Hvem spise du på Torsdag?

This past Monday in Human Health and Disease we went to a different hospital than the one where our class is usually held. Once there, we met two,fourth year Danish medical students who instructed us in the steps to properly inserting an IV as well as how to draw blood. After practicing a couple of times on a dummy arm, it was time for the real deal. Tina and I were partnered off and she decided that she would draw my blood first. She was a little nervous that my veins weren't very visible, but this didn't stop her-she drew my blood like a pro. It didn't hurt at all! When it came my turn I was a little nervous, but Tina had a vein that was pretty visible so I felt confident I could get it. After successfully getting the needle in her vein, my hands started to visibly shake, most likely due to nerves and an adrenaline rush. When I clicked the vial into place her blood came shooting out-the fastest out of anyone in our class-she's crazy. I was so proud of myself that I managed to watch my blood being drawn and then shortly after draw Tina's-all without fainting! After drawing blood we went to another room where we practiced inserting IV's into dummy arms. This was fun, but not nearly as much as drawing blood from an actual person. Our excitement towards this hands on experience couldn't have been expressed any better than on the train ride home when Tina interrupted a completely different conversation we were in the middle of to say, “WAIT. I want to draw blood all night long.”

Tina is so happy to be having her blood taken!

 

 

 

My IV placement

    This past week was my by far my craziest week as far as academics go. I had one quiz and three midterms. However, in between all of the school work I was able to talk to Kristen for the first time since being here, as well as skype with my mom and Ryan. Kristen never fails to make me laugh as she talked about her latest trip to Las Vegas and how she went to watch the “Thunder From Down Under” male strip show. (Shout out: Love you Kristen!!!!). Skypeing with Ryan and my mom was also fun. It was very obvious that Ryan misses me a lot and wants to come visit me ;)

       While on the topic of tests, I got my first Danish test back this week. Our teacher told us to take a minute to look at our grade and see our mistakes and that we would have time next class to ask her any questions. While quickly glancing over my test I saw a little smiley face on the first page in red ink and assumed my teacher had liked my work. However, after looking a little closer I realized that there was also a lot of red writing. I instantly started dying laughing, while everyone in my class just stared at me. My teacher looked at me and said, “Ahhh, are you the person who was talking about eating someone?” “Yes,” I replied, “Yes, that would be me.” For that portion of the test we were given who, what, where, or when in Danish and then we were to construct a sentence in Danish following that word. The one word we were given was Hvem which I translated as “when” when if fact it means “who.” So, my sentence of “Hvem spise du på Torsdag?” did not translate into “When do you eat on Thursday?” like I had planned, but instead said, “WHO do you eat on Thursday?” My teacher suggested I share this funny story with the rest of my class who seemed to also think it was pretty funny. I wasn't embarrassed that they were laughing at me-it was pretty ridiculous. I was more embarrassed when they all managed to stop laughing and I was still cackling at my mistake because I was quite sleep deprived (sleeping only about 2 hours the night before in an attempt to study for a midterm). I finally pulled it together and stopped laughing, only to think about my cannibalistic sentence a minute later and bust out laughing yet again. This is a good reason why I shouldn't use Danish when actually talking to Danish people. That sentence could have been severely misconstrued had I said it to a Dane. Later that night while out at a bar I saw a girl from my Danish class who promptly asked me if I had eaten anyone that day. Wonderful.

       On another bad/funny note, my perfect track record of never falling off of my bike no longer stands. This also implies that I have lost all of the rights I had to making fun of Tina and Zoe for always falling off of their bikes. It was Friday morning and Zoe left the house first, as she always does. Tina left next because I was running a bit behind and said I would catch up(what's more motivational to ride you bike as fast as you can than the fact that if you miss the train you will also miss the first half of your midterm? I love to “feel the burn” at 7am!). Two minutes after leaving, Tina comes back into the house and tells me that the driveway is a sheet of ice and to be careful. Noted. I walk very cautiously out the driveway and I see Tina at the corner getting back on her bike. I think to myself that it's weird she is waiting for me-I didn't tell her to. I get to the corner and go to turn-going quite slow because I realize the road is a giant sheet of black ice- and BOOM! Down I go. Suddenly, it occurs to me that I'm laying on the ground under my bike. I had just woken up about 20 minutes before, and if you know anything about me you know I am NOT a morning person. Now I was awake. Tina witnesses the fall and starts laughing, saying she had just done the same thing, and asking if I was alright. Luckily I had fallen on my well padded gluteus maximus and I was actually not in very much pain-just shocked that I was laying in the middle of road under my bike. Poor Tina on the other hand had fallen right on her elbow. There isn't much cushion to the elbow. Tina and I slowed our pace down a little and managed to make it to the train station without falling again. Upon arriving there we found Zoe, told her what had happened, only to hear in return that she had fallen twice on her way to the train as well! At one point her basket fell off of her bike-which becomes important later on when she returned to find that someone had noticed it was not attached properly and taken it. Apparently wicker bike baskets are a hot commodity in Borup. Who knew?

