While studying abroad in Copenhagen last year, I always said the hardest thing to get used to was grocery shopping.

Stepping into that grocery store was intimidating, to say the least. It’s hard enough that everything is in a different language, but the types of products, arrangement, pricing, and even social interaction that takes place in the grocery store are so radically different that, despite how much I’ve traveled, foreign grocery stores still make me pause with foreign unease.

It wasn’t just Copenhagen, either. In fact, grocery shopping in Tokyo was much more difficult, for obvious linguistic reasons. But on the other end of the spectrum, even visiting a convenience store in London, or closer to home, even New York City can be a shockingly unfamiliar experience for someone like myself, who’s grown up in rural America and moved to Washington, D.C.–a city that is, well, remarkably unique. Sure, there’s no language barrier, but there’s still that odd feeling of unfamiliarity. I remember the first time I walked into a Duane Reade–it felt exactly like walking into a 7-eleven in Japan, a Netto in Copenhagen, or a Sainsbury’s in London.

Now the only reason I write all this is because this morning I got that very same feeling walking into a Rite-Aid here in Crystal City.

I walked in and was suddenly stunned by that odd feeling of out-of-place-ness. That feeling you get when you go in a place that you expect to feel comfortable, normal, and consistent, but instead are confronted with an environment radically different from your own–like walking into a foreign grocery store.

There’s nothing particularly remarkable about this Rite-Aid that I can pin this feeling on. The products were the same, the prices no different. Even the layout was remarkably similar to most of the CVS’s and Rite-Aids around the District. Perhaps it was my mood, my state of mind at the time, or my imagination still lost in the book I was reading on the metro.

There’s really not all that much I have to say tonight. In general, I try to restrain from posting entries that don’t have a focus, or an idea really pushing them forward. To me, I feel like writing about my everyday life is–while not necessarily mundane–just a repeat of what you can see on Twitter (@alexpriest) and Facebook.

That said, I felt the need to say something about just how amazing it is to bike in the rain.

So how amazing is it? Really, really amazing.

My love affair with biking in the rain began in Copenhagen and well, it started out as a love/hate relationship. Sure, it felt kind of nice in September 2009, but as soon as it started getting colder (ya know, like the third week of September…) it wasn’t quite as nice. And sometimes it just wasn’t convenient to get all wet whenever I needed to be somewhere and, well, look decent.

But I soon got over that. After biking in Copenhagen for a few weeks, you get used to the rain and the clouds and biking in the dark on winding city streets. You get used to wearing water-resistant clothing and drying out quickly (even using bathroom hand dryers, if absolutely necessary!). And you get used to everyone else being soggy and out of breath from pedaling through the storm, too. It’s just part of life.

Once I got past that, I started to realize just how beautiful a city can be in a rain storm. It’s not always about the sun, or blue skies, or being able to see miles and miles. Sometimes it’s nice to just appreciate the calm and the overwhelming monotony of the rain, drowning out traffic noise, voices, trains, planes, you name it. Sometimes it’s nice to bike along and get absolutely soaked, like I did today, and just enjoy it. You learn to let go and get over it, realizing that there are so many worse conditions to be in than soggy.

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That is, from Washington, D.C., capital of the United States of America, to Copenhagen, capital of Denmark, and back.

And really, it’s kind of like from capital (D.C.) to capital (Copenhagen) to capital (London) to capital (Copenhagen) to capital (Stockholm, Sweden) to capital (Helsinki, Finland) to capital (Brussels, Belgium) to capital (Paris, France) to capital (Dublin, Ireland)… and well, you get the point.

It’s been a long journey. And a fun, exciting, exhilarating one. But one I’ll certainly never regret, nor ever forget.

As we drove down Interstate 66 on Saturday morning, coming up into the District, I began to get that sort of rush that I usually get when I make my way into a big city. If you’re from a big city you won’t understand it, but after spending my entire childhood in a small town, it’s a totally different experience. When you see the lanes widen, the traffic thicken, and the city skyline appear off in the distance, your heart starts beating faster, your mind races, you think of all the potential and opportunity and excitement a city offers that you just can’t really get in rural America (most of the time).

I got that feeling when I arrived in Copenhagen for the first time, too, but it vanished pretty quickly. By the end, Copenhagen began feeling more like the medium-sized city it really is. It’s a fine, fantastic city, but to me at least, it still doesn’t quite match the grand manner-style sheer power that a city like Washington, D.C., New York City, or even London exudes.

Being back in D.C. is a surreal feeling. In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that I was leaving to study abroad. In others, it feels like it’s been years since I’ve stepped foot in the city. The differences between D.C. and Copenhagen are remarkable: people are friendlier here, drivers more aggressive, stores bigger, sidewalks more crowded, bikes totally absent.

The food is better.

In many ways, I even think D.C. is a cleaner city. There’s less graffiti, no glass in the sidewalks (one of the advantages of open-container laws), and less run-down buildings–especially in my neighborhood (northwest D.C.).

It’s younger: a baby-aged city when compared to Copenhagen’s 1000+ year history. But despite it’s young age, I’m in awe of the history that has transpired here. The documents enclosed in our museums; the histories transcribed in our archives; the art, science and knowledge held in our museum vaults — they never cease to amaze me. Copenhagen’s history is fascinating in it’s own right, but it’s ancient history. Modern Danish events lack the passion and excitement of American history. In many ways they’ve moved slowly through the past century, changing passively only in reaction to the world around them, whereas the U.S.–while not always first–changes rapidly, dramatically and often only after fierce debate and struggle.

I’m not saying either one is better than the other–just observations.

