This week has been a stressful one, no doubt, but almost all of my stresses are behind me now. I have 91 hours until my plane departs from Copenhagen and I'm debating the best way to make the most of my time left in Odense. Everything was lush and beautiful and breezy when I first arrived; I remember being so relieved to be away from the heat and humidity. Now I look out the window and I'm mesmerized for different reasons. I witnessed the first few flakes of snow yesterday around 7:45am. By noon, there was at least nine inches of snow on the ground and it continued to fall throughout the night. The forest, lake, and the fields were plush instead of lush. When Krista and Leah first suggested going out and playing in the snow, I instinctively said I would observe from the patio. I usually don't enjoy the cold and I always seem to be the first one to suffer, but this snow was so gentle and pretty that I couldn't resist. We ran out into the field and Leah plopped right down and made a snow angel. I wasn't going to go that far, but I did throw a few snowballs. It was a good time.

Snow always has a downside, however, and this time it came just as I needed to get to the university to take my Welfare Studies exam. For the past month, I have debated whether or not I wanted to drop this class, since I have already acquired all the credits necessary for maintaining my scholarship. The better half of my conscience got to me and I decided to take the exam after all. I put my boots on this morning and trudged to the bus stop an hour and a half before my oral examination was scheduled to begin. The weather was a chilly, chilly 11 degrees fahrenheit. I waited for the bus for 35 minutes before a lady came along and told me that some routes had been cancelled and others had been delayed because of the snow. Walking was out of the question, since the university is more than seven kilometers by foot. I suppose this was a sign that I wasn't meant to take my Welfare final. Oh wellll.

Last Thursday was my Scandinavian Modern History exam, and it was very gratifying. The process of examinations in Denmark is very formal. There are several proctors that patrol the room and prepare it before the students enter. You are required to sign your cell phone in at a desk near the doors. Each seat has several envelopes and a stack of carbon paper. The proctors come around and examine your identification card and then you can begin. We had four hours and the use of our books, notes, and laptops to answer two questions. We were required to write on the carbon paper so the university would have multiple copies of our answers, then we put them into color-coded envelopes, and finally we had to have a proctor initial what we had submitted. Then we got a receipt! It was such a great relief to be done!

Our history professor hosted a dinner for the students later that evening, and it was so enjoyable. It really broke the cultural boundaries that the Danes are known to impose on foreign visitors. We took a bus to the countryside and then walked a few kilometers along a gravel and dirt path. The air reeked strongly of manure. It was almost impossible to adapt, but somehow I had to admit it was an essential part of the country charm. Axel's house was nothing short of rustic glamour. He had converted an old barn and stables into a house that reflected the needs and personality of his family. It had a sauna, a loft, a separate apartment for their daughters, and ample entertaining space. He and his wife served the most wonderful food: sausages, bacon, sirloin, halibut, trout, ham, oranges, grapes, among many other items I already forget. It was similar to eating at a Brazilian steakhouse. Perhaps he had overestimated our drinking abilities, but he had more wine than any group our size could handle. I enjoyed the dinner and the conversation very much. I got to know my classmates on a much different level and it made me sad to think that it would probably be the last time I would see most of them.

I spent the rest of my weekend preparing a fifteen-page literature paper. I have the worst tendency to procrastinate, so I ended up writing up until 5:38am the morning it was due. Leah and I had decided to forgo the trip to Rome on the account of a severe lack of funds, which ended up being a wise choice in regards to writing this paper. I would rather see Rome at a steady pace rather than lumping all of the magnificent sites into one day. Now I have another excuse to come back to Europe someday. I still have Rome, Greece, and Ireland.

Many of the exchange students have already said their goodbyes and made their way home. It's a sobering fact to know that I will most likely never see them again. To think that you spend the most electric four months of your life with people who are also far from home, also working hard in your classes, also celebrating with you on weekends. And then the moment comes that they are gone from your life forever, with the exception of Facebook. I can't help but be sad these last few days. I look around and I remind myself to take it all in because time is fleeting. Yet sometimes I find myself wishing the hours away so that I can be home, indulging in all the wonders of driving, good food, unclogged showers, and midterms. Yes, I miss midterms. Home is finally tangible. However, this time last week, I was very much looking forward to the moment my plane touched down in Columbus. But now, not so much. I won't get to see the person I was expecting to see. And that's slightly heartbreaking because I've been looking forward to home for four months. I should be used to disappointment by now, but that just goes against human nature; you're always expecting things will turn out for the best. Oh well, at least I'll have Bob Evans and Christmas day to mellow out, since we don't do anything on Christmas anyway. Woooo.