We had class Friday, 9am sharp, and Gilhund was there to see what concepts we came up with. Lets just say she was not impressed with our ideas because we barely had any. It was more like a thought vs. sketched out ideas. So we were assigned our first homework assignment, to do it all over the weekend. That cramped my style a bit because Sarah, Natalie and I were planing to go to Malmo, Sweden for the weekend, but we were going to do it anyways. We actually had a field trip to the studio of Helle Vibeke Jensen, in Refshaleøen (if you know Copenhagen geography, its the rural part past Christiania). Helle is an illustrator with collage and has a really interesting style. She showed us her work and her process which was very interesting. She then gave us each a gift, a free picture book she just finished called "Snakedog" and its really cool looking. After her presentation, we went to a cable park where people can wake board and water ski using a cable system.
Apparently, she and her husband own the park and it has a very fake California feel to it and Danes love to come and try out the water sports scene. The textile girls watched as some people did amazing jobs and others failed miserably, while our lunch was being prepared. What was lunch? Smoked Herring! I have had a negative view on herring because Jews eat it pickled WHICH IS NASTY AND GROSS! But this was smoked so I was willing to try it. A huge tray of whole fish came out and Helle taught us how to get the meat of the fish off. First we cut the head and tail off. Then we tap the skin on the side facing up, to loosen it so it would be easier to peel off, then a few cuts and pulls to get the meat off the bones and we place the meat on smorrebroed (otherwise known as super dense grainy bread... delicious!) throw a few sliced radishes, cut chives, we were supposed to put egg yolk on top too but thanks to cholesterol I did not, and course sea salt and VOILA our meal was ready. I felt like a surgeon while working on the herring. It took me at least 10 minutes to get the whole thing in order but I finally did it and guess what? It tasted great! I was so surprised at how everything mixed together so well. After the meal we headed back to the old part of Copenhagen through a famous part called Christiania. Christiania was originally an abandoned military base and in the 70's a bunch of hippies came in and started growing a neighborhood. Somehow they worked it out that nobody had to pay rent or pay to buy the homes there because they just made their houses from random things they found. Its like a little recycled and reused haven. The other thing about Christiania is that for a while drugs were legal so there was a huge market for them until the police came in and would cause riots and raids. So now it is more or less calmer because of a new generation and now they pay for water, gas and electricity but they still don't pay rent and drugs are kinda legal but not as openly as they were in the past. They also don't like when people take pictures there because of originality and the drug scene, so no tourists take photos. Its a beautiful neighborhood surrounded by creativity, nature and everyone seems happy. We finally got close to DIS and Natalie and I were planning to check train times for Malmo when suddenly Natalie's food got stuck under plywood used to hide constructions on the sidewalk. Her foot bruised and blew up within seconds and all she could say was "Oh my god, I have a hematoma on my foot, thats so gross, Oh my god!" Gilhund got ice from a cafe and Amanda got a rickshaw while Natalie was on the phone with DIS getting the name of a hospital. The rickshaw took us to a taxi and the taxi took Natalie, Sarah and me to the hospital. We spent 3 hours there trying to pass time and then they took Natalie in. 45 minutes later I get a text saying that she hasn't been seen yet and then when she finally saw a doctor, they poked at her foot and pronounced it "not broken" gave her some generic painkillers and an ace bandage "sock" and said if it doesn't go away within a few days to come back. 4 hours for nothing. Natalie had a movie ticket for Harry Potter that night and couldn't make the show so the three of us got pizza (mine was cheese-less of course), hard cider and watched as much as we could of "A Very Potter Musical" on YouTube (its a satire of Harry Potter that the musical theater kids at Michigan did in the spring and it is fantastic!) Sarah and Natalie seemed to enjoy themselves and we left Natalie when the buses were about to stop running. Yesterday I woke up with a headache and the sound of rain on my window and went right back to sleep. Woke up again, took an advil, popped my daily pills and took a shower, talked on skype with my parents, Sid and Yonit (which was an amazing treat!) and did absolutely nothing all day because I felt so crappy. I finally felt better and found an invitation to Natalie's apartment for a mini party. So I decided to go and it was really fun! I left early though because I started to feel gross again and needed more sleep. Being sick sucks.
We were told that Finland is famous for their saunas and we weren't going to waste any time. It was a bit confusing figuring out the sauna vs. steam room situation, not to mention the large amount of speedos we saw, but it was a great sauna...those Fins know how to sweat! Dinner was a "Viking buffet" consisting of 4 courses. The first was fish, followed by meat, then cheese and last dessert, but salad is allowed at all times. Lets just say nobody left hungry. It was fantastic, and I sat at a table that had conversations about embarrassing childhood stories. I laughed so hard! The night continued at a dance bar of sorts that had a live band playing really obscure and random English music. A bunch of us just went to the middle of the dance floor and hopped around. It was loads of fun. Then we made our way to the bar/pub next door where a woman was singing and had audience participation for harmonies. That was amazing. One more thing about the atmosphere of the boat, they don't call it a booze cruise for nothing. People drink like fish on this boat, its crazy! Finally, Natalie and I decided it was time to turn in since we both felt kinda sick. I fell asleep that night by the boat rocking me back and forth and not in a good way. 
On the show, they are told to come back at a certain time, and if they are late they lose the challenge. Our assignment on Saturday was to go to as many of the design stores on the sheet of paper we were given and sketch as much as we can that we find interesting and beautiful in the stores then come back by 1pm for lunch. Sarah, Natalie and I rushed out the door and started on our merry way. On the show, they are in a different country so they need to deal with mode of transportation and language as a crutch. For us, we didn’t know how to pronounce the names of streets so it was very difficult to get around. Two guys came up to us and asked if we were Swedish and when we answered no, they were thrilled because they were Swedish and needed Americans to help them with a bachelor party scavenger hunt so we helped them out (called their friend and told them a clue) and they helped us in return by giving directions. We made it to David Designs, Asplund,
The second portion of class was to keep working on our patterns and then we discussed our study trip that starts tomorrow morning. We are leaving for Stockholm on a 7:20am train, spending 3 nights in Stockholm, taking an overnight ferry to Helsinki, spending 3 nights there and then flying back home to Copenhagen. Our itinerary is amazing! We are going to so many show rooms, factories and studios that I don't think I can control myself! Katie and I came back to Hvidovre and packed then I came back down to the inner city to meet up with Nathalie Mahler. We went to a delicious Thai place and had a wonderful conversation. There is something about talking to a person who kind of knows who you are but really doesn't know you that well. I love finding out new things about people I have heard or just met and want to strengthen the bond. Anyways, after dinner we walked to the harbor and the Royal Theater. It was the first time I had been in the area on land and it looked beautiful with all the lights on in the dark. 
