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I'll be writing this post in english.

New awesome tool guys and gals!  Are you getting ready to travel to Denmark for a study abroad and are looking for a few simple tricks to jump start your vocabulary?

Google Chrome has released "Language Immersion for Chrome".  With this add-on google auto changes different words and phrases in your browser based on settings that you can adjust in the toolbar.  I wish I had known this existed when it was released, and despite some syntactical issues, the add-on works fairly well.

Also remember that you have to be reading for this application to work, don't go out to your flash game website and exclaim that you are actively learning!  Engage your mind and focus on all the translated words.  Learn slow, but learn steady.  Good luck!

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/language-immersion-for-ch/bedbecnakfcpmkpddjfnfihogkaggkhl/reviews?hl=en

-Kyle

It has been 4 years since my last big adventure, living in Denmark.  I have a new blog, so follow me as I set off on a hike.  The new address is:
http://atspirited.blogspot.com

See you there!

-Kyle

Notes of things not to do once in America again.

1) Don't try to stop the jet lag... just sleep

2) Whatever you do, don't pig out... you will die

3) Same as above... note, Taco Bell does not digest.

4) Taco Bell is not even that great

5) Ouch... Taco bell is hurting me sooo bad right now

6) I'm going to bed

* Within the year I discovered I had gall stones.  I obviously was having an attack during the time I wrote this post.  Taco Bell tastes just as sinfully good as always provided I monitor my intake.

Coming home

Yeah, I guess this will be my last post.  I am going to be home pretty soon and I'm really tired of blogging!  I mean, I always feel like I am just talking to myself.

Well it has been a very long year, but short at the same time.  Life moves pretty darn fast when you don't grasp every second, and I didn't grasp every second here.  

So,

Farvel.

Hi, I'm still alive.

Love you guys.

Bubye

Back in the Swing of things

I am now back in the swing of life after a wonderful trip to Berlin.  I am happy to say I am still alive and well.  My second date never did happen because she had to go visit her friend in the hospital the next night.  I am relieved that we have talked since then and she says that her friend is okay.

In Berlin I saw tons of stuff.  I travelled with Tove, Gustov (contact adults) and their 3 daughters and boyfriends of those daughters.  It was very fun and we relaxed and soaked up the wonderful sun, which we still do not get in Denmark.

In the picture above you see me with the just a few of the folks we hung out with.  Danish people will never change...
We did do our fair share of tourism.  We walked everywhere all over Berlin.  This is me at checkpoint charlie and it cost 2 euros to get my picture with these two random strangers, but I guess it was worth it.  Unfortunately Gustov is not the best photographer and most the photos of me are full body and really far away looking.
Artists at work.  I think this really represents Berlin and Europe really well.  In Europe is where the first real graffiti started with throw ups.  I am pretty sure this was legal though as he was pretty well set up and it was day time.  You can find graffiti all over Berlin.
These are the gates in Berlin and there are two sides.  At these gates there were lots of big concerts,  two while we were there.  I think it represents Berlin because there are these types of statues everywhere.
This statue was given from Denmark to Berlin... I think.  I should look that up I guess.

Well, in a way of saying it, I had a really good time in Berlin and would recommend Berlin over Amsterdam any day of the week.  There is no way you could see it all in even a month.  There is way way too much to see.  I have another 200 pictures and movies of this trip.

Randomness to report

I am currently in Berlin, but because I have not downloaded the pictures to my computer yet I will not write about Berlin really.  What I will write about however is a girl I met in Berlin.  Ah, yes, a very kind red head.  We stayed up, not by choice really, until 4:30am sitting by the river and drinking some drinks.  The reason we stayed up so late was because trains stop running at about 2 and start again at 4:30, so we missed the last train, but it is not such a bad thing.  We walked from the river back to my house and we stayed there until the train would come.

The lesson I learned from this, not all blind dates are bad.  Plus I will have good stories to tell of the german that I went on a date with in Berlin :)  Nothing spectacular happened, but it was very nice.

You know a date went well when you hug at the train station before she leaves while saying that you will see each other again soon.  Then walk away with a huge grin on your face.  Then before falling asleep that night writing an email to her letting her know that it was a good night and all.  Truly it was very relaxing :) I will see her again.

Amsterdam

Early this year I decided that there was no way I should go home without first partying in Amsterdam for a while.  Plans fell through many times, but alas, I knew I would eventually make it.  I travelled with my oldest host brother, Ivan.

I travelled by train for about 13 hours, starting the journey around 8pm, and luckily getting a nice ca

bin in the train to sleep in.  Six people sleep in each cabin so space is cramped.  I was very very sore upon wakening and actually throughout the whole trip my arms were hurting really badly.  But we got there ok, without getting lost, and found ourselves a nice little hotel.

