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Here is another one of my mass e-mails,I thought we partied
hard in IV, but here it feels like it is non stop. In Copenhagen
their is something going on Wed-Sat. I am having trouble concentrating.
School is the last thing from my mind as every day it seems
like their is something new to do. Yesterday I went sailing,
which was fun.
My friend and I met this Danish dude like a
month ago and he offered to take us out on his boat and we
finally took him up on the offer. THen last night was this
welcome party at our Institute, we don't have a campus, just
buildings spread all over the city. Each one of my classes
is in a different building. They had cheap drinks, and a live
band in a classroom. They also had a DJ going in the cafe,
which is opened all the time. So you can get a beer anytime,
say during a break from class. For school instead of tests
all we have is to write one paper, but it is has to be 20
pages, and that is the whole grade. SO for like the first
few months of the semester I won't do shit, but at the end
it will be hell.
My family was in and around Scandanavia for
a month. I went to Norway with them and we saw fjord country
which is quite amazing, quite a site for the eyes. We also
went to Legoland on mainland Denmark. That place is awesome.
They have Mt. Rushmore made out of Legos among
many other things. It wasn't very busy so we got to go on
all the rides that are normally reserved for kids and their
parents. My brother got stuck here because of the terrorist
attacks. So he missed his whole welcome week at UC-Santa Cruz
and the first day of class, but he will be fine I am sure.
He got to stay in Copenhagen for an extra week, which I must
say isn't a bad place to be stuck.
I have the travel itch and am going to go to
Stockholm in two weeks, it is cheap to fly their and I have
a place to stay with a Swedish family. Then in 3 weeks we
get a week break from school and a friend and I are heading
down to Southern France and Northern Spain. I will see some
friends, Kevin and Sina, who are studying in Tollouse and
my friend, Reese, as some friends in San Sabastian. We got
a plane ticket from London to a town in France for $1.50,
now we must get to London and back to Copenhagen, but we will
figure it out.
The weather is still cooperating and has been
better than last year in IV, it rains now and then, but for
the most part it is beautiful. I am just waiting, because
soon it will get real miserable. But for now I am soaking
up the great outdoors.
This week is the 30th anniversary of Christinia,
Copenhagen's 'free state'. THe real anniversary is Wednesday,
but the town will be partying Wed-Sat, which will be a blast.
They people don't pay taxes and sell soft drugs out of boothes.
I have found myself a nice Danish girl, she
actually moved to the states 6 years ago and goes to UCSC,
but she is here to do a year abroad. It isn't anything too
serious yet. The girls here are amazing though. Riding the
bus is often very enjoyable because of all the eye candy.
The story goes that the Vikings as they raped and pillaged
the world brought all the beautiful women back to Scandanavia
and trust me it is true. Well I hope all is well in your lives
and those of you in school back home are having fun. I am
missing SB right now, knowing it is starting back up and I
am sure next weekend will be a blast. Well I would love to
hear from everyone, so keep in touch.
much love,
adam
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Adam - Letter #2
so let's see here, I was intent on spending
this year in Denmark, among a bunch of jolly Danes, and then
I got to thinking. Yea this place is great, but am I really
being all that productive. I came here to study and learn
Danish, but in reality I'm not learning this god awful language.
So I looked at my options and have found a way that I can
maximize my time, both in europe and back at UCSB over the
next few years. My plan as of now: Go back to the states in
January in time for winter quarter, hang out on the beach
all winter and spring. Come back here to backpack next summer
and then spend 4 months in Spain. I would be in a program
where I would live with a family and take language and culture
courses. Hopefully by the end of the time my Spanish would
be as good as my Danish is now. No actually I was just in
Spain and was actually picking up on what they say. I could
understand, unlike when I am here in Copenhagen. I guess those
years of fucking around in high school spanish taught me something.
So yea my plans of altered a bit.
Life over here has been good. I just spent 12
days in London, Toulouse, France, adn Madrid and Grenada,
Spain. On the trip My friend Reese and I hopped around visiting
various friends, checking out their abroad experiences. In
France we went to an all night party in a castle that was
a freshman intiation. It strarted at 8:00 one night and we
got back to reality and Toulouse at 12:30 the next afternoon.
Spain is really the shit. I mean they take naps for like 3
hours every afternoon and when you order a beer for like 1
dollar you get a free sandwich with it. Then in Grenada when
you go out people beg you to go into their bars and give you
free drink coupons. But it is really beautiful as well. Grenada
lies at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, with good sking in
the winter. And the Alhambra is a very beautiful castle. London,
although it is nice, more or less sucks because everything
is so god damn expensive. We went to the Sherlock Holmes muesem,
did you know that he was a cokehead?? The entire trip was
great fun. In Madrid we ran into this kid from SB in the subway.
He was on his way to class, but I made him show us Madrid
for the day, it worked out well.
My next excursion is set for two weeks and it
is to Amsterdam. My friend and I are hopefully obtaining press
passes to the Cannibus Cup. I'm the photographer and he is
the writer and we are writing a story for the Copenhagen Post
(they just don't know it). 311, The Alcoholiks and Steel Pulse
(for all you reggae fans out their, I'm most stoked on them)
are all performing. It will be 6 long days.
With daylight savings Copenhagen just got real
dark. I am starting to get my act together and am thinking
about the three papers I have to write. But I still find plenty
of time to sample the nightlife and culture of great Copenhagen.
I guess I'll be ready to head back to So Cal,
the weather will be a hell of a lot betterthan the frigid
artic. If anyone in IV knows anyone spaces opening up in houses
for winter quarter andyou want to tell me then maybe I wouldn't
have to crash on all your couches for the quarter. Just let
me know. I know you are all living crazy lives and I'd love
to hear what they are all about so just get back to me.
much love,
adam
adamg@umail.ucsb.edu
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