Live from Lyngby

...but i do feel as though I haven't done much exciting in the past week but I guess I should make a small record of what has happened to inform my readers and more important to document my adventure.

I made it through my second week of classes and by Thursday I was ready for at least a small break.  Luis (my roommate) and Francesco (my old roommate) were going to Kampsax, a small bar with an even smaller dance floor on campus.  Just as we got out the door we were pulled into the neighboring container and offered sangria and told to sit down and enjoy ourselves, at least for awhile.  Here I met Maria, a good friend of Matt Benfer and Brian Salyers, two friends of mine that were here last semester.  Turns out there are quite a few people who stayed from last semester and by all accounts, Brian and Matt were very well liked, and their friends were very easy to get along with.  After spending some time discussing the difference in the way animals sound in different countries (Did you know roosters in Spain don't go "cock-a-doodle-do" rather it sounds more like Lindsey Bluth's chicken impression from Arrested Development?  It also should be noted that sheep and cows do sound the same everywhere in the world.)  we got ourselves together and headed out to Kampsax.  By now it was half past eleven and we had missed out on the drink specials, and not that it mattered because I had class the next day and was simply more interested in getting my dancing shoes on.

There was an alright cover band that played at Kampsax.  I would have given them a better review except that the first two songs they played had just been played before they took the stage and I must say, Jon Bon Jovi does a better Bon Jovi and Axl Rose does a better Guns n' Roses than these guys, but that is just my opinion.  Kampsax isn't bad, it's nice and cozy and on Thursday nights inhabited with a great number of international students from DTU so everyone knows most everyone.  My only real complaint it that smoking is permitted in the bar (very uncommon in Denmark, there was a recent regulation passed) so I think I got a heavy dose of somewhere between first and second hand smoke for about 3 hours or so.  I returned home around 2:30 to finally get some rest seeing as I do have one class on Friday but not till the afternoon.

Friday came and, of course, it was "Cake Day" in my Physiological Transport Phenomena class.  What more could you ask for, a great teacher, really nice classmates, a sort of interesting subject, and someone brings in cake every Friday?  Wow, I really can't complain.

Friday night my roommate Nacho wasn't feeling well, and planning ahead for a big Saturday night (as every Saturday night is here) Luis, Daniel, Nacho and I decided to play some poker.  The game was very small money (10 krone; $2 U.S.) and was played with straws of spagetti.  I did not let this deter me and by the end Luis and I had decided to split the pot.  This decision was made because Bernard and Raul (two friends from Spain) convinced us to go out to Club Vega.  Before we left we were to go to Container "C" to meet them and when we got there no one was in any state to leave.  There was a large party going on with singing and dancing provided by rowdy Spanish students.  One note of particular interest this evening was the state of my friend Andy from Switzerland.  I don't know if I have ever seen anyone so happy (read: happily drunk).  He spent the whole evening chasing around a Polish girl, Asia, and attacking her with everything from a beer bong to his camera.  It was quite amusing to see this act play out.  The evening ended, for me, not with a trip to Vega (I'm not sure if anyone went.  Bernard may have because he had to be at the airport around quarter to seven anyway) but with a discussion with Micheal (from Switzerland) about American politics and the possible shift in power that we may be experiencing soon.  I was really surprised to see that he did appear to care about the outcome.  I'm not sure that most Europeans are particularly educated as to how our government works (or doesn't work) but they are definitely aware that it does have an effect on them and that we still play a large role in the landscape of the world.  From inside America it seems difficult to see this, and even outside I'm still not quite sure how all of these people are affected, but it does seem that they feel that way, and I suppose that is more important sometimes.

Saturday came and I was able to successfully waste an entire day.  Not particularly proud of this point but it is rather true.  Well rested, I was ready for a late night of clubbing.  On tonight's agenda was Rosie Mcgee's a club we had been rejected from a week prior for being too large of a group (we believe it was because we were foreigners).  Again with a 21 age limit my friend Lukasz helped me out and we had no problem making it in.  The music was playing when we got in there and with 45 kroner beers ($9) I couldn't justify it myself, I am so cheap.  It doesn't matter we had drank some before going out and I was in quite the mood to be dancing anyway.  One, two, three, six hours later we found our way out of the club and waiting for the six o'clock train back from Kobenhavn.  We reached Lyngby at half past six and I was in bed at seven.  Typical Saturday night.  Still need to get used to that.

Eleven o'clock I wake up.  I had forgotten to set my alarm for ten like I was supposed to but I had not yet missed my eleven o'clock meeting with my Bio-medical Optics group.  I don't know why I agreed to meeting at this time.  The meeting was over in fifteen minutes but by then I couldn't fall back asleep and I was too tired to do anything.  Sunday was shot.  Next weekend I'm going to surely going to take advantage of the city.

Monday was also rather uneventful.  Four things happend on Monday.  First, I watched American Gangster (courtesy of Conrad back in the States).  I must admit that it is quite the movie.  A very compelling, yet almost sympathetic portrayal of the heroin market in early 70's New York City.  Second, I met with my Optics group again (ugh...).  Third, I went to Lyngby, bought a handsaw, and cut the lock off of Matt Benfer's bike.  He told me I could have it but he had broken off the key in the lock so like any proper locksmith I simply cut it off.  So now I have a bike and when the weather is nicer I plan to bike to Helsingor, Hillerod, Copenhagen, and Roskilde.  We shall see.  The final thing was that I booked my Easter break flight and am now officially going to Spain.  I will be going to Madrid (and possibly seeing Eric Tola), then Valencia (where I will see Evan and Amanda!!!) and then going to Barcelona (where I may meet up with my sister).  This trip is going to be amazing I really cannot wait.

Today wasn't particularly eventful although I did go swimming and ate the last of my food.  Now I really should be reading up for my Optics course (seriously the only one that's going to be difficult and by difficult I really don't know about this one) but I have instead decided that I owe you an update on my trip.

Hope all is well for everybody.

Cliffs:  Another great week in Denmark.  Can't wait for Spain (March 14 - 23).

P.S. Oh yeah, I booked an overnight layover in Lyon, France on my flight out.  I think I'll wander through the city with no real purpose and see if there are any discos open late on a Thursday night.  I'm sure there will be.