Leaving On A Jet Plane

Saturday, August 18th 2018

I went to sleep early in Beaver Creek. One of us (I can't recall who) set an alarm for the 2:00am so I could attempt some milky way photos again, while I still could. When the alarm went off, I peeked out the window to check out the clarity of the night sky. It was clear, but it looked like a shelf of thin clouds was moving in. As my eyes adjusted, the excitement swelled within me as I knew, based on past experience, that those weren't clouds moving in. "Cameron!" I exclaimed, "Northern Lights!"

I whipped my camera out of the bag and immediately got to work. Cameron groggily took an extra minute to join me outside, where I was already experimenting with trying to get some pictures. Sans tripod, I worked quickly to get the camera in a position to capture the light show. First on top of the car, and then to a picnic table, I took many exposures trying to get one A) in focus B) that truly captured the whimsy, the color, and the life the sky was flaunting. I got many colorful pictures (see bottom of entry) of the aurora flitting and pulsing and dancing like pale green and purple ribbons across the sky, but I only got one in focus. And that was all Mother Nature, and my sleep-deprivation-induced-impatient brother would allow. Shortly after the one "good" picture was taken, the lights faded back into the inky black star-speckled sky, and they were gone. I didn't see them again. We had awoken at the picture perfect time.

The Northern Lights "good" capture

Morning came, and we were out the door by 7:00am, greeted by clear blue skies, a nice change from the haze we'd had for almost the entire trip. A quick breakfast across the street (which were some of the best "hot cakes" I've ever had, complete with real maple syrup), we were on the road, only 15 or so miles from the US border. Naturally, we had to take a picture with the "Welcome to Alaska" sign. After all, we made it. But we were only in the home stretch, we had 400 miles to go before we actually made our destination. But my goodness, what it a magnificent 400 miles it was. Jagged mountains, flowing giant white glaciers, and the enormous snow-capped shield of the Mount Wrangell volcano and Mount. Zanetti's pure white volcanic cinder cone peak in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park rose like titans in the rear view mirror.

The Mountains in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Left to Right: Mt. Zanetti, Mt. Wrangell, and Mt. Sanford

The Welcome Sign

The closer we got to Anchorage, the duller the sky became until it was overcast. When we finally arrived there, the sky was as grey as it could be. It didn't rain, but it was gloomy. That didn't stop us from driving around the relatively small city. I found a giant vibrant postcard mural that I just had to take a picture with, and then we parked by a park overlooking the bay, and I waited in the car as Cameron made calls about a hotel. I later asked if it was a hotel? A hostel? An Air BnB? No response.

Mural somewhere in Anchorage

This is where it gets tricky. Cameron navigated me to the suburbs of Anchorage where I expected a hotel to be. But the streets went from commercial to urban residential, and then finally to suburban residential. I was utterly confused when we pulled up to a house in a caul de sac, but stayed put when Cameron went inside. A half hour later, he summons me inside. Much to my confusion and anger, this wasn't a hotel, or even a hostel. It was a makeshift boarding house with at least 12 other people sleeping in double or triple rooms, pull-out sofas, spaces under the stairs or in the dining room, tents and cabins in the backyard, or even a bed in an ice cream truck parked in the driveway. The place was crowded, and in my opinion, a bit on the falling apart side.

I was very angry and it sent me into a pretty intense anxiety attack. Cameron had picked this place up on Craigslist because it was cheap and it was what he could afford. But he definitely had not consulted me about my feelings. Not only am I shy, but I get social anxiety, especially when I am not mentally prepared or have awareness of out-of-the-comfort-zone stepping. The anxiety over the sudden amount of strangers (of both sexes) I'd be sharing a living space sent me into a fit of hysterics. Cameron might be able to handle the influx of strangers and socializing and vagabond lifestyle on a whim, but I can't. Cameron thought it would be fun. He and I have very different definitions of fun.

Cameron told me we'd go to dinner and talk about it. When I marched to the car, the "landlady" Cat saw me and asked him if I was okay. I forced a smile and waved while Cameron exchanged words with her, but when he approached me and the car again, he told me that she knew I was upset and had invited her to dinner to talk about things. This just infuriated me more and further sent my anxiety into a frenzy. Now not only did I have to deal with the emotions and the stress of just working out my feelings with him, he invited Cat to dinner, putting me in an uncomfortably awful position of having to work those many emotions and stressors out with her and him, and making me appear rude and ungrateful at the living situation, which is not at all what I wanted or even what I was feeling. The true issue is that I was not consulted. I would have been okay with a hostel. But a stranger's house, especially without asking me, crossed such a big comfort-level line. Cameron said he didn't ask me because he knew I'd disapprove. Just to clarify one more time. This is nothing against Cat, the people who live in her house, or the bohemian lifestyle these people live. It was me, my anxieties, and this whole situation being unknowingly dropped on me at the last second. 

