Communists and Crazy Expensive Oreos

Sunday, September 8th, 2019

Copenhagen, Denmark

This week's Danish observations:

1. #NotAllDanes use their biking hand signals! What's with that?! Everyone was like, "Alright Cristiana, make sure you've got your hand signals ready" and made me practice like I was performing hand signals at the Danish Royal Theater. But then I get on the road, and 1/5 people use them! What's with that?! It makes me feel like I'm using them wrong...

A photograph of me signaling in the bike lane

2. Speaking of which, are stoplights optional for bikes here? I don't think so... But you wouldn't know that from watching some of these people bike! Everyone here just assumes if you're on a bike you have the right of way and can just do whatever you want.

3. It is very possible to buy such American inventions as Skippy peanut butter, Reese's, Lucky Charms, Oreos, Goldfish, and Kraft Mac & Cheese. But it will cost you an arm and a leg. Or alternatively, almost $50. Would not recommend unless you are super desperate...

And now folks, let's dig in. We have a lot to discuss beyond American snack masterpieces (Snacksterpieces?)

I was feeling a little too in routine, going back and forth from home to school. So on Tuesday, I went to check out a study space called Studenterhuset. It translates to "Student House" and is a study space and cheap cafe ran almost entirely by student volunteers. But it's a little more than just a space, they work really hard to create a sort of community of cross-disciplines, debate, and a commitment to sustainability. It has hostel vibes, but without the beds and everyone is studying in Copenhagen. If you go to the University of Copenhagen or DIS (me!) you are automatically a member and get a reduced price on all of their treats! It was raining Tuesday, so I treated myself to hot cocoa and a chocolate chip cookie and needless to say, this is my new favorite study spot!

Inside Studenthuset

Hot Chocolate and Cookie :)

This weekend was our Living Learning Community (LLC) retreat. And since my housemates and I are in the Arts LLC, we were really deep in the art scene. We visited a little shop called Bladr. (Which looks like Bladder and so that's what we all called it. But not at all how it APPARENTLY is pronounced. To my uncouth ears, it sounds like someone saying "bleh-la" and on the "la", you stick your tongue out of your mouth. This is an unscientific method of speaking Danish that gets me as many side-eyes as responses from locals. But I'm getting off-topic. Back to bladr!) The word means "to turn a page", and the store sells artist books. For the uncultured among us today, an artist book is essentially a piece of art that wasn't intended to be viewed on a gallery wall, but who's only intention was to be viewed in book format. It's a little shifty, I know hang with me. It gets yet shiftier! Because we went to get inspiration to make a zine. And our zine is going to end up looking a lot like an artist book, but a zine doesn't have to be an artist book... A zine is a non-commercial, usually homemade, magazine either printed or online. Ya, I just call all these things books. But there you go. The shop Bladr was cool because the owner let us page through and touch as many of the books we wanted! I could not tell you anything she told us about the shop, but I did see some cool books. Not sure I'd ever need to go back... But it was kind of cool to go once. I wasn't a HUGE fan, mostly because I prefer to browse a bookshop in peace and quiet, preferably alone and without friends or the owner breathing down my neck. I got a tad claustrophobic tbh and had to step out and take some air. But a few of my friends loved it and found it really inspirational. So a good trip all the same!

Too many people in tiny shop

Bladder! #ILoveDanish

The weekend continued, with some brainstorming and zine crafting. We talked a lot about what we might want to create together. There are 20 of us, plus our coordinator, the incredible Amanda*, and we have to somehow put together a zine of art by the end of the semester. And then we each get to take one home! I was a little intimidated about the prospect of working with 20 other artists. I thought it would be kind of competitive, and people would have differing ideas. But my housemates are really great. There were a lot of ideas, but nobody was grouchy or egotistical or trying to dominate the group. Everybody was kind and open and ready to make a project together. It's really cool. I don't know if I've ever worked in such a big group on one project before where it's gone this smoothly without any hurt feelings.

While half the group worked on crafting, the other went down the road to the Meatpacking District, where there was a performance art piece called Living Documents I-V and I truly cannot quite find the words to describe the performance... You stepped in and out of 5 different rooms and you were in a different production. Each little show was 15min and looped. They were weird and wild. And made me really uncomfortable sometimes. It's hard to know what to expect. But I think that's kind of the point? You're not sure how much the "audience" is expected to participate. Here are a few videos from two of the rooms. Wild stuff. Wild stuff...

