Football and Beach

Even though I have to make a very important essay by next Tuesday, I just couldn't stay at home again when the weather outside was more than great. So I went with a Latvian group I know here – they are Mara's friends – to play football at the beach. This wasn't only a good occasion to show off with my great footballer skills :))...but I also got to see another one of the World's waters – the Baltic See. Actually this is pretty close to where the North See and the Baltic See meet. It was really great – the weather was perfect and the people I went with were perfect. One of the girls didn't have a bike and you can only get there by car or bike....so because, as usual, I'm the smallest one, I gave her my bike and I rode at the back of a boy's bike. I'm not complaining because it was great...I still have sand on my feet..hi hi

On my way to school

It's always me and my bike.

The first big things I go by are City West and adventist church - which are also the things that make me happy when I return because I know I'm almost done pedalling.

Than I get to the hills (I only have a photo with the start because I'm too tired or pissed to ever stop and take photos on this part of the road).

And, ta-na the University, actually just the History Department because it's a campus and departments are spread everywhere (maybe when I will have my own camera I'll go around the campus because it's really nice and green).

20th - Discovering

I'm starting to discover a lot of intersting stuff. I guess life is full of surprises when you stay and listen and you don't try to get involved as much as possible. I was saying that I don't feel like socializing and I still have that mood...but to fool it and start living in Aarhus I've decided to substitute socializing with knowing. This week I tried some things I was to afraid to do before...eat stuff, do stuff...and what to you know I feel more relaxed and experienced already :)

Yesterday a classmate (a Danish classmate) invited me over to his house because he was meeting some other old friends too. I was enthusiastic when he told me....but then, as the moment got closer I was becoming sceptical and scared. I was thinking about inventing a good excuse not to go...This isn't my natural state so I was feeling weird to have this inner fight. I decided to go because I was bored of cooking, eating, reading and surfing on the Internet. People and communication can not be substituted in this way. I decide that this was going to be a gathering knowledge moment more than a social one. I'm saying this because the other people invited were from Guatemala and Chile. They were going to speak Spanish (which is good practice for me). So I went there with the idea of becoming more international...but also seeing how people have fun here?!After a vegetarian dinner (everybody here is vegetarian and loves to exercise) = healthy but not extremely tasty food...I was thinking that it will all turn up in a boring where are you from...how is your country...thing. But we started having this movie like evening - games, laughing, drinking. I had a lot of fun...and I loved the games we played. Foolish childish games that relax you but also make you think while having fun. I always liked this but I never did it with my friends at home...everybody (I think) would find this a stupid idea. I don't know, we prefer smoking and talking about people...I felt very international especially because we were speaking in Spanish, Danish and English.

And I found some movies I really want to see when I get home: Network (1976) and Once (a Czech movie Marketa told me about)...I think I should become more open and learn more stuff about different cultures - this whole international experience is overwhelming and I should let my guard down and become more receptive.

Shadowed shapes and colors

A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the light.

Thinking that we are all nothing but shadows in this life, because we disappear once the light put upon us is out, makes me consider more the final part of the shadow's definition - reverse projection of the object blocking the light. This makes a huge difference between what we are and what we seem to be, about what or body movements show and what our mind is actually thinking. Nowadays I think it's difficult to make the difference between these things because people hide their real feelings and try to show the reverse image of what they think just to obtain something. The shadow definition is more that applicable in some cases. I'm not talking only about love and emotional feelings. We project our shadow in the society because we are either afraid of what we actually are or because we just want to protect and seal our true feelings.

14th - Going around corners

I will not talk about school because there is no need. It's interesting and I recommend everyone the experience of learning something with non-Romanian teachers.

I didn't do anything really exciting because I'm not in a very socializing mood. I avoid parties and I keep everything strictly related to school - study group meetings and book exchanges. I met a lot of people but I don't feel the need to have fun. Though I got closer to my apartment mates. Today we had our first breakfast together because usually we make something and eat it in our rooms :).

Saturday - that is yesterday I had a really interesting experience. My cousin - Crina - got married. Of course I wasn't there to be with her in this important moment and I really regret this. I don't think she will get married again so I missed my only opportunity to see her as a bride and kiss her. But internet does wonders again, what would we be without it. I got to see a part of the action on web cam. I was there with them through the computer and I was able to see her beautiful wedding dress. Thank you internet for allowing me to be there even when I am not. I hope that soon they will invent holograms or teleportation to make things even easier. It was a really interesting experience. I would prefer being there but this would do considering the distance.

