Traveling

I have finally returned!

Paris:

Paris is awesome.

When I first got off the plane in Paris I realized my phone did not have roaming capability. Oops- Guess I should have thought about that before! Luckily, Stephanie emailed me directions to her apartment and one and a half hours later I arrived (Whew!)  I stayed with Steph for 2 nights. The first night I got there we went to a club where I thought I was going to die o either exhaustion (I slept 3 hours the night before) or suffocation (Do Parisian guys not believe in deodorant?) The next day Steph and I, along with her friend, Amy went to the Louvre and then met up with Nicole and her friend Cally for dinner and drinks afterwards.  The next day we... Shit, I don't remember, but that night I went out with Nicole for her friend, Cally's 21st birthday at a really cool bar/club. I stayed at Nicole's that night... I slept in her host mother's daughter's room and when I woke up I realized that this girl has some intense "yellow fever"- Every square inch of the room was covered with pictures of Japanese pop band posters (weird.)

The next 3 days I stayed with Emily. We did a lot of sightseeing (Catacombes, Champs d'Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower) and ate a lot of french pasteries (yum.) We also went to this really cool restaurant that serves fondue and wine in baby bottles.

London:

The second half of the trip I was in London. Once again with no cell phone, but this time I also did not have access to internet. Steph and I arrived in London around midnight and made it to our hotel around 2 AM.  When we walk into the hotel there is a creepy old man at the front desk who gives us an actual key. This was beyond the sketchiest hotel I have ever stayed in. The room was the size of a walk in closet.  In order to avoid being in the room Steph and I did a ton of sightseeing- We visited the London Eye, Big Ben & Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, Tate Modern, and Harrods.  We also met up with 2 people from GW- Sean Gaffney (who I knew was studying there) and Josh Yeston (who I happened to just run into on the street!)

Oslo:

My next trip was to Oslo, Norway.  I took a cruise from Copenhagen to Norway and essentially only spent 6 hours actually in Oslo- but trust me when I say that was enough.  Oslo is FREEZING and the people were so rude! The cruise there and back was essentially of 48 hour shit show. Having a hangover after having been drunk for 2 days- painful. Some educational things were done is Oslo though- I saw a castle, Parliament, a Cathedral, the art museum, the historical museum, and the Nobel Peace Prize Museum. Although I am not sure if the Nobel Peace Prize Museum should be counted considering we walked in, realized it was 55 Norwegian Kroner and then decided that it wasn't worth it. 

I Suck At Remembering To Write In This Blog...

Hey Guys!

I am sorry that I am the worst "blogger" ever. I always mean to update it, but then I get distracted... you know me...

Updates on Life in Copenhagen:

1. I am becoming a culinary genius! Seriously. I can actually cook an edible meal these days. I have finally figured out how to cook rice successfully! For dinner tonight, I made delicious chicken with rosemary, thyme, olive oil, and some onion, some mixed veggies, and rice (currently a staple in my diet.) Mom would be so proud!

2. It snowed this weekend. 

3. On Thursday, instead of going out we decided to hang out around the dorm... Christian (my neighbor) and I decided to be Linh (my other neighbor) in my suitcase and leave her in front of our friend Eddie's door.  The video is posted on Facebook... I swear that it is really funny!

 

4. It is currently Fashion Week in Copenhagen... On Friday I went to a fashion show put on by this brand called, Pop.  The clothes weren't that cool, but there were free drinks so.... :)

5. On Saturday afternoon I went to the Assistens Cemetery in Norrebro... It is the largest cemetery in Copenhagen where Hans Christen Andersen and other famous Danes are buried.  A guy from CBS took me and then we went for coffee at a cafe for a few hours...so I am going to assume that this was a date sort of thing.... Not something American or in particular GW girls are used to!

6. On Saturday night, Mie (a girl who is a student at CBS and studied abroad at GW last semester) invited me over and we went out with her roommate, Damian (who is a chef and super funny) and her friend, Sally (a student at the University of Copenhagen) and 3 other exchange students.  It was really fun and I discovered a bunch of really cool bars.  

I'll try and update again soon!

PS. I am leaving for Paris and London and Thursday! Can't wait!

And Classes Begin?

So I have been at CBS for two weeks and 3 days. How many classes have I had? Well...only 2!  The class schedule at CBS is completely bizarre and based around professors personal schedules.  In February and March I basically only have class twice a week, while in April and May I have class 4 times a week.  On Wednesdays, I have a class called Violence and American Culture, which is actually pretty interesting.  The professor in from New York and teaches at Indiana.  On Fridays, I am taking a course called Organisational Entrepreneurship, which you would think would be interesting, but the professor goes off on 30 minute tangents whenever you ask him a question.  Later in the semester I will be taking International Economics and luckily International Business Law if I am taken off the waiting list.

In the meantime I have been trying to plan my trips across Europe (yay!) From February 12-23 I will be traveling to Paris and London.  Then on February 27- March 1, I will be heading to Oslo, Norway.  I still need to plan my trips to Germany (Berlin/Munich), Italy, Amsterdam (duh), Ireland, and Sweden.  I don't know how I am going to fit it all in! 

Organizing all of this is extremely stressful, but hopefully I will get it all done

I'll try to write more often and in more detail in the future. But I gotta run!

XOXO

Week 1

Hey Everyone!

I know its been a while, so let me try to re-cap on the highlights of the last couple days-

Last week was our Danish crash course. Where I am sorry to say I did not learn much...

Hej- Hi

Jeg hedder Alyssa- My name is Alyssa

Jeg kommer fra USA- I am from the USA

Je taler engelsk- I speak english

Jeg laser okonomi- I study economics

Je bor Porceleashaven- I live in Porceleashaven

Hvorden gar det?- How are you?

