Home sweet home!

Hi there!

No no, I haven’t been kidnapped or accidentally died – I have just had two of the most manic weeks to date (surprisingly). HOWEVER I realise that this is not a valid excuse completely ignoring my blog like I have. So where on earth have I been since I last posted?!

Well.. I’ve finally moved into my own place! Last weekend, my dad took the almost 1000 mile drive from Derby to Copenhagen to bring some of my things for the next two years (which I am extremely grateful for) and on Sunday we moved myself out the hostel (hurray!!) into my new room at Tåsingegade Kollegiet. 

Welcome to my home for the next year-ish!

My building (and room)

I love finally having my own space and stuff rather than living out of a suitcase. I feel relaxed now and can finally start learning the city and my surroundings, rather than playing the waiting game of settling in – I can unpack, buy groceries, do washing etc… As you can see, the walls are still a little bare but I plan on decorating it over the coming weeks and making my 17m² feel like a proper home!! The building is pretty big and not the most sociable i've been to but i've met some nice people so far. The room is not perfect as there are a couple of hiccups, like the lethal floor.. but all issues are solvable and I think I’m going to enjoy it here for the next 10 months. The area I live in, Østerbro, is quite residential which makes it feel like a safe place to live, but I’m also not far from shops (supermarkets on every corner) and just a short distance by bike to campus and the city centre. 

Pretty sure that isn't normal, or safe..

Speaking of bikes – I have acquired one myself!  I feel like I’m slowly becoming a Dane, despite not being able to speak any Danish, not having the blonde hair/blue eyed Scandinavian look and not eating pickled herring (just appealing to the stereotypes here…). Having not ridden a bike in god knows how many years, I have felt a bit shakey at times, especially when I fell off on my first day (typical). I’ve sustained a few injuries, dinting my ego more than anything but as they say ‘what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’ and I still find myself alive and feeling more confident everyday. I love the ‘damecykler’ style of bike over here but not such of a fan of back pedalling to break. Also I’ve been told that cycling slightly under the influence on a night out is somthing you have to get used to. I personally found it a bit terrifying..

MY BIKE :D

Please enjoy the lovely result of my clumsiness

Also this last week has been filled with 9-4 days of introduction lectures which have been both interesting but exhausting. It’s been great to meet people off my course and I really like the informal relationships between lecturers and students. So far we have been on a hike around a Copenhagen park, been out for dinner/drinks and had pizza & beers over discussions – it’s so unlike the UK style of University but so far, so good! I fall into my proper routine next week so posts hopefully will be more frequent. I also start Danish lessons very soon, so hopefully I’ll know more than just ‘Hej’ and ‘Tak’ (hello and thank you, just in case you weren’t aware..).

Enjoying the last of the summer sun, mentally preparing for the oncoming cold!

I’ve also got a few vlogs planned for this week, so keep an eye on my youtube channel for that. It feels pretty empty right now so I promise I’ll be better committed. Well, as long as i'm not too engrossed in 'Dexter' (new obsession)....

Typical night in, skyping my cat...

 Byeee for now!

Generator hostel Copenhagen.. my first experience

Since the internet in my hostel is failing me this evening, I thought I use the time to blog again… about my hostel! As I have stated before, this is my first hostel experience and (touch wood) it’s turning out ok given the circumstances. Believe me when I say I am desperate to get into my apartment and get settled, but since I still have a 1 ½ weeks left here, it seems to be doing the job quite nicely. Overall it is clean, tidy and comfy, so I can chill out in the evenings.

My 6 bed female dorm

I was a bit worried about the room sharing situation as it is not something I am accustomed to, particularly with strangers. However, it is quite spacious and the beds are really quite comfy. So far, the people I have shared with have been fine. Actually, one of my roommates turned out to be the first person I met on my uni induction day on Monday so it has been nice being with someone in the same boat as me. The others tend to keep themselves to themselves and only stay for a couple of nights as they are passing through on travels. I was worried about noise as I’m a light sleeper but it’s been ok. Although the first night one woman snored SO LOUD – glad I packed my earplugs! Another bonus is having storage under my bed that I can lock away my things safely and it fits all of my 2 weeks of stuff.

Bed 2 - my new home for the first weeks of my travels

On the first floor is the bar/common room area. It’s very modern in design, with colourful décor and big comfy sofas to lie on. Filled with travellers most of the day, I’ve met a couple of nice people when just chilling. In the evenings is does get loud as people start there nights out (which I unfortunately can’t join in with until the weekend due to lectures), but as i'm sleeping on the 5^th floor, it isn’t disruptive to me.

The common room in the day

There have been a couple of downsides though. As I mentioned before, the internet is awful. To be honest, I am pretty grateful that they provide free access but it’s just not strong enough for everyone who wants to use it. Skyping is pretty impossible but I can still access the basics. The other is the eating situation. The do not provide a kitchen, which I find surprising for a hostel so most meals have to be bought out (lunch is provided at the uni somedays). To cut down on costs, I have brought cereal for breakfast and find a cheap takeaway for dinner. However, the get very funny about you eating it in the common room and will tell you to go out to the street if you want to keep eating. I find this unfair when facilities are not provided. I assume it is a money making scheme for you to buy their food, but I am not willing to spend the equivalent of £10(?!?!) for a breakfast that consists of some cereal, bread and juice. Dinner they provide is even more costly but when I can find much cheaper alternatives, I will go somewhere else. I’ll just have to become a discrete eater so not to get caught or eat in my room… (I plan on doing a food blog next).

The bar at night

So to sum up.. I’m surviving here! Hopefully I’ll make it the 2 weeks without going a little crazy, particularly from the deafening evening music. A guy called Stu who I met here said that this was more like a hotel in comparison to other hostels he has stayed at on his travels so I think I’ve picked the best of the options.

Byeee for now!