my second home.

It feels so good to be back! Honestly, it feels like I never left. Once I stepped into the Copenhagen airport, I felt like I was coming back to my second home. Except now the weather is much nicer :)

The journey here was not bad at all. I had layovers in New York and Iceland, which actually turned out to be quite nice, so I could get up and move around and have a break from the plane. My smiling host dad, Anders, picked me up at the airport with a Danish flag in hand. That is a tradition in Denmark, when someone arrives, to greet them with a flag. It is so neat when you arrive at the airport and all the Danes are standing there waving their Danish flags as their loved ones arrive. Both of my bags also made it, contrary to the bad luck I had when I came before.

My family had a room all ready for me, to unpack everything and make it my own hyggelig space :) My host family is so, so great to me. They have given me my own key to the house and even a bike (which is a hot commodity in Denmark). I am loving the simple things about being back in Denmark.... Little Danish lessons with my family. Walking to the store and cooking with my mom. Having coffee in the living room with my dad. Searching for an apartment with my sister. And most of all, enjoying blue skies and 70 degree weather!

I am sad to report that the two apartment options I thought I had did not work out, but that just means there is something else out there better for me. Anders told me..."of course you stay here as long as you need to, until you find the right fit." So it makes me feel good that I won't be homeless! I just love the loyalty of the Danes. They live quite simple lives, but they hold such a strong loyalty to their friends and family.

I know I am exactly where I am meant to be right now. And that is such a great feeling! :)

en hyggelig eventyr

When I left Copenhagen in May of 2010, I just felt like I wasn't finished. I hadn't gotten to explore all the places that I had intended. I never got to have my picnic in King's Garden. I was getting around the city like a true Dane. I finally learned that you have to go to the grocery store almost every day. My relationships were growing and I felt like I was in the best place I had ever been in my life.

It was not until after I got home that I realized how much I really missed Copenhagen. I missed the fact that every day was an adventure. It sounds odd, but I feel like I am wired to be in an international community, whether it is living abroad or befriending foreigners in America. I decided to help out with the international students at Elon last fall, so I could still feel internationally connected. It was this experience that confirmed my feelings that international education may be the career path for me.

The rest of this story has formed like a puzzle, each little piece coming together to work out perfectly. I decided to apply for an internship at the school where I studied in Copenhagen, the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. I won't go into all the details in between, but I got an interview for the Housing & Student Affairs position, and found out on February 24th that I got the job!! Not many college grads can say they got their dream job right after college....but this is honestly a dream come true! One of my friends asked me the other day, if I could live ANYWHERE right now..where would it be? My immediate answer was Copenhagen.

It was fate that I was to move back to Copenhagen. Not only because I love the city and the people, but also because it would be the ideal stepping stone toward a career in international education. So here I sit, on July 14, just a mere three days away from moving day! I cannot believe it is finally here.

So let me say thank you to everyone who has supported me in this new adventure. I can't thank everyone enough for all the love and encouragement I have received. So follow me now on "en hyggelig eventyr"--a pleasant adventure :)

its a busy, busy life.

I sit here, in Mcewen School of Communications-my second home-and study for my last final of the semester.

Wow.

I am 5 months away from graduating from college. Now that is a hard pill to swallow. Yet I find myself more and more excited everyday for what lies ahead. Perhaps going back to Denmark, moving to Europe with Sarah Nierste, or relocating to the windy city of Chicago with Carolyn. Who knows where I will actually end up, but I know wherever I go it will be the start to an amazing new chapter in my life.

Never thought I would say this, but I am ready for real life. I am ready for a big girl job. With a big girl apartment. In a big girl city. On a big girl salary. It's true. Real life is coming and I cannot WAIT.

I want to highlight some of the awesome things of the semester on my next posts. A montage of senior year memories, if you will.

memories.