Today I went with Marketa and Mara to this Bazar Vest thing. As I was telling you before I live in a Arab neighborhood, so this is their bazar. I passed their ghetto which is looks to me a lot like seaside cheap motels surrounded by a wire fence. I don't understand the need of the fence but there has to be something...it's probably a way to limit and make the difference between immigrants and the rest of the population. Anyway the Bazar was really nice. I found Turkish gum and kebab and baclava and a lot of teas and good bread and fresh vegetables and fruit. While I was looking around a heard a man talking into a really bad Romanian and I was surprised to hear somebody talk Romanian in an Arabic Bazar in Denmark so I turned and I saw this old Arab speaking to his wife (Romanian woman). All that went on in my mind was the surprising mix and I was trying to explain myself that this is what a cultural mix means - a Arab and a Romanian buying things in an Arab Bazar and speaking Romanian somewhere in Aarhus, Denmark. I think I will experience a lot of these things while I will be here - and it's great because this gives me a great understanding of what I am actually learning.

I'm stating to look for an internship somewhere in Romania - I hope it's going to be a 6 months one so that I don't have to return :D...but stay at home and make plans. I miss everybody but this internet thing I'm using gives me a sense of closeness to everything not physicaly but emotionally. I can still have my sex and the city talks with Ana and Irina, I can still argue with Bianca, I can still talk to mami and tati about things and ask for advises.

I hope that one morning i will wake up and slap myself really hard to realize that this isn't bad and I should get out of this antisocial thing I'm in because it's not helping and will definitely not help me build anything.

Ideal Carrers :)

Your Career Personality: Flexible, Good-Natured, and Energetic

Your Ideal Careers: Actor Dog walker Elementary school teacher Fashion designer Interior decorator Fundraiser Musician Personal shopper Veterinarian Wedding planner

10th - Somehow getting use

Cred ca am inceput sa ma obisnuiesc cu ce se intampla pe aici. Si incet-incet incep sa si descopar locurile si oamenii. Duminica am fost intr-o mica excursie la un lac din apropiere cu Marketa. 

Din pacate nu am putut sa vedem lacul de aproape din cauza vegetatiei stufoase din jurul lui. A fost totusi destul de dragutz pentru ca nu a mai plouat si am stat putin cu fetele in soare.

Nu se mai intampla nimic spectaculos, ciudat sau grav...lucrurile au inceput sa intre intr-un ritm normal. Luni mi-am laut ustensiele sa-mi reapr bicicleta asa ca ieri a fost prima mea zi de ciclism. Avand in vedere ca orasul e pe coline la jumatatea drumului spre scoala m-am dat batuta si am mers usor usor cu bicicleta langa mine :). Colegii (danezi) mi-au spus ca intr-o luna cu putin exercitiu o sa reusesc sa cuceresc dealul de la scoala...asta sper si eu pentru timpul s-ar reduce la mai putin de jumatate de ora :D

Ieri seara am fost la prima noastra International Tuesday, care are loc undeva langa port intr-o fosta fabrica sau depozit care acum este casa studentilor.

Cand am ajuns era pustiu si ne-am imaginat ca este totul doar o formalitate la care nu vrea nimeni sa participe. Asa ca am plecat spre oras si am avut ocazia sa mai descopar chestii si sa mai fac poze.

Dar ne-am intors la "petrecere". Nimic spectaculos...si nimeni interesant. Am stat mai mult cu Mara si am incercat sa profitam de faptul ca nu suntem in casa :)

I've decided not to think about things anymore and just go with the flow while I'm here. Today we went to Ikea to buy some home things and it was just like in Bucharest so I got this fuzzy warm feeling of being home :).

07th - A bit better maybe

The second part of my first week was a bit better. On Thursday I had my first class. It's called International Business Analysis and it's about accounting and organising a company as good as possible so that the profit is big enough to sustain all the expenses  This is a 4 hour course with short 10 min. brakes. It's not really long and boring because it's interactive - power point presentation and questions for the teacher. I thought I wasn't going to like it when I first heard what's about but I think it's pretty interesting...I had a lot of questions and the teacher was really helpful in solving the puzzles in my mind. We have two really big books which of course are extremely expensive. I think I'll just copy them. After that I came home pissed because my internet was still not working. And my entrepreneurial side stepped in. So I just started pushing all the buttons on the modem, switch it off and on, change switches and what do you know at some point it started working. I was like in the 7th heaven...I couldn't believe it. 

