As The New Year Approaches

A few weeks ago, I never thought that winter break would come.  A few months ago, I never thought my senior year would start.  A few years ago, graduating from college was not even a thought in my mind yet.  It is now only 2 days from the new year, and I can't believe how fast time is flying by.  That's the one thing I dislike about growing up, how increasingly fast time goes.  It doesn't feel like Christmas has happened yet, and it surely doesn't feel like the fall semester is over.  On a brighter note, it looks like we might be having our first successful new years eve party =]  Granted, there will only be 7 people, but it's much better than  previous planned extravaganzas.  I actually like smaller parties anyway.  It will hopefully be a fun filled evening of wii dancing and taco dip eating.  As for new years day, the new season of "Dear Genevieve" begins =]  My friends and entire family have been asking me when the new episodes with air.  Great aunts and friends grandmothers are even interested.  Who knew my mother would tell so many people.  Anyways, here's to hoping for an amazing new year full of health and prosperity.  Cheers!        

Christmas gifts

So Christmas is in 3 days. Can you believe it? While most people are rushing around to find their last minute gifts, I'm done.  I was at the mall yesterday to hang out with my friend around 1:00 pm.  I would have thought that most people would be working since it was in the middle of the day but no.  The mall was super crowded with mothers scrambling their young children from store to store, boyfriends and girlfriends trying to find that last minute special.  Fortunately I finished my christmas shopping the other day and don't have anything to stress about.  Well, at least about presents.  Unfortunately, I'm worrying about my grandpa who is in the hospital and we don't know when he's coming home and my grandma is super sick =[  I'm just praying we can spend christmas together and forget about all of the negative things that are going on.  We shall see.  Ok, now that I'm a tad depressed, I'll tell you about all of my christmas deals.  Like many people, I had a good amount to buy.  I had to shop for 17 people.  I didn't know what I would do.  I started to worry because I'm a college student with no job.  Thankfully I had some money saved but I still was unsure of how to make this work.  17 people? that's crazy! So inbetween my finals and presentations I searched websites for some deals.  While most people think that the best deals are right after thanksgiving, their actually right before christmas both online and in stores.  Usually I'm somewhat against shopping for gifts because I much prefer handmade things.  However I mixed it up this year with some of each.  In total I spent $160 on those 17 people.  I think thats a pretty good bargain =]  some of you may be thinking that I just got some stupid little things but that is where you'd be wrong.  I bought sweaters, shirts, cashmere scarves, movies, etc.  All of the basic loveable gifts that many people spend a fortune on.  I can't tell you my secret because I don't really have one.  Some may call me stingy but I just look for deals =]  As for handmade gifts, I've made it all.  Here's a few things I've made: 





1.  HOLIDAY CARD

I draw a holiday card every year for christmas.  It's a simple way to tell all of your loved ones that you've thought about them.  While I draw one card and mass produce it =] it stills shows thought and a sense of personality.  My mom sends it to around 50 people every year and they couldn't be more greatful.  It's an easy way to bring a smile to someones face without spending a fortune. 

2.  MOSAIC PICTURE FRAME:

This is my favorite gift to make and it is very simple to complete.  All you need is a simple unfinished wood frame ($2), some old dinner plate that you can let out your anger on =] a tube of cheap acrylic paint ($2), Elmer's glue all, a pouch of grout ($4-$6), a personal photo that you can print from home, and a few hours to set aside.  It takes about 3 hrs to complete but it is well worth it.  It is very personal while looking professional =]

3.  MOSAIC CANDLE HOLDER:

This is also a great gift.  It is exactly like the frame but on a smaller scale and it takes less time which is always good for the crazy holiday season.  Instead of the picture frame you would need a 1 1/2 inch flower pot with a base that costs under $2.    If you want to be ambitious, you can always create a set with the picture frame and a matching candle holder =] 

4.  FRAMED WATERCOLOR PAINTING:

This is the easiet present that I make.  Granted, many people think it takes hours but in fact it usually takes me about 20 - 40 mins.  First, I think of a personal image that relates to the person I'm giving it too.  This one is for my grandpa who paints birdhouses in his spare time.  This painting took me 20 mins to complete with watercolor paint and I finished it off with a simple nice frame from the dollar store =]   

We'll see how my cheap and personalized gifts go over with the family.  I hope they'll love it =]  Happy Holidays!

the END

So my last fall semester has officially ended.  I'm still in shock.  I feel like I still have projects and presentations and models to build.  It's amazing how fast this semester has gone.  No matter how fast or slow things felt this semester I am beyond excited that is it over.  Even though I am definately dreading my schedule for next semester, I'm trying to just focus on the present....winter break =]