Cat ended up not joining us for dinner because I refused, but Cameron and I got into a shouting match in the parking lot of some Vietnamese restaurant, our words laced with obscenities and blame from both sides. We ended up eating dinner separately, and after angry texts, calls, and a little more shouting, we mostly worked it out. I agreed I would stay the night, and we went back to the house.

Back at the house, we convened in the living room area and talked with some of the housemates and Cat for a while. Everyone was kind, albeit getting increasingly drunk (except me, since I don't drink) as the night went on courtesy of a couple boxes of boxed Merlot. I apologized to Cat for if I seemed rude and explained my feelings to her and that it wasn't her fault. I did this as she read my palms in the glow from the light above the kitchen stove. The conversations went on for a while, Cat explaining how the house got to be this way and who lived there. She was very quirky and lively. But she also had some qualities I wasn't too fond of. I also learned she would time my morning showers and bathroom time. She also said she could never like someone who ate meat because they're terrible people. Thanks. She also tried to set me up her son. "I found you a wife!" she said, before laughing and saying "sometimes I still wish arranged marriages were a thing."  I guess after some thinking and conversation I'll take as a compliment even though he was definitely not my type. 

I didn't rest easy. I was on a loud under-inflated air bed and didn't have a pillow. I was sleeping in the same room as a stranger. I was awoken several times in the night to the sound of rowdy conversation outside, and at least once to the frightening sight of flickering orange flames on the walls. Though, this was just related to the people outside chatting loudly and lighting middle-of-the-night fires in a fire pit.

Sunday, August 19th/20th 2018

That night was a terrible one to not get any sleep, given that I'd be on a red eye flight later that day. But our day started early with breakfast at an overly and unnecessarily conservative diner. The food was great and I had myself some reindeer sausage. This tasted a lot different than the reindeer burger I had a couple years ago. The sausage tasted more like kielbasa and less like the gamy venison flavor I remembered of the Icelandic burger.

Afterwards, we went for a quick stroll in Earthquake Park, but when we realized that I wouldn't be able to take the trail down to the water because of my leg, we turned back and ventured downtown again. It began to rain as we drove around looking for some Alaskan souvenir shops. I got some souvenirs, and we decided to catch a movie. For the record, this was the nicest theater I've been to. Literal recliners (with foot rests), cheap movie tickets, and good concessions. Cameron and I saw The Meg, a horribly fun movie. 

We went back downtown for a late lunch/early dinner. Hitting what was probably one of the more expensive places in Anchorage, I indulged myself in some overpriced yet delicious fresh Alaskan crab for dinner. Was it worth it? I'll tell you when I'm done paying off the credit card debt. 

It was a short drive to the airport. In the departures drop off, I hugged my brother goodbye and wished him luck at the airport and left him the farthest he's ever been from home.

Final strangle count: 21

---

And so I sit here, no longer watching sprawling mountain vistas pass by me through an open car window. No more is the breeze filling my lungs with crisp clean (or smoky, you know either one) air, but instead I am staring at the windowless pale yellow walls of my office with stuffy, recycled dry air from the HVAC drifting in, and the only breeze coming from my little desk fan. I am quietly listening to John Denver, hoping to induce a little nostalgia of the sights I miss already, and am nursing a cup of coffee so to keep my drooping eyelids from closing and remaining that way. 

It has been a wonderful experience, one with a roller coaster of emotions and elevations. I'll miss the peace, I'll miss the sights, I'll miss my brother, and I'll miss the awe. Thank you Cameron for letting me come with you. I wish you the best of luck in this new adventure in your life. If you are still reading, thank you for sticking with me all this time. Below, find more photos from our adventures, and now onto the next one.

"He's an hour away from ridin' on your prayers up in the sky
And ten days on the road are barely gone
There's a fire softly burning; supper's on the stove
But it's the light in your eyes that makes him warm.
Hey, it's good to be back home again
Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend
Yes, 'n, hey it's good to be back home again." 

