We only part to meet again

Love this song. Always have, always will.

It's been over a month since I last updated my blog, due to my clumsiness to drop my charger on my computer so it broke. I'm now home in Denmark where I hope I will get my computer fixed (i'm currently using my parent's), cause I have an aweful lot of pictures on it! But the last month has definitely been eventful; it's been adventurous, joyful, memorable but also extremely sad. The school had a special vibe the last couple of days. People were clearly touched by the goodbyes that laid ahead of them. The last day, 9th of March, we all met in the Redondo Beach room for our graduation. We heard some speaches, got our academic portfolio from Bo and continued then down in the lounge for breakfast and flag signing. Several people couldn't hold their tears back and the mood was extremely emotional - I tried to hold my head up thinking that this was only a sign, that the last 6 months had been incredible, and not only for me. Around 1 a lot of us continued to the beach to have the last game(s) of volleyball and enjoy the beautiful weather. Later that afternoon I got picked up by my parents, said goodbye to my hostmom and had great dinner. After dinner it was time for our graduation party. Considering everything we had a very good time.

Saturday was sightseeing with my parents and again saying goodbye to more people. Sunday more sightseeing and a goodbye party in the evening. This was probably the hardest night - all of my closest friends were there and it was finally time to say goodbye to everyone, since I was leaving for Hawaii the morning after. After endless of tears, countless hugs and a lot of encouraging words I left for the hotel. The next morning Elise, Erik and Rebecca showed up in the airport for a final goodbye, and then I headed against two more weeks of adventures.

It is wierd to leave a life you just created. My 6 months abroad was beyond what I expected. Of course I loved the city, I loved the beach and I loved the weather - but it was really all the people that made the difference. It is the people I will remember the clearest, and it's the people I am most grateful for. I have met so many differences and so many new eyes and it has taught me so much. It has taught me beyond any school can teach me. These 6 months were necessary to me, for once I needed a break, I needed to get away from home. But after I also learned that I needed it for a lot of other reasons you can't see before. And I can't say exactly what, because i'm not sure myself. But what I'm sure of is, that this stay changed something inside me. Something good. So I encourage everyone else to do as I did, not just with EF, but just take off, travel somewhere, meet someone. I would never have done differently. So I thank everyone I have met during my stay, you have all touched my heart and made the past 6 months the time of my life. The world is not as big as we think, and I know in my heart, we will meet again.

Memory for life

My last weeks are going to be stressful, but probably also full of memories. My past week included lunch in Hermosa Beach, This Means War in the movies, Bowling, Peer Leader Meeting, Field Day preparation and most of all - my first tattoo! It is a quote on my back saying "dream as if you will live forever", which is very me and symbolizes my stay in LA. Because as I have said before, in America you are allowed to dream big. It didn't hurt as much as I feared, but I almost passed out (I have a fobia for needles, and I normally pass out if I'm at the doctors getting a vaccine or something). But it was over quickly, and I now have a memory for life...

Tomorrow is Field Day (GO SWAGGERS!) and Saturday is Hot Chelle Rae Concert. Can't wait.

Tired of using technology

My computer is broken. Something with the hard disk, but what do I know. So my lovely friend Rebecca lets me borrow her's once in a while, but it still make it hard to update my blog. But I will try to keep you updated as much as I can.

My next week will include field day at the beach (my class is called "Swaggers"), Hot Chelle Rae concert with Rebecca and a memory for lifetime - you can guess yourself what that is :-)

I'm Titanium

Danish X-Factor contestant. I'm blown away!

Life is magical. I don't think I have ever appreciated every day in my life as much as I do now. And I guess it's something I have learned by being here, and hopefully something I will bring with me home. I will remind myself everyday that existance is a gift - and one of the better ones...

Something that has changed since I got here is definitely my guts. I dare more. I have had some adrenalin rushes here, thats for sure. Skydiving was obviously the craziest thing ever, but last sunday I went to Six Flags and tried an amusement that is a little wilder that the other ones - it also costs extra money. But my friend and I decided to try it. And even though I almost peed in my pants, it was awesome! What a rush! Besides that I've just enjoyed myself in beautiful California, have had some good food and just hanged out with a lot of amazing people. You see how the "just" in that sentence now seems odd?

The 6th of February we went to Hollywood to get a glimpse of the stars of The Vow - Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams crossed the street to give autographs, but they unfortunately cut the corner where we stood :-( But on the bright side, I still got to see them from a little distance.

