The End

My adventure has finally come to an end.  I am writing this final blog post from the US.

I spent my last week in Denmark visiting Frederiksborg Castle in Hillerød and the Christmas markets in Tivoli and Christiania and spending time with my friends and host family.  On Friday night my host family and I enjoyed a nice dinner, exchanged Christmas presents and relaxed by the fireplace.  On Saturday morning they took me to the airport, and I cried through the good-byes.  I cried again when it was time to say good-bye to friends in the airport.  Even though I knew that my biological family and childhood and college friends were waiting for me at the other end, it wasn’t easy to leave my host family and new friends behind.  Even so, when my plane landed and I was reunited with my family, I cried once again with joy.

I have spent my first few days at home catching up with family and friends and readjusting to life in the US.  My life seems comfortably familiar and yet vaguely foreign after four months abroad.  I am and always will be proudly American, but I learned a great deal about myself and the world around me during my stay in Europe, and I will make sure to take those lessons with me as I move forward with my life.

I can hardly believe it, but my semester in Denmark is almost over.  In one week I will be back home in Pennsylvania.  My classes are finished, and my papers and projects are all completed.  Even though I have been very busy with school work, I was able to have some fun during the last few weeks. 

Earlier in December, after the presentation of our final projects, the business students attended an end-of-the-semester social at Carlsberg Brewery.  Our teachers rented out the brewery’s bar, and we spent two hours enjoying a variety of Christmas beers at the open bar.

Last Saturday I went to a Christmas brunch with my host family.  It was nice to take a break from school work to relax and talk together while eating traditional Danish food and special Christmas treats.  After brunch we stopped at a special Christmas store for some shopping.  On Sunday, my host mom, host sister and I did some more shopping at the Christmas market in Køge and went to the Køge museum.

julte (Christmas tea), æbleskiver, and ris á l’amande (rice pudding with almonds and cherry sauce)

Last Tuesday I finally got to see the statue of the Little Mermaid.  The statue had been the centerpiece of the Danish pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai since April, but she finally returned home to Copenhagen Harbor in late November.  Although the statue is a mere 1.25 meters (about 4 feet) tall, the height of her significance in Copenhagen is immeasurable.  She is a symbol of Danish culture, representing Hans Christiansen Andersen’s most beloved fairy tale, and is adored by Danes and tourists alike. 

The Little Mermaid

Me with the Little Mermaid

 After visiting the Little Mermaid I wandered through the Christmas market at Nyhavn.  The vendors were selling Christmas decorations, gifts, gløgg (mulled, spiced wine with almonds and raisins), and pandekager (Danish pancakes).

Me enjoying a pandekager at the Nyhavn Christmas market

Last night I attended a julefrokost with my host family.  A julefrokost (English: Christmas lunch) is a traditional Christmas party.  Every December Danes attend many julefrokost with their friends and colleagues.  The julefrokost begins in the evening and lasts until the early morning hours.  There is an incredible amount of food involved in the festivities and even more alcohol, mainly schnapps.  Dinner lasted about four hours and was followed by desert and more liquor.  We were served dessert shots made of beer liquor, whipped cream and cocoa, and one guest explained how they were made before turning to me to ask if I had understood.  I was confused, and it took me a moment to realize that he had been speaking in Danish.  I had understood everything that he’d said!  Eventually, after eight hours of eating, drinking, and talking, I was ready for bed.  The evening was wonderful, and I am so lucky that I was able to attend a traditional julefrokost! 

The Danish Christmas holiday is quite different from the American holiday.  Danes celebrate Jul (English: Yule), which is a winter festival dating back to before the founding of Christianity.  Thus, the Danish holiday is not a religious holiday as it is in the United States.  There are other differences as well.  In Denmark, there are nisse (English: elf) dolls everywhere!  Danish tradition says that nisser live in attics, barns, etc. and that if you don’t keep your nisser happy they will become evil and may even burn your house down.  Danish children leave rice pudding and other treats for the nisser to ensure their happiness, which is similar to the tradition of American children leaving cookies and milk for Santa Claus in exchange for presents. Also, the holiday is primarily celebrated on juleaften (English: Christmas Eve).  On December 24^th, Danes enjoy a large family meal, dance around the juletræ (English: Christmas tree) singing carols, and open gifts.  They decorate their homes with lights, hearts and advent candles.  As with all Danish celebrations, candles are the center of the décor.  My host mom was horrified when I told her that college students in the United States are not allowed to light candles in their dorms.  I think that my dad will be equally horrified to learn that Danes put real candles on their Christmas tree (and light them!).