- John Denver

Another view from Kluane National Park

Northern Lights reject no. 1

Northern Lights reject no. 2

Matanuska Glacier, Glacier View, AK

If there is a whale, I will find it

To Denmark, With Love: A Reflection

Dear Denmark,

I say this time and time again, if six months ago you had asked me if I thought I would be here, if I could do this, I would have instantly told you no. But now it feels like just yesterday I stepped off that plane, shaking and sick to my stomach. My two months flew by, and I have grown so much and understand so much more about myself: my flaws, my skills, my confidences, my abilities, are are much clearer now. I now know that I can be okay, that I can feel at home in a place that isn't my home. I want to do this again.

Denmark, you and I have shared a very important chapter of our lives together. Thanks to the Vejlefiord Rotary Club, I was blessed with the most incredible family, the thing I will miss the most. My family understood I was a introverted recluse from the beginning, and they understood it seems. I battled with this for eight weeks.

This is probably the biggest thing I would do differently. I, much like the rest of my generation, view my technologies and devices as extensions of myself, and I'm addicted to them. Most often, I did as Christina had done in our house (and also as my father had instructed), sitting in public places when on my laptop or phone like the living room. My friends and I sit on our laptops and phones and talk and show things to each other, so I never really considered how doing this would hinder accessibility, and in retrospect I definitely would change that. I feel bad about that, actually. I struggle with making conversation in general, and I know Sophie and Christian suffered from both my reclusive personality, the computer, my flawed ability to converse, and my uncertainty on what to say/do with kids their age. I'm truly sorry if I did not live up to your expectations, but you were two of the sweetest and most amazing kids I've met and you will grow up to be so smart, so funny, so talented, and wonderful people just like your parents.

I will miss you all terribly, the way you made me laugh, and made fun of me trying to say Danish words. I am ever grateful for the experience you have given me. You showed me so much of Denmark, from its family life, to the countryside, to the cuisine, to even a little bit of Deutschland! You told me, that at the rate I was finishing the manual, I'd be staying until Christmas. The fact that you made my last supper a Christmas dinner is a symbol I'll never forget. I look forward to the day we meet again.

I will miss Arense and Christina, my Danish sisters. It is tough knowing that our friendship happened so quickly, shared between experiences and two countries, and although this friendship is far from over, it is anything but over, it will require more effort to maintain. I loved the cities you showed me; you gave me the [real] interaction with  college-age individuals I needed, and if I were to repeat this experience, I would have loved to live in Aarhus to experience that social aspect that I generally lacked in Middelfart. We shall see each other again soon, whether in Denmark or in the US.

I will miss my team at Uhrenholt. Truth be told, I was scared to be working in a corporate setting. But you all showed me that a thick style guide doesn't mean one can't have fun with rules. Løne, thank you for providing me with a 104-page project that encouraged me to think outside the box within the box. I am proud of my involvment in it, and I hope that everyone else likes it too.

To the marketing department, I did have a blast working with each and every one of you, even if we sometimes disagreed about English syntax, diction, and grammar. Lars, you in particular are one of the greatest superiors I could have asked for. I'll miss seeing your goofy, charming grin every day. You were/are a great friend with whom conversation is easy; talking about music with you was great. Actually, not just music, everything we talked about was amazing. You accepted my dorkiness for who I was, partially because you're a dork yourself (go buy that LEGO set, already! Who cares if you're 33?) I'll miss you, and blame the volcano on everything that goes wrong, just as we promised.

To Carsten Sigvert and Family, I had a wonderful time spending time with your crew of boys. Victor, Lasse, and Jon are quite the entertaining trio, especially when they/we started making low blows at each other, and I've never felt so equally amused and offended to be an American in their company...that's a good thing. You showed me the lovely vistas of the Vejle area, and the picturesque  town of Skagen. I'll have to return someday in the sunlight to see the magical light that all those artists got to experience.

To everyone else who helped me experience the amazement here in Denmark. Carsten F., neighbor Carsten, Ella's parents, Henriette, Giada, Egon, and anyone else who I am forgetting off of the top of my head.

A shout out to the Art Squad, especially those in Europe (Tom, Corvin, Demi, Ruben). You guys provided me with the college-age interaction I needed when I wasn't with Christina, Arense, and the Sigvert clan. The talent in Art Squad is inspiring and extraordinary, and I'm proud to call myself part of the crew. I'll miss our nighttime Skype calls; they're going to be more difficult now.  Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeek. Andreas, I'm sad we didn't get acquainted sooner. Would have been great to hang with you in Aarhus during the days I was there. Yet another reason to visit Denmark again, my friend.