Room 3

Room 2

I *ed Amanda above because she deserves her own little paragraph. She's an artist, art historian, yoga instructor, and new mom. And she takes 4 or 5 hours out of her week to plan these weekly excursions for us. She always brings us snacks. And is just an overall kind soul. She toured us around our neighborhood when we all first arrived and took us all out to dinner last night at a Magasasa Dim Sum and Cocktails.

LLC Weekend!

As good as Magasasa was, NOTHING can beat my new found cooking ability. I made salmon, potatoes, and asparagus this week, and some lovely apple cinnamon oatmeal. I'm so proud of myself. :') making real food. Not starving. Not poisoning myself. Only burning myself a few times.

SALMON

But enough of this wholesome content. We got up to some awesome shenanigans this week too.

On Monday, your gal and her friends Carter and Julia went to a Communist-party anti-Trump rally in front of the US Embassy. We found out about it because the Embassy sent us an email and told us to say away. So naturally that piqued our curiosity and we went. And I almost died. Of inhaling second-hand smoke. (The dude in front of us INSISTED on smoking this huge pipe. Idk man, you do you, but also, could you not in a big crowd?) The rally was pretty peaceful. In fact, it was the most chill rally I've ever been to. And I've been to some chill public demonstrations. There were a bunch of middle-school-aged kids walking around interviewing people for a class project, people standing with signs (most about Trump being a dick, getting the US out of Cuba, immigration reform, and climate change. Some on gun control. Lots of communist flags.), and a stage up from with a rotating collage of Danish and English speakers. It was really interesting. Most of the people in the crowd near us were Danish, but there were a fair amount of other Americans there too. My favorite part was when the woman who must've been leading the whole thing started a chant and then stopped us to correct our rhythm. Which I might've respected if she didn't change it halfway through and sound like a car motor trying to sing. (Please see video below). Then the crowd broke out into a chorus of Bob Marley's Three Little Birds as a rainbow glittered in the sky over a sea of red. (I am not making this up.) All jokes aside, it was really interesting to be at a Trump protest in another country and to hear a few of the speakers. And we felt very safe, despite the Embassy's rather extreme warning to stay away.

Our LOVELY singer

On Thursday, Ava, Annika, Anna, Julia, Carter and I went out to Miekkeller, which is a Copenhagen microbrewery (Hear that dad, and uncles Jeff and Jer? I was at a micro-brewery! And I even had a beer, WHEN CIDER WAS AN OPTION! I know. Big day. I'm growing so much in Copenhagen.) We may or may not have walked out of the brewery with another stolen glass or two... (We have quite the glassware collection at our house. Purchased from Flying Tiger. And picked up off the street on Saturday morning... We're trash. But trash with a lot of glasses! And trash that goes to microbreweries!) I was pulling for a speakeasy-themed cocktail bar, but I was outvoted. Alas, another day.

Cheers!

Julia and I doing our Meikeller faces

On Friday, we ditched our usual haunts, Bakken and Jolene, and headed across town to Hotel Cecil. I guess there was some famous-ish Danish DJ playing there, so covers were $12. Which is a lot on a college budget! And then we got in there, and the DJ was all these hilarious droning beats that you couldn't really dance too hahahaha. But the night was not a total waste! When we were on our way out, Anna, Ava, Julia and I sat down at a table, while we waited for Carter to resurface. And soon enough, we had 8 danish boys sitting with us. Carter and Julia headed out, but the rest of us stayed to chat with Danes for another 2 hours hahaha. And we've been trying so hard to meet locals!

Julia, Anna and I, heading to Hotel Cecil

So hard in fact, that there's been a bit of a Tinder epidemic in our house. I personally am using to platform for rather nefarious purposes. I found out thanks to a Danish informant that all the Danes get these special hats when they graduate. And like, 85% of them pose in them on their Tinder profiles. (EVIDENCE BELOW) So my grand heist is to convince one of them to give me their hat. I'm thinking it's unlikely because according to the same Danish informant, those hats are really expensive. But a girl can dream. Like any proper epidemic, I give this Tinder one a week tops before it fizzles out. But who knows? Maybe one of us will meet someone and get an SDR (stable Danish relationship). Heehee.

Basically, all this just adds up to meant that my friends and I are having the time of our lives. Tune in next week, because I'm heading to Sweden with my New Media and Changing Communities class, and I have it on good authority that we will be going to the IKEA Museum and Kronberg Castle. So much excitement! 

Love and joy,
Cristiana