A Happy Blog Post

Hej allé,

Last night all of the Americans threw a Thanksgiving dinner for the Australians. It was a major blast, a great way to finish off November. There were nine people in total; 5 Americans, Greg, me, Krista (on exchange to Poland who was visiting Kate), Kate and Mandy (on college exchange to York England visiting me,) 4 Austrailians, Caity, Dean, Prue, and Josh (YFU exchange student.) Mandy and I started cooking around 11:45 after getting back from København. (The trip from KBH to my house took 5 hours!) We had a ton of food, the Australians were very impressed. Overall we had, mashed potatoes, string beans, indian corn, duck, gravy, apple pie, corn bread and brown sugar carrots.

We started out dinner with passing our plates around the table like we do in my family, then we went around in a circle and gave thanks like they do in Kate's family. After we finished that, which took a while, we dug in :) The food was delicious! Even the indian corn that I sort of screwed up, hey man it's not my fault their pan was to big. The dinner conversation was amazing. Just like home, there was that one person (and there always is) that makes everthing either really awkward or just makes super rediculous comments. That person was Prue (aussie.) There was a heart tugging moment as there always is as well. We were all eating and Caity and Josh asked us if we missed having Thanksgiving with our familes, and I just looked up and said, "of course, I miss the family I have in the U.S. but we are eating with family..." and then everyone went "aww." It's a bitter sweet thing that is.

After dinner we all sat around my computer and watched comedians and the top ten Autralian beer commercials of all time. Then we just talked about everything and drank coffee. A few people stayed over but everyone left on the 11.30 bus back to town. Overall a very fulfilling experience.

~Jasmine H

Take a good look at my face

Hej allé,
How's everybody doin'?
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is sick. Caity's got piggy flu, a girl in my class has piggy flu, and host sister Christine has a horrible cough. I'm currently trying to figure out how open doors with my feet so I don't have too touch the doorknob. I'm really suprised more people in Denmark don't know what S.A.D. (Seasonal Affects Disorder) is. I swear almost every person in the whole country should have it. I'll probably end up with it. The sun, it never comes out. The clouds, they never end. The wind, it never stops. The rain, it doesn't end. My advice to any exchange student coming on exchange to Denmark, bring vitamin D.
Apparently November's supposed to be the worst month during an exchange year. I don't know if it the worst. My best way to describe November is just... blah. Nothing really good, nothing horrible's happened yet though, which I guess is good. I don't know why I even write these blogs, no one ever reads them anyway, I guess being pregnant is more exciting. Actually, being pregnant is probably more exciting than my life right.
Before I got to Denmark I was extremely dedicated to becoming a journalist. That hasn't changed. But I've realized that that's not all I want to do. I have a lot more things to do in my life now that I've just sort of let go. I have another big dream now. I'm not going to tell you guys what that is though. I don't trust people enough to not shoot down my dreams anymore, so I'm just not giving many people that option. I don't need others approval to go after what I want. I'm going to do what I want to do after graduation, what I need to do for myself, not what others expect me to do. Life's to short to waste what little time is given to us. I wish more people would realize this and go after what they want. Ask anyone, anyone you work with, anyone you live by, maybe even yourself if you're brave enough. What did you want to be when you were my age. If you're that now, if you've followed your dreams, I applaud you and am very proud of you. But I bet at least half of you became something that wasn't your dream. And for those of you who didn't even try, who just fell back, it's never to late. Achieving just the smallest part of your dream can make it come true, at least in your eyes.

~Jasmine H

the dawn is breaking, its early morn

Hej allé,
How's everything going in America? Everything in Denmark is fine and complacent.

I can finally say that I'm simply content with the way everything here is. My host family now is great (second host family.) They have one son William, who's 9, a daughter Christina, who's 13, and a son Alexander who's 16 and is currently in Brasil on exchange. This family isn't like my family at home but that doesn't mean it's bad, just different. I've adapted to fit their lifestyle.
My oldies are leaving soon... it makes me angry that Rotary never told me about this part. I feel like it will be the hardest thing I do all year. One of the first things I learned when I got to Denmark is that exchange students are family. Not the kind of family that you keep if touch with sort of kind of, but the kind that you tell your deepest and darkest secrets to. The exchange students I've met this year I will never forget. I feel like my heart will be minced into little pieces and shipped all over the world when they leave... when I leave. I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Exchange students co-exsist like no other species I've ever seen. It's like exchange students are almost a special bread of human. I know that everytime I hear an australian accent, everytime I see some kid running around with a brasilian flag as a cape, everytime I hear someone list the four d's, or everytime I see an blazer... I'll remember everything. I have to go to the airport 3 or 4 times in January to see off the people that mean the most in the world to me. I wish it was possible to explain how much these people mean to me but it one of those things that you just can't. I think I had some other things to tell you guys but I can't remember what it was.


~Jasmine H

Life is... i have no idea

Hej allé,

Ok, so I've officially passed the three month mark. At first I couldn't figure out what the feeling was on the 1st of November. Then I realized that, I was aplomb (that's for the vocab book mom and dad ;).