        I have gotten quite used to the long train ride, and most of them pass by without much excitement. However, yesterday I had two of the best train experiences I have had since coming to Denmark. The first occurred on my way home from school. A group of about 20, five year old children came into my car, and with no seats left, ended up sitting in the aisle. I was on the inside seat, but this didn't stop me from staring at these adorable little kids with their one piece snow suits and pointy winter hats. I'm pretty sure the man next to me thought I was: A. staring at him B. trying to read what he was doing on his phone or C.being a total creep for staring at the children. I didn't care. I quickly became attached to a girl wearing all pink (of course). She had a loose tooth that she couldn't stop wiggling. She was bleeding all over the place and seemed to be really enjoying wiggling it and then removing the tissue to see how much blood was on it. I assumed it was her first loose tooth. Her two friends, an equally cute boy and girl, kept looking on in admiration, telling her things in Danish. I had no idea what was being said until I saw the other little girl smile and noticed she was missing both her front teeth. She was most likely giving my friend in the pink advice on what to do with the tooth, seeing as she had recently been in the same position herself. After a few minutes, the tooth became old news and the little boy and girl began to pick their noses... naturally followed by eating whatever was found up there. As gross as this is I found myself watching these children with a huge smile on my face. I can't remember the last time I have thought about losing teeth or when kids used to pick their noses and eat the findings. I was flooded with memories from my childhood that I hadn't thought of in years! I wanted to befriend all of these children, but they got off at the stop before my town, so all hopes of one of them being a neighbor of mine was soon lost. I still have hope that I can ride the train with them again. Later that night, Zoe and I ventured back to the train in order to go out in Copenhagen. When the train pulled in I noticed a boy with sick dreadlocks and I knew what had to be done. We sat in the seat behind him so that I could easily examine them as well as have a good chance of striking up a conversation with him about his hair. His dreads were a decent length, very well kept, and there even seemed to be layers. I was impressed to say the least. Then, him and his friend restrung and tuned a guitar and started practicing a song in English that had lyrics along the lines of “The one thing that I've found...*strum* *strum* *strum*...can't stop thinking of James Brown.” Although I had never heard the song before, it was quite catchy and I realized that I also wanted to be his friend. This friendship wouldn't have been as creepy either because he was probably around my age, unlike the small children I was stalking earlier. However, he was preoccupied with his friends that were also in our car so all my chances of having a Danish friend with awesome dreadlocks was gone...unless I happen to see him on the train again. I have a pretty good radar for well kept dreads, so it's a possibility.Also, if you have any idea what song he was singing please let me know, because I want to buy it but can't figure out what it is called.

       Lastly, tomorrow I leave to go on my long study tour to Stockholm, Sweden and Tallinn, Estonia with my Human Health and Disease class. Our itinerary looks to be full of many interesting academic as well as cultural visits, so I look forward to telling you all about those adventures!

Hygge, Prison Tour, Eyes, and Andy!

The word hygge is unique to the Danish language and it's a word that has no direct translation into English because it is so much more than just a word. The Danes often refer to it as a phenomenon. Loosely translated it means “cozy.” During my Danish class we spent about 15 minutes trying to define it and here are some of the things we came up with:

-It can often be used to describe a good time had with family and friends, however, you can be hyggelig alone

-It often involves talking, eating, or playing games, but you could be hyggelig just reading a book on you own

-Setting is not necessarily important, but many times it involves candles-the Danes love candles. This may be because they give off a feeling of warmth and feeling welcome

-It is a time when you are so engaged in whatever you are doing that you don't have any worries about the outside world