Det gar fint- I am good

Ol- beer

Je er fuld/stenet- I am drunk/stoned

Jeg har tommermond- I am hungover

And that is basically the extent of my Danish. I tried!

Recap Of The Week:

Monday- We had an introduction meeting and afterwards we all went to the student bar called, Cafe Nexus and then went to hang out in one of the dorms

Tuesday- We went bowling (which is apparently big in Denmark, who knew!) I scored an embarrassing 17 points.

Wednesday- We had an international dinner, where everyone brought a dish from their own country.  I cooked some gourmet grilled cheese with two other Americans.  

Thursday- We went ice skating (I basically shuffled my way across the ice) at Kongens Nytorv. We also tried some danish drink that was essentially hot wine with nuts and raisons (gross)

Friday- I visited an area of Denmark called, Christiania, which is basically a self-governing hippie town separate from Denmark.  I also met up with my "buddy" group for pizza and we all went out to a club called Karel, where I discovered a new alcohol called "Fisk," which essentially tastes like licorice. It's delicious!

Saturday- I went with my buddy group to the Erotica Museum- very educational.  My buddy, Unni (who is very cool!) took me to a concert at a bar called, Rust, where this band I just discovered (Caspian and the Good Times) where played.  Unni also showed me some cool vintage stores that I definitely need to check out.

Sunday- I met up with a girl from GW, who is studying at the University of Copenhagen for the semester and then I made danish pancakes with my buddy group- so good!

Monday- Today I FINALLY got my CPR Number (aka my danish social security number), so now I can get FREE health care- break a leg! Afterwards, I went grocery shopping. Going out to eat is very expensive in Denmark, so I basically need to learn how to cook and go grocery shopping for myself. Luckily, there are people on my floor who can cook, so I won't go hungry. After grocery shopping, I went around town with some girls.  We discovered an TOPSHOP, which makes me EXTREMELY EXCITED! Tonight, we are going to a bar called, Cafe Park.

Important Things I Have Learned This Week

1. If American girls are curious as to why there are no cute boys in the USA. FYI- They are in Denmark.  

2. The coffee here is AMAZING

3. Fisk, a danish alcohol, is awesome. 

4. Do not plug your speakers into the wall- You WILL blow all electricity. 

5. Caspian and The Good Times is a pretty good band. Check them out at the link above.

Anyway, I better nap before I go out tonight!

I miss you all!

Peace/Love,

Lyss

PS. I will try to post some pictures soon!

Hello Copenhagen

I have arrived!

I had a fairly uneventful flight. I drank wine and watched "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," which I have to say is a GREAT movie.  I ended up sitting next to a girl from GW on the flight who was studying at another school in Copenhagen (crazy coincidence) and when I went to baggage claim I ended up running into 2 other girls who go to GW as well, but they were also studying at another school.

Anyway, each of us are assigned a Danish buddy who picks us up at the airport and shows us around for the first week, my buddy's name is Unni- a first year student.  She brought me to my apartment, which is AWESOME.  I live really close to campus and right down the street from a subway and a bus stop.  I basically have own apartment, which is a room with a bed, desk, kitchen and a bathroom that I share with one other girl.  My suite mate hasn't arrived yet, so I'm basically living on my own right now.  After I unpacked Unni showed me around the University, but it was pretty gross out today and we were both pretty tired, so we ended up just hanging out at my apartment for while.  All the students in my building are exchange students, so everyone is really friendly.  I have met students from Singapore, Australia, Holland, Finland, Ireland, England, and Canada.  Since it is Sunday, a lot of stores are closed, so a bunch of us on my floor made dinner and hung out in our building.  Tomorrow we have our first day of class at 9 am- We are spending a week taking Danish.  Hopefully, I will learn something because I can't read or understand anything here.  

I am extremely jet lagged, but I'll keep everyone updated!

Miss you all!

Peace Out America!

ATTENTION: I AM LEAVING TOMORROW! 

As expected, I am currently Freaking Out!

Luckily, I am already packed (well, over packed- Both of my bags are extremely overweight!) and ready to go.

For those of you who I did not get to say good bye to, well, GOOD BYE! I will definitely miss DC this semester and everyone at GW (well lets be real, maybe not everyone, but you know who you are.)

For those of you in DC: I hope that you all have an awesome time during inauguration  I am so jealous that I am missing out! 

Be sure to keep in touch- As always I can be reached via smoke signal, telegraph, passenger pigeon

Email: Lyss826@gmail.com

alfr08ab@students.cbs.dk

AIM:  Lyss826

Skype: alyssafriedlander

I will try to update my blog as much as possible and not to hold back on any of the juicy details.

I leave tomorrow at 5 pm so I will try to call you to say an official goodbye, otherwise see you in July!

13 Days til Takeoff

Although according to Lindsay it would be 14 (but she can't count.) 

Anyway, I am following Nicole's lead and have decided to create a blog to keep all of you at home updated on the crazy shenanigans I will most likely get myself into across Europe.

For those of you who don't know, I am going abroad to Copenhagen next semester from January 17 to June 20.  I don't know a single person in Denmark or single word in Danish for that matter.

But here is what I do know about Denmark:

1. Hans Christian Anderson is from Odense, Denmark

2. Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark

3. Copenhagen is home to 2 of the world's oldest amusement parks 

4. The 90's pop band "Aqua", responsible for the great classic, "Barbie Girl," come from Denmark

5. In 1969, Denmark was the first country to legalize pornography

Wish me luck!