However, for a brief time, lets go into the past.  Let's look back on the final(s) week of the semester....  Fortunately it wasn't as crazy as I thought it would be.  Usually a final week at Pratt consists of little sleep, a lot of model making, quite a few nerves being shot, and a tomato face multiple times by yours truly.  Because my finals were so spaced out, it was apparently easier to handle.  While I like the idea of getting all of my finals done and out of the way, I like it even more when I can have some down time, even if only for a few moments.  So my first final for design, which I wrote about in my last post, went surprisingly well.  The infamous Sheryl, whom I was super worried about, actually complimented me! maybe she was sick, maybe god was on my side, but who cares!! She said my design was elegant and beautiful and my model was lovely.  Yup, those are the words that came out of her mouth.  I would have never expected it, but I'm glad it happened.  Maybe she was making up for the crit in Denmark? Who knows.  My second final was for working drawings.  It was basically a semester long project which was to make a set of architectural drawings for my library design from last year.  I loved my library =] (it was the one by the dean for a scholarship competition over the summer which unfortunately I didn't win.) What I didn't love so much was the teacher for this class.  While he seems to know what he's talking about, he is a harsh grader and a not so great teacher.  I ended up with a B but not without a hard time.  My final for furniture was by far my favorite.  We had to design and build a full scale seating device, meaning an actual chair that can hold the human body.  Crazy right? Early on, I was super nervous about this project because I'm not so good with power tools.  I know, this may be shocking for some because of my massive muscles and macho demeanor but it's so true.  I had never really used power tools besides woodshop class or the occasional screw driver.  That aside, I think my chair came out pretty well and the critics agreed.  The only thing they critiqued about it was that they wished it would fold because of the joint/hinge I made.  Originally, I wanted it to fold but it would have changed the design and practicality of it.  Overall, my finals went well and I'm so happy that the semester is over.  7 semesters down and 1 more to go =]  

The End Is Near

Final Design Presentation, Fall 2010, Senior year: TOMORROW

I am freaking out a little bit.  Even though I've been working on the same project for the entire semester and one would think that it should be pretty good, I'm really worried.  Sure my model is decent.  Ok, my boards look fine.  But what it comes down to is my confidence, or lack there of, and the critics. The CRITICS are already putting me over the edge, especially one of them.  

Let's take a look back and reference an earlier post while I was living in Denmark...

Post title: So ready kinda sorta?

"After my horrible day yesterday I am so ready to head home. I am kinda sorta fed up with the studio program here, specifically my teacher. I have loved every other class here in Denmark. I've learned so much. But when it comes to studio, I feel like I've been thrown backwards. My crit yesterday did not go so well. I won't go into detail but it confused me. It's something that could have been avoided 7 weeks ago if someone would have told me. UGH."

...In short....SHERYL

Sheryl was the reason that was a horrible day.  She's a professor at Pratt who seems to love to make people feel horrible.  It's like she thrives on it.  She's a nice person outside of class but she transforms during a crit.  She has a reputation of being mean, and I had thought I was prepared.  I thought wrong.  The critique in Denmark actually made me cry.  It was her attitude and treatment of the situation that made me overwhelmed.  I put that critique behind me and moved on.  I tried to gain back what little confidence I had in order to get through senior year.  A few weeks ago my professor was telling us who the critics would be for our final as we were pinning up our drawings.  She was reading down the list.  I was pinning the last corner on my drawing, and she said "and finally Sheryl Kasak." My heart stopped.  I literally stabbed my finger with the pin as that name spilled from her lips, uninentionally of course.  I was in shock.  I thought I would never have to hear that name again.  Because doing a final presentation of a semester long project in front of 6 strangers isn't enough, let's just add her into the mix.  OY.  It's just extra stress that none of us need.

2 1/2 more weeks...

So, there are now only 2 1/2 more weeks until winter break.  THANK GOD.  I haven't written a new post in awhile so there is probably a lot to talk about.  However, with the stresses of finals and presentations, I have forgotten everything.  I have forgotten what happened last week, I've forgotten things that I was supposed to do, I've forgotten the last time I ate.  OY.  As of 3 hours ago, I'm starting my final model for my design class.  Right now it's about 1/5th done.  This could either sound like a good amount or sound kind of pathetic.  Either way, it is progressing.  While waiting for the glue to dry, I decided to update my blog instead of eating.  An obvious choice.  Finals and presentations aside, I guess life is good. I can not wait for winter break to come.  Even though we just returned from thanksgiving break, it feels like there was no break.  I had midterms for 3 weeks, then 'break' now finals for 3 weeks.  Does that seem fair? I think not.  It is the definition of craziness. As for the internship with "Dear Genevieve," it's going very well.  It looks like I may be a regular =) They actually made me speak on camera last time.  I was SO unprepared and embarassed but it was fun.  The new episodes air in the beginning of January.  OH! that's next month! no biggy, just set your dvr's por favor =]

Anxieties of Senior Year

As of now, I can not wait for graduation.  I am sick of this school and the incompetent professors.  Out of my four years here, I have had only a handful of decent teachers.  It's just so frustrating.  We're paying a quarter of a million dollars to teach ourselves, push ourselves, and create an outcome that pleases people who have given no input.  My advisor basically screwed me over for my last semester which sucks.  I will be taking 18 credits, 7 classes, and it shall be the death of me.  On top of that, this semester is not looking much better.  It started off amazing.  I got a great internship, gained confidence, and I was very happy.  But of course it was too good to be true.  The stupid theme for surplus, my advisors 'miscommunication', my directed research professor's inability to listen or think or communicate are all piling up onto my increasing stress levels.  I hate complaining but this is kind of ridiculous.  Obviously it won't kill me and I will get through it, but it's just uneccessary frustration. 

