JtGJgAq8jdVpnB/s640/IMG_1647.jpg" width="358"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christian, my German twin!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNCALW32g2Kj-GSa3aBWOJCmY6U_T4ng3G6T1WWYZ7PydCDSip_NffD4n_t2K2vn3GxGSLAtCUmcxkfNZp8mbjujEi-ru1uX_3Tj-27aHUvGrl8u-g7Yjxw3SY2mvOZSq8JHiy6CG6tuX/s1600/IMG_1702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNCALW32g2Kj-GSa3aBWOJCmY6U_T4ng3G6T1WWYZ7PydCDSip_NffD4n_t2K2vn3GxGSLAtCUmcxkfNZp8mbjujEi-ru1uX_3Tj-27aHUvGrl8u-g7Yjxw3SY2mvOZSq8JHiy6CG6tuX/s640/IMG_1702.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roberta's birthday party on the beach!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nGAOGFUpQKYq3dkgPth7qumeQVtWtmjBaJdbJWkK14XthC1HMTbwv_1R-GL4ogusljfzz-hQroJLp5wc4z4WujIKK8XKooym18qDjPC1XK1BTMDY_uNISi-5Wg2NdPWdLW6IwtGUjkJJ/s1600/IMG_1792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nGAOGFUpQKYq3dkgPth7qumeQVtWtmjBaJdbJWkK14XthC1HMTbwv_1R-GL4ogusljfzz-hQroJLp5wc4z4WujIKK8XKooym18qDjPC1XK1BTMDY_uNISi-5Wg2NdPWdLW6IwtGUjkJJ/s640/IMG_1792.jpg" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy birthday Roberta! <3</td></tr>
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Sabrina signed up to work as a bartender at the annual beer festival in San Vito. She said I could work there too if I wanted to make some extra money but I declined the offer because I just wanted to drink beer, not serve it... haha but anyway so since she worked every night at the beer festival, me and Christian didn't really have any other option but to stay at the beer festival for 3 days in a row from 7pm to 3am... To say the least we drank a lot of beer, ate a lot of food and had a lot of fun! We're truly die hard beer festival fans!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabrina and Diletta the cutest bartenders!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVe3cFi5vpQa90xHq9oUkX89LmOGvix7N1DiWhMd1mu97TQei3drbSO3c9i5tyqe686ZarNAyCPrzxKCnEhq8tIYoVTtZxwYiBr-eLj4zgkCDiazcoPY34mq27vq4yd2Sp51Y2m60Q6sL/s1600/IMG_1709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqVe3cFi5vpQa90xHq9oUkX89LmOGvix7N1DiWhMd1mu97TQei3drbSO3c9i5tyqe686ZarNAyCPrzxKCnEhq8tIYoVTtZxwYiBr-eLj4zgkCDiazcoPY34mq27vq4yd2Sp51Y2m60Q6sL/s640/IMG_1709.jpg" width="358"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mmmm grilled octopus food stand</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukhBPVQBhlynuASMOOE3YjfJ8_ig6aBIpp7mcPuKvR47wkhyNZE9tfl9pbKOOe12-zfVKy1r9GiXOC4MIY15zF0XJK3Tr0yUh5P3TQLRLO_XYvRVQCbvoFoM4wdUBjWP72zBPeAZOgq5H/s1600/IMG_1711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukhBPVQBhlynuASMOOE3YjfJ8_ig6aBIpp7mcPuKvR47wkhyNZE9tfl9pbKOOe12-zfVKy1r9GiXOC4MIY15zF0XJK3Tr0yUh5P3TQLRLO_XYvRVQCbvoFoM4wdUBjWP72zBPeAZOgq5H/s640/IMG_1711.jpg" width="358"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An ice cold Estrella and a plate of pasta di mare; what more could I want in life!? </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69CaCalWMIz_dCu-uytgdt9dxrR04cMCjzvPNYuUc9fUEWvSAX6DoOoB-CVvDrIOsFlIct_z2fi24jJnUIJZO7-VrUHTQ_KuUVLwjGmooIIShz3EeVWRepYkKHL085bgexy121S2XLbB0/s1600/IMG_1724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69CaCalWMIz_dCu-uytgdt9dxrR04cMCjzvPNYuUc9fUEWvSAX6DoOoB-CVvDrIOsFlIct_z2fi24jJnUIJZO7-VrUHTQ_KuUVLwjGmooIIShz3EeVWRepYkKHL085bgexy121S2XLbB0/s640/IMG_1724.jpg" width="480"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The foreign best friends in Italy! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2iLJ7wUrEEHuqD1cPt8GpH7SOOO4FaLyiQNdG90R4tR_gUDeK4FJJ08I6bC2grJp9jbQ5mjmAOsqJleE9zqGwYGwMJJm_1dUIy76Pv-kr0WDmT-11zb60dzZLwlX04CsrG3Jmw9NsOYR/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2iLJ7wUrEEHuqD1cPt8GpH7SOOO4FaLyiQNdG90R4tR_gUDeK4FJJ08I6bC2grJp9jbQ5mjmAOsqJleE9zqGwYGwMJJm_1dUIy76Pv-kr0WDmT-11zb60dzZLwlX04CsrG3Jmw9NsOYR/s640/IMG_1767.jpg" width="358"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mia sorella piccola <3</td></tr>
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Sadly, the Italian fun had to come to an end :( It finally came time for me to say good-bye. The night before I left me and all my friends went out for dinner at an all you can eat Japanese/Italian/Chinese buffet. There was a sushi conveyor belt!! Basically I was in heaven. The next morning I woke up early to say some final good-byes. It was really sad. San Vito is my home and I knew I was going to miss everyone so much. I'm going to miss the amazing hospitality, friendliness and generosity of everyone. If the economic and political situation in Italy was better, I would seriously consider living here one day. So although I may never live in San Vito I'll always carry a piece of it in my heart and remember to act as a San Vietese would when meeting new people: friendly and open. Anyway, I told everyone to come and visit me in Ohio or even Mississippi though so we'll see who shows up! Also, who knows maybe I'll see Sabrina later this year when she goes to college in Turin and maybe I'll see Christian in Germany as well! So it's not good-bye forever just an I'll see you later! :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mia mamma <3</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mia sorella e la mia migliore amica per sempre <3</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEMF4gYR4qa3ebX5Q47rqCsrSeUczZ-Zfba-0HuzaoBUxb4IroG2rwZUun92EZUj26E9MHoO1Fs0mEeDxRZ_puMq3XyVnrOMSOewbmjPG7zPkh3yTXZjRHCQigFdNY0bkd4_AIpT2D3_M/s1600/IMG_1901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEMF4gYR4qa3ebX5Q47rqCsrSeUczZ-Zfba-0HuzaoBUxb4IroG2rwZUun92EZUj26E9MHoO1Fs0mEeDxRZ_puMq3XyVnrOMSOewbmjPG7zPkh3yTXZjRHCQigFdNY0bkd4_AIpT2D3_M/s640/IMG_1901.jpg" width="552"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love you sis!<br>
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Well that's all for now, my next post will be about my mini-vacation to the capital of Italy... ROMA!! You can sign up to receive an e-mail notification every time I write a new post on the right hand side of this blog! Also for more recent pictures/information follow me on Instagram and Twitter @jdawgxx ! Ciao tutti :)</div>
Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-4272574476378023032015-09-04T06:43:00.000-07:002015-09-23T14:38:00.864-07:00The city that invented pizzaHey everyone! So just as I promised, this blog post is going to be all about my 5 day vacation to the the beautiful city of Napoli (Naples)! I'm so sorry, I'm so far behind on my blog posts because I've been so busy!! It's ridiculous, I'm constantly traveling, sightseeing or going out, I don't get time to sleep much less write a blog post but it's okay; I'm not going to complain because it's so much fun having so many new experiences!<br />
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Anyway, where did I leave off with my last post? Oh yeah the party on the beach... Okay so we left for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples" target="_blank">Napoli</a> straight from the beach. Me and Sabrina left all of our luggage in Leo's car and then he came and picked us up right as the sun was rising. It was only a 4 hour drive and I slept almost the entire time. We first stopped at a smaller city near Napoli for coffee and breakfast pastries because Leonardo's dad used to work there so we got discounts! I'll never get over the friendliness of southern Italians. Literally, we walk in, Leonardo mentions his father and the people working treat him like their own family!<br />
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Next, we drove into the city center, checked in at our hotel and began exploring. Okay so as you all probably know, Italians are insane drivers... and the craziest Italian drivers I've ever seen in my life were those in Naples. Cars and motorcycles flew through the streets and scared the crap out of me!! Except, it's normal for most Italians to drive like this and pedestrians aren't worried about getting ran over at all... Sabrina would actually always make fun of how I darted away from the cars!<br />
