Discovering Denmark: time for thanks

Things have been busy once again as my last month in Copenhagen is flying by. In the past week, several things of interest have happened.

First, last Saturday I went on a tour of the Danish Parliament with my Buddy Network. I was amazed by the little amount of security we had to go through to enter the building: only one metal detector, unlike the numerous security restrictions necessary to enter the White House. Once inside, we went to the Parliament meeting room, which was tastefully decorated. We also stopped by the important documents, like the Constitutional Act and other ancient agreements.

Parliament meeting room

official document of Parliament

Also on Saturday, I went with my host parents to a farm called Dyssegaardens to pick up our two turkeys for our American Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. The farm was far off the beaten path and included attractions such as donkeys (wearing Santa hats), freshly cut Christmas trees, and a variety of Christmas treats. I tasted "glogg" for the first time, which is mulled wine with almond slivers and raisins. It was quite delicious indeed.

donkey at Dyssegaardens

On Sunday, I went to the DIS Julefrokost (a Christmas lunch). There were over 500 DIS students along with their host families, Danish roommates, and buddies. Each family was asked to bring something to share, so we brought meatballs and potato salad. We also brought small presents to play a fun raffle game called "pakkeleg." In the game, you put all the presents in the center of the table. Then you pass a dice around and whoever rolls a 6 gets to take a present. Once all the presents are gone from the middle of the table, you set a timer and pass the dice again. This time, if you get a 6 you can steal presents from other people sitting near you. It was great fun and I ended up receiving 3 small presents: a hairpin, some Christmas themed close-pins, and a pig-shaped container of body wash. To top it all off, I ended up winning a real Christmas tree for my host family, which we ironically had to go pick up at Dyssegaardens, where we just were the day before for the turkeys.

On Thursday, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration. There were 13 people in total, including two of my friends and friends/family of my host parents. Even though the adults were speaking in Danish for most of the time, everyone still had a lovely time. Thanks to DIS, we were able to pay for two turkeys, which we stuffed with bread, spices, and oxen meat. We also wrapped the outside of the turkey in bacon. I guess you could say that the Danes like their meat. Overall, the evening was a memorable one and I am so thankful for my second family here in Copenhagen.