As for my internship, everything is going smoothly.  I've been having to go to families houses to meet them, measure, and take pictures of the spaces, then put them into autocad.  I've only been to two reveals which are the most fun.  The last one was for a family who had asked for a luxurious office.  What they got was slightly different.  It became a guest bedroom/playroom (they don't have kids yet, mind you) with a desk in it.  It was still beautiful but I wonder why it was such a jump from what the homeowners had asked for.  Anyways, I was told that I am going to be on camera more often now.  I'm not sure how I feel about that.  It doesn't make me nervous but the idea of me, an already extremely self conscious person, being on television is kind of scary.  We shall see.

Dear Genevieve...

So about a month ago I was on twitter which I never ever go on.  I follow Genevieve Gordor, the designer from trading spaces, the judge on design star, and the host/designer of the show dear genevieve.  Her status had said that she was looking for interns in the new york area.  I figured I'd email her to give it a shot.  I never knew I would get a response let alone an interview.  It was kind of exciting.  I feel like I didn't have to do much to get the job.  Did they like my portfolio? or my personality? hmm....  I never thought I would have an internship with hgtv.  Initially I was worried that it would be too different from the things I'm doing in school.  However, my thoughts have changed.  I'm doing plans in cad, learning about functionality and aesthetics, networking, experiencing directing and film, and making new friends.  My first day was quick and laid back.  I put a floorplan into autocad which took 30 mins then I was done for the day.  My second day was completely different.  I had to run a lot of errands with one of the design assistants, both of which are super nice.  We were driving and driving, getting lost and running into stores on our way to a site for a reveal.  When we were about 15 mins away from the house, she gets a call.  When she hangs up she says to me "Ok, your going to be on camera for a few minutes." Then she gives me the up down to see what I was wearing saying "You're good."  REALLY? my mind went blank.  Me on camera? seriously? this was going to be interesting.  I got anxious and started to sweat.  How do I act? should I speak? do I look at the camera? OY It turns out they were just filming us upacking the car and bringing the products into the house.  It took all of 5 minutes and then it was over....or so I thought.  Throughout the day, I was photographed and filmed.  It was so surpising.  Why me? I mean, is cleaning a stove or planting a succulant that interesting? They were filming me, and only me, multiple times.  What surprised me the most was how I felt.  I wasn't anxious or nervous in front of the camera which shocked me because I can barely speak in front of a group.  It was a great experience.  The best part of the day was meeting Genevieve.  She walks into the room saying hi to everyone.  She gets to me and says "Hello strange boy." Throughout the day she would have conversations with me about random things like school, ideas, life, etc.  She is one of the nicest and most down to earth people I've met.  While she was getting her makeup done in a back room, she was speaking to her assistant who was in the doorway.  I was waiting in the hall when I hear Genevieve say to her assistant "Tell Billy I want to wrap him up and take him home."  She is now my favorite person.  She had just met me a few hours earlier. Did I make that good of an impression? I guess so =)

start of senior year

So ever since my return from Denmark, my posts on here have been pretty much non existent.  I guess it doesn't really matter because I only have like 5 people following me.  However, a lot has happened in the past few months.  After my birthday, school came quickly.  Usually it is such a burden; only giving me anxiety and stress while making me insane.  Things have changed a bit.  I am actually enjoying school =X  I never thought those words would ever be in my mind let alone stay there for what has been 2 weeks already.  Now, I don't want to jinx anything but I am actually happy.  I don't want to give the impression that I am always depressed or upset, but this year is starting off super well.  I have a new found confidence in myself.  The anxiety and worries about stupid things has seemingly melted away.  I can just walk up to people and start conversations without having my face look like a tomato.  When it comes to presentations, I am so much more comfortable now; not worrying about every shakey word that comes out of my mouth.  I have no idea what brought about this change, but it is about freaking time.  Also, in the past few months I feel like I have really found myself in some very personal ways.  I've done some soul searching and a lot of thinking and I feel like that has a bit to do with my newly acquired confidence.  Either way, my point is that I am extremely happy. 

I am officially 21

Since Copenhagen, my life has been pretty uneventful.  I learned and experienced so much in Denmark but it all seems like a great dream now.  I wish so badly to go back.  Even though it was stressful at times living in an unfamiliar country with an unfamiliar family, i miss it so much.  Life in Denmark was so much easier than here.  Now that I'm officially 21 years old as of 15 minutes ago, things are not different; not like I expected them to be.  It's just that nothing has gone as planned this summer.  I didn't reach any of my goals and its been quite boring.  I don't mean to get sentimental but I need a change.  I'm sick of worrying and not reaching my expectations.  I'm sick of how some people act.  I just need to go back to school.  I never thought I'd say that but it's true.  I need to move out of this house and get away.  I need to start living more spontaneously, which is super hard for me, the person who plans out everything.  I do love my life and everyone in it but I need something more.  I know it is said that nothing is impossible, but right now I disagree.

