🎄 Christmas 🎄

Saturday the 23rd
After a nice sleep in until 10, we finally got out of bed for breakfast, which is where I found out that there was a Tv Crew coming at 1pm to talk to us for the news. we decided that while Pia and Freja were shopping, we were going to clean the house, I vacuumed the living room, diing room and Freja and my bedroom before I finished wrapping the christmas gifts I had bought. the crew arrive almost on the dot at 1 and we got lapel mics and straight away we got into it. We had a list of what we had to do today that Freja read out since it was in Danish, we started off by wrapping some of the handmade soap and candles that were gifts for grandparents, aunts and unles and talking about why I came to Denmark. Next we start to made some marcipan which they call confectionary since we decorate it with chocolates and such. We had lunch once the crew had left, and decorated the real Christmas tree as well as rearranging the living room. At 6pm Emelie came to pick me up since we were going to watch the new Star Wars movie which is English but with Danish subtitles. We stopped at the local Maccas for dinner before heading to a lolly shop to get food for the movies. The movie was great though. We hadn't made it out of the mall that the cinema is in, before we got stuck in the elevator since it was after hours and the buttons were locked on the inside. (To be fair it was already past Midnight) On the way home we got to watch the segment they filmed today since we missed it when it aired at 7:30pm.

Gen and I waiting for Star Wars to start

Sunday the 24th
Finally, Christmas eve, for us in Australia it is a day to get ready for Christmas, where as here it is the main day of Christmas, doing some rearranging of the dining room to fit every one in, we had an enormous dinner with roast duck and pork and tradition dishes like sugar potatoes and the red cabbage stuff. After everyone one was full from the main course we had a visit from Santa to give gifts to the kids in the house, I wasnt expecting it but Santa even gave Freja and I gifts, we got scratch maps to scratch off the countries we had visited. After Santa left we sat down for dessert which was chocolate mouse with a game attatched where there were 3 white almonds in the dessert and whoever found one got a present. Freja and I helped her two little cousins to light the candles that were on the tree after we lit the ones on top. Next we held hands in a circle and walked around the Christmas tree singing Danish Christmas songs, before it was time to open the Presents. I got some lovely danish gifts which included a ticket to Tivoli, the major theme park in Copenhagen. After that most people left while we stayed and talked about the gifts I had given the family, which included an Australian Monopoly, hand made wooden pens made from Australian wood that my father made and Down Under Bowes which were full of Aussie snacks. After a while we went to bed as we would be busy the next day.

The Tree, with lit candles

Monday the 25th
Today we were going to be setting up for the Christmas lunch that would happen on the 26th. We left home at around 10 and started to clean the tables and chairs we would need the next day. We set them out, then added table clothes and candles to each. We had lunch together before Freja and I made pigs in blankets before Pia joined us for a dinner of left overs from the night before. We headed home and were watching Top Gear before evryone headed off to bed.

Tuesday the 26th
We still had some setting up to do at Frejas grandparents house for the lunch later in thw day, we added the glasses to the table, serviettes and stacked the plates on the big table before everyone arrived, we also printed out papers with who was sitting at each table and a menu for the lunch as well. The lunch was really good with loads of food. After everyone had finished eating we set up to play bingo before most people left and we had a dinner of the left overs. We haded home after 9 and watched a Danish movie and MASH before going to bed.

Wednesday the 27th
Today we took all the decorations down so we could take the tree to some of my host families friend who had a farm with sheep that love the trees, we fed the horses some carrots before heading to the beach. I felt the water and it was sooooo cold, which was fine since we were just gonna walk along the beach anyway. We were there for a couple of hours before heading to the shops to get stuff for dinner then home to bed since we were going to be getting up at 9am the next morning, but none of us actually slept until the early hours of the morning.

The Holiday Are Just Starting

On Tuesday Siv headed to school for her class Christmas parties, while I headed to the local major shopping centre at Frederickssund to look for the last of the gifts I needed to find. Afterwards I caught the bus back to Slangerup where Freja and Pia picked me up so Freja and I could go to Ries place for dinner. Rie had been given a 400 Kroner (near 80Aud) gift card for Netto, which is a cheap grocery store. So Gen, Rie, Freja, me and two others walked to the Netto to get the food for the dinner, which was essentially chips, cakes and soft drink as well as some Pear Cider. We headed back to Rie after spending 350 Danish Kroner on food. Once back at Rie's we set up the food, and started to watch A Very Potter Musical, which was awesome, after that finished the other two headed home while we continued to watch Netflix, we watched Castlevania and then Gen put on a movie called the Room which was the worst movie ever. Freja and I got home around 1am after walking back from Rie's.