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Most Italians I've spoken to all agree that Naples isn't worth a visit. It's also known to be the most dangerous city in Italy. However, my impression of Naples is very positive; it's a very rustic, classic, idyllic, Italian city. Many of the buildings are very old, and yes, of course, there are parts of the city that are dangerous (just like absolutely any other country in the world) but you just have to be smart. Obviously, it's probably not the best idea to wander into a dark alley alone at night but that's just common sense. I never felt unsafe at all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The squad... Giuseppe (Salami), Leonardo, Sabrina and me!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost no Italians use dryers b/c they believe hanging clothes is simpler and more eco-friendly</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sabrina said not to walk down these streets because pickpockets are known to strike here</td></tr>
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Anyway, next we went to an ancient underground Greek/Roman market, which was really interesting. We saw ruins of stalls where people once sold fish, remnants of murals and stone tunnels. The tour was in Italian so I didn't always understand everything but my friends would explain if needed. I'm actually really surprised by how well I still speak Italian! I was a little nervous and hesitant at the beginning of my stay in Italy because I've definitely forgotten a lot of words since I haven't spoken much Italian in 2 years. However, after only about a week in Italy, I regained my confidence and felt somewhat fluent once again. I truly think that the best way to learn a language is by immersing yourself in it because you're constantly being forced to listen and speak. Italians always compliment my grammar skills but they think it's hilarious that I still have a very strong American accent (I tried so hard but I literally can not roll my R's)!<br />
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That night we went out to dinner at an authentic Napoletana pizzeria! In case you don't know, Naples is the city where the first Margherita pizza with just tomato, basil & mozzarella was invented in 1889 in honor of the Queen Margherita. And today they still boast to have the best pizza in all of Italy because of the unique, thick crust (Italian crust is normally so thin you need a fork and knife to eat it). We shared 4 different types of pizzas that were all so delish but my favorite was one called Vesuvius which had buffalo ricotta, tomatoes, raw prosciutto and a layer of fried crust over the top! Although the Napoletana pizza was definitely amazing, I honestly think all Italian pizza is equally good! Except I would never tell this to someone from Naples because Italians really take pride in the specific food from their region. Nearly every region specializes in a type of food, Naples = pizza, Genova for example = pesto and so on. Ugh I completely forgot to take a picture of the pizza we ate that night which sucks :( but you can probably imagine it!<br />
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The next day we were planning to go back to Puglia in the morning but the hotel offered us a real good deal to stay another night so we thought, "why not!?" and booked the room! Sabrina's aunt also lives in a city near Naples, so met up with her, walked to the top of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Nuovo" target="_blank">Castel Nuovo</a> and took some pictures at a quarter of the city called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posillipo" target="_blank">Posillipo</a>. The view was absolutely breathtaking; if you go to Naples, you absolutely MUST visit Posillipo!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Vesuvius</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coastline is without a doubt my favorite part of Naples</td></tr>
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So then Sabrina's aunt, Emily, invited us to stay at her house for the rest of the week! I was shocked at her hospitality. After all, 3 of us were complete strangers! Plus this vacation was meant to only last one day and one night, not an entire week! But of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to continue our vacation and thus spent the next 2 days at her home in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caserta" target="_blank">Caserta</a> (about 30 minutes north of Naples). We all had to do laundry at her house too since we only packed a couple pairs of underwear!<br />
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Emily works as a police in the equestrian department of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Caserta" target="_blank">Royal Palace of Caserta</a> and so of course we visited the palace one day. We decided to pack a picnic lunch to eat in the royal gardens and it was hilarious because we stopped at 3 different shops to buy each type of food (mozzarella, prosciutto and bread). The Campania region (where Caserta's located) is known to have the best buffalo mozzarella and ricotta in Italy. It was honestly one of the best meals of my life (I'm probably going to be saying that a lot this year! lol). Mozzarella made from buffalo milk instead of cow milk is just so much more rich tasting. Mmmm my mouth is watering even just thinking about it...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caserta has stores entirely dedicated to mozzarella di buffalo <33</td></tr>
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We actually ended up taking a nap on the grass after our mozzarella feast haha the gardens were so huge and gorgeous. Inspired by Versailles, there's a lot of sculptures and fountains and also a gorgeous botanical garden. Emily said that a lot of the trees and plants are not native to Italy and were imported to make the botanical gardens more exotic. The ponds were all also man made. There was a lot of people sitting around relaxing, reading, picnicking and also many jogging and walking. Emily told me that you can buy a yearly pass to the gardens which I think would be really cool! If I lived in Caserta I would absolutely buy one! :)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leo and Giuseppe trying to copy the pose I always make in pictures ahaha</td></tr>
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So the Palace (Reggia in Italiano) of Caserta was built in the 18th century for the Bourbon kings of Naples and modeled after Versailles. Surprisingly though, Caserta is bigger than Versailles; it's the largest royal palace in the world, which is weird because I don't think most people have even heard of it... But anyway, the Kingdom of Naples was almost always under the rule of either the French or Spanish during it's existence. The architecture and decorations of the palace resembled French enlightenment concepts a lot! Haha It was really cool seeing the palace because I took AP European History last year and was able to make a lot of connections! Yay my teacher would be so proud! haha :)<br />
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As a graduation present to Sabrina, Emily bought all 4 of us ferry tickets to visit the island of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capri" target="_blank">Capri</a>! Once again, I can't believe the generosity of southern Italians! Capri is an extremely expensive, luxurious vacation spot, frequented by a lot of Italian celebrities. We went there early in the morning and spent the first couples hours trying to even find a beach. Although a popular resort, there's not that many beaches due to the mountainous landscape of the island. We found an absolutely stunning beach, only to discover that it was private and cost 20 euros per person to enter... Well we're all poor teenagers so instead we found another really small public beach. Now when I say this beach was crowded and teeny tiny, I'm not exaggerating at all... Towels took up the entire beach, I couldn't even see sand. Even though the beach wasn't the best, the water was still clear, blue and mountains loomed in the background. We spent all day relaxing and swimming; it was a really nice day! However, I don't think I would recommend Capri unless you're willing to pay A LOT of money...<br />
