TIA HERE with the grandest and most tragic of first world problems—the lost (or should I say stolen) phone. When it comes to smartphones, losing a cell means losing an alarm clock, all your music, games to pass the time, and a camera, in addition to losing the ability to contact people through Facebook, texting, calling, tweeting, tumbling, and whatever else you use. If you have an iPhone like I did (my dad's, as we traded phones before I left for Denmark), you can still count on backups or iCloud to save the majority of your stuff, but having no hardware to carry all of these tools that you don't realize you use a thousand times a day feels a lot like missing a third arm (one you didn't even know you had). Here is the layout of my immediate, phone-less breakdown, as one of those people who is constantly on their phone:
How to Listen to Taylor Swift's "1989" Album
TIA HERE and this time it's not something abroad-related. Like so many (young) (Western) (female) people, I am obsessed with Taylor Swift's new album. After listening to it nonstop for many a day, I think it's finally time for me to lay down my track-by-track notes for how each song hits me—and could hit you—in the best way possible. It's all about context (yours, not Taylor's), which affects how you enjoy each song. Here's what I came up with on which situations best suit each track:
Optional Study Tour | Culinary France
TIA HERE with a long video in which I attempted to include all of the pictures I took in the area known as Southern France (Nice, Fayence, Cannes, Monaco). It may not be the most professional video on the planet, but I thought it would be more important to showcase all of the photos, since below I'll only be including a few from the trip! For those potential DIS students looking at optional study tours for their many travel breaks, I highly recommend "Culinary Southern France." Not only were the people who led the group fantastic, but the experience was amazing and has completely altered my opinion of wine (from meh to YES). You spend the five days eating amazing food, wine tasting, olive oil tasting, exploring markets, and traveling freely. It's both a structured and casual program, with plenty of free time in addition to really neat activities (and meals). I'll try to break down the trip with some pictures!
Amager Strandpark | Trip to the Beach
TIA HERE sporting photos and video from my trip to Amager Strand (name of the metro stop), where you can find the nearest beach around Copenhagen. Per usual, I feel as if the video and photos speak more to the experience than I ever could, simply because beaches are much the same everywhere and the only difference between a Copenhagen beach and a Florida beach is the holistic feeling you get from being there. Nonetheless, I'll try my best to capture it.
Gay Pride Celebration in Copenhagen | A Story in Pictures
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| rainbow pixelated heart |
TIA HERE with photos from the end of August (wow talk about a late post!). During this time, it was Copenhagen's Pride Week, complete with a parade, musical performances, and more. While I ultimately missed the parade—make sure you go at the right time of day if you want to be a part of it—I still managed to get some pictures of neat and relevant things around the main square in the inner city. Enjoy!
Tivoli | A Rainy Copenhagen Adventure
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| one of the entrances/exits to Tivoli |
TIA HERE with some sweet pics of Copenhagen's famous theme park "Tivoli Gardens," which, believe it or not, is the second oldest amusement park in the world (and Denmark). What's study abroad in Copenhagen without a little visit?
Review | Tia's Trip to a Copenhagen Cat Café
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| inside café miao |
TIA HERE with a story I never thought I'd live to tell: 1) because I didn't know there were cat cafés in places that are not Asia and 2) because I am allergic to cats (or, at least, I thought I was). But despite all odds, here in Copenhagen, Denmark, there is a cat café that is aptly called Café Miao. What's a cat café? you might be wondering. It's exactly what it sounds like: a typical café with the addition of cats roaming around at their own leisure. It's like eating in a pet shop, minus the cages, but also minus the concern that the animals will take your food--cats have more dignity than that, and they also are forbidden from eating the food so they are more used to just hanging around while people eat. If you don't want to eat anything, for just 50 DKK ($8.50) you can step inside the cat room for as long as you like and just pet cats. Or, if you're like me and my friends Alanna and Katya, you can buy some food at a minimum of 50 DKK and have a nice meal in addition to petting cats.