Wednesday Freja and I slept in before heading to the Frederiksborg Castle which was amazing. we explored most of the exhibits that we could find, after a quick stop at the gift shop we headed to the Hillerod shops so Freja could finish her present shopping, I explored some of the shops and got some lunch before we headed home.

On Thursday Freja and I headed to the scout den to meet up with Gen, Rie and a reporter for the newspaper to talk about why we were here and what we were expecting. we then had a photo before Freja and I headed to meet up with Mark so he and Freja could go and give blood, I went back to the house to start preparing the food for dinner which was my potato bake, and chicken burgers.

Its Friday and Pia and I headed to the shops to do some last minute shopping since Freja would be at work all day.

An ordinary week

It has been a little while since I last posted but here it is.
Wednesday was another day at school with Siv, since there was not much snow the night before all of the old snow had turned to ice so walking to school was very interesting. After school we headed to Frejas section breakup at one of the blue scouts house. we had a massive dinner and drink, before playing a game they call pakkeleg which is actualy said packelack, it is a game where everyone takes turns to roll the dice, if they get a six they get a package from the middle of the table, this continues until there are packages left, once this happens a timer is set to an unknown amount of time and hidden everyone continues to roll the dice, but if you get a six this time you can take a package from someone else. once the timer goes off you get to open the presents you still have. after that we just talked for a while before heading home.

Thursday was a day with Sivs class where they finished watching the film Australia.

Friday I did not go to school with Siv as I had a doctors appointment so I spent the rest of the day at home just relaxing.

Saturday Pia, Siv and I headed out Christmas shopping, with a quick stop at the hospital to see Pias mum before heading home again.

Sunday morning we headed to the bakery to get something for breakfast, and I posted a letter I was sending home. we then went home, originally planing to go shopping, but then decided to stay home where we made soaps for Christmas and I made more gluten free bread.

SNOW!!!! 😁😁😁

This weekend has been a blast. On Saturday we had guests over, who were Freja's grandparents and aunts. We had afternoon tea and dinner with them before watching the handball game from the international handball championships that was on TV before heading to bed.

Sunday was a cooking day, I made Gluten free buns with Freja's dad before a trip to the shops, then we started to make what Danes call confectionery, which is marzipan. Pia was making Christmas cookies while we were doing this. After the Marzipan is made and coloured, we made shapes with it and other treat. We could make anything in our imagination.
We were watching the handball game when Siv pointed out it was snowing. Now coming from a place that never snows, I had only seen snow once on a trip to Canberra, so I had to go and play with the snow that was already fallen. After defrosting from the cold, I headed inside for a hot shower before bed.

My little creations

Monday was another day at school with Siv, it was a bit harder walking to school since the ground was slippery in some places. Made it to school safely where Siv's class was just about to start the day. After school Freja and I headed to Rie's house where Gen was staying. We had some tea and chocolates before heading to Scouts for a small event. By this point there had been a little more snow that had fallen, it was funny to see Gens reaction to snow, since she had never encountered it before. We did some little activities outside before heading to shelter for some hot chocolate which warmed us up. It was strange standing outside with snow falling down. Before heading home Freja, Rie, Gen, Mark and I had a snowball fight since there was plenty of snow around. After that Rie's mum drove us home where we ate before creating some more marzipan creations before bed. 

Some snow writing 

Gen trying not to freeze

The snow covered street

Presentations

Thursday was a good day, I went to school with Siv where an English teacher asked if i might come into her class on Friday to talk to the class about my home country and to answer some questions from her class. after school Freja and I headed to Frederickssund shops to find a Birthday gift for her mum as it would be her birthday on Friday. We also stopped at their version of a dollar store to look around and I got some oreo's that had odd flavours like peanut butter, strawberry and choc brownie. I also got some soaps as I had run out of the ones I brought with me. Freja and I then caught the bus home where we started to do the Christmas decorations we made a little town sort thing and hung some decorations from ceiling hooks before going to bed.

Our little Snowy Town

Friday
Today was Pia's Birthday, we woke her up by singing danish happy birthday with their national flag, then ate breakfast together. Then it was off to school for Siv and I. Today we would be having a whole day of English class, so finally a day I might understand. Every Friday they have a whole day of one of their subjects. At 9:30 I went into the class next door to answer their questions and tell them a bit about where I was from. I gave them a taste of Vegemite, with some of them running out the door for water, there were a few who liked the taste, one of the boys described it as tasting like very salty prawns and others said it was too bitter for them, if only they knew how much we have on our bread. The class had a ball when they asked me to repeat a danish word for one of their desserts, which I totally failed in repeating.after a short break I ended up doing a very similar presentation with Siv's class. To finish off the day of English we watched the move 'Australia'. Then it was back to the house for dinner and bed.