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We spent the last day of our vacation hiking to the top of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Vesuvius" target="_blank">Mount Vesuvius</a>! The views were nice, but I thought Posillipo was much better. We talked to a tour guide and learned that lava didn't actually destroy Pompeii back in AD 79, what really happened is that the clouds of fumes, debris and ash from the eruption were blown over onto Pompeii causing roofs to collapse and fires. Idk why but I always imagined lava flowing down from the volcano scorching Pompeii (I guess it's a more dramatic image, but it's not what actually happened). Vesuvius has been sleeping since 1944 but it's still one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because it has the possibility of erupting at any moment (so crazy!). Good thing it didn't erupt while I was there... and hopefully it never does because there's more than 500,000 people living in the surrounding zone! We saw the center of the volcano and it wasn't anything special, just a dusty hole.. it's weird to think it has the power to kill so many people.<br />
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We wanted to go to Pompeii as well but unfortunately we ran out of time :( But that's okay because it gives me an excuse to come back to Naples again one day (maybe with Mihai!?)!<br />
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Yup so that's it for now! To summarize, if you're planning a trip to the Naples area, here's a checklist of absolute must-dos (You could probably see everything in just 3 days!)<br />
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1. Take a tour of an underground ancient City<br />
2. Eat the classic Napoletana pizza<br />
3. Have a picnic in the royal gardens of Caserta and eat mozzarella di buffalo<br />
4. Take tons of pictures at Posillipo and the Castel Nuovo<br />
5. Stroll through the 1,200 rooms of the Royal Palace of Caserta<br />
6. Tour the ruins of Pompeii (even though I didn't do this, I've heard it's so fascinating)<br />
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I would say if you're short on time skip Capri (too expensive) and Mount Vesuvius (unless you really love volcanoes, Posillipo had a better view of the city).<br />
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If you're interested in seeing more pictures from my Naples vacation, just add me on Facebook and check out my Vacanza a Napoli album! My next post will be about my last week in San Vito and then Copenhagen! :)</div>
Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-16674482294476001292015-08-19T12:49:00.000-07:002015-08-19T13:03:46.869-07:00Tutto con calma So I've been in Italy for a while now and SO much has happened... I honestly don't think I've ever been so busy in my entire life! Every single moment we're doing something fun, it's been crazy! Today is the first time that we're just relaxing at home for a couple hours because it's raining so we can't go to the beach :( but that's perfectly okay with me because I finally have the opportunity to write a post! Hmmm so where do I start... ?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reunited</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd2NXUVcjx5Bh3rrNwuH31jVjuwVxnPpDCFV4ghuoRbyfmqqDwjy8iQi6n0Z1tY0BKvJXjcTy0ERKIziQfUZTBh2XE0gnKUSnqZzZXL5slPXdWL7ril5GA_xg5PgdsG382NuFZmgP2r-o/s1600/11063858_10204626665214288_176646011272066670_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd2NXUVcjx5Bh3rrNwuH31jVjuwVxnPpDCFV4ghuoRbyfmqqDwjy8iQi6n0Z1tY0BKvJXjcTy0ERKIziQfUZTBh2XE0gnKUSnqZzZXL5slPXdWL7ril5GA_xg5PgdsG382NuFZmgP2r-o/s320/11063858_10204626665214288_176646011272066670_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh how I missed genuine Italian pizza <3</td></tr>
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Well the last time I wrote, I was on my flight to Rome so I'll start there! I had a 10 hour layover in Rome but that ended up turning into a 12 hours because I missed my flight :( Everyone asks how I managed to miss my flight after having so much time, so let me explain. Basically, on my ticket, my gate was listed so I went there with a couple hours to spare. The gate started boarding people for a flight to Milan and I was confused because my flight to Bari was supposed to be boarding. So I went to look at the departure board and saw a different gate listed for Bari, I sprinted there because I only had 15 minutes. However, once I got there, it turned out being the wrong gate again... The lady said she had no clue which gate my flight was taking off from. I went to the information desk and finally discovered that my flight was at a completely different gate that was neither listed on my ticket nor on the departure board. I had 5 minutes until the flight was supposed to take off so I darted across the airport all sweaty, knocking into people, dragging my huge carry-on suitcase, and dropping my passport. I arrived at the correct gate just as the flight took off. I started freaking out. I was so exhausted... I had barely slept at all in the past 24 hours, I was beyond sick of sitting at the Rome airport and all I wanted was to get to San Vito :( I went to the information desk again and thankfully the woman working took pity on me (probably because I was crying) and gave me a free new ticket for the same flight but at a later time. Well I guess I learned my lesson from this experience, from now on I'm always going to go to the information desk and double check to make sure I have the correct gate!! I told a lot of Italians this story and they all say the same thing, that the Rome airport is a crazy, unorganized mess! So if anyone ever travels through the Fiumicino airport, be extra cautious ;)<br />
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMkyLYXzp_ywEnqzUrNCs-tGoFf2PDhxZmO5w6vRTuCgSsyJUdKEuP92X7mq48Wh-MC2G9hP8FPK6ERy29T7FCt5SBh4bEfGaUCNKYEkoFIEUZLv_xO_5A7-7_r5jkjeiOwv0QQ7rYKjt/s1600/11866410_10204626667694350_6646404413174374170_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEMkyLYXzp_ywEnqzUrNCs-tGoFf2PDhxZmO5w6vRTuCgSsyJUdKEuP92X7mq48Wh-MC2G9hP8FPK6ERy29T7FCt5SBh4bEfGaUCNKYEkoFIEUZLv_xO_5A7-7_r5jkjeiOwv0QQ7rYKjt/s320/11866410_10204626667694350_6646404413174374170_n.jpg" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First night with Sabrina and Leo!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrA1wjRM8GvMGdumQbdVPS9UB8OoKw-J00gQj8rUN7GlKg91DKyZ73r3_D8t8Zow0JiXENxrhYdULpoAvzraeMK37epjc4C4udRtKgM5sKwJQ0aHhPaFKhuhKinnJYM1Izc8I9RSkSBeK/s1600/11836776_10204626668694375_1823202507593509532_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLrA1wjRM8GvMGdumQbdVPS9UB8OoKw-J00gQj8rUN7GlKg91DKyZ73r3_D8t8Zow0JiXENxrhYdULpoAvzraeMK37epjc4C4udRtKgM5sKwJQ0aHhPaFKhuhKinnJYM1Izc8I9RSkSBeK/s320/11836776_10204626668694375_1823202507593509532_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Only 3.50 euros!<br />
<br /></td></tr>
