knock knock knocking on sanon's door

The last 48 hours have been a little crazed, for lack of a better expression.
At a tapas party for the novias de espana I agreed to go to a concert. However, as I was very drunk when I made this agreement I was unable to remember it the following day.
The following day was spent in bed watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer with Moni. There was a brief pause for a hamburger break, then we resumed Buffy watching. Then there was a knock on the door--my little sister from Iraq. She was tired, so she curled up in my bed with Moni and I.
Then there was another knock. It was my little sister from italy. she needed help correcting the theory section of her paper. So, I went to her room and the two sleepy heads followed and fell asleep in Laura's bed.
Then there was yet another knock. It was the person I agreed to go to the show with. OOOPS! totally forgot. I scrambled to buy my ticket and get dressed and go.
We went to see less than jake and guttermouth. Two bands that I listened to a lot in the formative years of middle and high school. It was a fun crazy show. The only thing that set me off was the fact that the bands were completely playing up the ugly, macho american and i remembered why i stopped going to punk rock shows. i don't like the way the men in these bands rag on women. it totally harshed my mellow. However, all-in-all, it was a good time. (side note, someone got stabbed outside of the club we were in. denmark is not what people think.)
the next morning the plan was to go on a long bike ride from roskilde to frederikssund. Ricardo knocked on my door in the morning to tell me that we would leave in 30 minutes. 10minutes later, knock knock.
Ricardo: bad news. we will not go by bike anymore. the weather is terrible and some spanish will go to helsingor.
me: ok
R: fuck sorry, shannon. do you want to go
m: only if there is room.
R: there is no room.
m: ok. then, no.
R: fuck, shannon. sorry.
Then 10 minutes later. knock knock. there is room. we are going now.
So, I grabbed my purse and off I went. The day was spent with me and 10 Spanish wandering around and looking at castles. It was fun and tiring. the evening ended with me drinking until 7 and briefly abducting a person that i only know because he sells me my 7zoner clip card at the super brugsen.
I will upload photos soon. Right now I am out the door to see a "jam session" at christiania.
ciao ciao

The State I'm In...Cont'd

An update from my last post. In light of all the trauma and drama of my project group. I decided to drop out of the project work. I didn't need the credits and I certainly did not need the stress, anxiety, and hopelessness that it produced.
Now I can enjoy the rest of my days in Denmark and catch my blog up in regard to my travels. Maybe I'll even swing by England to visit my favorite Seattle ex-pats.
So, that is the update for now. I'll be back soon.

The State I'm In...

My time here at Ruc is winding down, but the work load is ramping up. So, I want to take a quick moment to reflect before I return my nose to the grind stone.
I came to Denmark full of optimism that I would love every second, learn Danish, create friendships with Danes, travel around Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, and go to school at a school different than what I am accustomed to, and I would return happy for the experience.
I quickly learned that Danish is an impossible language and I don't really like Denmark that much. I might have like it more if I were here during the summer. However, I am not likely to return to find out.
Also, Danes really are hard to get to know and the men are dripping with this disgusting ooze of machismo. The other day there was a sign posted by some Danes in response to a heavy make out session in their kitchen that read: "don't fuck here or I will rape you." With an equally pleasant sub-sentence that read: "Or fuck me and I will still rape you." Also, as we Americans congregated to watch the election footage with baited breath two Danish dudes came in and only talked about how stupid Americans are. Then asked us why we don't feel oppressed because we can't call black people the "n" word. Basically, they are rude, denigrating, and hostile. Then, they hide behind this clever ruse called Danish humor.
Travel has been limited because our teachers created this fieldwork course where we had to go to organizations and be very careful not to embarrass our supervisors by asking questions. Then write a couple pages for the purposes of being told that we aren't taking these assignments seriously and this is how our analysis sucks. Now we are in the throws of project work which at this point means 12-hour days of work for the next two weeks. I was able to visit a couple places in Denmark: Mons and Odense. And I did get to see Milano, Napoli, Roma, and Madrid. So, I cannot complain too much.
With all of this said, I have experience a new school system and I have hated almost every second of it. This is the most adversarial system I have ever been a part of. These group projects are hard enough to pull off, but the fact that our specific program abbreviates them by a week or two makes them even more defeating. I feel this program has set me up to fail from the beginning.
So, I will return home lacking a sense of accomplishment. Which is probably one of the main reasons that I am having a hard time swallowing returning to the states. Because I will be returning with my tail between my legs. I need an international experience that I can be proud of and relish in. This is why my next goal is to work hard and go to Spain for a while to learn Spanish and Spanish culture. This is something I can do. It is a self-directed program without a trap around every corner. So, if you would like to contribute moral and financial support, I am not too proud to receive it.
One last thing before I go. It has begun snowing here and I am not sure whether I think this is a good or bad thing. I do know I need to by some warm boots.
Ok. that is all i've got for you.
Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.