I signed up for an elective class on Diasportas and Homelands so even if Friday was my free day I sacrificed it for this course. We have a young German teacher specialised in Indian studies so I guess this is going to be mainly about the Hindu diaspora...but I'll still be going because it's interesting and we have free talks and watch movies and visit places. The day ended really late because I joined the Friday Bar. This is some sort of party every department in the university organises every Friday not only for foreign students. This is for socialising and drinking a beer together. So I integrated in the cultural rituals and attended my department's Friday Bar. It was nice because I got to talk and met a few new people. I even entered a Danish study group. They take the same course as me and it's going to be interesting as I am the only foreigner in the group. They use study groups here to organise exam studies, make projects and answer each others questions. I think it's an interesting way of learning but it will take a lot of my time. I also met a Bulgarian guy and he was extremely excited to met me because he likes Romania  or so he says, and he said, I quote, finely found a person to talk to. He was a bit to enthusiastic but I think he's ok. I left the Friday Bar to join another party - the international students free dinner. Marketa was on Orientation Day and she knew about this and told me and Mara to join. We met at the Math Department and after one week ate a normal dinner. 

I got home barefoot because my boots killed my feet again.

Yesterday I went to buy a new bike. I thought that since I'm staying here longer it's a better idea to buy a new one. But guess what...they gave it to me without paddles, with flat tires and the stare is the other way around. So now I have to wait till Monday to fix it...this was really disappointing because I wasn't expecting this to happen. Maybe I'm just unlucky. But I got over it...I washed some clothes with Mara...and discovered how to use the washing machine in the basement. They have a really interesting system. In the basement there are two old washing machines and a dryer. Every person leaving here has a card. With the card you schedule in advance the day and hours you want to use the washing machine. This is like a credit card so it takes money that are added to your rent - it'a 15 kr/wash. We had a bad experience with the dryer because it didn't dry our clothes - we probably didn't use it right so we paid for nothing and had to hang our clothes in the balcony :( Than after eating a frozen pizza - I will soon die of starvation - we went to the centre to a concert. We had a nice Saturday evening with music and bier. 

This was something like the last evening of the Aarhus yearly festival so we had to go. I'm sorry I don't have a camera and take more pictures of what I see and do. And I also got myself some Kanye West glasses.

Now I should say a few words about the Danes because these days I got a little disappointed  During the weekend - which starts on Friday evening - I saw a part I was afraid to see here. Dirt and lack of civilisation  I was expecting too much from a northern country but it seams that people are the same everywhere. They get really drunk and there is no age limit for this. They throw up and piss on the street, they throw garbage everywhere and they turn into some sort of wild, on the loose rebels. It's just weird for me because I was expecting something else and it's a bit shocking. It's fun because everybody is free but it's scary because anything could happen. They are all just like those foreign business man coming in Terminus, getting wasted and spending a lot of money on a non really that fun activity - getting drunk. It seams like this is their cultural understanding of having fun - getting drunk and wearing weird clothes. And than the thing with the bike - it's lack of organisation...I don't know maybe I'm just expecting too much from the people in the West. I don't want to rush into conclusions so I am just going to wait till December to have a clear straight conclusion on what Danes are like. Maybe they are just like the weather here - you never know what you're going to get in 5 min.

03rd - OMFG what am I doing here?!

My internet is still not working and now I just realised my Microsoft Office doesn't work either but maybe the two are related somehow...I hope. Anyway I decided to write on my blog twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday. So because today is Wednesday and I don't have access to the internet I'm just going to write and upload later...I don't want to forget or leave out anything. So...it's been three days since I'm in Aarhus, now I know how to pronounce it at least. My blog is going to turn into a "how to survive in a country you've never dreamt you will get to and don't know anything about" step by step guide.

I arrived this Sunday. First I took the plane from Bucharest to Copenhagen. Of course it was a small jet because who goes to Denmark right?! I had a rough night before leaving because I didn't feel so good, so I was drawn of energy, sleepy and didn't feel so good. I didn't cry when I left because that was the last thing I need it in this recepie. Anyway I got on the plane and set next to a Danish guy. He tried speaking to me but I wasn't feeling very friendly, so I had my head phones on, waiting for the plain to land to nowhever.

I didn't really have time to think about how I was feeling when I got to Copenhagen because I had to get my baggage and buy my train ticket to Aarhus. On the train I had my first contact with the Danes...I looked at them and studied their behaviour for 4 hours. The train was full of teenagers probably going away from home to study. I wasn't expecting them to smoke or anything but they are the wild. And by that i don't refer only to the smoking part but you should see the way they dress and wear their hair and act. I thought I was in a juvi correctional school. They are way more than I expected from the word freedom of expression  Coloured clothing, piercings, tattoos, weird dressing etc. But this made me feel good because I realised that I can say and do anything because it will be just a act of solidarity. Anyway..when I finally got off the train I knew the bus I had to take but not where to buy tickets from. With my highly travelling developed brain I thought that there has to be a system of buying tickets on the bus. And yes it was. I didn't know how to use it so I did what a everybody was doing...went to the bus driver to change the money and than stayed in front of the machine till somebody came and showed me what to do because I was to stupid to read the two steps one should follow. The bus driver kindly told me where to get off...I forgot to mention that the bus has only one entrance (the back) and one exist (the front) and a ticket costs around 3 euros. It was almost 11 o'clock...and I was in the middle of the street with two large bags. Now...I was lost. I had no idea where to go..no map no nothing. I was lucky a Danish girl passed me and offered to take me to the Guest House  So I was finally there. The first day was over..and I forgot to mention I also made a friend - Romain, the French guy :P. I never felt so well..ever..about getting to a room, with a bed and a shower. It didn't matter that I didn't have anything to eat...I was there.

