2nd week

Well I've now officially been here for 2 weeks (two weeks and a day, but who's counting?).  I've had quite a full week.  Language school started on Monday.  My class is made up of 18 students.  There are 7 Brazilians , 2 Americans, 1 from Bahamas, 1 from Argentina, 1 from Mexico, 1 from Czech Republic, 1 from Italy, 1 from Canada, 1 from Taiwan, 1 from Thailand, and 1 from China.

This is all of us, actually- I think one person is missing.  Our language school is right in the very center of Vejle, so there is lots to do during our lunch break and also after school. I walk to the school from the train station in Vejle. It's only about a 5 or ten minute walk.  On Monday, after school, I went to Miss Saigon with my rotary counselor and the members of Rotary. It was very good, but it was interesting to see the way the Danes portrayed the American soldiers.
       On Tuesday, after school, my counselor picked me up and we went to Rosborg Gymnasium- the school I will be attending after language school.  There will be 10 other exchange students there.  We met with my "contact teacher." She is like an exchange student tutor.  She told me that I would be going into my 3rd year of gymnasium.  That is the highest level and my classmates will be one to two years older than me.  That's ok though.  She put me in a high level english class and spanish class, so I will be in a language course.  My spanish class is going to Spain! :) After I got home from the school, my host mom and host sister took me to Kolding for a summer barbecue.  We walked around the Botanical Gardens and saw Kolding Miniby (Kolding is the town and miniby means mini city). It showed what Kolding used to look like. There are still some old houses in Kolding that look like these models, so we went and saw them after the barbecue.

        On Wednesday I don't think I did anything.  If I did I don't remember.  Probably just went to school, hung out in Vejle with the other students after school, took the bus to Kolding, and met my host mom there and then went home.
         On Thursday I told my mom to pick me up at the wrong time (military time is confusing) so I spent some time at the mall in Kolding.  Every shopping center or public place in Denmark that I've been to has had an ice cream place and a hot dog place (or many of them) very near by.  Their hot dogs are pretty good. They are sausages that go inside this bun that has pocket.  If you picture an American corndog it's very similar, just without the stick.  Their ice cream is also quite good, but everyone gets it with black licorice shavings on the top- that's not very good.
         On Friday I stayed after school for quite a while.  There was a performer in the center of town right outside of our school.  He was doing Indian dancing and I felt like I was at the Pow Wow in Carson.  We found a cafe that had "iced chocolate."  That was by far the best thing I have ever tasted.  It was almost 10 U.S. dollers (45 kroner), but definitely worth it (especially since someone bought it for me.. ).  Right outside of my school is a long area of walking streets.  That's where all the shops and restaurants are.
         On Saturday I went to Legoland!  I went with 2 other rotary students.  The Danes sure are proud of their Legos.  The park was so crowded that they actually had to close the park to guests in the early afternoon.  There were 36,000 people there.  We were there for about 12 hours and only got on 4 rides.  We gave up around 3 o'clock.  The reason why it was so busy was because some really famous Danish bands were performing there.  So we went over to the concerts and spent the rest of the time there until about 10 o'clock.  We pushed our way all the way up to the standing area and were about 1 foot from the very front.  It took a while to get there though!  Obviously in the picture we weren't quite there.  It was very fun.  There were SO many people there.

 this doesn't even do it justice.

        Today I took the train from Kolding to Fredericia where I planned to go to church.  I couldn't find the church, though, so I got back on the train after about an hour of wandering around and asking for directions. Maybe next time!  I'm going to have my first horse riding lesson today!  Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year.  So we'll see if that lesson happens.  My host mom is giving me this lesson.  They don't have air conditioning so it gets pretty miserable, especially with all the flies and humidity.
         This Sunday I'm going to INTRO-camp with rotary and I'll be back the following Sunday.  I'm very excited, I think it will be really fun.  It is outside of Åarhus so I'll have to take the train.  All the rotary students from Denmark will be there.
          My exchange is going well and I'm seeing  a lot of Danish culture.  The language is coming, I just wish it would come faster.  Right now my host dad is turning the hay in the field.  They are hurrying and trying to get it harvested before it goes bad.  It has been a busy week for him for that reason.  Well I'm trying to adjust and I'm getting used to a lot of the Danish customs.  It's a work in progress for sure!