This is what our street looked like.  In both directions there where numorus shops with all types of colorful items inside :S  Also there were lots of cheap restaurants and coffee shops (the Dutch type)  all around.  It was really an experience that I don't think I will soon forget.  This picture was taken out of our window.

We did many things in Amsterdam during our short 3 day trip.  This included seeing the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank house.  We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and took many boat rides through the canals.  

Overall the trip was a success and nobody was killed nor injured except for my leg which took a beating from the paddle boat that we rented.  Not much of a story behind that.  If you guys have any questions please feel free to write a comment.  I know that I have not posted in a long time.  I will post again soon.

I Want You

I'm cracking up over this and want to write it down.

I'm sitting in biology class watching a video and the teacher walks up... so I pause the video.  He hands me a work sheet and says, "I want you..." I wait for a few seconds waiting for the rest of the sentence.  I assumed he would say "...to work with" or "...to work on", but no, that was all he said before saying it's a Bob Dylan song.

... Ok???

Then I just laughed because... like seriously, what was that about. haahahahaha^^

fun stuff

:)

Hair cut for Gallafest

Granted this video really doesn't have anything fun in it... but I figure some day down the road I might want to watch it.

Today

I woke up

I showered

I went to language school from 8-1:15

I went home, stopping by school to talk to Ulrik

I made pasta

I worked out

I showered again

I played video games

I walked to Anne Mangles house

I went to an AFS meeting

I came home

I ate 2 rolls

I typed this blog

I fell asleep

Such is my average day

AT again

So, we have AT again.  It is very difficult for me to do AT because it is a synapsis on a particular subject and I don't know how to write a synapsis, especially a danish one.  So I have been spending all of my time in "the tower of knowledge" as I call it.  I have been researching the Spanish Civil War durning 1936-1939.

More on "the tower of knowledge".  It is a large glass box with two stories in the middle of our school, the only second floor on our whole school.  Inside there are free printers and copying machines as well as quite a few laptops out on the tables... about 30.  The nice thing is that it is amazingly quite inside and you can look down on students as they pass on either side.  Since my school doesn't really have hallways you can see almost the whole school from inside.  Fun fun!

Yesterday I put my hand down on a plant that attacked me... it wasn't nor is it now very nice feeling.  I feel now like my hand is asleep and i have little red dots all over it.  Yesterday it burned and itched sooo bad that I had to fall asleep to ignore it.  I asked my friends right after it happened and they said that it was not deadly, so I hope that it goes away soon and I can go back to normal life.

Today I have piano which I am not looking forward to.  I have no way to practice because so often the only piano I can use has a class using it or other students or it is locked up.  All of those things are really annoying.

welp, back to class for a bit

Our Electric Lawnmower +++

First off, I'm tired of all my posts having to be memorable adventures.  I don't do that much that stands out for me anymore.  Here is what is on my plate, and how I think of things here.

I have to do a paper for sprogskole on libraries in denmark.  Only one page should be good enough.

I just sent a package home including stuff I don't need and college forms so I can get those to B-W now.

I need to practice bassoon after dinner, right after dinner and not put it off until it's too late.

I have decided not to join Uffe and the guys at Beerfest this year.  Sorry but 300kr. entry fee is a bit steep even if we do have open bar.  Plus I have no team, and might not know very many people there.

Then I can go to sleep, probably around... 2 am.

Today so far has been really nice.  We ate outside in the back yard on a picnic table we own.   Boris is gone, and I don't really know where, but I have been gone for the last 3 days at Uffe's house sleeping on the couch.

I noticed today that our lawn mower was powered with a cable plugged in.  All I can think is how many times I would run over that cable and electrocute myself if I mowed.  I am not sure if it is good or bad, just an observation that I had never even thought of.  

Well, goodbye

I want to... before I leave... visit some of the surrounding countries.  Including Germany and The Netherlands.  I would love to see Paris also.

I am working on it.

Kyle

School

Danish schools are totally different from American schools.  I think however that Americans get a more rounded education while Danish people learn what they want to learn and what they need to get a job.  I find that the expectations for a danish student are a lot lower, not that they will not reach a lot higher, but if they want to drop out of school it is ok as long as they get a job.

One thing I like about the Danish education system is that you are responsible for your own life.  You have a schedule which gives you free time where you are expected to study.  More work is done out of school then in school.  I will admit that high school in the US does not get that difficult and you don't have to work at home very much, but if you are doing all the work they require here, you will be doing a lot more.  

I like our way of grades better though.  I think it is important to have incentive for getting homework done.  Here if you don't do it you can get away with it because you don't have to turn anything in.