LAST day in Denmark, just feels WEIRD

Now that I only have 25 hours left in Denmark, it´s starting to feel weird though it doesn´t feel like I´m going home.  I am so anxious and excited to get home.  I can not wait to see my cat and dog, my cousins, my parents, and my friends.  But I feel like once I get home, it´s going to feel like this was all a dream.  Even though time went super fast, I can´t believe how much I´ve done.  It feels like I´ve been here forever.  The closing ceremony is in an hour and it feels weird.  It feels like the opening ceremony was just yesterday.  I was looking at all the pictures I´ve taken this semester and it felt so weird.  The pictures from Greece feel like so long ago nevermind the pictures from Sweden and Finland.  My host mom saw me packing and she said "No no Billy, you´re not allowed to pack.  It´s too weird." 

I´m going to miss the mom and the dad the most.  They have been nothing but kind, helpful, caring, and generous.  We´ve had many chats where we would talk for hours about life.  They would vent to me about their worries and concerns.  The dad vented to me about his kids having a party.  He came into my room, shut the door and sighed heavily.  twice.... and I would vent to them about school and work and my worries about everything.  Staying with a host family made these 4 months so much easier.  Knowing I had a home to go to with people who cared made it much less stressful.  They have asked me what I am going to miss the most and I couldn´t answer.  However, I think my answer is them. 

SO ready kinda sorta?

After my horrible day yesterday I am so ready to head home.  I am kinda sorta fed up with the studio program here, specifically my teacher.  I have loved every other class here in Denmark.  I've learned so much.  But when it comes to studio, I feel like I've been thrown backwards.  My crit yesterday did not go so well.  I won't go into detail but it confused me.  It's something that could have been avoided 7 weeks ago if someone would have told me.  UGH.

On a brighter note, I heard back from an internship with a top event planning/desiging company in manhattan that has done things for tv shows on ABC, CBS, TNT, etc, and for many celebrities.  It sounds pretty exciting.  Athough it isn't directly related to interior design, it is definately a branch off.  I just have to schedule an interview when I get home (which I am kinda sorta dreading.)

I leave for the U.S.A in 2 days! and while these 4 months have been amazing, this last week has made me so eager to go home.  Things are changing with relationships and life that need to go back to normal.  I kinda sorta and super confused but reality will be hitting me in a few days, thank god. 

reaching my finale in Denmark

Within the past two weeks, many things have happened.  Like with any school, finals and papers and projects have basically consumed my time.  Although, we had a little break in there where I went on the school trip to Bornholm with some friends.  It's a beautiful island south of Sweden that belongs to Denmark.  It has pretty woods, waterfalls, ruins, cliffs, and expansive green fields.  However, from the moment we stepped off the over night ferry (which was horrible due to absolutely no sleep) a smell of horse poo and sea breezes filled the air.  Thinking we would get away from it as we headed to the hostel, we didn't think much of it.  We were wrong.  This stink covered the island.  How could a smell FILL the air everywhere?  Everywhere we went, besides deep into the woods, this smell followed.  At one point after biking around 15 miles it got so bad we were almost gagging.  My friend Jess asked her host parents, who have a summer home there, about this wonderful smell.  They said that horse poo is mixed with water and sprayed over the crop fields early spring. Sure it is more beneficial for the plants to be sprayed on, but come on, what about us bikers who are inhaling this nastiness?  NEJ TAK! 

On our last night in Bornholm, Emily, Ben and I went on top of a cliff by the water overlooking the town and the sunset.  It was beautiful.  After taking in the scenery and taking a nice group picture, it was time to get down to business....the classic jump picture.  Now, it is quite hard to master the art of timing your jump with the cameras action, but I think we mastered it in our 20 tries.  We got some pretty cool looking pictures and we had a lot of fun =)

After not sleeping on the over night ferries and biking almost 25 miles, I was exhausted and ready to return to Allerod (the town where I live.)  But when I got home, I realized that there was only 2 weeks left.  In 2 weeks I would be leaving and going home.  That was a week ago.  Now, there's only 6 days! it is crazy.  While I am so ready to return home, it's a little upsetting.  I have had the time of my life here.  I've had so many new and amazing experiences.  I've met one of the sweetest families who I will miss so much.  I think I've learned more while I was here than ever before.  My host family keeps saying how I only have a week left and how weird it is.  The mom said "I wish you could have stayed for a full year.  Now that we know you so well, it would be nice to have you longer."  I agree completely.  While a year is a really long time, a semester is pretty short.  Being that I'm such a shy person, it probably took them awhile to get to know me and for me to open up.  Either way I am super glad I got to stay with them.  

My final presentation for design is tomorrow and I have a final on thursday.  After that, I pack up and head home.  I never expected anything that has happened here in Denmark.  I never expected to bond so much with people.  I never expected to LOVE my host family.  I never expected to experience any of the things I did; the little moments, the trips or the travels.   I never expected to learn much of what I learned here about design, life, and myself.  6 days until I leave.  6 days until it is over.  6 days until reality kicks my butt.   