madrid

i love it

JYESSSS!

Eso es me amigo...

RICARDO

Allow me to tell you a little bit about this most interesting of people.

First of all, he is from a part of Spain called Andalucía. He lives just outside of Tarifa and goes to school in Málaga.

Here at RUC, he studies Communications, a department that provides him with free coffee and Foosball matches (which i generally win).

I remember quite well the day we met. My group had been shuffled round RUC and Roskilde all day with our luggage. By the end of the ordeal, we were all a little broken in spirit. Luckilly, it was Cookie's birthday. So, it was a time for drink. We wandered into the kitchen closest to his room and there I found my new best friend! He was eating dinner with three other people whom you have no doubt seen ad naseum in my photos. However, they will go nameless because this post is for Ricardo.

I will describe him from the bottom up as he gets more interesting going this direction. He has a brown pair of slippers that you will often find him in while wandering around Korallen. It gives him a very, dude like feel. I find comfort in seeing him in his slippers takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. He has an array of slightly EuroTrash shirts among my favorites are his VHS shirt, his purple and blue striped shirt, and his black and blue hooded sweatshirt. There is just something about these shirts. Moving along, it should be noted that he's a hairy man. Quite possibly the hairiest in all of Los Angeles County, which would place him high in the runnin' for hairiest worldwide. Much hair on his arms and legs. Hair everywhere! His facial hair often resembles a wild unkempt forrest. He has also gone on strike in regard to cutting his hair. He told me he once found a cricket in his hair. I am surprised he found it at all! However, in this mess of hair are two stunning eyes and a warm and charming smile. These features of his make living without the sun possible.

Ricardo is a very sweet and warm person and he gives some of the best hugs you will ever receive in your life and he is indiscriminate in his giving of them. He always seems to have a smile on his face, which may be because of the air*, but I think it is his kind spirit. He often loves a party with drinking and smoking even if he protests to it at 1st. He often says that he will not leave his room on a particular evening, because he does not wish to party and then be one of the last people to go to bed. He is a very fun and free-spirited person who makes everything lively. Though, I must confess my favorite moments with him are spent sitting on my bed, eating American tortillas, and watching Destinos.

His tragic downfall is that he is confused in the matters concerning love. He loves all women so much that he cannot be in love with just one. This is a theme for him, he is affraid of what he might miss. This portion of his character causes many dramatic problems for him. I think without these problems, though, he would be terribly bored.

My favorite Ricardo-isms:
Sannon, don't be sorry. jyou are good pare-son and i am a bad pare-son. do not feel sorry to me.
and the way he says "JYESSSSS" instead of "yes."

Ricardo is my number 1 and when I leave Denmark, I will miss him like the deserts miss the rain.

Besitos (sin negro) a mi mejor amigo en Dinamarca!

*ricardo knows

i forgot...

to go to the store before it closed at 5pm. It won't be open again until monday morning. If you have food you want to share, please share it with me. otherwise, it looks like i'll be drinking a few meals between now and then..

what do people here think of me?

Well, let me tell you. My most treasured friend in all of Europe dedicated a blog post to me and my friend, Christy. and here it is:

It is entitled Shannon y Christy

Shannon y Christy son un buen contrapunto a Carlos y Kepa. También les gusta mucho la fiesta – de hecho, Christy lleva implícita una copa de vino en la mano -, pero son muy tranquilas, cariñosas y delicadas. Son de la Universidad de Seattle, EEUU, estudian encuentros culturales, y fueron mis primeras amigas en Korallen.

