OCT 14-20

REFLECTIONS BACK IN CPH

I am experiencing fall colors for the first time. Now, this is actually not true because I definitely did see fall colors back in Korea, but I strangely don’t remember anything about it. I remember showering multiple times a day from the sticky, sweltering summer, making snowmen during winter to return home all wet, and watching the flowers bloom during springtime, but I don’t have any particular memories of autumn. So I guess this is my first autumn?

It’s really weird how the season just changed all of a sudden when I got back from my travel week. The air felt crisper and colder and if the colors of the leaves felt soft last time, now they feel more…vivid (it could really just be my imagination and my cognitive illusion playing tricks on me). I felt very disoriented to be back, but also very happy. Trying to return to the whole groove of Copenhagen was definitely a little rough, but I actually missed this little city! I missed cooking for myself, sleeping in my own bed, being in the company of gentle people, seeing the whoosh of the bikes, and being small in this strangely quiet city. I never thought I would consider the Fifth Floor or even Copenhagen to be my home, but there was this release of tension when I stepped foot in my apartment upon arrival to the familiar warmth and coziness that is our slanted rooftop floor. It is a feeling that is definitely none like another and also incomparable to my home back in Yorba Linda or my home in Claremont. But it’s this inexplicable feeling of homieness and familiarity that brings comfort. Overall, just extremely happy to be back (because traveling can be a lot!).

KØBENHOUNDS

On Friday, Ella invited the Københounds for an evening of hygge and dinner at her place because her host family was gone for a week (or 2?). She made us lentil stew with eggplant and zucchini, baked potatoes and cauliflower, and amazing avocado goat cheese cabbage salad oh my it was a FEAST (and I feel like I’ve never had a healthier meal) !!!!!

We played BS, spoons, listened to some good tunes and shared stories from our travel week. Then we had a jamming session. Ella brought out her guitar and we sang some good tunes. She also shared a song she wrote (she’s on Soundcloud everyone!!!). It was a very wholesome night. An evening of much needed healing, I would say.

This past weekend, Hanan’s friend Emiley (Emily but spelled like Smiley!) from home came to visit, so I joined in their excursion a few times to do some ~ touristy ~ things. I visited Louisiana for the second time (because I am a member now and I get in for free #humble-flex 😤😤). The walk to Louisiana was absolutely beautiful and very very different from the last time I was there when it was still summery.

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They had changed all the exhibitions except one: Generation Wealth. This particular exhibit highlighted wealth in relation to beauty, homes, crimes, celebrities, and sex. There was a video I didn’t finish last time I was there, but this time I got to see the whole thing. It shared stories of women who would spend extreme amounts of money to undergo extreme plastic surgeries, hyper-sexualization of young girls in pageants and competitions, and media’s portrayal on standards of beauty. Although this was my second time seeing this exhibition, I still had a very visceral reaction and felt sick the whole time. So many photographs were disturbing and really difficult to digest. Seeing people’s testimonies of tragedies from greed, stories of unfathomable amount of wealth passed on for generations, abused privilege and power all gathered in 3 big rooms made me feel strange. It was also really strange because most of the narratives originated from America and I was an American student seeing this disturbing American exhibition at a Danish museum with other Danes. Yikes.

On Sunday, Hanan, Hannah, and I went to Bæst, a pizza restaurant, before Emiley’s flight. It’s apparently really famous and ranked as one of the top 3 pizza restaurants in the EU or something (?). They make their own cheese and grow their own veggies though, so I gotta give them props. I am not sure if I can say their pizza is hands down the best pizza I have ever tasted (because I somehow remember this Caesar’s cheese pizza I had as an 11 year old to be the best pizza I ever had), BUT their dough was amazing and their mozarrella was SO GOOD. Accompanying Emiley during her stay was really fun. She is such a personable, hilarious individual, and it was nice to relate to another Korean friend. I might have become attached to her a little too quickly given that she was only here for 2 full days. 😦

AND FORWARD

I am looking forward to a lot of things. I have my independent travel week starting this Saturday, so I will be flying to Amsterdam to see Noah, my good friend from Pomona (hype hype !!!!!). We are taking the train and the bus through Belgium, then making a stop at his hometown Lille, then ending the week in Paris. I am looking forward to my mom’s birthday (the 22nd of October!! which is also Jiwon’s birthday!) because it gives me an excuse to call her on a Tuesday. I am excited to pick my classes for my next semester and piece my life together at Pomona. I am excited to make more discoveries in the city before I leave for good. I am excited to make, rekindle, and continue friendships here and back at home.

The sun sets so early now. It gets dark before 7 and I am scared this is only the beginning of the grim, dark days… But it’s okay! Everything is going to be okay.

Until next time,

Eileen