I can’t believe that it already is 2013 and
that I’ve already been here for five month or half of my time here! It only feels like a month or two… It’s been
a while since I updated the blog last time but I’ve been busy with celebrating
Christmas and New Year and of course having winter break is pretty hard and
stressful too J
December has been a very good month and
even though I haven’t been home I’ve enjoyed Christmas and every day leading up
to it. In a weekend in December I went to “December Nights” in Balboa Park,
downtown San Diego. It was super crowded but fun and it got me in Christmas
mood. The park was decorated for Christmas, stands was put up selling
everything from ornaments to Kettle corn (crispy popcorn with a layer of sugar
– recommended!) Different high school choirs were singing on a big scene and
rides were put up too. My favorite part of the night (and Balboa Park in
general) was that in a part of the park a lot of small houses, which all
represent a nationality, is build. There’s a house of China, a house of
Germany, a house of Italy etc. and last but not least a house of Denmark. This
night they were all open and selling different kind of food all special from
the country. So I of course went to the Danish house and some of the people
running it were Danish immigrants, so I got a chance to speak a little Danish –
which actually is getting harder and harder – while eating “æbleskiver” served
by the Danish house.
Christmas Eve and Day were surprisingly
good and joyful. I was prepared to be a little sad, miss my family and the
Danish traditions, but no, I didn’t really have time to think about all that
because we were celebrating Christmas here too and even though it wasn’t in the
same way, it was just as good.
I started Christmas by making “risengrød” for
my family the 23rd . We had the same day been to a show in a little
theater in La Jolla and ended the day at home with “risengrød” and “mandelgave”
Christmas Eve wasn’t really a big deal. We went to an aunt’s house and had a nice dinner and she lives close to the beach. So we walked down there and I had my feet in the Pacific on Christmas Eve and walked bare-footed home without even freezing!
Then the next day I was waked up but my excited siblings and we went into the living room where Santa Claus had been over night and filled our stockings and the floor was full of presents. So we all sat there the morning December 25th in our pajamas and opened our presents. Afterwards we had a big breakfast (still in pajams) and later the grandparents came and it all ended in a big nice dinner. All in all a great Christmas!
Christmas Eve wasn’t really a big deal. We went to an aunt’s house and had a nice dinner and she lives close to the beach. So we walked down there and I had my feet in the Pacific on Christmas Eve and walked bare-footed home without even freezing!
Then the next day I was waked up but my excited siblings and we went into the living room where Santa Claus had been over night and filled our stockings and the floor was full of presents. So we all sat there the morning December 25th in our pajamas and opened our presents. Afterwards we had a big breakfast (still in pajams) and later the grandparents came and it all ended in a big nice dinner. All in all a great Christmas!
So now I’ve survived what is said to be the
hardest day of an exchange year and if this is going to be the toughest part of
my year, I’m definitely prepared for whatever the next half year will bring!
I’m still not done telling about all the
stuff and been doing this Christmas, though, so unless you’ve already fallen
asleep or is tired of reading, I have more to tell..!
Between Christmas and New Year’s I had
another great experience – I went to a football game! (For my Danish readers
it’s football, not soccer – I’ve made that mistake a million times) It might
sound a little boring or like something I could have experienced back in Denmark
by sitting on the couch and watching the Super Bowl or something, but no, this
was so much more intense. I went with my Mom, sister, uncle and grandparents
and before the game we met with some friends and had a little tailgate party
(people were bringing food and barbecues and we had a little party around the
cars in the parking lot) and we weren’t the only ones. There were people
everywhere with barbecues dressed in the playing team’s colors and the
atmosphere was just amazing. The playing teams were UCLA (Bruins), a college
from Los Angeles, and Baylor from Texas and I had borrowed one of Meme’s UCLA
shirts, so when I was walking by other UCLA fans, they would say “Go Bruins” or
other cheers for UCLA. Another important detail that made the game even more
exciting is that my family is big fans of UCLA and especially I I (granddad)
follows this team – As Dad said, he isn’t just a fan, it is his religion. So I
got the whole explanation (mostly by my Mom ‘cause I I was too busy watching
the game) about the rules, the game, the players and there was an answer for
everything I could possible want to know about football J By been watching a football game and actually understand it, I’m
now one step closer to become a true American…
Last but definitely not least we ended our
winter break with a three day ski trip to the San Bernardino Mountains. We
stayed at a beautiful place called Big Bear and the sky was blue and the sun
was shining the whole time. It was cool how we drove for around three hours and
suddenly, our warm 15-20 degrees Celsius weather was changed into snow and way
below freezing at night. California is amazing!
I’m looking forward to another great half
year here – I already have a lot of plans for the next six months and if they
are going to go as fast as the first five, I’ll be home before I can count to
ten…
