Class...
Today was the first day of my Tuesday/Friday classes: Immunology, Developmental Disorders, and Human Health & Disease.
Immunology is at 8:30am and the first day was like an actual class, with actual learning. Such a bummer. Every other class had a kind of chill day to introduce everyone and everything. There is also a ton of reading. Thanks science.
Developmental Disorders is at 10:05am, and there are only 2 boys in the class. It sounds like some content will be new and some of it I will have already encountered in other classes, which is perfect for me. Especially right after an intense class in the biology of bodies and infection.
After those two classes, I had a three hour break until my Human Health & Disease course. I ate my apple outside the Studenterhuset (Student House/study area/cafe/bar) and tried to look up things to do on my kindle, but instead just started walking around.
I bought some postcards at a store with a really long name that also sold books and school supplies and office supplies and stickers etc. I wanted to buy a coffee mug and shoe glue and post its but I didn't. I'm trying not to impulse-buy. Let's see how long that works. It's hard because I know I have everything at home, but sometimes I just need it here, too.
On my walk I saw...
a cool church thing
a normal city street
some modern-looking buildings
I think this one is St. Paul's church
the Stock Exchange building built by Christian IV, like most things
the spire is three alligator/dragons twisting their tails up together
the harbor
some more city street views
a view from the street looking into the courtyard of a house/apartment building,
cute flowers near a cute table
a modern looking bridge across a channel
a modern looking building with a glass skyway where I saw people working
the outside of the Jewish museum
the entrance to a garden behind a museum next to Tivoli
the gardens
on the museum's exterior
a sleepy local
a view of Tivoli from the museum
a huge theater that I walk past almost every day on my way to school
the Scientology headquarters, which I also walk past a lot
Lunch
When I got to the harbor, I found an empty bench on the docks and sat down and ate the rest of my lunch. A real live Dane sat next to me and ate her lunch, too. We exchanged no words. She was listening to her iPod or whatever.
On the bench next to me, there were some hot, shirtless Danish menfolk. Naturally, I took a picture of myself with them.
Keep in mind, many things I've done have been alone. I feel very safe alone here. I've done most of my exploring alone and have actually almost preferred it. I highly suggest doing some things alone.
This whole 3 hours I spent alone.
That also means that I'm taking a bunch of pictures by myself and periodically including myself in them. Haha.
Human Health & Disease
aka: Medical Practice & Policy core course
So at 2:30pm (aka: 14:30,
military time/the time most of world uses is slightly hard to get used to) our
class (Section G of Human Health & Disease) met in the courtyard behind
DIS's main building (Vestergade 7) and then walked to the Nørreport Station, took the train I normally take
back to Albertslund (the [green] B line toward Høje Taastrup) and stopped one
stop before I would normally get off. So that means that the hospital we're
going to for class is on my way home. Heavy score!
I didn't take any pictures of the hospital because I was trying to catch the bus, but then I didn't so I just walked to the train station, so I could have taken pictures but I plan to on Tuesday (when I have class again).
It sounds like it will be a really awesome class. The instructors are 3 doctors and a medical student, and they all seem really fun and enthusiastic. Ann-Louise and Song are the main instructors, and they are both M.D.s getting their PhDs in Neurology, with their research being in migraines. Ann-Louise is from Sweden, and her parents were from Romania, she went to Copenhagen for med school and she wants to specialize in Pediatrics. Song is from Asia, went to med school in Copenhagen, and wants to specialize in Neurology. Christian is the course assistant, and he wants to specialize in Obstetrics after he graduates from med school. He was a combat medic in Afghanistan, in addition to a bunch of other things like that. The other doctor, Nanna, is a guest speaker.
I think this class will be really good for me, I'll be able to learn about Danish and American medical school, jobs, life, etc. and I'll hopefully figure out if it's what I want to do for sure.
Then, as I was walking to the train station to go home, I realized that this town, Glostrup, is a super cute town. It's a suburb, so it's not as historical as Copenhagen, but see for yourself.
Glostrup
A "welcome" house, with historical info, beautiful park area/gardens
a bird, more like a raven or a crow than like the pigeons all over Copenhagen
a tombstone store
a cute Glostrup street
an Albertslund neighborhood view
from the bike path I use to get home from the train station
Albertslund has more like 60's era pop-up homes and Glostrup is more like an old European suburb. They're both very cute and interesting, though.
I definitely want to write more about the medical school system here, because it sounds great. And I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about my classes once we're more involved in them.
Simon came home to do laundry and eat, so we had hot dogs on the grill, tomato and mozzerella salad (or whatever the Danish equivalent is), grilled trout, lamb steaks, boiled potatoes, and the peanut salad we eat a lot (which I love; mom, try putting peanuts in your salads and experience salad magic). I'm the only kid they have that happily eats everything they make for me! I am the winner.
Then, I went out with Emily and she brought some girls from Roskilde and we went to a DRC (DIS residential community, which is all DIS kids except the RA's are Danes) and drank some alcohol and met some people. It was interesting to see the DRC, but it's pretty much just a big dorm/tiny apartments so it makes me even more happy that I'm staying with a host family.
Then, we tried to go to bars as a big group, but that was really difficult because most of the bars are pretty small and crowded. We went to one where the bouncer was a little "friendly" with the girls except for me, because I'm cold like a Dane.
Two girls split a vodka/redbull at the bar, and it cost 70 kroner, so like $15.
So I didn't get anything. HA.
Then it just became really hard to keep the whole group together and some girls' trains/buses came very infrequently so we had to get going anyway.
Fun experience, but maybe fewer people next time.
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