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Besides the little mishap in Rome, everything else has been great! The moment I stepped out into the Bari airport, my host sister Sabrina ran up to me and hugged me! It was so nice to see everyone after 2 years! It seems like nothing has changed at all. We talked the whole hour long car ride home to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Vito_dei_Normanni" target="_blank">San Vito dei Normanni</a>. Just to clear things up though, Sabrina and her family weren't my actual host family during my year in Italy. I stayed in a different city called Torino in northern Italy with another host family but I did a weeklong exchange in the south and that's how I met Sabrina and her family! I loved them so much I went back to visit again that summer for 10 days! We just fit together so well, I feel like part of their family :) Anyway as soon as we got home, as I was expecting, Sabrina asked me if I was too tired to go out with her and her friends that night. The exact same thing happened two years ago when I arrived at her house late at night! Sabrina said all of her friends had been waiting for me at this bar down the street and were so sad when my flight was delayed. So obviously we went out that night to the bar where Sabrina's boyfriend, Leonardo, works. I love Sabrina, she's always so fun and full of energy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZlncDQXPdZd4IwiLi13bjYygeWVh5dy-j8dH5gxuLsa_9kNXtllYAasMYw96bWb5246kjSOGm_xW_LkZW4Oeplq3N3h3r200W3ho0dAjjxgXmdwXms6GvHwPoD1-9ppBWYlgB1lpupzE/s1600/11888092_10204626670494420_1928000807551935451_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ZlncDQXPdZd4IwiLi13bjYygeWVh5dy-j8dH5gxuLsa_9kNXtllYAasMYw96bWb5246kjSOGm_xW_LkZW4Oeplq3N3h3r200W3ho0dAjjxgXmdwXms6GvHwPoD1-9ppBWYlgB1lpupzE/s320/11888092_10204626670494420_1928000807551935451_n.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disco!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxssmv6YB60dafXXBjpQNivgJkv16juzL_MdkcnFPj4HA_EexNg_sB9_NfM9KAitK_KO7MBTQ-c-fY2tbu6oCKTLagakHk3fZmGmF6vK9C6voVPdsxQtfdpLD1NCYyJqnkzi-cn4phP6l/s1600/11903843_10204626672214463_8065813480874339860_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMxssmv6YB60dafXXBjpQNivgJkv16juzL_MdkcnFPj4HA_EexNg_sB9_NfM9KAitK_KO7MBTQ-c-fY2tbu6oCKTLagakHk3fZmGmF6vK9C6voVPdsxQtfdpLD1NCYyJqnkzi-cn4phP6l/s320/11903843_10204626672214463_8065813480874339860_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for Torr</td></tr>
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The next day, I slept until 5:30! I woke up and talked to my host mom, Gabriella and Sabrina for a while. Even though I was in Italy for a year in Torino, there's still so much to learn about the country and culture. Especially because the north and south are so extremely different. Anyway, I never knew this but there's apparently no strongly enforced minimum wage in Italy. Sabrina's mom, Gabriella, works at a sandwich shop at night and they pay her 25 euros for "one night" of work (which equals out to 8 hours of work; so 3 euros an hour). Gabriella explained to me that there's very little work in Italy so people are desperate and have the option of working for 3 euros an hour or not working at all. Due to the extremely small pay, to save for college, Sabrina's boyfriend, Leonardo, works 2 jobs, totaling over 100 hours of work a week. However, I noticed that there's also not as many regulations in the workplace. For example, Leo works as a bartender but he can sit and relax with us for a bit while he's at work without any problems.<br />
<br />
Anyway, later that night we went out to a discoteca (Italian nightclub) called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/torrereginagiovanna?fref=ts" target="_blank">Torre Regina Giovanna</a>. Teen nightlife in Italy is so different to the U.S. Since the drinking age is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for liquor, it's common to go out to a bar and relax with your friends and smoke a cigarette and drink a beer. Also clubbing until the sun comes out is very normal. We stay out almost every night until at least 3 in the morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcr5zlQB0W4sTf6EB8Zi8hSaS7D-5ndXNg9LL5hL609FFCbSTvLUNvghu9S9yC71iAtSBoy6yQlSsucgQmRpHFBGprjD9uiepnSBLbpvDqWvrTYYBejOj0gxp34vz5mMsMPyFG6FOuyHIY/s1600/11836865_10204626672614473_447836366029232574_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcr5zlQB0W4sTf6EB8Zi8hSaS7D-5ndXNg9LL5hL609FFCbSTvLUNvghu9S9yC71iAtSBoy6yQlSsucgQmRpHFBGprjD9uiepnSBLbpvDqWvrTYYBejOj0gxp34vz5mMsMPyFG6FOuyHIY/s320/11836865_10204626672614473_447836366029232574_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The jam-packed beach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLnFhNd9E-hHfmIGBN8VyOVFHNIi3j6dmcTYw8civfpekj07KgqLC2ZC0xdwls0xO79GEq3cCVB55uJYQS-39RE0z4OudN_dhDsFbX-qO27NMgz-pKHcWaNMsQqfXhx5giETzqMD4SkT1/s1600/11905798_10204626674054509_3298955330808806720_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLnFhNd9E-hHfmIGBN8VyOVFHNIi3j6dmcTYw8civfpekj07KgqLC2ZC0xdwls0xO79GEq3cCVB55uJYQS-39RE0z4OudN_dhDsFbX-qO27NMgz-pKHcWaNMsQqfXhx5giETzqMD4SkT1/s320/11905798_10204626674054509_3298955330808806720_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amiche :)</td></tr>
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Saturday, we went to the beach all day with a group of friends. Puglia, in general, is extremely crowded in August because of Ferragosto. Ferragosto occurs in mid-August when many Italians take a week or two of vacation from work. Puglia is like the Florida of Italy so the beaches are packed! Even though there's a lot of people, I like being in Puglia for Ferragosto because there's lots of festivals, concerts and special events going on! I feel like a true Italian on vacation :)<br />
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That night, we went to a city called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostuni" target="_blank">Ostuni</a>, which is also known as la citta bianca (the white city) because all of the buildings are white. The streets were filled even at 1am. Ostuni is a really pretty, cool city! If you're in the Brindisi area of Puglia, I would definitely recommend spending an night in Ostuni. That day, Leonardo and his friend asked me and Sabrina if we'd want to talk a quick little trip to Naples for one night! It was so last-minute, I've never been to Naples and I was so excited! But I'm not going to talk about Naples just yet because that's what my next post will be about!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0x3W3C8-bIyF-1oCDEIM9OzNNWcgGFynaaUaczTdmr-raibcv3pDtou29O-sbYS41Od8h9LG_1CKPe8gp2s_f1fSUXAqhPxQUPnIjv_bWJ7R3U3ZMA6s4poIkBNgL1HlI98MVYl7ZrVl/s1600/11896200_10204626679974657_6223921390909312556_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT0x3W3C8-bIyF-1oCDEIM9OzNNWcgGFynaaUaczTdmr-raibcv3pDtou29O-sbYS41Od8h9LG_1CKPe8gp2s_f1fSUXAqhPxQUPnIjv_bWJ7R3U3ZMA6s4poIkBNgL1HlI98MVYl7ZrVl/s320/11896200_10204626679974657_6223921390909312556_n.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mia sorella :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbigXQ_qggcZ_J57mshjIMG2wKZii9CUm42nfIemTmdSDavOTs96gZjjXUZ4i2UyQ1fpb7GDfin7ktHh4MPSXUbDU4Zd_pX5lAcMR0r_qJrkechkeGQYy4K2Ql2EivZx1-jj4rBiHn7oB/s1600/11855653_10204626681414693_2732446984004862545_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbigXQ_qggcZ_J57mshjIMG2wKZii9CUm42nfIemTmdSDavOTs96gZjjXUZ4i2UyQ1fpb7GDfin7ktHh4MPSXUbDU4Zd_pX5lAcMR0r_qJrkechkeGQYy4K2Ql2EivZx1-jj4rBiHn7oB/s320/11855653_10204626681414693_2732446984004862545_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The white city</td></tr>
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Anyway, Sunday night, everyone slept on the beach (it's a tradition in San Vito every weekend in August). Except since we were leaving for Naples at 5 am (when Leonardo finished working), we didn't actually sleep on the beach, we just stayed the entire night. It was so much fun!! Definitely one of my favorites nights in Italy so far. The beach was filled with tents and almost everyone from Sabrina's school was there. We spent the night talking, drinking, laughing and joking around. It was so nice because everyone is so fun and I truly feel accepted into Sabrina's friend group! There was also a huge meteor shower that night so we spent a lot of time laying on the sand watching the sky for shooting stars. The sun also rose right when we had to leave, it was so gorgeous!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo_JTnjLU0702yEr-baetEwnt9So0bkRWVnZKfNOw0la4C-MTNzhXsvHVFeKlnm4U6CdCW8yfDvshRHyln5Smtkja85SdMBSk8xt95cZiNVEM_eDRAaCmob1EuekvM9Zb9ZZHyLjt5lPr/s1600/11902277_10204626682494720_4630218058693853857_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyo_JTnjLU0702yEr-baetEwnt9So0bkRWVnZKfNOw0la4C-MTNzhXsvHVFeKlnm4U6CdCW8yfDvshRHyln5Smtkja85SdMBSk8xt95cZiNVEM_eDRAaCmob1EuekvM9Zb9ZZHyLjt5lPr/s320/11902277_10204626682494720_4630218058693853857_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L'alba (the sunrise)</td></tr>