"I'm in a Fog"

Today was Esbens confirmation party.  It was more like a low key wedding.  Last time they had a family party it was pretty awkward.  They all spoke Danish while I sat in the corner.  So I snuck to the bathroom and didn't go back.  That was only a party of 10.  When they told me this party was almost 55 I became scared.  55 Danes + 1 American = FAIL.  In the beginning I felt like I was in a fog; just going with the flow.  However when it was time for dinner, my table mates spoke to me a few times in english so it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be.  

The Danes really do know how to throw party.  It was a mix of a wedding and a sweet 16.  55 guests at the house, catered food, 'waitresses', name cards, speeches, songs, and of course family and alcohol (do the two go hand in hand?).  While that sounds pretty formal is was quite "hyggeligt" (cozy).  The speeches and songs were funny (I'm basing that on everyone laughing since I couldn't understand much of them), and personalized.  They took tunes from songs and changed the words to fit with Esben and his personality.  It was pretty cool.  And of course the food was great.  Chicken in orange sauce, bean salad, pesto potatoes, tasty bread, salad with mozzarella and avocado, chocolates and cookies, chocolate cake, and vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce. YUM.  Overall it was a very nice party even with the awkwardness.  The love for each other could be felt in the air and the comfort and joy was beaming.  Those are the things that made it successful.   

 

the clock is ticking

My time here in Denmark is winding down.  I only have three short weeks left; one of which is another break.  I'm not going to get sentimental just yet because my journey is not over.  However, three weeks is not long at all.  Especially when it is filled with tests and projects and presentations.  It's going to fly by.  Although Denmark is amazing and everything I'v been through here has been life changing, I am definately ready to return home.  I'm ready to see my family and friends, my dog and cat, my garden and plants, even my crappy car.  I've learned so many new things during my stay here, yet I've learned that living without the little things and the people from home is extremely difficult.  In that way, this trip was life altering all the way around.  Lets hope these next few weeks will be amazing and that I can leave Denmark on an even higher note then right now, if that's possible =)

eye opening chat

After dinner with my host dad tonight, we started to vent to each other about life and our worries.  He told me about how he is trying to keep his familys future comfortable; how he is trying to keep his life stable.  He went into saying his plans for his life and how he would like his childrens lives to turn out.  He is genuinely concerned about happiness.  Although I think planning out every year of your life is not the best thing, the goal behind him doing that is spot on.  We got to talking about personalities and ways of living.  His job is to analyze people that his company hires to see if they are really qualified.  Then he told me how he has been trying to figure me out.  At first, it took be by surprise.  But after hearing his thoughts and me telling him about myself, I realized that I need to figure myself out.  I told him how I worry about everything and that I am extremely shy.  The things that he told me about personalities and myself were so accurate it was eye opening.  "Out of all the american students that we've had (7 in total), your door has been open the most.  Yet you have told us that you are very shy.  I personally love how your door has been open and you let us in."  I think that statement is one definition of who I am.  I may not initiate conversations or put myself out there, but my door is always open.  I am always open to conversation and new things.  He then started to ask me why I think I am shy and what makes me so shy? is it because I have always been told I am? or because it is comfortable to be so?  Those are amazing questions.  He told me to think about those ideas and see if the shyness and other aspects of myself balance each other out, showing that I am shy, or if I am acting shy because it is comfortable.  This is crazy.  What to think?  I am saying that it is a combination of the two.  Right now, being shy throughout my life has made me comfortable with being introverted. Maybe?  

In the beginning of my stay here, near the end of the first month, he told me that he had a dream about me.  He said he dreamt that I would be something special.  He also said that his dreams usually come true.  I took that as a compliment, but didn't think to much about it.  However, he would always bring it up when we talked one on one; saying that there was something about that dream.  After tonight, and finding out not only something about myself but that he is very in tune with personalities, I have never felt so questionable and so complimented especially at the same time.  Talking with him tonight really made me think about myself and about who I am.  I realized that I don't truly know who I am yet.  While that is semi-scary, this conversation opened my eyes.  It made me realize that it is ok to question things.  It is ok to be unsure, to be worried, to be uneasy.  The only thing I can do is think, question, wonder, and at some point find out. 

partying with the queen and galloping on an icelandic horse

Today, April 16th, 2010, was Queen Margarethe II's 70th birthday.  Yes, it was insane.  Pictures of her appeared on banners, paintings, postcards and cakes.  Danish flags were placed and hung everywhere.  They were on every building, every bus, ever light post, every little danish child.  As she does every year on her birthday, she came out onto the balcony of her palace and waved to her people.  Like every member of the Danish population, I tried to view this.  However, me and my friends barely got into the palace grounds because there was so many people.  It was just a sea of red flags swaying back and forth in anticipation of the pageant like wave of her majesty.  So we headed back to school before we got a glimpse of her.  However, we waited on a street where she soon passed in her carriage (which we thought might be bejeweled, but unfortunately wasn't) waving to hundreds of others doing the same as us.  Who knew the queens date of birth would cause so much enthusiasm? 

