As our TEFL and Education classes have still not begun, we only have Danish classes this week. My Danish is improving as the weeks are going on as I am able to recognise words when I hear Danish people speaking or when I am watching adverts on Danish television. We are able to watch television in Denmark, as interestingly a lot of their programmes are in English, for example movies and American soaps and dramas. This exposure to English from an early age on a regular basis is the reason that most Danish people are excellent at English and therefore language is rarely a barrier for me here in Denmark. We are also exposing ourselves to the Danish language and culture by watching the Danish X-Factor on a Friday evening. A lot of the songs are in English however we can only pick up some of the commentary as it is all in Danish.
Due to having no classes, we took a trip to a nearby town of Naestved on the bus, which turned out to be free on presentation of our student cards. This was a bonus as public transport here in Denmark is very expensive, particularly the train. I had previously thought that the train in Northern Ireland was quite expensive however in comparison to Denmark it is quite reasonable. Naestved is a bigger town than Vordingborg however it did not quite impress me as I expected more shopping opportunities than Vordingborg! We decided then, in true Danish style, to go to a cafe to warm up. I have noticed that Danes live quite a relaxed lifestyle, which I am beginning to embrace more and more during my stay here. In the first two weeks I found it hard to get used to not having much to do in the evenings as in the winter months most Danes stay inside as it is so cold. I am now realising that this may be a good way to live life, as in Northern Ireland everyone can often be too busy with day to day life to make time to relax and spend time with family and friends.
On Friday morning when we woke up there was a LOT of snow! So much that Kerri and I had to walk to town in our wellies to get Trisha a pair, so that she could leave the apartment. We decided then to go for a walk in the snow to the Goose Tower which provided beautiful snow filled scenery. On our way, we called into a Jewellery shop where we met Guru, a friendly Danish woman who has put us in contact with two Irish friends of hers who are keen to meet up with us. It will be nice to experience a taste of home while we are here. When we meet, I will tell you more about this.
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| Kerri, Trisha and I outside the Museum |
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| The Frozen Harbour |
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| Trisha and I on our snowy campus. |
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| The snow surrounded Goose Tower and I, |
Guru also kindly showed us two other cheaper grocery shops, Netto and Aldi, which we weren’t aware of. They are a bit further to walk but are worth it for the difference in price of some items. I have now become more of a savvy shopper as I’ve realised how expensive it is to shop in Denmark. I now shop around the different shops for the cheapest items, whereas at home I tend to buy everything in Tesco without thinking too much about it. I am also now able to recognise the words for most foods in Danish that I want to buy, which makes grocery shopping a lot easier.
Until next week,
Fionnuala
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