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One last thing before I finish, I just want to explain the title of this blog post! Like I said before, southern and northern Italian culture is vastly different. Northern Italy is more industrialized whereas southern is more agricultural, thus causing differences in personalities. I don't want to generalize anyone, but typically, Northern Italians are known to be more reserved and hard-working whereas southerners are more open and relaxed. In a way, the cultural differences resemble those in the United States. Sometimes northerners will criticize southern lifestyle and vice versa. Northerners consider southerners lazy and southerners consider northerners cold-hearted. Anyway, back to the title, "tutto con calma". Sabrina always says this phrase, which means everything with calmness. I can't think of a better way to describe southern Italy; no one is ever in a rush to do anything. Lunch may take up to 4 hours sometimes because everyone is simply just enjoying each other's company with no hurry. Sabrina and I may not end up leaving the house to go out until midnight because we were taking our time getting ready. The southern Italian lifestyle is extremely stress-free and I honestly love it! In this way, Southern Italy reminds me a lot of my time living in Australia. I feel like both southern Italians and Australians just know how to enjoy the simple things in life without any worries or rush :)<br />
<br />
Well that's all for now, my next post will be all about our spontaneous week-long vacation to Napoli, otherwise known as Naples! Ciao tutti! :)<br />
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-73856643103853515792015-08-06T01:01:00.000-07:002015-08-06T01:15:21.956-07:00Is this real life!?<div class="MsoNormal">
So I’m sitting on the plane en route to Rome (thankfully I
got a window seat with no one next to me so I’m free to stretch out and sleep
comfortably)! Everything just seems so surreal… it still hasn’t hit me that I’m
literally living my dream. Ever since I was a little kid I fantasized of
travelling the world. I read the entire book <a href="http://1000places.com/the-books.html" target="_blank">A Thousand Places to See Before You Die</a> and marked all of the places I wanted to see with sticky notes (basically
every page). It’s truly insane to me that I’m actually accomplishing the dreams
I’ve held onto since elementary school. Even a month ago, I never imagined
myself going to Japan and Ghana. I’ve been talking about my gap year and
changing the plans for months and now it’s finally beginning. Last night I had
a bonfire and I kept talking about my travel plans for “next year”, then one of
my friends pointed out that “next year” was actually tomorrow… I’ve always
imagined my gap year so far ahead in the future; it’s crazy that it’s starting
now. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I can’t help but to think back to two years ago when I left
for Italy as an eager 15-year-old exchange student. I feel like I was so young
back then, still an amateur traveler and immature teenager with no clue what a
life-changing experience I was about to have! I can’t believe that I’m doing it
all over again: saying good-bye to my friends, family and home for another school
year. Except this time, it’s different because I’m more independent. There’s no
AFS chaperones herding me and a bunch of other exchange students around the
airport, no one holding my passport so I don’t lose it by accident, no friends
(Sergio!) to talk to during the flight. I’m travelling all alone this time and
everything is my responsibility. A lot of people have asked me if I’m nervous
or scared and the answer is no. I’m confident in my ability to take care of
myself. I learned so much from my year in Italy and even my last two years in
high school that I’m not worried. I’m much more mature and experienced than the
last time I left for Italy. After all, practice makes perfect and I have plenty
of practice travelling, taking care of myself and being independent. I’m so
ready to begin (hopefully) one of the best years of my life!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m really going to miss everyone back home in Ohio so let’s
all keep in touch! You can sign up for e-mail notifications for my blog so that
every time I write a new post, you’ll get an e-mail! (It’s on the right hand
side of my blog) Also I’m going to have unlimited international texting and 2G
data everywhere so feel free to text, Skype, Facebook message, e-mail,
Whatsapp, Snapchat, Tweet, FaceTime or even snail mail me anytime! It’s so
weird that me and all of my friends’ lives are about to completely change;
we’re all going our separate ways. Although it’s sad, I think it’s more
exciting than anything because we’re all growing up and pursuing our life
goals. It’s going to be awesome to hear about everyone’s differing lives and
fun times at college!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been a week and a half since I last saw Mihai. He went
on vacation to Las Vegas and California with his family and isn’t coming home
until Friday so we had to say our good-byes early <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">:(</span> Our last day together was
bittersweet. He got me a promise ring that has hearts with our birthstones
intertwined with an infinity symbol and our names engraved on it! He stole
rings from my bedroom to find out what size finger I am hahaha and he made me a
bunch of letters to open at different times throughout the year, for example
one envelope says to open when I feel like reminiscing :) Being in a long distance
relationship hasn’t been too bad so far because we’ve been texting and
FaceTiming a lot (seriously thank goodness we live in the age of technology) but
I still miss Mihai so much. Everything reminds me of him. I wish that he could
share all these new experiences with me. It’s okay though; our time to travel
the world together will come one day :) I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am to have even met him at all and how
I’ll get to see him in just 2 months! Plus, it’s kind of cool to see our
relationship grow and our bond get stronger while we’re apart. He still hasn’t
gotten his host family information yet even though he leaves at the end of
August, which is a little bit annoying because I’m waiting to pick a Workaway
that’s close to where he lives… but oh well nothing much we can do besides
wait. </div>
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One last thing, if anyone ever wants any advice about
travelling please don’t hesitate to contact me! Besides updating friends and
family on my life, I also hope that this blog will inspire people to get up and
experience the world. It doesn’t matter if I don’t know you, if you have any
thoughts or questions just talk to me! A lot of people (especially young ones)
think that they don’t have the finances to travel. But in reality, there are so
many affordable options out there for students! From study abroad scholarships
to discounted flight rates for students to Workaways and Couchsurfing,
travelling doesn’t HAVE to cost a fortune. All you need is to be smart with
your money and determined! Don’t think that exploring the world is out of your
reach because it’s not at all. And I’m here to help you discover and chase your
wanderlust! :)</div>
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Well I’m going to go try and get some sleep so that this
flight will fly by (haha get it?!). Next time I post I’ll be coming at ya live
from ITALIA!! Bye! :)</div>
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P.S. I managed to pack the necessities for next year in one
45-pound suitcase, another 35-pound carry-on suitcase and a backpack! It took
almost an entire day but I did it (I’m very proud of myself because last time I
went to Italy I had to pay a bunch extra since my suitcase was almost 80 pounds)!!