That my answer to Dad's question.  Any other questions just post them.

Galla Fest

Sidste fredag vi havde Galla Fest.  Det er "Prom" i Vejen Gymnasium.  Vi spiste meget mad og vi drikke meget også.  Vi også dans men, dans ikke så meget.  Det var en rigtigt godt aften og nat.  Jeg var hjem igen klokken 6.

One of the reasons the night did not go so well though is because somebody I did not know died on her moped earlier in the evening.  Everyone was very sad and they cancelled the music and everyone went home, except for some people who went to town.  I also went to town and hung out with my friends.

-note:  the order of the pictures are in reverse, the night went:

1)Arrive and watch seniors arrive in their floats, cars, and other things.

2)Drink and socialize

3)Eat dinner

4)Watch the dance/dance.

5)Go to town

The dance performed by the students is a four part danced.  We rehearsed for about a month learning how to all dance at the same time.  First everyone watched the 3rd years dance and clapped and had a great time.  Next many others from the other years joined in the same dance.

Uffe and Claus were my partners in crime for the night.  After eating and realizing the night was not going so well because of the death we decided to go back to Uffe's house before hitting the town.
This is what the first coarse of the meal looked like.  It was a nice first coarse but the service for the buffet was slow and food ran out for about 10 minutes.  Each table had a theme and our class chose Mexican... although Victor, the Mexican exchange student in our class, did not show up for the party.
Finally, me.  I am proud to say that I did everything on my own preparing for the dance.  I picked out what I would wear, found a tie and jacket, and even cut my own hair, all before the dance.  People did notice and told me that I looked good.  I was proud of myself for that.

I hope to hear some responses from everyone!  I also want some questions you guys might have on Denmark.  Don't let me down guys.

Kyle

Class trip to København

Hej igen folks!

I will write in english because it is late and I have a lot to say.  

My class went to Copenhagen for our class trip this year.  It is not as big as most the classes who travel all over Europe, but it will do.  There are a lot of things that we did on the trip.  

On the first day we arrived in the morning and checked into the hostel.  After that we walked around for a while and looked at the buildings.  Then we went to the government building where we saw a meeting the government was holding(equal to our president).  While we were inside it started snowing.  The night was free to do whatever we wanted to in the city, so it was a late night full of parties.  I did some karaoke in a bar, it was funny.

My Class

(they followed me, I was just climbing the fountain)

The second day was almost horrible.  We walked around the whole morning with a tour guide who talked (in danish) about the different historical buildings.  It was freezing cold and everyone was tired from the night before.  After the tour we went to the (work museum).  It was also extremely boring and all in danish.

This is a pretty nice building, you should have seen the garden on the other side!

That night we ate together at an all you can eat buffet.  It was pretty nice and I was very full.  Then we walked to the theater where we all saw Phantom of the Opera (in danish).  It was very good!  Very very very good!  The set was amazing and I was surprised at how many different places they used as a stage.  Fog machines made the stage into the river.  A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling and had the ability to fall onto the stage.  People fell through trap doors, lights came up through trap doors.  The phantom came down on the ceiling ornaments.  The last scene was the most amazing though.  It literally turned into a magic act on stage where the phantom put a cover over himself and when the girl came to him and pulled off the cover which was right after he put it on, he was gone... I have no idea how that happened at all.  They also shot real fire on stage.  AMAZING.  That night I decided to get to bed early and was asleep by midnight I think.

The last day we walked more.  We went to a pre-history museum.  It was pretty good and I got some good pictures there.  After that we walked around and relaxed until we had to catch the train home.  It was a very nice trip.  I am glad that it was short though, because I need my sleep and my showers.  Did I mention the hostel had 2 showers for the whole floor and no hot water... I literally could not get into the water.  

That's all I have for now folks.

Jeg skal til København på tirsdag med min klass.  Jeg ved det ikke hvad vi skal ser.

New Video

Min Ven Jonas Bonde *LOLZ

Hej allesammen!!!

Jeg har fået mange venner.  En af mine venner hedder Jonas.  Han bor i Vejen.  Jeg kender ham fordi at jeg går på gymnasiet med ham.  Vi hører det samme musik.  Vi hører secondhand serenade.  Vi har været til fest sammen og han drikker ligesom alle mine andre venner.  Vi har ikke time sammen, kun idræt og biologi.

Google translate will not translate that how I want you guys to read it. ^^ I will translate it properly now below.

Hej all!!!

I have many friends. One of my friends is named Jonas.  He lives in Vejen.  I know him because I go to the gymnasium with him.  We listen to the same music.  We listen to Secondhand Serenade.  We have benn to parties together and he drinks alongside all my other friends.  We don't have the same classes, only Gym (sports) and biology.