On the contrary, last weekend was relaxing.
I hung out at home on Friday, and then on Saturday, after successfully making gingerbread cookies, I had a bunch of friends from SLU over for dinner. My host family was at a birthday party, so we had the house to ourselves. I cooked frikadeller for the first time (YAY) and we made pasta and salad. 
For dessert we ate and decorated some Christmas cookies! It was so nice to have a little Christmas party, something I always do at SLU, in a Danish context. Not only did we eat Danish food, but we also enjoyed good company in a very hygge-fied environment. On Sunday of last weekend, my host parents had their annual Christmas party in their carport! It was really nice to meet some more of the neighbors while we enjoyed various treats including æbleskiver
(a cake-like donut that is eaten with jam and sugar) and 7 liters of homemade gløgg (warm, spiced wine). One of the neighbors is a visiting family to a DIS student, meaning they sponsor a student living in a Kollegium. Emily, their student from Vancouver, was really nice and it was great to have someone to chat with at the party and they invited me for a traditional Danish Christmas dinner afterwards. (I have now officially lost count of how many Christmas dinners I have had, and although they are amazing, I feel like if I eat another one or especially anymore potatoes, I’m going to turn into one!) This past week, I attended my last classes at DIS on Monday and Tuesday. I had no finals until this week, a blessing and curse,
so I spent last week trying to get some studying in, organizing to start packing, and visiting some last minute sites. Grandma's birthday, 79!, was on Tuesday, so I had ANOTHER amazing dinner at their house. Like me, Grandma loves sweets so I brought her a bunch of the Christmas cookies I had made. I was so surprised though, because at her dinner, she and grandpa gave me a gorgeous necklace! I was shocked and honored as well, it was so nice of them especially after all that they have done for me! Now I wish I had gotten them something a little nicer for Christmas...On Thursday,
some friends and I decided to visit the Carlsberg factory. While I am not the biggest fan of beer, Carlsberg has such a huge presence in Denmark that I would feel that I missed out if I didn't go. 
While we arrived a little late and had to rush through the exhibits in order to make it to the bar for our free drinks (2 free beers or sodas!) before it closed, it was still really interesting to walk through the old factory and learn a little bit about how Carlsberg has evolved and how beer is made. On Friday, my host family made me a traditional Danish lunch, of open faced sandwiches with…various toppings. We had one with curried herring, smoked herring, salmon, and eel. Yes, eel. It was actually quite good although watching it be cleaned was disgusting. We topped the whole thing off with some snaps.
This past weekend was another attempt at cramming as much studying in as possible, while also doing things with my family. On Saturday, which turned out to be sunny (YAY, I was worried I wouldn’t see the sun before I left Denmark) I said goodbye to my rollerksiing group in the morning and met Inger and Bent for lunch at Sophienholm, a cute restaurant on the lake.
After visiting a local bakery, St. Peders, as I think I am the only DIS student to have never been there, I had my first two exams today. Not only am I exhausted but my hand physically hurts from all the writing! I can’t believe I only have two more days here. Tomorrow will be my last day in Copenhagen as my train-card expires. So I will take an exam, hopefully do some last minute shopping, attend closing ceremonies and say goodbye to my friend Christine before heading home and out of Copenhagen for good. :(
Wednesday will be a day full of packing as I attempt to fit everything back in my bags and under the weight limit. I think Inger and Bent will make my favorite burger-type beef thing for dinner on my last night, and then we have a full morning on Thursday. Inger is taking the day off and I think we’re going to run around the lake before heading to the grandparents and finally get to the airport around 11:15.
Right now, I’m stuck in the middle. I can’t believe its over and I don’t want it to be, but I’m ready to go. At the same time, I am fully exhausted. It feels like I am psychologically and physically dragging my heels as I try to absorb as much as I can of this place so I will remember everything about it. It’s time to say goodbye, and I know I’m ready, I’m just not totally sure I want to be.
The biggest thing is that it is another change. Leaving Denmark, just like coming here, is like starting all over again.
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