Back To School.

Hey everyone,

I had my first day of school yesterday, and to be completely honest with you, it wasn't as bad as I thought is was going to be.  I kept thinking to myself that it was going to be a complete disaster, and it really wasn't.  The teachers were really nice, and the students even nicer.  A couple volunteered to help me around the school, gave me a tour and helped me translate some things the teacher said to the class, which I was very happy about.  A few people in the class introduced them selves which was really nice.  Knowing people actually cared about the new exchange student meant a lot.  Others continued on with their day which was understandable.  

The school is very different compared to school's in Canada.  You don't get to pick the courses you attend everyday.  You pick a class, that is more of a "stream" then anything.  You can pick ones focused on science, or math, or language and so on.  All can be very difficult for an exchange student, new to the language like myself.  The classes I attend change from day to day, which can get very confusing.  I just keep my schedule in my back pocket at all time, and check it every so often to know where my next class is.  This year, my classes are the following; Chemistry, Biology, Danish Politics, English, French, Greek Mythology, Danish, and Gym.  Gym and english will be my saviour this year.  I think this is a insane schedule for an exchange student, but I don't want to complain.  It's only my second day!  I'll start complaining and try to drop some courses a couple more months in to the school year.  I've been talking to some other exchange students from my district in Canada and they are in their schools, taking art, photography and things that aren't so heavy on the language, and I envy them.  I hope all of these classes will help me in my learning of the danish language.  As of now, I just need to sit there, trying not to fall asleep while the teacher talks about greek mythology in danish.

I had a little presentation at the rotary club this evening.  I just told a little bit about my self, in english (thank God).  I introduced my self, and told the rotarians where I am going to school and living in Danish, then switched over to english to tell more about myself.  It went fairly well.  This rotary meeting was a lot different then my previous meeting.  We were at a dinner room at a local Brædstrup hotel, it was very nice.  Not to much drinking this time, because each member had to keep track of what they drank and this time they had to pay for it them self, not rotary, so they eased up a lot this time.  Also many were driving home, and last time they were all on their bicycles.  Next wednesday, we are going out to a rotarians summer home for the night and going fishing and having the meeting there.  We are going on bicycles so I expect more relaxed atmosphere then tonight.  I met my 3rd host father, who was introduced as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Brædstrup, and he seems like a very nice man.

Now, I have to make an honest attempt on doing some french homework.  It will probably end with me pulling out my Danish phrase book and looking up "I don't understand" in Danish, so I have something to say to my french teacher tommrow.  I realized that 9 years of french, did me no good at all.  I was so lost.  The teacher just assumed that I was fluent at french, because I am Canadian and she said everyone in Canada is bilingual.  I had to explain that, that isn't true.  She wasn't to pleased.  What can you do.

Vi ses,

Dillon

dillonrahkola@hotmail.com