Moving on, Arense provided me with a series of questions that she ponders after a trip. After much thinking, these are the responses I came up with.

The best thing: My family, my friends, and my personal growth. The existential moment I experienced during The Little Mermaid ---That moment defined my time here in Denmark; I was surrounded by Danes, in Denmark, watching a famous Danish story told in Danish. It was surreal, and may have been my favorite moment, even if I looked foolish crying during "Part of Your World."

I would also like to cite my first time in Copenhagen as a defining moment. It was the first time that I truly stopped to think in a stressful situation like the one I had been in, and not panic. It proved that I could be okay.

The worst: The street party. It was a lovely setting with lots of nice people, but I didn't entirely get to experience that. It was the most isolating and the time I was most frustrated with not knowing how to speak Danish. It is hard to enter a conversation when you don't know what is being said.

The thing I would do again: I would return to Skagen in a heartbeat to experience that place in the sunlight. I want to see the difference in the waters in color, not just the difference in texture. I would also return again to Copenhagen and do some more of the touristy things as opposed to just wandering around.

What I wouldn't do again: It's not that I wouldn't live there again, because I loved Middelfart...The sights, the harbor, the quaint town, but I wouldn't live in Middelfart. Having no one my age is tough for two months. That contributed to the isolation, and certainly aided me in seeking out the company of the Art Squad a lot. I would try to live in Vejle, Aarhus or Odense. (I don't think I could do Copenhagen well, it's too big.)

The thing I am not going to miss: Huge spiders, not having ice in drinks, Danish Kroner (sorry, too many coins...I can't do it), bicycling everywhere (especially in the rain...I didn't dislike biking, I just love my car). I'll miss taking the train, but not the cost of taking it.

Things I am going to miss: My host family, my friends, my job and coworkers, the wind turbines everywhere, the architecture, the view overlooking Middelfart and Lillebælt on my way home from work, Bettanus the cat noisily climbing through the skylight in the wee hours of the morning when it's raining (and when it's not), sharing music and laughs with Lars, lunchtime walks by the marina with my team, and the salty smell of the ocean wafting through the windows by my desk.

I learned so much in Denmark, but I cannot list it all. I could write you a novel, Denmark, but instead you have 11 other blog entries you can read instead that tell you all of my thoughts, feelings, and analyses.

I think it is time I close this document, Denmark. I think it is safe to say I love you. I didn't fall head over heels for you, but our relationship slowly flourished into something that is definitely love. I'm ready to go home, but I'm not quite ready to leave you. My two months were gone in a flash. In reality, two months isn't really a long time, but as I know all too well, two months is just enough time to fall in love; it just is long enough time for me to put my life in New York on hold and start a new one elsewhere. I developed a new life here, a new routine; an everyday life with friends and family and even myself and growth. But now I must once again leave this life I created in a different land just to unpause the one I suspended in the States. It's sad, and even a little scary to resume the quiet one I led.

Denmark, you have taught me so much about myself, I am sad to see you go. This relationship, although short term, was amazing. Breaking up is always hard to do, but I think we'll both be okay.

All my love, tak for alt.

Until next time,

Elissa

Denmark Diaries: The Last Week

Hello all,

Thus begins one of the last entries from this trip, much to my sadness. I'll begin with Monday, where the moment I walked into the office Lars said, "It's your last week!" I laughed and told him to not remind me, but it ate away at me all week. I'll get back to that in a minute.

Saturday the 27th was tough. It was the street party, and frankly I'm trying to find a way to be diplomatic in my approach to my analysis of it. In theory, the street party is a splendid idea. Block parties are great ideas if you have the enthusiasm for them. And the table we set was beautiful and the food was great, and even the company was great...if you spoke Danish. It was full of songs and conversation. But it was also full of people who were not my age, with the exception of one lovely girl who left shortly after dinner. I hardly talked to anyone, and the one person who did talk to me after the girl my age left (besides my family) happened to be very drunk and kinda touchy, which made me a little uncomfortable. It was a long night, and while it was a nice time, I found myself bored and sketching on my phone. It was probably the least interesting thing I've experienced in my two months. I was super exhausted by the end of the night, and I'll blame my introversion here, because I just wanted to crawl up into my bed for the next three days by myself I was so people-tired.