And my Obachan is going to bring me some winter clothes for Japan so that’s
good too. I’ll still probably be wearing a lot of the same clothes in my
pictures but whatever!</div>
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Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-91892426835938074092015-07-11T22:44:00.000-07:002015-07-11T22:57:04.830-07:00One blonde backpacking through the entire world?Sorry I haven't posted in a while but there's been a couple major curveballs affecting my travel plans for next year that I've had to deal with!<br />
<br />
So first of all, has anyone ever heard of the <a href="http://www.schengenvisainfo.com/who-needs-schengen-visa/" target="_blank">Schengen agreement</a>? Nope? Well that makes two of us. So basically, an American is allowed to travel freely within the Schengen Area without a visa for up to a max of 3 months. The Schengen Area includes the majority of European countries excluding the United Kingdom, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Ireland. So my initial plan of staying in Germany for the year wasn't possible without a visa. In order to get a visa you either have to have proof of enrollment as a student at a European school, proof of a source income in Europe or proof of marriage to a European citizen, all of which I do not have. And since the Schengen Area includes so many countries, not only am I unable to stay in Germany for longer than 3 months but I'm also unable to stay in Italy, Denmark, Germany and nearly any other European country collectively for longer than 3 months. Well crap... What am I supposed to do then? My plan was to go to Italy for a couple weeks, Denmark for a couple weeks and then Germany for the rest of the year... Now I can only stay in those three countries for a max of 3 months...<br />
<br />
After closer research I discovered that all I have to do is leave the Schengen area for 3 months and then I'm allowed to come back again for another 3 months! I looked over the non-Schengen countries and realized that leaving wouldn't be impossible. My boyfriend, Mihai, has relatives in Romania that I could stay with for about a month or so and I could come home to Ohio for Christmas and spend another month in either Ireland, Croatia or the U.K. doing a <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">Workaway</a> program (hosts give you a place to stay and food in exchange for around 25 hours of work per week). Problem solved! I began buying plane tickets and getting into the details of my trip. I'm leaving on August 5 to visit one of my prior host families in the Southern Italian city of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brindisi" target="_blank">Brindisi</a> for 3 weeks, then off to Copenhagen, Denmark to stay with a friend for another 3 weeks, then stay with another friend, Paula, in Central-Western Germany for another month and half, then go to Brasov, Romania for a month and a half, then come home to Ohio for Christmas and New Years then to Ireland for a month and lastly return to Germany and stay with Paula for the remaining 3 months! Sounded like a perfect year, I couldn't wait! I bought the first few plane tickets up until the one that would take me from Denmark to Dusseldorf, Germany.<br />
<br />
Well thank goodness I never bought that plane ticket because a few days ago, Paula messaged me saying that her and her family would be unable to host me at all next year in Germany. Well CRAP... now I'm really in a pickle... I was supposed to spend half of my year in Germany...<br />
<br />
My entire year revolved around Germany, the only reason I was going to Romania and Ireland was to essentially kill time until I could come back to Germany. Germany was supposed to be my "home base" next year since I had a good friend and welcoming family to stay with. Now I questioned all of my plans. I mean I could just do a bunch of workaways in Germany but that didn't feel right. The main reason I wanted to go to Germany was because I had people I knew there who could host me, instead of strangers. It felt like I was back at square one again. Besides Italy and Denmark the entire year was pretty much a clean slate.<br />
<br />
I began thinking of every single possibility. A new opportunity opened up that I had never even thought of: I could stay with my distant relatives in Japan! I talked to my Obachan (grandma in Japanese) and she said her sister would happily host me for a couple months in Tokyo! My Obachan even said she would meet me there and take me sightseeing all around Japan! I've never been to Japan or met any of my relatives there but I've always wanted to! I studied Japanese for two years when I lived in Australia, I'm beyond obsessed with sushi and Japanese cultures in general, so I was exhilarated by the possibility. There were so many options; I was overwhelmed. I could volunteer with <a href="https://www.volunteerhq.org/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw_YKtBRC7zZjFp8bF_foBEiQAfyigc2_ThmI17XBSBOzzbY9jZqRV3Kf0y0k9Txsf4EwdhZkaAtJD8P8HAQ" target="_blank">IVHQ</a>? Stay with friends in Australia? Still go to Romania? Do a bunch of workaways all over Europe? Volunteer in Ghana, Madagascar, the Philippines, Nepal or Vietnam? There were also doubts and worries. Did I have enough money to go all the way to Japan? Did I still want to stay in Europe for a while since I already bought my plane tickets to Italy and Denmark? Did I want to visit Mihai in Germany? Would our relationship suffer if we didn't see each other at all for an entire year? How long did I want to stay in each destination?<br />
<br />
If you know me at all, I'm an extremely indecisive person and all the questions had completely consumed my mind. I wanted to be able to do it all: Visit Mihai in Germany, go to Tokyo with Obachan and volunteer with IVHQ. However, I didn't think it was financially possible to travel to 3 continents in one year. I thought I had to give up either Japan or volunteering but I couldn't decide for the life of me. I drove my family and Mihai crazy with all my deliberations and uncertainty. I spent two days thinking, looking up flights, researching and calculating hypothetical budgets to see what was possible. It was easy to eliminate the Philippines and Vietnam because they weren't the safest of countries. Madagascar has a really cool scuba diving program but it's nearly double the price of other IVHQ programs so I eliminated that as well. Nepal made the most geographical sense since it's near Japan however my parents were cautious of more earthquakes so I finally decided on Ghana. I'm not sure if you remember my first blog post, but I mentioned Ghana as an option. I've always wanted to see Africa. It's really cool that all these challenges and changes in travel plans led me back to Ghana!<br />
<br />
Anyway, I discovered it would actually be possible to do everything I wanted: go to Europe, Tokyo AND Ghana! However, I would be on a very tight budget so my parents decided to help me out a little bit. I'm so lucky to have such supporting parents that allow me to accomplish my dreams.<br />
<br />
Now I'm just hammering out the final details but I'm so happy to have the main itinerary figured out! After Italy and Denmark, I'm pretty sure I'll spend a month in Germany, then 3 months in Japan, 2 months in Ghana and lastly 2 more months back in Germany! But who knows, from experience, everything could easily change again and those timeframes may become completely different (but I really hope that doesn't happen)! I can't believe how many times my plans have changed. Back in April I still thought I'd be going to South Korea with NSLI-Y, then I thought I'd be spending the year in Germany, then I thought I'd travel throughout Europe and finally I'm traveling to three different continents! Every curveball has brought me here to my final plan, which I think is the best one yet! I have such an amazing, life-changing experience ahead of me, I can't wait for it to begin!!<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for updates from around the world ;)<br />
<br />
P.S. I'm not sure if I should change the name of my blog since I'm not really going to be just in Europe anymore? Opinons?Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5296624542618980898.post-61609584788427021902015-04-28T17:56:00.000-07:002015-05-07T20:21:29.981-07:00Everything happens for a reason<i>April 14, 2015</i><br />
<i>Dear Jacqueline Knirnschild:</i><br />
<i>Thank you for submitting an application for the 2015-16 National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program. The NSLI-Y team sincerely appreciates the time and effort you gave to the application and interview process. Unfortunately, you were not selected for a NSLI-Y scholarship. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The moment I read that e-mail 2 weeks ago, my heart dropped and I immediately burst out in hysteric sobs. I called my boyfriend and cried uncontrollably to him for a good hour. I was destroyed. I wasn't good enough. I had been rejected. I had lost the opportunity to achieve fluency in a critical language. I had lost the opportunity to take a gap year as an exchange student in South Korea or Morocco. The dreams I'd been imagining since the start of my senior year suddenly vanished. (Or at least that's what I thought..)<br />
