Honey, Honeyyyyy, I'm in Copenhagen!

I woke up a bit disoriented, looking at my phone (a used nokia of some sort, provided for free by the university) and realized that while I set my alarm for 8 am, I never actually set the clock to the correct hour. I turned on my computer and had to google the time in Denmark because I thought I was mistaken. It's midnight. In Copenhagen. And I think I may have surrendered to my battle with jetlag a little too early in the evening.

After the initial panic of my first flight from Denver to Chicago being cancelled, my journey across the ocean went very smoothly. My dad worked some magic that only he seems capable of working, and I was on a new airline to Chicago with plenty of time to make my connection to CPH. I met Greg, another DIS-er at the gate, and he worked yet some more magic on his seat mate so that he and I could spend the next 8 hours sitting together. Instead of sleeping, we shared the frustration of insomnia on a pitch-black plane to the sounds of a wailing 2-year old and the gentle snore of the kid down the row, who I envied for being able to sleep with his mouth wide open the ENTIRE time.

Cecilie, my roommate, was waiting for me with a hand-written "Emily" sign outside of baggage claim, and she knowledgably directed Greg to the correct train and platform. And then we took our taxi "home". And it turns out that home is nearly the perfect word for this little apartment. I will have to post some pictures soon!

My roommate could not have been more helpful and welcoming, it was such a comforting feeling. Once I had unpacked a bit, we walked around the corner to the grocery store so that I could get a few breakfast/sandwhich type items. She reminded me always to bring bags when I go shopping, because in Denmark, plastic bags at the grocery store aren't free! You actually have to pay for them! What an easy way to reduce the amount of plastic we're putting into this earth. It just makes so much sense. Why aren't we doing this in the US?

Her bike was parked outside the grocery store, and she flipped the lock on her tire and started rolling it along the sidewalk. I was taken aback, and she explained that the only lock on her bike is a little lock that stalls the wheels so they can't roll. I explained that if you used that type of lock in Boulder, it wouldn't stop anyone. Someone would just pick it up and walk away with it. Apparently, thieves in Denmark have similar thought-processes, because her bike has been stolen twice before.

She made me dinner in the adorable little kitchen and we got to sit down and talk about our siblings, our universities, and those crazy old people who talk angrily to no-one in particular about their grievances with the governement. Apparently, this type of crazy is universal, and I should keep my ears peeled for the anarchist who lives a few floors down.

Another odd thing: in the basement, there are communal storage rooms for bikes, large items, hanging laundry, and clothes dryers. Everyone in the apartment has a key to these basement rooms and is free to use them whenever they want. And no one worries about their stuff being stolen! I can't even leave my LOCKED bike in an apartment bike-rack back in Boulder. But everyone trusts each other with stored suitcases, furniture, or a bike in one of these storage rooms. You even mark your desired time to use the dryer a few days ahead of a time with a little lock that has your apartment number on it. If I walk away from my laundry in Boulder, more often than not, I will return to find my clothes in a wrinkly pile on the floor in front of the dryer that someone couldn't wait one more second to use.

So does Copenhagen live up to its reputation of being the happiest place on earth? My experiences thus far have lead to me believe that this rumor may be true. More to come...