As your probably getting used to by now I'm not very consistent with updating my blog. This is do to many things such as hanging out with friends or eating really good food however it is mostly my laziness which I'm starting to beat out as the days here begin to get longer. When it was at its worst the sun was down around 3 to 4 PM now it's like 7:30 or 8 PM. I'm very glad as this allows me to do more outside and my family now has a boat which means I will be out on the water quite a bit.
I have moved in with my third family and am really loving their lifestyle and becoming a real part of their family. I have a host sister and she is living at home she is 18 years old and another host sister and host brother they are both older and living in Aarhus. I hade my birthday in March and all three families came over for a really traditional Danish meal. I loved it we sang and hade a really warm and friendly time or as the danes say "Hyggelig aften." School is begining to speed up as I can understand the teacher I'm now getting more school work which is kinda sad for me as my evenings aren't completely free. Apart of being an exchange student is having exchange student friends which I have plenty of and we are all excited for the Euro Tour which is a two and a half week tour where we are together touring through Europe.
I love food as many people know but I've never really had a major weight issue. I'm begining to find out that all exchange students absolutely love food. Here in Denmark my stomach is a bottomless pit and I could eat all day if I wanted. I have gained a few kilos and at first I was quite scared and worried I was becoming obese and now I'm starting to run three to four times a week. However I know I will have to work out when I come home to the USA. As all exchange students inevitably gain weight here are the 7 stages of exchange student weight gain.
1. You have just arrived in your host country and are more stressed than you ever have been, let's eat.
2. You have gained some weight but deny it and say it's just because it's a little cold outside or I'm just breathing deeply.
3. You begin to notice how out of shape you are but are finally alerted when your host mom beats you in a bike race. You decide to work out but it's to hard and decide it's best if you stick to nutella and a hearty dinner.
4. Your told by classmates why don't you work out. And you answer dumbly thats not what exchange students do. While this is true for most exchange students there are the few who work out quite consistently.
5. Your family starts to get you excited to run and when you say your going for a run you really go to your friends house to play Xbox. After your finished you sprint for a little bit to get your heart rate up so it looks like you ran.
6. You start running and don't like it but you need to do it, because you are so unhealthy.
7. You continue to run but your missing all the great foods that won't be with you next year so you say what the hell what will a choclate bar hurt and are prepared for a long year of working out next year. This is the final stage where you finally accept that you are a little overweight but it tends to not bother you now. However I'm still continuing to run and when I'm home I plan on getting in the best shape possible.
As some of you are aware of I had the increadible opportunity of going to London with my class last week! We saw so much history and some increadible museums. However what I thought was the most amazing thing was when the class divided into small groups and we separated throughout London and toured seperately into a neighborhood in London. I went to Brixton with three others. There was an awesome thrift shop with great music and amazing books. I was also amazed by the cutural diversity of Brixton they had a market street and it was mostly people from Jamaica and the whole street had really loud reggae music and you could hear it everywhere. We also ate lunch here and it was a mix of Indian and Carribean food it was amazing. What we found really interesting was how on one street it was super loud but if you go one block over it was completely silent and very tranquil. It was also fun to hear about all the other neighborhoods that everyone else went to. We all had an amazing day seeing some of the best London has to offer.
I also was stunned at the pure beauty of Westminster Abbey and St. James Cathedral. Since we were the music class we went to see concerts and many of the churches offer a one hour concert where you can sit near the choir and see the magnificent church while hearing beautiful music. The tour was fantastic and I learned a lot about the history of World War II.
At times New York feels a little cluttered so busy so noisy and at times the buildings are so tall you can't see the sky. In London it is the opposite there are parks everywhere and many parts are very quiet and calm. I love how the buildings are beautiful but not to tall. People are friendly and the public transportation is wonderful with every tube station being in wonderful shape. I really have fallen in love with London and had a great time with my class!
I can't believe time has gone by so fast and I really am amazed at how much I've changed as a person this year. I have found an amazing passion for travelling and have continued to love food. I hope that these next two and a half months can go by slow as I want to cherish the best year of my life.