Sunday the 28th was much better. I went with Ella, Marcus and Sophie to look at efterskolen. The efterskole is a type of boarding house that students can choose to do for a couple years in High School/Gymnasium age. She is interested in Design (I'm not really quite sure what that meant, even after looking at the schools...the "design" that I know is not what these schools were teaching. Looked more like the obvious industrial/furniture design and fashion design than graphic design as I know it.) But it was cool to see a very traditional Danish experience and shop for it with Sophie. Brought me back to my own college-shopping days. The first place reminded me a lot of Purchase College and I wasn't too crazy about it, but it offered more options. The second one was more my speed, but offered less. That was only two schools though, she may explore more options. I think she will do great no matter which place she chooses.

On Monday night I went up the Vejle to essentially present what I experienced and learned during my time in Denmark, while also getting to see the similar presentations that Arense and Christina gave. Following dinner we took some goofy pictures. I was sad after the meeting, realizing that this was the last time I was going to see my friends for a very long time.  I'm not ashamed to admit I shed some tears on the train home. It was a very emotional experience for me, and I definitely have a weight in my chest knowing that I can't just hop a train or in the car to see these friends. They both tell me they will be back in the states, and I hope that I will get to visit them in DK again sometime too.

On Wednesday I went with Ella to the Trapholt Museum. It was a small art museum, mostly contemporary, but with some exhibitions on Danish furniture design and photography. They had an expansive exhibition on Børge Mogensen, the famous furniture designer whose work I have definitely seen before, whether in a house or otherwise. I also got to see the very famous Red and Blue Chair by Rietveld, inspired by Mondrian. It was very cool to see this piece in person, as it was very talked about in my modern art classes.

The museum also had a really cool exhibit called "10,000 Hours: What Is Talent?" which was a, discussion of sorts, of the cultivation of artistic "talent" from a young age. Each artist had (at least) two pieces of art on display. One from their younger years and a recent work, and there was a description of how these Danish artists were encouraged, schooled, etc. into becoming the artists they are today. It made me think about my origins as an artist, and "what is talent" is a question I often think about.

My favorite gallery was the photography one, showing the words of two very famous Danish photographers known for their photographs of musicians. The two artists were Photographers Bent Rej (1940) and Søren Solkær (1969). You could tell that Rej was very big on photographing the Rolling Stones in particular (or they liked him) but I much preferred Solkær's aesthetic more. His were more intriguing photographs with more personality, whereas Rej's were more portrait-like in nature.

Teglgårdsparken 106, Middelfart
on my last morning. 

Now to revisit work life. On Tuesday morning I was riding my bicycle in the rain on the way to work. The bike's brakes aren't the greatest in the first place, but in the rain they are even worse. I came down the big hill to fall behind a young girl, maybe 10, on her way to school. I was about to pass her, but couldn't because there was a car behind me. For no reason, she suddenly slams on her brakes. Unable to stop in time, I plowed right into her. And naturally, she wasn't wearing a helmet, even in a country of bicycles. She was crying and cradling her cheek (thankfully, she didn't hit her head), but otherwise seemed alright. I didn't have a phone with me, she didn't have a phone with her, and apparently schools don't have nurses to provide ice packs. I felt terrible, but after making sure she was alright and could bike onwards, I continued towards Uhrenholt.

The rest of my week was spent finishing projects and reviewing them, so my coworkers would have everything organized, prepared, etc. in case they needed them in my absence. Friday (today) was tough. I was up early, before the sun was up, so I could drop by the bakery for the Thank You cake I ordered and have a breakfast with my team. At breakfast, they presented me with a lovely card and a beautiful scarf gift (and later a Danish design key...thing). The rest of the day was spent printing my own copies of the works I designed, making sure I got copies, and changing parts of the confidential text of the manual into Monty Python and Star Wars lorem ipsem text. A little fun for whoever decides to read them when looking at my portfolio is in for a surprise.

At the end of the day, we took a group picture, minus one person, and sat around the table eating the cake. I expressed my gratitude for the hundredth time that day, but no less sincere. I had an amazing time working for Uhrenholt and had a great team to guide me and help me grow. I'll especially miss Lars, my charming superior and coworker who I distracted and who distracted me with great conversations, laughs, design talk, and nonsense. I'll miss seeing your goofy grin every day, and talking about the Spooky Scary Spider that hung out outside our window. Keep sending me new tunes to listen to, Lars!