Another Day, Another School.....

So I started off the week with a lazy day at home, since Freja and I overslept and missed the first class, we decided not to go for just 2 classes. On Monday night we went to the Group Christmas party, which was heaps of fun, where we played bingo and I won a bag of Chocolates. I also gave the group leader a gift for the group which was some Australian themed items and a Aussie Christmas CD.

On Tuesday we did go to school, but we only had 3 lessons with the last being Gym, which we played dodge ball in. We didn't have to do anything that night so we helped with dinner which was duck with Potato Bake and Broccoli salad.

Wednesday was very different. Since Freja was going to be doing an assignment at home for a couple weeks, I went to school with Siv, Freja's younger sister. I didn't understand anything as it was all in Danish, but it was still very interesting to see how these classes are different to the classes in my school. After Siv and I walked home, we relaxed at home until it was time to go scouts. since scouts had finished for the year, we were packing up from the weekend and cleaning everything. I gave each of the scouts there, who were mostly over 18 and they were the staff on the camp, a koala with some vegemite, a scouts Australia badge and our Chirstmas badge. I also gave the unit some of the items we use at home, such as our Venturer handbook and the guidebook we use, as well as a set of the badges we wear on our uniform. I also swapped one of our QLD scarfes for theirs. I was given the scarves they use, and some of the badges they wear.

Siv's School

December Fejden (Feud)

Over the weekend we attended an anual scout camp they have here. It was run by Freja's group and it started on Friday after school.

FRIDAY 

We got home from school on Friday and we started to pack. I grabbed all the warm clothes I had, hoping it was enough and we headed off to the school to start setting up. The first part of the camp was a night run, which was in the forest. All 20 patrols had an identical map with the base locations marked on them, some bases were live, with 'staff' on them, others were dead, where it was just a piece of paper for the actvity instructions. The bases were activities that required the patrols to work in teams to score point. There were even bribe points we could give out if they gave us a bribe. That finished around 3am when we headed back to the school to sleep.

SATURDAY 

We then had to be up at 7 am for a briefing and breakfast before organising the course for the day. There were 20 bases and a HQ, which is where Gen (venturer from Victoria) and I were. This one was set through the town. It started with all the patrols heading to us to get the number of the first base they had to do. We would give them a base and they would go there and come back for another base number after completing that base. The point was that they couldnt finish all 20 bases but they had to do as many as possible. At around 11am Pia(Freja's mum) came to get me as a friend had called her to say that I had frozen during the night. She took me to get a warm jacket before heading back to HQ. Lunch came around fast with the spot for supplied lunch being at HQ. After the scouts all ate, we ate but then got some hot chips from the cafe across the road to warm us up. This activity ended around 5 when all the patrols had to head back to us at HQ to check-in and then walk back to the school. We had a wonderful Christmas style dinner with roast pork and a few of their traditional dishes. We then had rice pudding for dessert that had a game with it. If you found a whole almond, you won a prize. At the end, there was a prize left over so the leader in charge called Gen and I up to the stage where he gave us the gift, which was a mini version of connect 4. After that we told the scouts that they were going on another night run so they grabbed their gear and headed outside. They werent actually going on another walk but we blindfolded all 20 patrols and led them in a big congo line sort thing around the school to the room we had set up a party in. They took the blindfolds off and enjoyed the party. The staff as we were called took over one of the couches and played a drinking game with soda, since they can't drink on scout events. After 10 the scouts were sent to bed and we continued. We played foosball and pool until 11:30 when we went to bed.

HQ

 SUNDAY

 I woke at six, but we didnt have to be at briefing untill 7. After the briefing we had breakfast and started to set up for the morning. The only thing the scouts would be doing was cleaning up and something they called trial. At trial, scouts could sue the staff for points and viceversa, or patrols could sue each other. You could be sued for multiple things such as wearing shoes in the sleeping rooms or not wearing a scarf. The scouts could also sue the chasers, which were staff who could steeal half of their extra points, which were poker chips. The chasers could catch them anywhere except on a base. The chasers could search the scouts but only when they were of the same gender. The scouts could sue them if they thought they were unfair, but none did. After was the awarding of places. The teams that came in the top 2 had to drink a blended concoction of all the leftovers, it was liquid but looked and smelled disgusting. If every member didnt drink some, they weren't first place. We headed home after that, where I unpacked the rest of my bag, we had lunch then headed to the shop. We got eveything we needed then headed home where we showered before heading to dinner at Freja grandparents house. We had a great 3 course meal with wine. Around 8:30 I fell alsleep and we headed home around 9. I got home, got changed and went straight to sleep.

Streets around HQ