EUROPE: Greetings from Copenhagen!

After settling into our surroundings and adjusting to colder than anticipated weather, I think many of us have gotten the general hang of things. Wait for the little green man to light up and beep at you when you cross the street, say thank you in Danish ("Tak") whenever possible as it generally elicits a happy smile from the Danes, and stock up on fresh fruit and veggies from the local stand late in the day when they apparently give some lovely deals. We learned that last tidbit in class today.

Copenhagen, or should I say København, is very much alive. I feel as though I have only barely begun to scratch the surface. We took a bus ride for our company visit to Shell this afternoon. Along the way I spotted quite a few places I intend on exploring this weekend with my rented bike. That first company visit, might I add, was particularly interesting. Apparently I have missed their recent Ferrari marketing campaign? I made a mental note to pay more attention when I get back to the States.

Adjusting really is the main thing we have all been dealing with. Divide all costs by five and then compare to dollar prices at home. I’ve started to just memorize equivalent costs and bypass that system. 50Kr is a decently priced lunch and 200Kr is the max I am willing to spend on dinner more than twice a week. I think we all have some things to learn: for instance, do not assume that everything in cardboard cartons is milk, because you will probably end up with yogurt instead! All in all, we are finally here and enjoying Copenhagen our first week.

--Mary Brandon Ingram

Photo: Here's another place I intend on visiting. Christina [Matthews] and Alex [Sherman] were having a lot of fun!