<br />
Alright, hold on one sec, I'm going to rewind a little bit. So I'm a senior at Brunswick High School but I haven't been living in Ohio my entire life. I was born in Pittsburgh and before 1st grade my family and I had moved multiple times from Michigan to Ohio to Minnesota before finally settling down in Brunswick, Ohio shortly after I turned 7. I finished elementary school in Ohio and then my dad got offered to work on a project in Perth, Western Australia for 2 years and we moved a month later! I then spent 8th and 9th grade living back home in Brunswick. Sophomore year was my next adventure - I spent the school year as an exchange student in Italy with <a href="http://www.afsusa.org/" target="_blank">AFS</a>! But I'm not going to tell you any more about my experiences in Italy right now, if you're interested check out my old blog <a href="http://oneblondelooseinitaly.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">One Blonde Loose In Italy</a> !<br />
<br />
After returning from Italy I readjusted to life back in small-town Ohio; I reunited with old friends and saw my family again for the first time in 10 months. It was nice being home but by the end of my junior year I began yearning for another adventure. I spent a lot of my time researching different colleges and universities all over the U.S. and even some in other countries. I discovered that my dad's alma mater, the <a href="http://olemiss.edu/" target="_blank">University of Mississippi</a>, had the best <a href="http://chinese.olemiss.edu/" target="_blank">Chinese Language Flagship</a> program in the country along with an excellent <a href="http://www.croft.olemiss.edu/home/" target="_blank">Institute for International Studies</a> and <a href="http://www.honors.olemiss.edu/" target="_blank">Honors College</a>. Encouraged by the director of the Flagship program, I decided to participate in the <a href="http://news.olemiss.edu/high-school-students-study-chinese-at-ole-miss/#.VUnlalxkgUU" target="_blank">Chinese StarTalk program</a> over the summer. Basically StarTalk was a month-long program sponsored by the State Department for high school students to live in the Ole Miss dorms, take Chinese classes and get college credit for a month. While there I spoke with one of my classmates about my experiences in Italy with AFS and she told me she was hoping to take a gap year after high school as an exchange student with either AFS, <a href="http://www.nsliforyouth.org/" target="_blank">NSLI-Y</a>, <a href="http://www.yes-abroad.org/" target="_blank">YES</a> or <a href="http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/" target="_blank">CBYX</a>. I was familiar with all those programs and told her that I was pretty sure they were only available to high school students not graduates. She argued that I was wrong and recent graduates who were not older than 18 could apply. I skeptically looked online only to discover that she was right. I stayed up all night poring over the numerous study abroad programs and scholarships offered by the State Department. I had always thought about what I would do differently if I were able to go back in time and re-experience life as an exchange student and now that chance was actually a reality! Once again the country did not matter to me, I simply craved a life-changing experience and to become fluent in another language. I called my parents and told them everything; they said they thought it was a good idea but I would be responsible for paying the tuition and everything else. For that reason, I knew that I had to apply and win one of the full-tuition scholarships. After more research I found out that most of the scholarships required you to be only 18 and a half months old or younger at the start of the program. My birthday is in October so I would be nearly 19 by the time I started my gap year in September 2015 thus prohibiting me from applying to YES and CBYX. The only option left was NSLI-Y.<br />
<br />
As soon as I returned from Mississippi, I started filling out the NSLI-Y application. The National Security Language Initiative (NSLI-Y) provides merit-based scholarships for high school students and recent high school graduates to learn less commonly taught languages in overseas immersion programs. Although I want to major in Chinese in college, I was hoping to achieve fluency in another language during my gap year. I gravitated toward Arabic, Korean and Hindi because those languages and cultures seem so unique and vastly different to western culture. I finished the whole application in a couple of weeks because I was just so excited! I looked up statistics online and found out that the acceptance rate for NSLI-Y was only 15%, but I didn't let that discourage me at all. I was so confident with my essays and application as a whole.<br />
<br />
NSLI-Y informs "semi-finalists" in December and then conducts interviews in January and narrows it down to the "finalists" in April. On December 1st, I received an e-mail telling me that I was chosen as a semi-finalist. I was ecstatic, I even cried some tears of joy! Then I had my interview over the phone mid-January and I thought that it went really well! Call me cocky but I was just so optimistic and sure that I would be a finalist.<br />
<br />
Okay, I need to tell a quick side story first before I continue! So in the end of January, I went over my boyfriend, Mihai's house and he told me that he had applied to the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) and made it past the first round of eliminations. If you remember, back in the summer I also wanted to apply to CBYX but I was too old to meet the age requirement. CBYX provides full merit scholarships for students to immerse themselves in German culture by living with a host family and attending a local high school. I was so angry at him that he didn't tell me he applied! I kept yelling at him and hitting him with pillows! I had told him all about my decision to apply to NSLI-Y and talked about it constantly and he never felt the need to interject and say that he had also applied for an almost identical exchange program... Mihai said that he didn't want to tell me because he applied on a whim and didn't think he would be accepted at all because he lacked extracurriculars and a 4.0 GPA. He said he would be embarrassed to tell me that he got rejected. I told him that was beyond stupid because I would be there for him regardless of the outcome and I had a good feeling he would be accepted anyway because he's amazing!<br />
<br />
And I was right! In March, Mihai got a phone call that he was chosen as a finalist for the CBYX program!! He was so shocked; he really did not expect being accepted at all! It was such a wonderful surprise for him. I'm so happy for Mihai because he really deserves it. He's going to do a fantastic job learning the language, culture, making life-long friends and representing the U.S. in Germany! :)<br />
<br />
In the months leading up to April, Mihai and I had gotten more serious in our relationship and had begun thinking about our future together. When we first started dating at the beginning of our senior year we both assumed that would we just break up once it came time to go off to college (or other countries in our case). We both had such ambitious plans to travel in our futures and felt that it would be unrealistic and impossible to try and stay together through it all. However, then as time went on Mihai began looking into going to college at Ole Miss with me. We still had always accepted the fact that we would be apart for one year. He would either be in Germany or if he wasn't accepted to CBYX, he would do his freshman year at Cleveland State and I would either be in abroad with NSLI-Y or at Ole Miss. Either way we were going to be separated. We decided that we could handle a long distance relationship because neither of us could imagine breaking up. The thought of being apart for so long definitely dispirited us; it was going to be really hard. We would miss each like crazy but we knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel; if we could get through this year, we could get through anything and we'd have 4 years together at Ole Miss.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I've finally gotten up-to-date. So back to April 14th, 2015, they day I got the rejection e-mail from NSLI-Y. I was crushed. I have never wanted anything so bad in my entire life. My year abroad in Italy with AFS had left me eager for more. At times I even questioned my decision to go to Italy because I desired to be somewhere even more exotic to me. I longed for a remote Asian village, a desert in the Middle East or an overcrowded city in India. When I applied to NSLI-Y, I knew the country options would quench my thirst for an uncomfortable amount of extreme culture shock. I wanted to be an alien challenged to integrate into the absolute unknown. I wanted to reflect on my own beliefs and lifestyle from a completely different perspective. I wanted to meet remarkable people that would impact my life. I wanted to greet my host family with open arms and eventually become their American daughter. I wanted to share my enthusiasm, optimism and love for adventure with future friends. I wanted to learn a challenging critical language such as Korean or Arabic. I wanted to read books, understand college lectures and haggle with storekeepers in a language that was once completely foreign to me. I wanted to be chosen as a NSLI-Y finalist in order to accomplish all of these goals. But stuff happens and you don't always get what you want.<br />
