Finally in Copenhagen

I have been without Internet since arriving in Copenhagen and it looks like I won't have Internet till Monday! It is weird not having my cell phone and Internet, I have realized how much I take these 'necessities' for granted. 

Lets see... On Sunday morning I met the DIS staff at the airport and they loaded our luggage on a bus and took us to Check-in at the University of Copenhagen. I was given an orientation bag, transportation money and a food stipend. After the housing presentation we were loaded back on the buses and delivered to our different residences throughout the city. My flat is located in Fredriksberg on a steeet called Mynstersvej (which I have no idea how to pronounce!) There are 13 of us living in this flat, all Americans. My roommate is named Bradley and he is from Colorado College in Denver. Our room is split into 2 rooms: sleeping room and study room. We have 2 kitchens, a washing machine, 2 bathrooms, a large common room. The whole flat looks like an IKEA catalog! Here are some pictures:

The Street

The Street Name

The Building

My Room (I sleep on the left side)

My Office

Common Room

Table and my roommate

Kitchen #1

And, Kitchen #2

I definitely feel safe living where I do because our landlord is Bill Gates' bodyguard when he travels outside of the United States. He said that if we see anyone suspicious roaming around the flat to call him. He is a really cool guy and lives right below us.

The next day we had orientation sessions which included: Opening Ceremony at the Black Diamond, Bus Tours of Copenhagen, Coping in Copenhagen, Danish Crash Course, Program Orientations, Dinners etc... Here are some highlight worthy pictures from Sunday - Thursday:

The main cross-street with Mynstersvj

The Black Diamond (where the opening ceremony was held)

The new Opera House

The Queen's House

The Little Mermaid: Overrated

Well, that pretty much brings you up to speed with what I have been doing this past week. Classes started yesterday (Thursday) and went well, I'm taking 5 classes: Danish Language and Culture, European Business Strategy, International Financial Management, Creative Industries, and Russia: Past and Present. We have a welcome party at Club Luux tonight , looks like a pretty trendy establishment. Hopefully my internet will be up and running at the flat by Monday!

Jet-Setting

Well, I made it to Copenhagen! woohoo! -- it is 17:00 on the 23rd of August (08:0 LA time), and I have officially been awake for 24 hours! My flight to London was slightly delayed, but the pilots made up the time due to a swift tail wind. I had a 2 hour layover in London-Heathrow, which is a very cool airport:

London-Heathrow Terminal 5

My second flight was a puddle-jumper to Copenhagen (1.5 hours). As we made our final descent into Copenhagen I looked out the window and saw thick clouds and rain drops - the weather will definitely take some getting-use-to. After picking up my bags, I exchanged some USD's for some DKK's or as I like to call it: Pocket Kroner. Also in baggage claim, as I was standing next to a Danish couple, an announcement came over the public address: "attention BA flight 0278 passengers, there will be a 15 - 20 minute delay delivering your bags to the baggage claim due to the weather, sorry for the inconvenience." I was waiting for everyone to start complaining and swearing, but to my surprise everyone was ok with the delay and I overheard the couple next to me saying they were going to go grab a coffee while they "happily" waited for their bags. I then remembered that I was in the "happiest" country. I'm looking forward to the day I meet an unhappy Dane.

Baggage Claim **note the neon sign!

I'm staying at the airport Hilton tonight-- and tomorrow marks the first day of my study abroad program here in Copenhagen. This coming week is packed with orientation events so I will do my best to keep the blog up to date!

view from the hotel room

T-Minus 15 Hours

Welcome to my Copenhagen blog! I just finished packing my 2 suitcases and single carry on bag for my 15:40 flight tomorrow, Friday the 22nd of August. I will be departing out of Los Angeles on a 10 hour fight to London, where I will connect onto a 2 hour flight to my final destination of Copenhagen, Denmark.

I will be using this blog to keep family and friends updated with my experiences and travels while I am in Europe. Also, a special "shout-out" to Austin for coming up with the creative name of my blog, "kæipperhågen" - thanks austin. That is about it for now, my next post will be from wonderful Copenhagen!