On Saturday the 5th of October, the family and I drove down to Flensburg, Germany. I didn't see a whole lot of the city, merely the gåsgade (pedestrian street) that walked through the old city. It was very interesting. Ten minutes from the border, and you could already see and feel the difference in culture. The architecture was different, the people were different, and obviously the language. There were so much more smokers, people were a little colder (at least that was how it seemed), there were more cars and hardly any bicycles. They had gorgeous churches towering over the walks. Buildings had beautiful facades, the harbor was lined with old wooden schooners, and all the grocery stores were cheaper... It was very entertaining to go shopping with my family in there. They bought 3000g of nutella, 8 containers of butter, a LOT of candy, and who knows how much cream cheese. I got to eat a currywurst (or sausage, because my friend Ruben says I should never ever try to say German words with my sloppy English) for lunch....that was quite delicious. Overall, the city was nice and I'm glad I got to experience it.

I don't think I have anything else to write from this week.

Until next time!

Søren Solkær

Søren Solkær

An interesting set of sculptures in the 10,000 Hours Exhibition

The canteen.

This woman made our breakfast and lunch every day. 

My first day, Lars had it flipped. I'm sad too!

Uhrenholt was a food provider for
Sochi 2012. There's a torch in the lobby.

The showroom

Marketing and Design Department!

Collection of the Emborg Brand products

Collection of the Emborg Brand products

The view I'll miss.

Denmark Diaries: A Week of Danish Culture

Hi! As always, apologize for the poor layout...

Well, I've been in Denmark a week. I spent my last couple days trying to catch up on sleep, not freak out, and figure out my life here. So far it's been pretty nice, and pretty different. But I'll start with my departure from Iceland.

I had a beautiful sunrise greet me in my early morning zombie-state. The cloud that I had mentioned lingered, hugging the mountain closely. I rather enjoyed watching Iceland from the air, seeing all the glaciers from above was quite cool, and I took some pictures, though I'm not sure they're quality enough for this here blog.


For starters, I wasn't really terrified or nervous until I heard the captain announce our descent into Billund. Although an argument could be made that I started feeling nervous halfway through the flight, when I started getting nauseous.The plane descended down through the curtains of rain, and when I got off the plane, and I thought I was going to be sick. My head hurt, my hands were shaking, and I was anxious because our bags took forever to get on the carousel. But I walked out into arrivals, and there they were, waving Danish flags and American flags and holding signs, smiling--probably equally as nervous and as excited as I was.

For the sake of privacy, I will not use my host family's real names. For the future, the names will be Christian (10), Sophie (13), Ella (Mother), and Marcus (Father).

In the car, I tried to speak. I could already tell that Marcus was rather goofy. He reminded me a lot of David Tennant as the tenth doctor with his demeanor. They drove through the country side from Billund towards Vejle, and although I had been told Denmark was flat, I'd never seen such a flat land before. There were lots of wind turbines with their blades spinning majestically, but I can't remember a whole lot more about the landscape truthfully. I was so tired.

We drove to Carsten's house, the Rotary club member who arranged this whole thing for me. His house large and beautiful (they called it a Villa). I walked in, and noticed how short I was compared to everyone around me (for the record, I'm 5'7"). While Christian isn't very tall (he's ten), his sister easily stands 5'9", Ella close to 6', Carsten at 6'4", his wife at 5'9-10", and Carsten's son standing close to 7 feet.  I sat and listened to my host family and listened to them talk. That whole day is kind of a blur, so I couldn't tell you what we talked about, but I remember it happened.

After travelling across the bridge, we were finally in Middelfart, where I would be staying. Sophie would evidently be staying in the basement, and I have her room for two months...which is really cool. My desk and dresser are on the first floor, then I climb up a ladder to sleep in the former attic. It's very nice. They have a large beautiful garden, full of fruit trees (plums and apple trees from what I can tell) and vegetable plants. There are blackberry bushes everywhere, abundant with sour berries that are not quite ripe just yet. They are a five minute bike ride from the beach, which I got to go to the second day I was there. The water was cold, and there were jellies, but I jumped in like the my young Viking comrades. It was nothing compared to the 35 degrees I was in just a couple of days before!