This weekend Elise, Valerie and I went on a weekend trip to Death Valley - and we were of course driving a white Mustang Convertible, what else. I definitely have a thing for Natural Parks, or maybe just a thing for nature. The smell, the atmosphere, the stillness. Standing there in the middle of a valley, just standing and sucking in, where the quietness almost hurts and the surroundings are mind blowing - these are the moments I will remember. So Death Valley was absolutely beautiful, and I hope you will enjoy the pictures below.

Yesterday we had speed dating at the school. I have to admit that I mainly participated because of the free pizza, but it was definitely still very fun. I knew most of the guys, so we just had fun with it and asked some wierd questions. Today is Valentines day - a way overrated day which we spend too much money on. Not to be negative or anything ;-)

Friday the other Media Arts student and I will go to the America's Got Talent! Besides that I will go whereever else the wind takes me...

When Life is Easy

One of my favorite Adele songs

Monday Rebecca and I took a trip to Hollywood to go to a Nada Surf concert (3 "to"s within a sentence - must be a record). The public transportation made it take more than 2 hours to get there, and the people and environment in the trains make it pretty scary - it's not a joke when people tell you not to take the trains alone. When we arrived at Hollywood Boulevard we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe and walked to L.A. Ink. We went into Kat Von D's store next door and a shop assistant said "Hey girls" to us as always. Neither of us paid much attention so we just answered "hey." About 10 seconds after we looked at each other and whispered "wait, was that Kat Von D?". And it was, so we ended up with a photo with the talented tatooist. After that we walked to Amoebe (a music store) where Nada Surf had a free concert to promote their new album. After a very good concert and a couple of autographs we headed home.

The following week went nice and calm; I enjoy every single day but I also think that they go by too fast sometimes. Today, Saturday, we have had amazing weather - Rebecca and I tanned by the pool but it was almost unbearably hot. Then we met some of the other girls and went to the beach: sun, sand and a very good view - and I'm not just talking about the nature ;-)

Tomorrow we will go to Six Flags again. Super Bowl is tomorrow which is huge here, so we think it will be a good day to go, because there hopefully will be less people than usual.

Life is a miracle

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
- Albert Einstein.

Enjoy. Appreciate. Laugh. Create. Love. Dream.

Is Denmark a city here?

Americans are generally very straightforward, open-minded, friendly and interested, which is what I really like about them. But OMG they can really ask questions where I’m just thinking: “Where have you been your whole life?” A lot of them haven’t even been out of the borders of the country, so actually it doesn’t surprise me. Of course they can travel around USA their whole life and still not see it all, and USA is also different from state to state, so they still see change – but it’s still the same country, the same government, the same people. And that is all they know. A lot of them live in their own little bubble, and don’t know what’s going on outside their country – and it’s a shame. Even though USA is a big country, the still only get to see a fraction of what the world is like. I don’t want to generalize, but after being asked questions like the ones below, I can’t help thinking like this – Jamie Oliver has tried to change the Americans’ eating habits; I would instead kick them in the butt and send them out, no matter where, just out. Travel, explore, taste and meet new people.

Examples from conversations with Americans – from me and others:

American:”So did you speak English before you came here?”

Isn’t English an International language? ;-) I could understand his question if I had been from Zimbabwe or somewhere like that, but Denmark, come one.

American 1: “So do you speak English as a native language in Norway?”

American 2: “No they speak Russian”

Eh, no. I just wonder who told him that?

Drunk American:“Do you know what poor means?”

Me: “Yes”

Drunk American:“It’s like when people don’t have any money and…”

Me: “I know what it means!”

Okay, she was young and very drunk, but this was definitely not the only of her sentences I couldn’t help laughing about. She also began explaining the word “passion” even though I told her at least 5 times I knew what I meant.

American: ”So do you speak any languages besides English and Dutch?”

Danish, not Dutch… Tiiiiny difference.

American: “Is Denmark a city here?”

I have no words…

American: “You have the cutest accent, where are you from?”

Oscar: “Sweden”

American: “Is it nearby?”

Oskar: (sighs) “… yeah it’s just down the street”

Besides that some people think Denmark or Norway is the capital of Sweden, that it always snows in Denmark (no, we are not a part of Antarctica), and that we have polar bears around… But you can't really do anything else than laugh about it - but absolutely not when in the moment they ask, cause they won't understand why you laugh.

