First day in the heat!

OK, I guess keeping silent for so long after arriving isn't fair, but as you can imagine with shopping for a whole flat while fighting jet lag and trying to get used to 40 degrees is a little tiring. So... Where to start... Just from the beginning maybe? :)

After a long night of cleaning everything in my Copenhagen flat, I left for the airport with Sis and mom at 8 AM, with a 18 hour trip ahead of me. Copenhagen-Paris was 2 hours with Air France, nice and easy. After a short layover I had Paris-Atlanta, which took 10 hours - considering that I was surrounded by 5 kids under the age of 5 I guess it was pretty peaceful. ;) With a cracked back I got out in the Atlanta heat, and continued an hour later for Tucson with a 3,5 hour flight. And yes, I was hammered when I got out - 8 PM local time, 5 AM in my head.

Through the Uni I had arrange an airport pickup, which I was of course extremely thankful for! Not having to worry about finding my way was just priceless, though in this case for free. :) The guy took me around a McDonalds for a meal, and then straight to where I live now - La Aldea (see recent post). I found my room looking pretty neet, and when pretty much straight to bed with my travel sheet and pillow. Thought Id sleep in, but instead I woke up at 5 AM, my biological clock telling me that it was so absolutely not time to sleep anymore. Sigh... Exhausted yet unable to sleep. Frustrating. I managed to get settled in a little more, while waiting for the dorm office to open, so I could check in properly. In the meantime I borrowed some bread from one of my roommates who already moved in, and when she woke up, she also provided me with an apple and a nice chat on our balcony (yes, we have a balcony!). During the morning I also bumped into Sagan, one of my American roomies. Seems very nice.

My new camera.

At 9AM I went for the office, and got a bunch of informational stuff with me back. Plus the key to my mailbox, where I to my joy could find a slip notifying me that a package had arrived. I ordered it for myself as a moving-in present; a new camera... I hope I can manage not to break this one! Oh, and I did get an insurance that covers if (read: when) I drop it somewhere... ;) Nice, isn't it?? ------->

So... After getting some directions in the office, I went for some shopping. I figured I could walk, since its only like 2,5 km, but half way in the burning sun I just had enough. I capitulated and took the bus for a few minutes to reach the supermarket. But hey - then another thing to tick off the to-do list: "Figure out the public transportation system". :) The busses are called "Sun Trans", and they're pretty cheap; I payed 3$ (= 2€ = 15 DKK) for a day pass. But the again, the busses do not go that often, so it might be useful to time according to the schedules. Oh, and I learned that the bus stop is an excellent way of meeting people - I managed to end up in a conversation with a 30-something woman, who asked if the "airflow" system on my back pack works, and then a 60-year old man who joined the discussion when the woman needed info about something I asked about - probably the weather!

Gatherings after 1st round of shopping!

Oh how convenient 1$ stores can be when you are staying for somewhere for a few months and just need a lot of necessary things in a cheap quality! I found such a shop next to the market, and managed to spend 33$ (so 33 items I suppose) - really useful! And then to the supermarket (American style, so pretty big - (for the Danes: like Bilka basically, though more Americanized!)). A lot of money spent, but again with really nice results. So I fought my way back to the bus and the dorm, and unpacked everything on my bed - as you can see to the left. Many good buys... Maybe even happiest for the oat meal (= havregryn) that I managed to find! I might be here for new experiences, but I DO appreciate my "normal" breakfast! :)

When I returned home I had the pleasure of meeting my second American roomate, Kristen, who will be studying pharmacy. Another cool thing is that she basically brought a whole kitchen full of kitchen ware (pots, pans, knifes, plates, etc. etc., and she doesn't mind sharing, so I dont have to worry about kitchen supplies! Really great girl - we hung out all evening, taking her car to Target, which is somewhat like Ikea, with cheap furniture and stuff. Without the car and Kristen I don't know what I would have done - I got so many great things, which I would never have been able to carry home! So afterwards I invited her to dinner in Chilis, a rather typical American restaurant. After carrying AAAAALL my new stuff to my room I started putting things in place. Especially my bedding was a challenge, but with some American expertise on my side, I managed. Its quite fancy, actually... :p

First pic with my new camera - the mountains! 

So all in all a very shopping- and icebreaking efficient day! Really enjoyed spending time with Kristen, and getting settled in my new home. Oh and I better answer your questions about the heat: Yes, it is ridiculously hot! Inside of course its ridiculously cold, because the go amok with the air condition, but well... Maybe Ill see the logic one day! Actually one more pic I wanna put here, but a little off topic is the view of the mountains surrounding the city. So beautiful!

A little though about the room: Instead of showing you a lot of pics, I was thinking about making a little video clip to show you around... How does that sound? :p

Now I really have to go to sleep, can barely keep my eyes open! So for todays challenges etc you'll have to wait a bit longer! :)