-You have a feeling of being content

Two weekends ago, Zoe's parents and brother came to visit. They spent a night in Borup where we had a big feast. Helle, with Stine and Cecilie's help, made the best meal I have ever eaten in my entire life. It consisted of veal with or without bearnaise sauce, the best carrots ever, amazing potatoes, roasted red peppers, bruschetta, and a broccoli and onion casserole type of dish. This amazing dinner was followed by pancakes (crepes) and oreo cupcakes made by Stine and Ceclie. They could open their own bakery and make a fortune selling just these cupcakes-that's how good they are. Each cupcake has half an oreo on the bottom of it and the frosting contains crushed up oreos. The following night we all went to Louise (my oldest host sister) and her boyfriend Tim's apartment for dinner. Louise and Tim are awesome. They are so nice and as we found out, also great cooks. They made us salmon, mushroom risotta, and carrot puree followed by a mixed berry dessert topped with a crunchy gronola type topping and white chocolate. This was the second best meal I've ever eaten. (Don't be jealous mom-I will still like your cooking when I come home). I spent both Monday and Tuesday night at Louise and Tim's apartment since I had to be in Copenhagen very early both Tuesday and Wednesday morning and since they live pretty close to DIS it was easier than going all the way home to Borup. They were so sweet to let me stay there. When we went to their house Monday night, Helle drove us, so naturally I fell asleep in the car, and didn't bother paying attention to where we were going when we left. So when Tuesday night rolled around I was a little nervous about getting there when it was dark put and I was by myself. Despite Louise's straightforward directions I still managed to get off at the wrong bus stop and make a wrong turn, resulting in me wondering around the wrong apartment complex in hopes of finding their apartment. It was around midnight and I was in a different country wondering around an unknown neighborhood and I wasn't having a mental breakdown or crying hysterically which is probably what would've happened had this situation occurred a few months ago. Instead, I just kept repeating to myself what my dad has always told me, “You are never lost-you're always somewhere, you just don't know where.” These words of advice helped me to realize that 1. being lost isn't the end of the world-there is no need to panic 2. Exploration is the best way to learn-I don't think I will ever get lost going to their apartment again 3. My sense of direction is even worse than I thought (didn't think that was possible).

Most delicious meal ever

Plate #1 out of...?

Oreo cupcakes!

So. Many. Pancakes

My host mom, Helle

       Wednesday I managed to find my way back to Copenhagen on my own from their apartment (which I was quite proud of). I had to meet at 7:15 in order to go on a field study to an Open Prison in Jyderup. An open prison is exactly what is sounds like. Although it does have two fences around it, they are not meant to keep the prisoners in, they are meant to keep other people out. The main gate is always left open, meaning that prisoners can just walk out if they so desire. The first fence was about four feet high and that was put up in order to keep the local neighborhood residents from walking their dogs on prison property. The second fence is about six feet high, and that was put up in order to make it harder for drug dealers from the outside to get drugs to the prisoners, as well as an added barrier for anyone that may want to harm the prisoners. Apparently a few years ago a few men who had something against some of the prisoners came in with a machine gun. When one of the prisoners went to run away he was shot, but only in the butt so he was fine. At the prison we were given a tour by one of the guards as well as one of the prisoners named Rolland. They were both awesome. When the guard was telling us the story about the machine gun she forgot the English word for butt, so she just pointed to hers, and we all replied with “butt.” However, Rolland corrected all of us and said “gluteus maximus.” I was dying laughing. Rolland was up to par on his anatomy. The guard was this short little woman with short, purple hair-so funky. Prisoners in Denmark don't wear uniforms so Rolland was rocking a pair of stylish jeans, a puffy winter jacket with a fur lined hood, and what looked to be brand new sambas. So stylish. Upon walking in, it instantly reminded of a college dorm. There were no bars-just a long hallway filled with rooms on either side, with normal doors, many of which had pictures or decorations on them. We were told that most prisoners get a single (a luxury I didn't even have at college until my junior year) and that they each had their own shower and bathroom in their room (a luxury I have never had at college or at home) and they were provided with a mini fridge. I believe that the guard said televisions used to be provided, but now the prisoners are responsible for bringing them in if they want one. Many of them also had playstations or other gaming systems in their rooms. Rolland was kind enough to let us see his room, although he was embarrassed that it was a mess. His room was bigger than both my single at college and my room at home and it was not a mess. All of the prisoner's are required to either work or go to school. They get paid the equivalent of about $15.00 a day and with this money they can go to the grocery store, located on prison grounds in order to buy their food that they need to prepare for themselves. Touring the kitchen was interesting to say the least. It looked like any other kitchen: complete with large knives (like 8 inches long). The guard said she had worked there for 13 years and no one had ever been stabbed-they stick to fist fights. The guard had no weapons on her-just a walkie talkie. While in the kitchen we noticed that there was a high chair. We were told that every weekend the prisoners are allowed to have up to four adults and one child visiting at a time, but there is no limit to the number of people that can come and leave throughout the weekend. They had a room set aside for this visiting time that looked a lot like a large living room, complete with a fish tank, as well as a kitchen. We were told that this environment made the prisoner's children feel more comfortable since they weren't being locked in a room. It was also explained to us that every third weekend the prisoner's are allowed to go home and visit their family. That's pretty nice. When we asked the guard how many people “escaped” each year she said probably about five. However, she said that most of them aren't running from their sentence. Many will leave if they feel threatened by another prisoner and then they show up at another open prison a few weeks later and ask to finish their sentence there. Granted, not everyone goes to an open prison. If your sentence is more than five years than you have to go to a closed prison. However, when you have five years left to your sentence you can be moved to an open prison. The average life sentence in Denmark is 16 years, so if you were to murder someone you would be in a closed prison for around 11 years and then be transferred to an open prison for the last five. This would never go over in the US. Upon touring the gym we discovered that the prison has state of the art tanning beds-one where you lay down as well as a stand up one. So many choices. We were told that most prisons have tanning beds because they couldn't figure out a reason not to have them. They aren't making the inmates any more criminal, so there is no reason not to provide them. The goal in Denmark is to make the inside of the prison as much like the outside world as possible, that way when the prisoners get released they can easily integrate themselves into a normal lifestyle again, and they haven't forgotten how to cook or do their own laundry. There philosophy behind this style of prison makes sense. As Rolland told us, it costs about $400 a day to have someone in jail. If you keep them locked in cages like animals, they aren't learning anything so when they get released they will have trouble finding a job and without an education or a job they will most likely turn to what they know best: crime. However, if you give them the opportunity to get an education and learn a trade, then your money is well spent because when they are released they will be less likely to turn to crime and instead will be able to contribute to society. As the guard put it, they use the prisoners natural talents to help them learn a trade- “If the inmate is in jail for stealing cars, we teach them to become a car mechanic.” However this system doesn't work for everyone. Rolland kept referring to the low life prisoners who sit in their rooms playing playstation and smoking hash. To him, they were wasting the resources that were available to them in order to aid them in turning their lives around. When my teacher told Rolland that many of us where probably curious as to why he was in jail he replied with a laugh and said, “Oh, right, about that. Well...the police found 1.8 kilos of cocaine in my backyard.” With another laugh and a wink he continued, “Ya know, for personal use.” What a jokester. 1.8 kilos is about 4 pounds of cocaine. Definitely not only for personal use. When he was caught, Rolland was in school to be a teacher. He has since undergone major drug rehabilitation and has chosen to live in a drug free building. He explained to us that drug use (mainly hash) was very common in Danish prisons and that he had worked very hard to be clean and didn't want to be around the “low life prisoners who smoked hash all the time.” He is the editor of the prison newspaper and when he gets released he hopes to become a psychotherapist. He seemed to have really changed his life around. Not only did he have great shoes, but he also had an awesome sense of humor. Before we were about to leave my teacher told the guard and Rolland not to go anywhere because she had a present for them that she had left on the bus. Rolland quickly responded with, “Yeah, that's what you said last time too. I still haven't gotten the present.” So witty. By far the best field trip ever.  Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures, so hopefully you can imagine what it looked like from my description.  