A Shannon (a la derecha) la recordaréis porque me acogió en su habitación la temporada que fui un sintecho. Shannon siempre está dispuesta a ayudar a los necesitados: hace sopa para los que caen enfermos, deja su habitación a quien necesita cobijo, presta sus herramientas para la bici, el candado e incluso la bici a quien lo necesita, corrige las redacciones en inglés..., y no sólo eso: nos envía postales a todo Korallen cuando se va de viaje, hace tarta de manzana de vez en cuando, y organiza fiestas de cumpleaños. Su afición principal es hacer punto, y el año que viene quiere ir a España a estudiar. En su puerta ha puesto un cartel, “¡Kepa! ¡Tu puta madre!”, pues en Korallen está aprendiendo, gracias a la delegación española, lo más básico de nuestro idioma.
(Nota: Shannon y yo nos llevamos excepcionalmente bien pero pensamos de manera muy distinta, motivo por el que a veces nos peleamos con consecuencias apocalípticas).
Christy (a la izquierda en la foto) también está aprendiendo español. Estuvo en Barcelona y Málaga hace unas semanas, y a la vuelta puso en su puerta una postal con dos muñequitos que conversan: “¿cómo te lo has pasado en España?”, “¡muy bien!, me encanta España!”. Ella vive en mi pasillo. A veces, al pasar por su puerta abierta, la veo cocinando, y no puedo evitar quitarle de la sartén un trozo de carne o verdura. Christy es muy hogareña. Tiene la habitación bien decorada, y para cenar se pone en su mesita con la vajilla buena, la servilleta doblada, la botella de vino en medio, musiquita suave en el ordenador, y un par de velas para dar ambiente... “Es mi restaurante”, dice. Joler, qué envidia (que no endivia).
Christy siempre está sonriendo. Por la mañana en pijama, por la noche disfrazada de bruja en las fiestas temáticas, o cuando está cantando en el karaoke en Roskilde: siempre sonríe con un toque pícaro muy gracioso. Quizás el vino permanente tenga algo que ver, mas no me malinterpretéis: sencillamente, es una persona alegre.
Ahora las dos están muy excitadas porque queda poco para las elecciones en EEUU. Van a hacer una elections party en Korallen el día en cuestión. Y, como último dato, las dos fueron hace una semana a una manifestación a las afueras de Copenhague para reclamar que se cierre una especie de gueto para los inmigrantes, donde vive mucha gente en muy malas condiciones, cercados por una verja; y las dos acabaron gaseadas por la policía. Qué manera más truculenta de acabar el post, macho.

For those who do not read Spanish, it basically says that Christy and I are a good counterpart to Carlos and Kepa because we also really enjoy a party. we are very crazy, but also very nice and wonderful. He notes, that he and i get along very well, but when we do not the results are apocalyptic...i'm sure you could agree.

Anyway, Ricardo is one of the things that makes this place worth anything. I promise to write a description to match his very soon.

12:39 pm 05 Nov 2008

That is what time I woke up today. This is not normally an acceptable hour for me, especially when I know that I have a lot to take care in an academical sense and a sanitation one as well. However, the task of yesterday was more important...
Yesterday the group I am studying with threw together a pot luck dinner. The dinner began at 8 pm and immediately after dinner, we turned on CNN.

It seems CNN has gotten a bunch of new gadgets since the last election and last night they were showing them all off. We saw the iphone-esque touch screen map that expanded and shrank in scale. Then the exit polls of what issues mattered-economy was #1. The thing that I found mortifying was the hologram. Is the picture-within-a-picture technology that outmoded? When I first saw it I thought, "Is that Princess Leia? It was distracting. I really wanted to see the interviewer try to walk through the hologram. It didn't happen.