On the second day, I was given a bike tour of the town, first showing me the route to the place I would be interning. We also rode down to the harbor, which was really beautiful. I was told, to my delight, that you could see marsvine, or harbor porpoises between the bridges. There will even whale watching boats full of (presumably German, as I'd been told) tourists. There were lots of jellyfish floating in the water (we all know how much I love to look at jellyfish--and yes, they were where I was swimming too). But overall it was really beautiful and I have been blessed with a great place to live. It's very cute here! I also played a memory game with Christian and Sophie, where I would say the words on the cards in English, and they'd say them in Danish. I learned a bunch of new words that way, which was great.

On Monday, I got to attend school with the kids. A short day, only an hour and a half, but it was a great taste of what the education is like, even if they attend a little private school. I was told that they, regardless of public or private, always gather around the Dannebrog (or Danish flag) and sing songs every morning. I thought it was interesting that they increased the length of the school day by about an hour each day (they end at 2:30ish, for the record), but are not allowed to have homework. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next couple months.


I started work on Tuesday the 12th (of August, of course) at a company called Uhrenholt, a dairy, seafood, and vegetable company. Uhrenholt is very close, a ten minute bike ride from where I am staying. It's located in a beautiful, Harvard Yard-esque building, the former location of an old mental hospital from the 1800s. I know not of any ghosts, but I was told it depends on who you ask. I have a terrible view from my desk (that's sarcasm). I have a standing desk, which is great because the chairs aren't all that comfortable, but the CEO of the company is behind me, so I suppose there will be no slacking off!

View from my desk...terrible right?

But on the first day, I was a little surprised to walk into the marketing/design department of this multi-billion dollar, international company and see that they used comic sans on their packaging. At Saint Rose, we talked a lot about typography, and Comic Sans is generally not held in high esteem, so I had a sinking feeling in my gut when I saw it used on some of the packaging. This packaging is used mostly in the Asian marketplace and sells well, but I still feel there is a better way (such as the typeface Comic Neue which is based off of Comic Sans). They also used Arial and our good friends Minion and Myriad and good ol' Internet Explorer. This is gonna take some getting used to. Although I am the bottom of the totem pole, I can be an advocate for change. Any company will have existing design parameters for packaging and branding, so it will be a new experience for me to be as creative as possible within them. I hope I can provide some inspiration to enhance the brand, while respecting that which has already been done.

That being said, everyone has been super friendly to me at the office. They gave me a grand tour of the building and introduced me to all of the 100-something employees. I constantly tried to say Mit navn er Elissa properly, but failed...though I've said it enough that I think I'm pretty close now. They also provide me free breakfast and a lunch buffet (LOADED with lots of Danish deliciousness) everyday so I get to try something new.

Speaking of food, let's move on to the cultural differences. Many of these I had been aware of before I left, but I'm now noticing them. First of all, diet is very different. Butter on everything, and butter first on everything. Bread, butter, jam, cheese (or is it cheese, then jam?) Bread, butter, Nutella...etc. etc. They also eat far more red meat and cheese than I am used to. My dad would say I ate too much cheese at home in the states, and then I got here and it's like, cheese galore. I mean, I had cheese fondue tonight for dinner. My stomach is trying to get used to all these changes, and it vocalizes that its getting use to the diet here quite often, to my embarrassment.

Then there are the other smaller things. Like 1)  the nudity and cursing on TV. Or that 2)  light switches are outside of the doors, and up is off and down is on. 3) Wine and liquor being sold in grocery stores. 4) Bikes and bike lanes everywhere. 5) Danes love their houses; each one is different, unlike all the cookie-cutter ones I see in the US. They take much better care of them too, from what I can tell. 6) There's the aforementioned height differences too.

Then the biggest difference is the 7) reservation Danes show. They're less open to conversation, and don't smile at you as you pass them on the street. That's different from what I'm used to experiencing in Albany county. This is one of those things I knew about before I got here, but still find it unusual and perhaps, a little anxiety-inducing.

Tomorrow I head off to Copenhagen to meet a good friend, an internet friend, of ten years. It will be amazing and exciting and terrifying. I've gotta get to sleep...I've got an early train!

View from my desk,
from the window.

My desk in the corner, CEO's office
through is the room in the door.

Reykjavik Diary Day 2: Ow, I've got volcano in my eye!