      In class last week our ophthalmologist teachers asked for three volunteers to have their one of their eyes dilated. We were to do an ophthalmology lab where we could play around with all of the equipment and we were told it would be easier to see certain things if some people got their eyes dilated. I had never had it done before so I figured why not. Once Torbin (our teacher) put the drops in my eye I noticed immediately that my eye was burning. I asked him if it was supposed to burn like hell to which he responded, “Yes, yes, it will sting a bit.” He could have warned me. Having one dilated eye and one normal eye was a really strange feeling. It stayed like that for about five hours after the drops were initially put in,so that was fun. Nonetheless, it was fun to be able to determine what one's eyesight was and how to correct their vision with the different lenses, learn how to look at the eye using a slit lamp, play around with an ophthalmoscope, and attempt to have a picture taken of your eye. I say attempt because anyone that knows me is aware that I can't keep my eyes open for normal pictures, where the flash is at least four feet away, never mind a flash two inches in front of my eye. My teacher was amazed at the fact that after at least four attempts my eyes were closed in every shot.

Freaky eyes-one normal pupil,one dilated  pupil

Last but certainly not least, on Thursday my friend Andy came to Copenhagen. He was in the city to meet up with his cousin who is studying abroad in Germany, as well as his cousin's German friend. I haven't seen him in over a year so it was awesome to be able to hang out. We all met up Friday night and went to the Kulør Bar. Afterward, I spent the night at their hotel so that we could get up early the next day and do some sight seeing. However, we only had time to go to Christiania before Andy had to catch his flight back to Barcelona. Christiania is an area in Copenhagen that has declared itself a free place from the rest of the city. It has its own set of laws and is basically a hippie town. There is a street called Pusher Street that is just filled with hash vendors. The Danish authorities know about the drug trade in Christiania but have been unsuccessful in putting an end to it. It is a huge tourist attraction because it is a place unlike anything you have probably ever seen. Hanging out with Andy felt like People to People all over again, minus about 39 other students. I'm planning on visiting Andy in Barcelona during my two week travel break that way we can have another European reunion!

Playground in Christiania

No photos allowed on Pusher Street-for obvious reasons

View of Christiania from above

 

Andy finally got his bright red hot dog

                                                 

One of many graffiti murals in Christiania