Bikes, Class, and my first full week

My first full week in Copenhagen was quite exciting. I got to meet a lot of people, talk lots of Danish, and of course, have more bike trouble.

Class began on Monday with everyone who had taken some Danish before taking a placement test to determine one's level. I was placed in level 4 (of 7), but my Danish instructor at UW was teaching level 4 and using the same book that I had used the past year, so I was bumped up to level 5. It's definitely not too difficult so I'm glad it worked out like that.

Overall there are around 200 international students studying for the summer, but the majority (1500 or so) will arrive in September. My class has about 9 people in it from all over the place. Three girls from Germany, one from Iceland and one from Japan. Two middle aged guys--one from France, the other from Bolivia, a young Italian guy, and me. I thought it was crazy that someone from Japan did (and could) study Danish, but I guess she probably wondered the same thing about me...

Most people are taking the course because they are studying Nordic studies of some kind: history, design, etc. Others want to work in Denmark after they are done with school or have a significant other that is Danish. Overall the class is fun and not painfully boring for working on Danish for 3+ hours a day. I also got to see students from the UW that will only be studying during the summer. I only know about 3 of them but I will be hanging out with them a bit this weekend.

Like many Danish buildings, my University is a combination of old and new, but my "campus" (there are 4 throughout the city, but not really like a US campus) is new. I was quite surprised on the first day while in a large lecture hall they wrote something on the whiteboard, and it appeared projected on a large screen above it for everyone to see.

I also spoke with an advisor-only in Danish-about courses. I will probably be taking a Danish Language course (like I take now), a Danish Culture course (no homework!) and a class on theory of social relations in the Middle East. Should be a full schedule, although most of the work is independent and I will actually not be in class that much.

On Tuesday I got to checkout the Danish beach on the island where I live. It is HUGE, and quite nice, with white sand imported from the west coast. It was around 75 degrees and there were hundreds of people there, along with an uncountable amount of bikes.

Bikes are a very important means of transportation over here. Although public transportation through busses, trains, or the metro is very good, it is still a bit expensive. The metro is basically like the monorail in Seattle except it goes useful places! During rush-hour it runs every 4 minutes (!) and gets you to your destination very quickly, but unless you buy special tickets its about $4 a ride. Bikes are the best way to get around because everyone knows the rules regarding them (you learn it as a part of school), the city is pretty small, and you have your own lane.

When I last left off I just had a bit of an annoying bike experience, and I have another bike story as well. After hearing my story, my friend Giuseppe from class told me his friend left him keys to a bike, and if I could find it it was mine. The only catch: it was around a ton of other bikes, and the only description was that one was black, one was a mountain bike, and they were locked up together. Fortunately when I found the area where they should be there were not too many bikes there, but unfortunately, those two bikes were gone.

My landlord then found an announcement at the University about bikes for sale. I called the seller (from my new cell phone!) and headed over. He had 4 bikes left from old international students that left and didn't have time to sell them. I looked them over, and rode the bike I bought before buying it to make sure it was good, and at the time I didn't notice any problems. Then on the way back the back tire started shaking...

I took it to a shop and thankfully the repairs are not too expensive for a few broken/weak spokes (well, at the shop I finally found it wasn't too bad-$100 at the first, $80 at another, and $30 at the one furthest away, so I'm glad I shopped around). I thought I was going to be without a bike for the weekend, but my friend Anya from class is going home to Germany and is letting me have her bike for the weekend so she doesn't have to park it at the train station where she thinks it will be stolen.

Bottom line: When I get my bike back I will use two locks on it and hope that I never have to go into a bike shop again, although I am getting quite good at telling them my bike has problems. I also had a presentation to give in Danish class today on anything I wanted. My title was: "How not to buy a bike in Copenhagen".

I also have signed up to volunteer as a bartender at "The Student House" which is a bar that many university students go to, and hosts and international night on Wednesday nights. Should be a good way to meet people and have fun. I start next week.

Last night my landlord had two friends over for dinner, an interesting pair. They were sisters, one who is the hippie type from whom I learned lots about drugs, the Freetown of Christiania, and the recent destruction of Ungdomshuset, which was a squatter residence for European counter-culture youth in Copenhagen.

The other sister was almost finished with her training to be a priest in the Danish State Church, working in prisons. I asked her how often the Danes go to church. She said most of the churches in the countryside are barely used at all, and maybe 15 regulars in churches in the city! Definitely not a religious society... I was struck by surprise when the hippie was describing some guy she did not want to become involved with because he could not speak any English or Danish and the future priest quickly said: "Well, you don't have to talk..."

Overall a good week, looking forward to the weekend. Hope to hear from you.