Hello friends,

Here begins day two of my travels in Iceland, with pictures! Same disclaimer as last time: make sure you click on the photos to see them in larger detail! And I'm really sorry for the mess this blog is visually, I'm not going to spend time trying to fix the layout. :(

HDR photo of  Blue Lagoon

Once again, after a night of very little sleep, I was up early for more adventures. This morning I decided I was going to go out to the tourist attraction Blue Lagoon, a man-made hot springs and spa located in a lava field in Grindavík on the Reykjanes Peninsula. The water is superheated by the geothermal plant, and the water is rich in minerals like sulfur and silica, and supposedly does wonderful things for your skin. These minerals are what give the water its blue, opaque appearence. And the sands on the bottom of the lagoon are black too! Additionally, you can place some silica mud on your face, and that also has the regenerative properties. I got some mud in my eye, hence the title of this blog post. 

 Blue Lagoon and the Svartsengi
geothermal electric plant

You can read more about my observations of this particular area in my general observation post. But to recap, the drive out to the Lagoon was much different than the landscape I'd seen before. The smooth semi-green hills gave way to harsh, jagged rocks jutting out of the ground, with hardly any green to be found. In place of the green, they were coated in a pale yellow substance that looked a lot like dust or volcanic ash from a distance, but was really a thick, soft moss. The lagoon itself was very beautiful, and again, even my HDR photos could not do the blue hue any justice. On the drive back, I got a closer look at the volcano called Keilir, which is the Icelandic word for "cone." Both Mt. Keilir and the Blue Lagoon are located in Reykjanes Peninsula. See the bottom of the page for a photo of Mt. Keilir. 


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Do not proceed to read if you are easily offended. Skip directly to the next yellow ellipses.

After a number of recommendations of other things to do in Reykjavik (from a friend of mine, and surprisingly my brother), I attempted to find the famous Iceland Phallological Museum, or...an anatomical museum of penises. I spent more time looking for said museum than I spent in the museum (because my map was wrong), but the museum was fairly interesting. I can't say I learned a whole lot about anything in particular, but the museum reminded me a lot of the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia...and if I dare say so, it was less strange than that. But they (whoever they may be) went about the museum with equal parts science and equal parts humor. Well, okay, that's a lie. It was mostly science. Lots of animal penises, and naturally the ones that took most of my attention (and most of the space) were the whale ones. They had a number of different whales, from narwhals, to minke whales, to orcas, and sperm whales. They had a lot of other animals too like cats, dogs, wolves, guinea pigs, and of course, the homosapien. Much to my amusement, the museum was located only a couple blocks from the church. I wondered if it was a coincidence, or an act of irony. After all, that church is rather phallic.

A wall of the museum. Many of
these tubes contain whale penises,
such as the minke and the narwhal.

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A traditional pyslur

After the museum, I went in search of a Pyslur, the Icelandic hot dog that I had heard so much about. I asked the girl to make it as traditional as possible, and so she piled on fried onions, remoulade sauce, and whatever else I couldn't identify. I wasn't too thrilled with it, but then again I supposed you have to like hot dogs, which I don't really. After my pyslur, I wandered about the city again, just taking as much of it in as I could. I walked up and down, noticing all the gay pride flags in every shop window. I even went back to Hallgrímskirkja (the church), but this time I went around the back so I could get a different angle.

For the rest of the day, I just wandered and explored, and found nothing notable. Although, I rather enjoyed the view of the water as I walked back to my hostel, a large ominous cloud had crept in over the mountains and remained there until after I left Iceland. Back at the hostel, I met my roommate, a lovely girl on her way back home in Toronto from a two-year study in London. She was lovely, and I spent the rest of the night with her, our other roommate (a Thai girl studying in Paris), and a third girl from Australia. We ate dinner together in the hostel, and I enjoyed talking with them and sharing stories, and scary creatures we find in our homelands (I hope to never find one of those Australian Hunting Spiders on the back of my car). But my traditional dish of salted cod with spinach was quite delicious.

Sunrise on my last morning, with the creeping cloud.

I really enjoyed Iceland and hope to one day return to see the rest of the island, because my two day stopover was really just the tip of the Iceland. Other observations (that are not design related) that I did not include in my observation posts were the apparent lack of police. I did not see once police car or officer until the morning I left, where their only purpose at this time was to close off streets for a parade. Also, Iceland has a love for Subway, Quiznos, and KFC. I also saw a Taco Bell. And a bunch of other fast food joints (non-American) called Aktu Taktu.  And they give us Americans crap for liking fast food!

Next stop, Denmark! (and probably another Iceland-related design blog post)

Until next time,
E

Other Pictures

You can see the minerals beginning to creep into the water.

Blue Lagoon

Mt. Keilir

Me and a killer whale penis. Jimmy, this one's for you,
if you know what this is in reference to.