To top off such an historic day in Denmark, I rode an Icelandic horse.  My host family owns this beautiful icelandic horse who is just like a big dog.  He is so well trained and playful.  I've been with the mom to feed him once before, but this time I got a chance to ride him.  I was excited, but I figured it wouldn't be that different from riding any other horse.  I was wrong.  The saddle didnt have anything to hold on to.  It didn't have an foot holders.  And I had to use a rock to pull myself onto him.  After I found my balance and my heart stopped pounding from thinking I was going to fall off, it was an amazing experience.  We rode through the quiet woods as the sun was setting, past little lakes and streams, along side deer prancing through the leaves.  It's like everything else in my life drifted far away.  Suddenly there wasn't anything to think about.  That is until we started galloping.  I thought I was about to get thrown off, especially with nothing to hold on to.  However, once he gained speed it felt amazing.  It felt like when a hero in a movie is on a fast moving horse shown elegantly in slow motion. 

Graechenland with Lady Rara

This past week was full of beauty, relaxation, interesting chats, and amazing scenery.  Yes I'm talking about Greece.  The thing I wanted to see the most was the purity of the bright blue waters of Greece.  At first, it wasn't what I had expected.  Then we went to the island of Aegina and I found it.  Brilliant turqouise water that is just clear enough to see fish and a good amount of depth.  Unlike in New York where you can't even see your own feet 4 inches down.

Besides the water, this vacation was amazing.  Seeing the ancient ruins that are over 2000 years old was mind boggling.  Also, me being a semi-picky eater, I thought the food was sooo good.  Fried zuchinni, chicken gyros, chicken stuffed with ricotta cheese and peppers, greek salads, a cross between potatoe chips and french fries....yum yum. 

And of course this trip wouldn't have been nearly what it was without Rachel.  We had some lazy days and some active days.  We had some set backs and some major excitements.  It didn't really matter what we were doing because we can have fun anywhere. The fact that it was in Greece kind of made it epic.  Our other 2 friends Emily and Sami were there for the first few days and that was so fun.  They showed us around the streets of Athens and we had nice dinners out in the spring evenings with wine and good conversations.

I went to the Acropolis and Ancient Agora.   The Acropolis was a dissapointment.  It was being worked on so it was full of scaffolding and workers.  There are only 2 buildings on the mountain.  I thought there was still quite a few left.  It was still a great experience nonetheless.  As for Ancient Agora, now that almost gave me goosebumps.  The ruins of this merchant area are amazing.  Diverse buildings and different levels of being intact.  I went early in the morning and was the first one there.  It was so peaceful and fresh.  It was like waking up early from camping on a beautiful summer morning with a slight breeze, the sun on your face, and the fresh smell of greenery and flowers.  This beautiful park packed with history was so cool.  I was able to walk through the foundation and walls of an ancient Roman house into a courtyard of a huge ancient gynasium with only little stumps left from the 40 columns neatly in rows. 

Ja tak Graechenland, ja tak

mom is finally here =)

So my mom has finally arrived in Denmark, well 2 days ago.  So far the weather hasn't been ideal but today is looking better :)  I showed her around the city, we went to a castle, and had dinner in a cool pub.  Today we're going on an adventure to an old medieval viking town.  Should be interesting.  We also plan to see some museums and more castles as well as going to sweden for a day.  Hopefully she has a great time.  I am so glad she is here.  It hasn't felt like spring break yet but it is still great.  And next week, I'm off to Greece =D

momma fog leaves for ny; 1 week til min mor (my mom) comes to Denmark =)

I have one week left until spring break.  I can not wait. I'm soooo excited that my mom is coming.  This is both of our first times being out of the U.S. so it's a big deal :) plus we get a whole house to ourselves for a week because the family is going to be in NY that week lol so they'll be flying past each other, swapping cities.  The mom actually just left this morning for new york.  She's a teacher and she took her class of 17 and 18 year olds there for a week.  I wish my high school would have brought us to europe for a week.  I guess that is something many high schools (gymnasiums) do over here.  The gynasium class we visited with our danish class is going to barcelona.  how luck are they?    

So the weather is finally shifting.  It has been warmer and sunnier the past few days :) right now, it's kinda misty and grey, like usual, but its almost 45 degrees instead of 17 so I can't complain. It's amazing how different everything looks without snow, it's like I'm discovering everything all over again.  The flowers are starting to come up.  Some first came up when there was still patches of snow on the ground.  It was like one of the transitional scenes from a movie where the tiny plant pokes through the melting snow on a sunny day :)

Spring is 'a sprungin' in Copenhagen =) 

F.C.Kobenhavn vs. Bronby

So I went to my very first proffesional soccer game today.  It was pretty intense.  Not so much scoring but around 5 injuries and super crazy fans.  Chanting, yelling, flag waving, flare sparking, singing, battling through noises.....the fans of each team were more intense than the actual game.  They would yell/sing/chant at each other and the opposite side would respond.  It was pretty cool lol.  The FCK side, copenhagen, did this awesome sychronized flag thing where each person in the stand would hold up a certain colored flag.  First they made this diamond pattern and then they made the letter KBH for Kobenhavn (Copenhagen). The other side, cheering for Bronby had some flags and lots of flares.  They would randomly light red flares or strobe flares throughout the game.  At one point they had around 7 lit at the same time.  It looked like the crowd was on fire.  Who knew soccer was so big here.  I wonder if the fans ever actually watched the game because it seemed like they were more interested in the battling with each other lol.  Overall it was really cool.  I think soccer games are the perfect length, 1 1/2 hrs.  Their not too long where you get bored like baseball or something.  Even though the score was 2 - 0, it was not a dull game. 

it is greener in sweden, but finland? more like narnia!

