12 December 2009

A Second Honeymoon? (aka The 9-Days-Left Blues)

One of the hardest weeks of my entire life is finally, mercifully, over.  I realize that sounds dramatic, but it's also a logical statement for a week where I've had at least one sort of final assessment for 4 out of my 5 classes (6 projects total), and every "last day of class" there's at a handful of people I won't be able to see again before we leave. Not to mention the fact that while I worked, my consciousness was just incredibly frustrated and distracted, since one of the MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL EVENTS OF THE CENTURY is going on all around me, and I couldn't get involved.

I'm now in the home stretch, with one paper left and plenty of time for frolicking in eco-ecstasy, despite the fact that I've written myself one of the largest to-do lists I've ever made for myself.  And that's not to say, of course, that things aren't starting to get incredibly sentimental any time I ride the train while there's still daylight, and I have time to think about how those buildings will soon be removed from my daily routine, and how I'll soon be apart from this wonderful family I've been living with for four months.  I'm even getting sentimental over the Danish language, which has been a source of complaint from the start from almost everyone in a Danish class.  My final oral presentation was today, and while the memorization was a little rough, I was so proud of myself for being able to answer simple, non-rehearsed questions without being nervous.  I was even more proud when I was sitting on the train this evening and I realized that I might be able to have a small conversation with a ticket-checker if I'd needed to (I was out of my zone at the time, since the train decided to just pass right by my stop).  I wouldn't jump to conclusions that I'm 'falling in love' with the language, but I've certainly developed a connection to it.  This wasn't really a big concern of mine until today, after the minor catastrophe of possibly losing the Dansk-Engelsk dictionary I bought about a month after I got here.  Part of this is because I like to consider myself responsible and hate losing things that I invest any money or time in.  Well, I carried that dictionary around everywhere I went in Denmark, as if it was some sort of lifeline (although in reality I could get around just fine; I just wanted to be able to read signs).  Only now do I realize just how much I was counting on having it with me back in the states, both symbolic of the experience and as something that assures me what little language I picked up won't slip away (although it probably wouldn't have ACTUALLY helped that).  It's odd, really, like I'm starting to enter reverse-culture shock before I even leave Copenhagen.  I suppose I could buy a new dictionary to help whatever this feeling is, but now I just hate that I have to decide if it's worth the money.

At least I'm starting to let go of regrets of not going out and experiencing as much of city life as students who lived in the city or with other students were able to.  Though, it is a little sad that just today I discovered an amazing library to work in just outside of the hustle and bustle of Kongens Nytorv plaza (and actually, the buildings block out the sound from the square in an absurdly effective manner).  I went to Danmarks Kunstbibliotek (Art Library) with my friend Jill to look for some sources for our Women, Art, and Identity papers.  It's in what used to be the Royal Academy of Art, and the first part of the building is a warm, yellow room set up in a very contemporary style.  What's even better is the amazing old reading room to the side.  What drew both Jill and I to the room was the traditional "private library" set up:  high ceilings and two stories of books around the perimeter, with a tight corkscrew staircase up to the second level balcony.  But more important than its spacious charm were the wide black desks with double lamps and an atmosphere that promoted just the right noise level (quiet by lack of population).  I can't remember the last time I felt that at ease working in a library.  But maybe it's for the better that I didn't try it out earlier, since it has incredibly inconvenient hours anyway.



More pics are on fb.  For now you can see this one, which I took lying on the floor.  Yes, a librarian saw and probably thought I was a little over-excited about the stairs.  I can't blame him, since he was right.

2 comments:

  1. The Art Library reading room does sound very cool.

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  2. I remember finally feeling like I was achieving semi-fluency in Spanish and then it was time to go back...but at least I managed to have an entire conversation in Spanish with the people who work at Chipotle, so there you go haha.

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