I am currently still interested to see how the California ballot measures pan out and if Franken takes Minnesota. With 99% of precincts reporting the race is at 42/42% with Franken behind by about 760 votes.
It was exciting to watch the polls close and see the numbers as they poured in. New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois... The states in the middle were a hiccup in our celebration, but we expected that. Then when California was about to close it polls, with Obama only needing 50 votes to win we all held our breath. Then a few minutes after 5am Danish time the screen flashed "OBAMA ELECTED." We all looked at each other in disbelief and then exploded into celebration. The day had finally come, we stayed awake all night drinking calimocho and cafe, and it had finally happened. We watched history unfold! It was at that moment that we decided to borrow some Spanish celebration practices that were employed by the fucking spanish the night before. We ran down to the rooms of Que Pasa and Don Carlos and pounded on their doors while shouting at the top of our lungs. Then, we stacked chairs and furniture in front of their door. Lastly, we went outside and threw chairs at their windows while singing our national anthem. America had its revenge for the Monday night Spanish Party and it was good.

We then went upstairs and watched the McCain concession speech, which was a very good one. He conceded with dignity and grace. The Arizona people were not quite as classy but, coming from that state, I did not expect them to be. Then we waited for Obama's acceptance speech. Keep in mind crying was dispersed throughout this process of celebration and champagne was imbibed. We waited and saw seats of the House and Senate turn blue. We may not have the official filibuster-proof number, but we are damn near it!
Then, it was time and all of a sudden there was a shot of jesse jackson with tears in his eyes. He was a man before his time where racism played a role in keeping his presidential dreams from coming to fruition. He is a man that probably thought he would never see an African American elected to presidential office. He is a man who lived to see it happen. Jesse wept.
This was a most important day in American history.
I am not saying that racism is not alive and ill in the United States. This is evident in the incarceration and execution numbers of our nation's black men. I am not saying that the United States will recover from its painful legacy of bigotry overnight. What I will say is that we finally have hope that it WILL happen one day. Race kept Rev.Jackson out of office in 1984 and 1988, but that same hurdle was overcome by an influential young senator from Illinois. The hurdle is still there, but Barack Obama made it evident that We Shall Overcome, Yes We Can!
North Carolina still has not finalized its decision and maybe it never will. However, I can die with a smile on my face, without feeling like the good lord gypped me, because I know we did it.
Si Se Puede!

today stress and confusion (personally and academically) consume me.

tear gas sux...

...in case you were wondering...

I attended a protest here in Danmark, just outside of kobenhavn. The protest was against the Sandholm Refugee Camp in Allerød which serves to isolate refugees from Danish society.
The purpose of isolation is pretty straight forward: It is to exclude the refugees from society and anything that resembles peaceful conditions and a normal life. The Sandholm refugee camp and the fences around it are brutal and concrete manifestations of racism.
So the aim of some was to tear down the wall and for others to show support. My preference was to show support, with the elderly and the young children, from a distance. An announcement was made the stated to the police that the people by the moving stage were supporters but not engaging in physical violence, so we hope for no violence from the police. I saw some arrests made and was surprised by the lack of physical violence. That was until they began with the gas. You know they gassed the people taking down the fence...not cool, but to be expected. Then, they launched an amped up dose into the crowd of peaceful observers--knowing there were elders and children.
I cannot type it into words without being moved to emotion, but the moments with the gas were easily the best and worst moments of my life. Best in that as the effects of the gas hit us, we clung together. Each one of us cursing in our respective languages (and sometimes in languages other than our own) and we held on to one another for strength speaking tongues in a way. cathartic, i suppose.
the worst in that i know what it is to die. as we left they threatened to set their dogs on us and the dogs they threatened looked thirsty for our blood. I was terrified. It was emotional. and in the end the police followed some people home.
currently, my eyes burn and my throat is a bit scratchy.
i think i will be ok and live to fight another day...

no fence uncut
no wall unclimbed
no racism unquestioned

re-lackadaisical

hello world. i am sorry that i have been absent; i have been traveling with a combination of dodgy internet and too much good times! i am afraid that i cannot say much in this post. what i will say is that roma is the most beautiful city in the world. if you have not seen it yet, see it soon; europe and socialism are better than america and capitalism; and i have a renewed passion for latin-based languages/people. if you ever want to go to a spanish language catholic mass let me know. i am determined to train my brain and maybe go to school surrounded by spanish speakers.
for now...
ciao di roma

a day at the cliffs

Through the RUC international club, I was able to spend a day at Møns Klint. It was a wonderful day of walking, minor hiking and accidentally climbing down the side of a mountain. I tell you this: never follow a man from Verona anywhere. He will only take you down.