I had to tell the whole story because I am proud of getting here in one piece. Now the second day...I woke up without knowing where I am, because it was night when I arrived. I had to go out and buy something to eat because I was ding. I woke up earlier because Romania is one hour later than Denmark...so everything was closed. I managed to find a bakery and was surprised to pay 56 krone for a croissant a something...a juice and a chocolate. 1 kr = 0.49 lei...or at least that's how it was. I was afraid to eat on the street because it's not polite and everything but I was so hungry that nothing mattered. After my morning walk I met with Romain and went to the university. I found out that he is in the same department (history) as me and we will have a class together. After registration and walking around confused and lost we finally got to the opening conference. I didn't understand what the Dean and another guy were saying because I was either very tired or their English was really bad. Anyway I noticed the fact that the Dean had a piercing in his ear. Even though I wanted to go as fast as possible to the International Secretariat to get my key I had to attend the opening speech for my program - International Studies. And it was a good thing to do because I received a map and some other useful stuff and I got to meet two of my teachers. When the short lecture was over I got to take my key and go to my room. I leave 7 km away from the University. I still don't know if Brabrand is a district of Aarhus or another city...I will probably find out in these two years. The ride was ok...and I found the flat pretty fast. There is a super market very close to it and a mall a bus station away. The neighbour hood is ok...mostly Arabs...but this is a good thing because they have really tasty, natural food at the super market.

The apartment was empty. As I imagined there were three rooms, so I had to be with two more people. I started crying because I felt alone and I was thinking that I shouldn't be there but at home, working and meeting people after...not just people..but people I love and love me back. I felt like I didn't want to make new friends and sort of start over everything. To get out of this mood I went shopping for food and stuff just to forget. When I returned, both by apartment mates were there. So I'm staying with a Marketa from the Czech Republic and Mara from Latvia. They are both Erasmus and Mara will leave this winter and Marketa in summer. They are really nice and seeing them made me feel better. We stayed together that evening talking about nothing. Marketa studies Psychology and Mara Scandinavian Languages and speaks Danish. We were all upset because our internet isn't working and we all wanted to talk to people at home. We read our housing contracts together..I have the biggest room but I pay the bigget rent too. Maybe in winter after Mara leaves I can switch with her room because it's cheaper and I don't really need such a huge room.

On Thursday I went with Marketa to school..and we got to see a little bit of the centre of the town. We didn't do much...we just went to the IS to tell them about the internet and solve other birocratic stuff like the residence permit. I really want to get a job and I know it's possible but I need my permit and my CPR number - which is like some sort of Danish registration number. I will also get a full heath insurance with it so I mustn't worry if anything, God forbid, happens. I also bought some of the books I need and from what I saw I reallyyyyy have to start learning. There is a lot of information and it's not that easy to pass the exams. I really hope I'll manage. I also saw that there are other 7 Romanians here through Erasmus and I heard two speaking in the line at the residence permit and they were from the same type of program as me. I don't want to talk to any of them...even if this might make me feel closer to home. I want to have a full experience of foreigners. It seams that everyday things settle more and more. I probably had to write a lot now because I did a lot of things. I still don't have a clear impression on how the Danish people are - I think it will take a little time.

Today it was raining really bad. Me and Mara walked to the University and I was completely wet. I got to read my email though I wasn't allowed to do it there..but till they come fix the problem I have to check it somewhere. I remained alone in the afternoon so I went shopping :D. I bough 3 pairs of boots..which I didn't necessaries need but liked. I bought some other stuff but it was sad cause I had nobody to share the joy with. And I was trying on things and imagining talking to Ana about how they look and whether I should buy them or not. I must be going crazy. I ate caramel peanuts which they sell in the centre only. Things aren't very different than Romania. You see garbage from place to place and people selling stuff in the street. Anyway this a thing I had to say to feel proud to be a Romanian :P...

I started eating better and in time I hope I'll get used to the food.

This is my first Aarhusian post...