<br />
Mihai, my parents and friends were all perplexed as to why I didn't get accepted. Everyone asked me what reasons NSLI-Y gave to reject me. I was the ideal candidate, they all said. One friend encouraged me to e-mail NSLI-Y back demanding an explanation for their decision. Mihai was so upset that he looked up NSLI-Y's phone number and almost called to yell at them! I too, was livid and baffled by my rejection. If I didn't get chosen as a finalist, then who did? However, when it boils down to it, none of that matters. Why I didn't get accepted is beside the point. I'm not going to dwell on the fact that I simply did not meet the criteria NSLI-Y was looking for. Obsessing over what could've been is pointless.<br />
<br />
After the initial shock, panic and devastation of not being accepted wore off I began thinking more logically and reasonably. Although I had committed to Ole Miss, the directors already knew of my intentions to defer and begin college a year later in 2016. Was there any way that I could still take a gap year and travel? Were there any other study abroad programs out there still accepting applicants? Any volunteer programs? Anything that would allow me to accomplish the same goals I aspired to with NSLI-Y? I wouldn't let one failure hold me back from achieving all of my ambitious dreams that I was aiming for. In the words of my wonderful boyfriend, "You can't let failure break your motivation and bring you down because then there really is no good that will come from it and that's all it will be - a failure, but if you take this failure and turn it into opportunity and adventure then you'll never linger over what could've been". Just because NSLI-Y didn't accept me didn't mean there weren't other opportunities out there waiting for me. The rejection made me more determined than ever to succeed. After sobbing to my parents over the phone I calmed down and proposed my idea to still take a 9 month gap year from August 2015-May 2016. They encouraged me to go online and research all the different possibilities.<br />
<br />
I was babysitting when I got the e-mail from NSLI-Y so right after I went over to Mihai's house and we googled volunteer and study abroad programs. To our dismay many of the programs were extremely expensive and not something I would be able to afford. I knew a girl who took a gap year so I decided to message her and ask for advice. Claire had deferred from the University of Denver for a year to backpack around Europe and volunteer in Guatemala. She was extremely helpful and provided me with websites like Workaway, Student Universe and International Volunteer HQ. <a href="http://www.workaway.info/" target="_blank">Workaway</a> is a website that sets up travelers and people who are looking for help with a wide range of work and activities. For example, a family in Belgium may post that they are looking for someone strong in gardening to help them work on their local farm. In exchange for farm work, the traveler would be given a place to stay and food. <a href="https://www.studentuniverse.com/" target="_blank">Student Universe</a> is a website that allows you to put in flexible dates for flights and then it lists the cheapest flights available. <a href="https://www.volunteerhq.org/" target="_blank">International Volunteer HQ</a> (IVHQ) is an affordable volunteer program that has opportunities in numerous countries for up to 6 months. I was amazed by all of these options available to me for my gap year! I stayed up all night and decided that I really wanted to volunteer in Madagascar, Ghana or the Philippines! I couldn't wait to tell Mihai about all the information I had found. The next afternoon we spent a couple hours researching flight prices, analyzing all the countries offered by IVHQ and reading about backpacking in Europe. Mihai was just as excited as I was to see where my upcoming year would take me! The thought never even occurred to us that we might end up being in the same country..<br />
<br />
I also asked my friends around the world if I could stay with them. I contacted everyone: my childhood friend Bek in Perth, Western Australia, Arda, my previous host brother in Istanbul, Federica and Silvia, both close friends from northern Italy, Sabrina and Gabriela, my host sister and mom from southern Italy, Paula, my close friend in Germany and Victoria, my close friend in Denmark. All answered yes, they would love for me to come stay with them! However, most people said they could only host me for about a month maximum due to school and work obligations. I was surprised by the overwhelmingly welcoming attitudes! It made me realize how lucky I am to have met so many sincerely warm-hearted, wonderful people in my life.<br />
<br />
Out of everyone, Paula was the most enthusiastic for me to come and stay with her and her family in Germany. Paula was also an exchange student in Turin, Italy with AFS from 2012-2013 so that is how we became friends. She lives in a small city in central-western Germany and told me that I could use their house as a "home-base" from which I could travel and backpack around Europe as much as I wanted! Her parents were happy to host me and her dad even said he thought he could find me a position as an English teaching assistant at her school! Paula and I were both beyond thrilled by the idea of living together for a year!<br />
<br />
I actually became overwhelmed by all of the possibilities available to me. Did I want to volunteer in Ghana or did I want to stay in Germany with Paula? I could also stay with friends in Italy, Denmark, Istanbul and Australia? I could stay with people seeking work through Workaway? Ahhhh there was so many different options; I couldn't make up my mind! I decided that I wanted to volunteer in Ghana for half the time and then spend the other half in Europe staying mainly with Paula but visiting other friends as well. I got out the calculator and made sure all of this would be possible financially. I had about $5000 saved up and aimed to make another thousand over the summer. Adding together the price of the volunteer program, flights and spending money I realized I would be living on an extremely tight budget if I went to both Ghana and Europe in one year. Although taking trains in Europe is relatively cheap, I worried that I wouldn't have enough money to backpack around much if I had to pay for the volunteer program in Ghana as well. Also, more and more opportunities in Europe kept popping up. Victoria, my friend in Denmark said I could stay with her for a month, my parents and brother were thinking about coming and picking me up for a 3 week vacation around Europe, my friends in Italy begged me to come stay with them all year and Paula's family offered to take me on trips to major German cities. Only half a year in Europe didn't seem like enough time anymore. And only half a year in Ghana didn't seem like much either; I would rather just do the Peace Corps. later in life and spend 2 years volunteering instead of just 4 months. For all these reasons I ultimately decided to cut Ghana out and just spend the entire 9 months in Europe!<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if you remember but Mihai is also going to Germany next year with CBYX. When I told him about my final decision to stay with Paula and backpack around Europe he was elated. Granted Mihai hasn't gotten his host family information yet so we could be living on complete opposite sides of Germany but it doesn't matter; just the fact that we'll be living in the same country is surreal. No longer will we have to live across the world from each other for an entire year; we will most likely be able to see each other at least every couple months. It is the most unexpected and amazing coincidence ever. Neither of us can get over how perfectly everything worked out.<br />
<br />
It really is true that when one door closes so many more open with even more opportunities. I never imagined that next year I would be reuniting with all my old friends or backpacking around Europe or living in Germany or spending time with the guy I love. If I had been selected as a NSLI-Y finalist, I would've missed out on all these amazing opportunities that will surely impact my life greatly. Everything really does happen for a reason.<br />
<br />
Well that's pretty much the digested version of my entire life story! This blog is going to serve as my outlet for the next year to share my adventures, thoughts, pictures and give travel advice to anyone hoping to also take a gap year! I really hope you'll enjoy reading about my experiences as much as I'm going to enjoy writing about them :) Oh and also be sure to check out <a href="http://mihaigoesgerman.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mihai's blog</a> about his upcoming year in Germany with the CBYX program!<br />
<br />Jacqueline Knirnschildhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10314513392703893646noreply@blogger.com1