On the way there:
(lord help me. i was soooo hung over.)

once there:
the cuter little mermaid feet in the baltic sea beautiful day.

our return trip:


el fin

shanny described eternity

I spent a day with Italians in Copenhagen.

ate lunch
visited the marble church
saw the little mermaid felt up the little mermaid
ate ice cream
saw a windmill in a fortified city
and took many pictures of us enjoying ourselves on our sunny day

remissed the boat

I have been a poor travel blogger. So, I will take this time to apologize to my vast readership. I'm sorry.
I have been very busy and never home. Although, we I try to recount all of my adventure it occurs to me that I do the same thing everyday and that thing is not much of a subject for blogging...partying.
Yes, there have been many parties.

First, there was Arsfest. This is the biggest party of the year for RUC and the longest. 13 hours of school-sanctioned drinking. There were DJs and two live bands. One was an AC/DC cover band and the other was called Chili Machine. They are a band that covers Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine. America's thumb print is everywhere I go. This was a very fun party, because I got to dance and go crazy with all of my favorite people at once: mis novios y los guapos de espana.

Then, there was a birthday for my friend Ranocchio. For the 1st time ever, I baked a cake from scratch. It was an adventure. 1st, the recipe called for baking powder and shortening and for some reason, I decided not to buy those items and did not realize the discrepancy until after the stores closed. Shortening was not a problem, because I had plenty of margarine. However, no levadura means no cake. Eventually, I pilfered some. So, that resolved itself. The other fun fact is that it is very difficult to mix frosting and cake ingredients without an electric mixer. This made the process take a bit longer and require a bit more love than if I were making a cake for someone in the states. The end result was a very homemade looking cake in the likeness of a frog, but a very delicious cake all the same.

I was impressed and have had many requests for my recipe. It was moist and vanilla-y and one of the most enjoyable cakes I have ever eaten. This might be because of all of the effort that went into it...We may never know. The evening ended with my friend locking himself out of his room and a bunch of drunk people trying to break in.

We were not successful. So, I had a roommate for 2 nights.

This past weekend, Christiania had a birthday. This meant an enormous party where people smoked as much hash as they had kroner for. It was very fun y yo estaba mucha borracha.
The following night was the future party. It seems funny to discuss the future in the past... This was an evening of tin foil (perro no te follo) everywhere. Truly an evening to be remembered.



Finally, the last three days have been a blur of debauchery. A lesson I have learned is if I don't want to get so drunk I need to stay far away from the Spanish. This is hard to do, because they are everywhere and always borrachos.
Currently, I am trying to catch up on uploading photos.
Also, on the 14th I will see La Traviata and on the 15th I will see Italy. What could be more exciting to look forward to?

If I Ask You to, You Will...

I am going to take this moment to briefly describe some items from home that I miss in hopes that it generates some sense of empathy and compassion that motivates someone to send me one, or all, of these things.


Magazines/Newspapers written in English: I just found out that the Politiken, a kind of lefty Danish newspaper, can be read in English. This is an amazing discovery, because I have been feeling separated from Danish current events and, subsequently, isolated from daily Danish life. However, there is something very soothing about holding a piece of print media in your hands and creasing the pages while sitting under a weeping willow and eating ice cream.

Movies: I didn't bring any with me and my computer is a slow, ugly monster that doesn't support watching things on the internet well.

Dessert: Don't get me wrong. There are many delicious Danish deserts that I have sampled and enjoyed. However, Danes don't eat pudding or mousse. I can probably devise a way to make these things, but would really prefer a mix. Also, Denmark is lacking in the sweets department. If I enjoyed licorice (lakrids) I would be in candy haven. Unfortunately, I find licorice putrid and vile and would gladly perform various acts of desperation to have some Almond Roca. I have not seen anything that even slightly resembles this delicacy. Again, I could probably try to make this but Ay Dios Mio! Why?














I also miss besitos y abrazos. I'm pretty sure I'm on my own with this one.

As a reminder, my mailing address is:
Shannon Marie Baca Garcia
trekroner forskerpark 1, 1, -40
4000 roskilde
danmark