The politics–oh the politics. It’s hard to draw a more radical comparison than Copenhagen and Washington. Washington is full of fiery debate, heated rhetoric, flaming insults and scandal. Copenhagen is… silent. Politics seem almost an afterthought in a city that is focused on living “happily”, enjoying their “hygge” and consuming copious amounts of alcohol. It’s not, really–politics play a key role in Copenhagen just as they do in any capital city–it’s just quieter. Changes are less dramatic (for the most part) and less controversial. With a strictly consensus-based political system, and seven political parties that lay incredibly close to each other on the political spectrum, people simply agree more in Denmark.

I’ll be honest, it didn’t get my blood flowing like politics here in D.C. do. One evening at the birthday party of my good friend Laura Bryson (who is starting an excellent blog as part of her New Year’s resolutions), for example, a fellow DIS student and I argued American politics for well over three hours. It was a heated, yet civil, debate, and ridiculous fun. In stark contrast, the most heated debates I’ve seen over Danish politics regard their immigration policy. Even there, most debates end with one side simply being labeled racist and the other “demanding” reform. Feebly.

I learned a lot in Copenhagen. I experienced a country that only a lucky few get to experience. I opted for an experience a little outside the norm, something more out of the way and unexpected than London, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo or Beijing. Denmark is a fascinating little country and Copenhagen is a fascinating little city. It’s got a lot to love (especially if you can get past the terrible weather). It’s not perfect, and to be honest I can’t see myself ever living there, but it was a fantastic experience.

I’m going to miss it.

But D.C. is just another adventure. I’ve lived here for two years already, but I am far, far from scratching the surface of what the city has to offer. Tack this on for another New Year’s resolution: I pledge to experience this city like I experienced Copenhagen. I will take advantage of all it has to offer at every possible opportunity. I want to know the people, the streets, the neighborhoods, the museums and libraries. The events, festivals, restaurants, bars and clubs. I want to see it from every perspective in every season. I want to learn its history and its hidden gems.

I’m glad to be back. Here’s to a great semester. Skål!

That’s me. When it comes to blog posting, at least.

I apologize for the total lack of updates lately–it’s a busy life! Sunday I traveled safely back to the U.S., and I’m now back home in Kentucky for a little while. Unfortunately, I’m also a little sick.

I’m doing my best to balance some relaxation with some work, but it’s hard when there is so much to do! Because of that, I’m not going to finish my “series” on “What I’ll Miss”, because I can just easily tell you quickly now and be done with it. No sense looking back, anyway. The final four things I’ll miss from Denmark are:

4. Traveling (not exactly in Copenhagen, but facilitated by my location)
3. Biking
2. Climate Activism (this may very well have changed my life, we’ll see)
1. The People!

Anyway, I’ve got a lot to do over the next couple weeks. Not only do I have Christmas, New Years and traveling to do, but I’ve got the annual career center NYC site visit trip (more on that when it gets closer) and several applications, etc. to complete.

ALSO, I will soon be moving my blog to a different service, probably WordPress. Please bear with me as I make the transition, tweaking and adjusting along the way. Blog posts might also be a little more scarce in the next few weeks, but I’ll do my best to pick it back up at the beginning of the semester.

So just FYI, more later.

Once again, I’m not about to give you a play-by-play recap of tonight’s events on here. For that, you can read my twitter. But I will tell a little bit about what I’ve been doing for the past 24 hours or so, and my thoughts on what’s next for the movement.

Today was a ridiculous day, and a day I will–without a doubt–remember for the rest of my life. Not only did we have the DIS closing ceremony, which made me re-realize how much I’m going to miss all the wonderful friends I’ve made here, but I spent the entire afternoon and evening (until about 2am) in the tcktcktck Fresh Air Center volunteering, manning the door and tweeting my brains out as fast as I can for all the breaking info that came out of tonight.

Which brings me to the title of this post. Derailing.

There’s no doubt that our ideal train to a sustainable future has totally derailed. (And, in a more personal sense, so has my blog posting–I’ll be finishing up my “Things I’ll Miss” list on Sunday as I travel, most likely.) But this isn’t over.

After the announcement of the Copenhagen “Accord” by President Obama this evening, the room was, to put it mildly, absolutely furious. But we aren’t done yet.

This train may have derailed a bit tonight, but we will not give up. We are mad, we are unsatisfied, and more than anything we are disappointed in our leadership. But we aren’t about to throw in the towel.

In the past 24 hours I’ve been working alongside the most incredible people in the entire environmental movement. Bloggers, journalists, columnists, organizers–even the famous faces of our movement like Naomi Klein and Bill McKibben. I’ve been working with people blogging, writing, tweeting and representing organizations like tcktcktck, Oxfam and Greenpeace. I’ve learned from them, I’ve seen them do their magic, and I’ve even tried to jump in and play a role by tweeting, blogging, passing on information and taking care of a lot of the behind-the-scenes work at the Fresh Air Center, so they can keep this movement alive.

I saw it in the room tonight–people are pissed off and sick of cold, dreary Denmark already, but they’re ready to keep fighting and keep moving. These past few months have brought the environmental movement closer together and made it stronger and more resilient than ever before.

Mr. Obama, world leaders, those in opposition to our cause, I say this–be ready. Step it up. We’re changing this game.

If you won’t save the world by yourselves, we’ll push you until you have to. Every time you turn around, we’ll be demonstrating. We’ll be rallying. We’ll be shouting and screaming at you, holding vigils, fasting for weeks on end. We’ll be standing in the cold at all hours of the night, making you listen to us. This problem isn’t going away, and neither are we. It’s taken me a while to get involved in this movement. But I’m here now, I’m inspired, I’m motivated and I’m here to stay.