The pages on the calendar keep turning. . a reminder that I am behind with the blog posting! November came and went so quickly--it was a full month with lots going on at the Emerson flat!
The first week of November was the International Educator's Workshop (IEW) sponsored by DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad), where Michael teaches. The IEW is an opportunity for faculty and/or staff from various colleges in the U.S. to come and learn first hand about the study abroad experience that DIS can offer their students back in the states. I was invited to participate in any/all the activities planned (a definite "wife of Mike" perk)!
(RIGHT) Michael posing in typical (!) Viking apparel while at the Viking Museum.
Part of the workshop experience throughout the week was to sit in various courses (of our choosing) that the students are currently taking. I was impressed with the Introduction to Danish Language and Culture class--learning how the students are immersed into the Danish language and culture from the very beginning which gives them a much richer study abroad experience overall. We were given opportunities to practice a little Danish for ourselves. . . let's just say I have a lot to learn! Another class I visited was called Royalty in the Land of Equality--where the students learn about the royal families in Sweden and Norway, as well as the royal family in Denmark. Fascinating!!
Another outing that Michael and I participated in was the Hygge Dinner night. It was an opportunity to have dinner in the home of a Danish family and learn what "hygge (pronounced a bit like who-ga) is all about. It is a word that does not exist in the English language but it is described as "cozy". To a Dane, Hygge conveys warmth, hospitality, friendliness, and relaxation.
We, along with a few other IEW participants, spent the evening at the home of a wonderful couple. We sat around the table enjoying a traditional Danish meal of open-faced sandwiches, pork roast, potatoes, fish, cheese, desserts, lattes and tea---all the while learning so much from this gracious couple about their family as well as the Danish culture. I think we got up from the table close to 10 pm. It was a great "hygge" experience---definitely the highlight of the week for us!
The next evening we experienced 'Tapas and the Opera' at the Copenhagen Opera House that overlooks the harbor. To get there, we boarded a boat that took us on a guided tour of Copenhagen through canals and waterways until we arrived at the opera house. It was an experience listening to the opera being sung in Italian with Danish subtitles! Needless to say, we had no clue what they were saying. We relied heavily on the synopsis of the opera that we had read prior to the performance to get the general idea of what was going on. I just enjoyed the music and the amazing performances by the opera singers---such powerful voices and the acoustics in the opera house were amazing.
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| Copenhagen Opera House across the canal |
Falstaff opera. The lobby of opera house
The week concluded with a Friday night excursion up the coast by charter bus to Kronborg Castle (which dates back to 1574), located in the city of Helsingor (the home of Shakespeare's Hamlet). When we arrived at the castle, we were given a brief tour which was then followed by a special dinner being served in the oldest room of the castle. It was a great way to end the week!
Not only was the first week of November memorable but so was the rest of the month! We were excited to have a friend and then a family member come for visits---Leah friend, Anna was here to spend some time with Leah for the first few weeks of the month, followed by Mike's sister, Ann who came from Pakistan to celebrate Thanksgiving with us! We were able to pre-order a turkey at a local grocery store for our Thanksgiving meal and I was very relieved and thankful that it actually fit in our small-ish oven! We were thankful to be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal here in Copenhagen and it was an added blessing to have Ann here to share the holiday with us. We have much to be thankful for.
Anna and Leah on our day trip to Sweden.
College age/young adult Thanksgiving Dinner celebration
at the church we attend here in Copenhagen. Leah pictured here with a few of her friends. :)
The Sunday afternoon following Thanksgiving we saw Santa lighting the BIG Christmas tree at city hall here in Copenhagen! It has been really exciting to see the beautiful Christmas decorations go up around the city the past few weeks.
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