The Scarlet & Black

The Independent Student News Site of Grinnell College

The Scarlet & Black

The Scarlet & Black

Day in the life: Sydney McClendon ’16

DITL - Contributed

6:55 a.m.—Wake up to yelling. Realize it’s my host parents having a (very phlegmy, typically Danish) conversation. Mentally give up on learning Danish and roll back over.

8:15 a.m.—Head to the chicken coop to grab eggs for breakfast because, yes, we have six chickens in the middle of the city. 

9:17 a.m.—Start sprinting because I’m late for the train. Again.

9:19 a.m.—Slide into my seat sweating profusely. Mentally check exercise off to-do list.

10:58 a.m.—Finish documentary about why Denmark is the happiest country in the world … for the 500th time. But seriously, these people are doing it right: free education and healthcare, plus paid maternity leave. Don’t forget 50 percent income taxes.

12:15 p.m.—Realize it’s Wednesday and St. Pedars is selling cinnamon rolls the size of my head for two dollars. Forcibly drag Madeleine there with me.

12:32 p.m.—Crying tears of joy because they just pulled out fresh rolls. Promise myself to stop eating so much bread tomorrow. Yeah, right.

2:45 p.m.—Meet the crew at the Living Room for coffee to start planning our trip to Prague and Vienna/indulge my new coffee obsession.

2:51 p.m.—Sip my coffee while trying to understand why I spent the first 20 years of my life un-caffeinated.

4:56 p.m.—Almost get hit by a bike on my way home. Get a weird look for apologizing before remembering Danes don’t say sorry.

5:58 p.m.—Skeptically eye the fish eggs my host mom serves us at dinner. Try them and realize I’ve been living my entire life wrong. Other random things I’ve tried here? Pig liver and wild boar. Yum.

7:03 p.m.—Roll into volleyball. Pretend for the next two hours I understand Danish. S/O GCVB.

7:49 p.m.—Sigh with relief when I’m not the last one picked for our scrimmage. It’s elementary school gym class all over again.

9:08 p.m.—My phone buzzes. Tamar wants to go out. Moral dilemma ensues: homework or wine?

9:11 p.m.—Buzz. Tamar again: “WE’RE IN EUROPE.” Point taken.

10:16 p.m.—Get to Mikkellers (ranked #3 in the best breweries in the world). Try every possible sample they’ll give us.

2:18 a.m.—Make it onto the train at the end of the night, hot dog in hand.

2:25 a.m.—zZzZz on the train

2:47 a.m.—Wake up in Sweden by accident. Just kidding, but this does happen to people. Get off the train at Roskilde.

3:03 a.m.—Goodni…

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
Donate to The Scarlet & Black
$0
$500
Contributed
Our Goal

Comments (0)

All The Scarlet & Black Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *