Being in a host family has countless perks; here I’m only going to focus on the degree of access to Denmark that I get as a homestay student. Of course my host family knows the area well, but they also are enthusiastic about suggesting excursions that are right up my alley. Most recently, we hopped in the car for a trip out to the Forest Tower, a perfect intersection of my love of nature and engineered structures, and Møns Klint, which proved even more beautiful than pictures could ever demonstrate.
The Forest Tower was a 45-minute ride out of Copenhagen by car, and then a 3-km round trip hike to the top of the tower and back. We got there right as it opened, so we were the first people down the path (and the first people up to the top of the tower)! Walking on the wooden path through the trees amidst the ferns and moss was magical — the fall colors, slightly overcast weather, and vestiges of last night’s rain combined in such a way that pictures cannot quite capture.
Once we reached the Forest Tower, we started up the spiraling ramp, climbing above the dappled orange-yellow-green canopy into the crisp air heavy with the promise of more rain. At the top, we could see for miles (sorry… force of habit. Kilometers). The topmost ring of the tower also had little plaques that pointed the direction and distance of other European capitals (including Copenhagen!), which was very helpful for contextualizing the distances between places in Europe.
Then it was on to the chalk cliffs of Møns Klint. Unfortunately, the previous week’s storm had damaged the stairs from the main visitor center, but we were able to park at the lighthouse 6 kilometers south and make our way along the coast as the cliffs climbed up from the beach alongside us.
I’m so glad we were able to visit Møns Klint before it got too cold (or rainy!). It was cool to see how the chalk breaks off the cliffside and weathers into smooth round forms; it’s still pure chalk and thus very malleable… it also gets everywhere, but of course washes off easily. Embedded within the chalk were layers of flint, too — it was fascinating to see how flint was distributed in an uneven layer (unlike what I’m used to in sedimentary rock forms) and to find the shattered fragments on the beach (I can see why early tools relied on flint for durability and sharpness).
The beach also held a few more hidden gems: amber can wash up on the beach (we didn’t find any), and so can fossilized octopus tentacles (we found so many).
Another benefit of being a homestay student is the DIS-sponsored “Hygge Dinners” available to every host student once per semester. Students can apply to receive funding from DIS to plan a dinner (or similar event) with other homestay students (and of course their host families as well!). So far, I’ve been fortunate to attend three of these such events, and I plan on hosting my own Hygge Dinner later this month!
The first homestay dinner I was a part of stemmed from one of my fellow homestay student’s overwhelming longing for the taste of Chipotle — as you may (or may not) know, there are no Chipotle restaurants in Denmark, and his cilantro-lime craving for a build-your-own burrito bar had gone unanswered for too long. Thus, he recruited me and a few of his fellow homestay students to create the perfect, Chipotle-accurate burritos.
I was responsible for the guacamole and salsa. (Side note: this picture is pre-pico-de-gallo production, since the bowl of tomatoes is clearly lacking the red onion, pineapple, and jalapeño). Of the 6 of us present, everyone had a role in the kitchen, from the cilantro-lime rice “expert” to the nominated DJ that kept us in the proper party headspace. I ended up tackling the seasoning and cooking of the various meats as well, but I believe my main contribution was the guacamole — it may have been the best one I’ve ever made! (The secret is to add a pinch of creativity and a dash of “might-as-well”)
More recently, another homestay student decided to host a Halloween-Hygge Evening, complete with snacks, costumes, and a classic Halloween movie. However, the star of the show was an hour-long 5-person trivia showdown on Jackbox’s Trivia Murder Party. The windy wet weather outside kept us feeling cozy and insulated inside, but our competitive spirits were not damped in the slightest.
For the last hurrah of the spirit of Spooky Season, we joined yet another homestay student for pumpkin-shaped pizza making and some games. I made a jack-o’-lantern, while some other spooky shapes showed up in others’ creations. We at sugar cookies and played some more Trivia Murder Party and Quiplash, before settling in for a not-so-quick game(s) of Egyptian Ratscrew. This was my first time learning of this card game, but it may be my new favorite game that only relied on playing cards.
While this isn’t quite a hygge dinner, I wanted to add this anecdote right at the end of this post: I recently had a day where my evening class ended sooner than expected, so I returned home (unexpectedly) in time for dinner, and it just so happened that my host brother had invited some friends over to make home-made tomato soup and garlic-buttery grilled cheeses. I didn’t want to intrude on their event, but he invited me into the group without a second thought and, oh man, was it delicious. (And, even though the meal itself was phenomenal, I still think my favorite part of that evening was meeting the new faces and being folded into the rest of the group seamlessly.)
I feel so close with both my host family and my fellow homestay friends, which is a big change from my feelings the first month. I think I’ve “settled in” and found a group of people who match my vibe and share in my interests (even if we’re all so wildly different). These casual Hygge Dinners really capture the almost-effortless enjoyment of being around good people (and good food!) where time flies and no one wants to head home… despite having an 8:30am class the next morning!
Ingenthron, abroad. 
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