So the week long trip to Sweden and Finland was nothing short of awesome.  Even though it was for school and I thought it would be hectic and boring, it was far from it.  It actually was the best trip I've been on.  There wasn't a day where I didn't cry from laughing.  It had the best of everything: art, architecture, sketching, tourism, new countries, new food, a lot of food, fun and friends.  We mainly went to churches throughout the 2 countries and a couple of museums.  Many people would think that such places could be boring but when you introduce light and function and us architecture students into the mix, these ordinary buildings are amazing.  Who knew there could be so many executions to the creation of a church? Rachel and I also made some new friends who are so fun.  I thought I branched out and grew as a person going to college but this trip made me grow even more.  We did so much on this trip that there is just too much to talk about.  At first, I was worried it was just going to be a boring time with strangers doing school work but it turned out to be so much more than that.  The experiences that I went through were amazing.  It was times like these on the trip that made me further realize how lucky I am to be here and to be able to have such experiences.  This whole time while in Denmark, I keep thinking about how lucky I am, never thinking I could ever be doing something like this.  Being able to have such an amazing time is just amazing =)

                                                               

presentation numero dos

had my presentation today, can't say i'm super pleased.  It wasn't a bad crit but it wasn't great.  It was kind of awkward and confusing.  They mixed us up with the architecture students and the critics were their teachers.  It didn't seem to fair and it definately didn't really make sense to mix us up.  We didn't know what each others projects were about and, like with any situation, comparisons were made.  I also felt like the architecture people felt like they were better than us interior people, but whatever.  I mean, we basically only had a week to do this project and my teacher didn't push me in any direction whatsoever.  Based on that, i think i did about the best i could in the given time, but i'm not happy with it.  I like my ideas and my project but the critics made some good points.  But, i probably would have resolved those issues if i had a decent amount of time.  I don't know.  The whole thing is kind of confusing.  It definately wasn't a bad crit by any means but it's not what i'm used to? maybe? lol but,....its over and time to move on to our Sweden/Finland trip =)  We're leaving on saturday and we'll be gone for a week.  I'm with my friend rachel so we should have a pretty good time.  We'll see =)

can not wait for spring break

I just booked my flights for spring break =( =) ....severe sticker shock for two amazing places lol, so when ordering the tickets and planning the flights with my friend, we decided to check how much it would be for me to fly to rome first (where her and her mom would be) it was cheaper then other flights that i'd seen so i booked it.  however, i stupidly didnt realize it didnt include the flight back to copenhagen. sooo i had to spend an extra $200 i didnt need to spend. OY  but.....i get to spend a night in a hotel in rome and breakfast the next morning before we fly to greece =) so i guess a night in rome with breakfast for $200 isnt so bad right? o well, it is wut it is.  So thats the second week of spring break.  the first week, my mom is coming to visit me which i am soooo excited about =) i just wish i could jump ahead 5 weeks so she can come now. 

Before that happens, we have our long study trip to Sweden and Finland.  we're leaving this saturday.  I can't believe how quickly this trip came.  I just hope it isnt as jam packed and hectic as the weekend trip we had.  We only had 40 minutes in each place before we were back on the bus.  It was super tiring.  If i thought 2 1/2 days of that was bad, im scared to find out how 7 is going to feel lol, hopefully it will be amazing though.

This week was the most crazy yet.  We had to finish our second project in basically a week.  We designed an exhibition space for a local museum for different pieces from some popular danish designers.  I chose some pieces of furniture that had weaving and interesting shapes.  I finished with a day and a half to spare =)
The only thing that annoys me is that every class makes things due at the same time,  i wish someone would organize things to make it less of a burden, less rushed, less cramped.  This project is due weds, a midterm due tomorrow, a quiz on thursday, presentations thursday and friday, on top of normal homework. I at least thought this school would be a bit more organized with this than pratt is. 

