Godaften,

It has been a long time since I have written a post informing you of my latest adventures in the great country of Denmark. As always, there have been too many memories to share, but below are a few of the most notable. Even as I come to the end of my exchange, the busyness and excitement never ends.

Depending on how you look at it, my first time in Sweden may have been the most or least traditional way to experience Denmark’s neighbour. My host father’s father started a fishing club in the south of Sweden many years ago, and since then a group of around 20 keen fisherman meet annually for a weekend away. This year, I was able to join the team and it was an experience I won’t forget. We started the weekend with fly fishing, the hardest of type of all. Fly fishing requires the person to swing the fishing rod back and forth over your head until you cast the line into the water. It is a lot more complicated than it sounds, and I can be dangerous. Luckily, the only injury anyone sustained from the day was an unwanted ear piercing with a fishing hook. After a long day of standing, swinging and waiting, I didn’t catch anything, but at least I learnt a new skill. Rain began to fall heavily in the late afternoon, therefore it was time to pack up and head back to the cabin. For the second day of fishing, we tried a more traditional approach. Throwing the line into the water and waiting. The weather had not improved since the day before, wind and rain making the hours almost unbearable. Æbleskiver with jam and sugar around the fire kept our spirits alive throughout the miserable weather. Over the two days, many fish were caught and although I was unsuccessful, it was a pleasant weekend out in nature. Tak to Ulrik, Camilla, Christian and the fishing team for a great trip.

Halloween is not a holiday that is widely celebrated in Australia, so it has never been something important to me. However, for my host sister, she greatly enjoys the tradition of carving pumpkins as part of the celebration. Despite my dislike of the holiday, pumpkin carving turned out to be good fun and a nice way of spending time with my Camilla. Another part of the holiday I enjoyed was visiting Tivoli with Macy when it was decorated for the occasion. Everywhere you looked, there were pumpkins, cobwebs or witches. A haunted house has been set up in the park, which Macy and I bravely completed. The work that had been put into making the park ready for Halloween was amazing, I can’t wait to see Tivoli at Christmas time.

Each year, all the exchange students in Denmark have a get-together weekend in Holbæk. The event is lots of fun, with around 180 exchange students together in a school for two days. I hadn’t seen Connie or Arki in a long time, so this provided us with the perfect opportunity to catch up and get the group back together again. Staying up very late talking and dancing,  it was a wonderful weekend with wonderful people.

Matthew loves computer games, and the Couter-Strike gaming scene in Denmark, as well as Scandinavia, is massive. So, my lovely best friend decided we would go together to see the Blast Pro Series event in Copenhagen. Since the beginning of the year, I have slowly grown to like this unusual sport and have even gained some knowledge on the game. The event was held in Royal Arena, with almost 12,000 fans showing their support for the Danish team, Astralis, and five other pro teams from around the world. To my mother’s horror, I enjoyed the day, so tusind tak to Matthew for letting me tag along. It is always fun when I am with you, even at a gaming event.

Hubertusjagt is the annual fox hunt on horseback that takes place in Dyrehaven, Copenhagen. Today two riders have a fox tail over their shoulder instead of the original version where foxes were chased after. My first host family love the event and always watch the race with the extended family. Macy and I were invited to join them to see the horses race through the forest, a very prestigious event that has been held since 1900. After the race had finished, we all headed to Nyhavn for a lunch of smørrebrød and other traditional Danish meals. Tak to Jan and Lene for a very Danish day out.

Unfortunately, my schooling has been very complicated this year. I have changed classes four times, from the tenth class to the first year of gymaniusm, and then three times within the gymnasium. This has made it extremely hard to form strong friendships or connections with others, but thankfully, I am able to spend the remainder of my exchange in a class with good friends. Two of whom, are Lili and Sara. Thanks to them, I have been able to settle into my second and fourth classes, making my time a little easier. Tusind tak to these two gorgeous girls. I said I would mention you somewhere, and you deserve it. 🙂

No one has experienced Christmas until they come to Denmark. The holiday is a big celebration for everyone, and as a lover of the season, I can not wait for what is in store. To start the festivities, my two host siblings and I baked way too many cookies, taking almost 6 hours in total. It was a lot of work but the results are delicious. As a Christmas and parting present from my Rotary club, I received a most unusual advent calendar. A Rotary wheel with 24 spokes and a gift on each is currently standing up in my room, I am very excited to open all the little gifts. It was an incredibly sweet gesture.The lights have begun to be put up and it is time to deck the halls with holly.

In front of 350 Rotarians, the 8 winter team students graduated. As part of the big Thanksgiving Rotary event, we received our graduation certificates for completing our year. We were very happy, standing beside friends in our blazers full of memories. Matthew, Issa and Sarah said final speeches about our year in Danish, a task we are all proud of them for. It has been a once in a lifetime experience, and to have had the opportunity to do so with these people has been the uttermost pleasure. Matthew, Macy, Issa, Nathan, Siena, Kacee and Sarah, thank you for everything. I couldn’t have done it without you. Isabel, Marcus and David, although you couldn’t be with us on that evening, we knew you were there in spirit. You will always be part of our exchange, even if you had to leave us early. As we were sitting around the dinner table, Issa said that she was thankful for the fact we ended up together. This is very true, as we could have easily been sent somewhere else in the world, and yet were given each other. No matter how many days pass after I leave Denmark, I will always remember and be grateful for our winter team. Congratulations everyone, we made it.

Time moves forward, as the year comes to an end, we must always appreciate all we have done, and all we have been given.

Venlig hilsen,

Mikaela