Besides that I've had a really good weekend. Friday we shortly went to the beach plus enjoying a frappuccino at starbucks. I later found out that Mel Gibson had been in the same starbuks this friday - unfortunately not when I was there :-) Saturday my hostmom had her birthday party, so the house was full of appetizers and people. Sundag's weather was againg exceptional. Christina and I went to the gym to work out and tan by the pool. We had lunch and the pier whereafter I met Rebecca and Erik to get youghurtland companied by the beach and the sunset. Besides that i watched Denmark play the final in the European Championships this morning (handball) - and denmark WON! I am so proud to be a Dane :-)

I am a Godfather

Amazing cover of an Amazing song

I am now a Peer Ambassador Leader - aka "Godfather" for the school. We are about 10 people who got picked to be these ambassadors; we will be mentors for new students, guiding tours and be in charge of activities. A very exciting opportunity i think - and we will end up with a recommendation letter as well :-) So to every future student: be open, be friendly, attend social activities and do your best in school - you might be rewarded. Here is a little bit from the small essay i had to write for the program:

I believe that meeting people from other countries is important; it gives you a wider point of view and a bigger picture of what the world is like. Meeting new cultures, traditions and norms will create respect, interest and knowledge that you will always have with you. I have travelled a lot my whole life which I truly believe have created who I am today, so I can’t pick one experience that stands out in importance. I think all my experiences are important, small or big, short or long, and they have all somehow mattered to me. They have given me and taught me a lot, so I wish for everyone to travel as much as possible and meet as many different nationalities as possible. Without that I don’t know who I would have been today, and I can’t imagine my life without it. I think travelling is a part of growing up; it is education itself, so I feel sorry for the people who never get the chance to do so.

Besides that, the weather has been wonderful the last couple of days - and it looks like its continuing for a while, so i will probably end up at the beach this weekend.

The beach in January



Rebecca and I

L.A. Lakers game

Good news! I made a mistake in my last blog saying I have 6 weeks left with EF - I then had 7 weeks! Which means 6 weeks from friday.

This Saturday I spend hours shopping with Rebecca, and I ended up with a lot, maybe too much, new stuff. Isn't it always like that?? Saturday we experienced a L.A. Lakers game, when the team played against Indiana Pacers. On the way to Staples Center we passed a movie shooting, only because we drove wrong - then you truly know that you're in L.A! Lakers lost with 2 points though (the last quarter was so exciting I almost had to close my eyes). But on the bright side it was still a cool experience and I got cotton candy!

Next monday Rebecca and I will go to a free Nada Surf concert in Amoebe Music! Besides that, I'm not sure what the next week will bring...

Btw, as you might have notice, I have changed the design a little bit. Do you like it? Vote in the poll to the right -->

6 weeks left with EF

I especially love the chorus of this beautiful song!

4 months have now passed. 4 months with adventures and challenges; with happiness and laughter; with new sorroundings and changes. 4 months with amazing experiences and incredible characters. 4 months have passed way to fast. I now have 6 weeks left with EF and 2 weekds in beautiful Hawaii - and i intend to enjoy it as much as possible, even though I find it unbelievably sad. I don't think I will ever think about the word "time" as much as I do now. I count the days unconsciously - and not of the reasons you normally do, but maybe because that way I remind myself to appreciate every single one. I can currently not imagine coming back to the daily round - coming back to everything I left 4 months ago. I can't even imagine how I'm going to "settle down" again. Here I'm sorrounded by the same people everyday and it ties us together somehow, and leaving with the thought that I might not meet them again hurts. I have on the other side created a network dispersed over the whole world, which I hopefully will be an advantage in the future. I miss a lot of people back home, but I'm still not quiet ready to go home.

Lots of work-outs in the gym, delicious food at the Cheesecake Factory, Karaoke night and school is what my last week has contained. Today I face another work-out and the weekend will include shopping, the cinema and hopefully good food. We also have plans to go to a Lakers game soon!

Back to school

Hot Chelle Rae - Bleed; because Rebecca and I are going to their concert in Hollywood the 25th of February (and because the lead singer, Ryan, is cute).

My computer is sick, so I haven't been able to update my blog for a little while - but I will hopefully get it fixed this weekend. I cross my fingers for not having lost all my pictures! But since my last blog i've been enjoying my last days of vacation with rock climbing, six flags again and awesome sushi with even more awesome people. We started school this monday, and even though I already miss having vacation, it was still great to see everyone again - I've gotten so close to people here that i easily miss them.

I have exactly 57 days left with EF and have with Rebecca and Indy made a list over things we want to do before I leave. Including everything from making cupcakes to winning or stealing an Oscar award; from making a crib video to meeting all the Ryan's (Ryan Gosling, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Tedder and Ryan Follese). I'll let you know every time we cross one.