Well, i think i'll get through this week without any major problems lol, lets hope this sweden/finland trip will be a nice break after this crazy week.

good time =)

my friend rachel came over to the house last weds and it was soo much fun.  just the journey here was amusing haha rachel nearly fell from the ice and snow multiple times.  one time she slipped and kinda fell forward while her t-square shot out of her backpack like a javelin 2 feet from my leg landing sticking up in the snow loll good times.  Then we cooked dinner for the family, itaian mac & cheese which was quite delicious =) just the food would have made the night worth it, but the conversation brought it to the 'laugh until you cry' status hhaa...then the other night me, rachel, and our friends kyle and yuyu went for dinner.  we got amazing nachos and burgers and fries, yumm, and yet again, we laughed sooo much we cried...over and over again =)

design design design

so have too many thoughts about my design running through my head.  I wish i could just put them all together and be done with it, but no, it has to make sense oy....heres to a weekend full of thinking.  My ideas are super simple and the teacher didnt really give me any feedback "you can do anything" she says, ugh thats helpful. I knew the frustration was bound to come back sometime.  I never thought i would miss something about pratt, but i def miss the feedback from the teachers, actually trying to push you to the next level.  Here, its just super open which doesnt work for me.  I need some guidelines lol...we'll see how this goes

trip numero uno

So I have to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to meet our class in the city to go on our first study trip.  I'm definately not looking forward to waking up early or the long bus ride but it should be pretty cool.  We're going to western denmark to look at old buildings, parks, and museums.  The other negative is that the weather is supposedly even worse then here. UGH.  like it's not bad enough already.  It has actually snowed practically everyday since I got here, and it snowed a foot yesterday.  I'm kinda sick of this weather.  I have a constant runny nose, im constantly cold, and its constantly snowing...I can not wait until the spring =)

first project was a success

so the first project went really well. I never stayed later then 6 at school, and.....i wasn't even worried, yup it's shocking. The critique was super informal. They put all 30 groups, 4 people in each, into one room and they shifted teachers and groups to critique other groups. It was completely chaotic but that made it less formal.
Me and rachel went to the copenhagen botanical gardens yesterday which were beautiful. Well, the things in the green houses were. It was sooo cool. They had millions of plants. The best thing was that it was free =) ....which is a big deal since everything is sooo expensive here. I bought school supplies and a glue stick was $7 and a pencil was $3. A bottle of water is close to $5. Its crazy.

so besides the severe sticker shock, i think i like this place :)

Second week in Denmark...

So it's the start of the second week in Denmark. We have our first studio project due on friday. They split us up into groups of 4. My group has to make a full model of a university in finland. Not only does it have 8 buildings but its on hills, we'll see how this goes. And if that wasn't rough enough, we have to present it 3 times. Ugh, one is already horrible. Anyways, me and my friend Rachel have been feeling overwhelmed a little bit so we broke down our stay here and realized that we have quite a few breaks. The first in 2 weeks, a weekend traveling through western denmark. The second in 6 weeks which is a week long trip to sweden/finland. The third in 9 or 10 weeks and thats a 2 week spring break. Looking at it that way makes it a little easier lol...here goes week 2 :)

ending my first week in Denmark

soo my first week in Denmark is coming to an end. I made it through. Overall it is really amazing. The city is so beautiful and the history is amazing. We had a scavenger hunt around the city to all the major spots including the royal palace. Even though it was freezing and snowing a lot, it was really fun and plus, we got free hot chocolate =) I'm still not fully comfortable with my host family, only cuz i'm super shy, but hopefully I'll open up with time. This saturday is the kids family bday party, turning 15 and 17. Kinda nervous to meet the whole family but maybe this is my time to get outgoing lol. On sunday, me and my friends are going to Fredericksborg castle which i'm pretty excited about. Classes started and for the most part their not too bad. I have studio tomorrow which im super worried about. Anyways, week one on a rating of 1- 10 was a 7.... minus 3 cuz a minor panic attack haha....it can only get better right?

success

yay for me getting to and from school today... I biked 2 miles to the train station in the snow and dark, took the train for a half hr, walked to the school, and did the same on the way home. Not so fun but kinda cool =) the trains are beautiful. nice and clean. cushioned seats. wireless internet. not too bad. and i had to bike through the woods which looked like they came from the Narnia movie :) soo first day of semi-classes (orientation) and traveling worked out pretty well.

finally here

soo I'm finally in Denmark. After one hr driving to the airport, 3 1/2 hrs in the airport, 8 hrs, on a plane, 2 1/2 hrs at the other end, 2 1/2 hrs at the school, and 1 hr driving to host house and unpacking.... i am extremely tired. Figures the only time i pull an all nighter it's not even for school lol right now i'm relaxing on the comp in my room with my host familys 2 cats who apparently really like me. Either that or they never get to c this room but im hopin for the first option. I have lots to do this week in a completely unfamiliar place =/ wish me luck

17 hours

soo it's 17 hours until I'm on my flight to Copenhagen.

It still hasnt hit me. It will probably hit me while I'm on the million hr line for security. I'm excited but I keep looking at the negatives, even though there really aren't any, but thats how I am. I'm gunna miss everyone soooo much. I no I'm probably overreacting but I can't help it. Like I said, too many changes happening at once. I'm gunna make it the best time of my life though lol (hopefully) since everyone is telling me I have to do something crazy which is completely out of my character, but thats what this trip is for, branching out.
I'll see you all in 4 months!

countdown till copenhagen

40 hrs until departure =X

I'm freaking out big time. Theres just too many changes happening at once. New school, new living situation, away from friends and family, new language and systems....o and did i mention a new country millions of miles away from home!?! yeahh lotsa change. I know it's an experience of a lifetime, since I never even thought I would get the chance to do this, but right now all I can do is worry. That's my specialty.