Well, tomorrow marks the beginning of October. *enter my favorite month EVER*

October is filled with fun and surprises around every corner. Every weekend is full of plans with friends and family and I am SO excited for this month to begin. Here is a short run down of my plans for October:
October 1-3 Parents Weekend
October 8-10 Beach Retreat (I have to give a senior talk this year...eek!)
October 15-19 Fall break trip to NYC with Helen and the amazing Turner Family
October 22-24 Homecoming! Yay alumni!
October 27 My 22nd Birthday! Wow...I'm getting old.
October 28-30 Chaperone the Atlanta trip with the freshmen Communication Fellows
October 31 Experience the craziness that is UNC Franklin Street on Halloween

Despite the fact that October holds much promise, senior year has already proven great times. Quick snapshot:

-Being hypnotized by Tom Deluca at one of the welcome back events by the Student Union Board
-Getting to know the amazing international students at Elon this year, who have named me "international mom"
-Playing BINGO with the international students and being the first out of 200 people to get BINGO, which came with a prize of chips and salsa *they know me too well*
-Having awesome Bible studies of Isaiah with my amazing small group, Naps with Nehemiah
-Planning out our senior CRUISE for Spring Break
-Getting a baller group, Mack Communications, for my Strategic Campaigns course
-Having random dance parties in Little Gray
-Lunch with the Communications Advisory Board, network network network
-Finding gems at the thrift store for the 90s party

-Studying notecards with Carolyn for loooong hours for media law
-Supporting an AOII sister with leukemia through various fundraisers with all of my sisters

-Getting a visit from one of my great friends, Suz, who lived in Denmark with me


Sadly, an Elon freshmen passed away last week when she collapsed on her way to class and then died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. It is such a sad story, but reminds us all that life is precious. No matter how insignificant the day may seem, it is another day alive. Another day to be thankful for everything that you have been given. Another day to live to the fullest, because life is precious and full of great memories.

senior year.

Holy shenanigans, today is my last day of summer before SENIOR YEAR OF COLLEGE, therefore, my last technical day of "summer" ever in my life. Wow. This is my best hand sign for 2011.

The start of senior year has been awesome! I got back to Elon on Wednesday to immediately start helping with the international student orientation. After my experience abroad, I knew I wanted to get more involved with the international community at Elon and I got the opportunity to help with their initial orientation into the University. There are students from Kenya, Ghana, Syria, China, Switzerland, Sweden, Poland, Spain, Italy, Canada, and even Afghanistan. It was so awesome getting to know them and it made me feel like I was still abroad :)

Little Gray is finally complete! Victoria and I are still living here and we added two of our best friends and suite mates from sophomore year, Lauren and Sarah. I am so blessed to have always had such great living arrangements and I am so excited about our house this year!

So with only 3 classes, meaning 12 hours that begin at 10:30 at the earliest, here is to sleeping in and senior year!

eat pray love.

It's all the hype now. The book, turned movie, is definitely a hot topic with the recent movie release. So with the recent excitement, I decided I should finally read the book, which has been recommended to me by several of my friends for a couple years now.

SERIOUSLY, READ IT!!!

Literally, I have connected with this book. It sounds weird, but I feel as though her journey is almost identical to my recent self-reflection (sans all the meditation and yogic theology). After spending 4 months abroad, I can appreciate her travel diaries and self discoveries so much more. There is honestly something about being abroad that brings about a new reflection.

Being in Denmark and traveling around Europe taught me SO much. Not only did it teach me more about the world in which we live, but it taught me so much more about myself. I notice the changes in myself so much more now that I'm back in my own environment.

Maybe it is being a senior in college and really thinking about where I want to go and what I want to do with the rest of my life as well. All I know is I have been thinking about a lot of things lately and I find it so ironic that I am reading this book at the same time. So maybe I'm not crazy with all of my thoughts and this is a sign that it is just another stage of my life.

What a divine sign it is.

august.

Sunday morning arrives, I check my phone and what do I see......AUGUST 1, 2010. WHOA, WHAT?! It's August???

Maybe some of you had similar reactions to mine when you woke up to find that the summer months are quickly coming to an end. I literally feel like I left Denmark yesterday, much less two months ago.

This summer has been quite monotonous compared to my crazy four months abroad, but enjoyable nonetheless. I have kept my days busy livin' in my sweet maroon polo as a tour guide in the Elon Office of Admissions which brings fun stories everyday. I love meeting perspective students and families and talking about how much I love Elon.

People always ask me, why did you choose Elon? If you could do it all over again, would you? Honestly, I can answer this with a big YES! I have had sooo many amazing experiences at Elon and I know a lot of them wouldn't have been possible unless I had attended this University. From my internship experience, to study abroad, to my service learning class, to going to LA for "class" my freshmen year, it really has been unforgettable.

I never thought I would say these words, but I am so ready for class to start. Yes, yes I know, what student ever wants summer to end? But honestly, I do. I cannot wait to start my senior year, get back into my Elon classes, and see all my friends who I haven't seen since last December!

So the countdown now begins for August 31, the first day of my last year at Elon......*gasp*