Prologue - From Colorado to Copenhagen

Hi everyone! My name is Frazer Lockhart.

fig. 1: me

I live in Evergreen, Colorado with my fantastic family...

fig. 2: the fam

...and more than usually with my incredible girlfriend, Cortney.

fig. 3: yeah, that's pretty normal for us.

However, in approximately 24 hours my life will change drastically. At approximately 4:50 PM tomorrow I will get on a plane, fly to Copenhagen, Denmark... and live there for four months.

Now, I know what you're thinking: "Why are you doing that?" or "How did you settle on Copenhagen of all places?" or--probably far more likely--"Who's that guy with the goatee and the glasses?" Fair questions, all. The story goes thusly:

I am a twenty year old aspiring filmmaker attending school at the University of Denver (DU), and I love every minute of it. However, after two years of college, campus is staring to look pretty familiar. One of the great things about DU is its spectacular study abroad program. So, I--like many DU students--decided to embrace the wanderlust brewing inside me and study

abroad the first semester of my Junior year.

The trouble was, I didn't really know where to go. There's a whole great big world out there to explore, and it has long been my dream to see it all, ever adventuring onward toward the looming horizon. Which, of course, made picking a country to call home for a while next to impossible. I was picky; I wanted an interesting and unusual place with friendly people that I wouldn't otherwise get to. Then, out of nowhere, came the answer.

It was perfect. Copenhagen is rumored to be the happiest city in the world, and it is easy to understand why. The city is a perfect blend of culture and history and the people are both down to earth and welcoming. Plus, I really like herring. And danishes (see right).

So here I sit, several months later, filled with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and spontaneously placed twinges of a profound sadness. The thing is, I've never really done anything like this before. I've traveled a lot to many beautiful places around the globe, but I've never remained there long enough to call someplace home. I was born and raised in Colorado where I remain to this day, and my love of it has prevented me from even considering dwelling elsewhere. Perhaps more importantly, Colorado is also home to many of the people I hold nearest and dearest to my heart, most prominently my family and girlfriend (see above). The thought of living without them seems strangely forlorn.

Yet the excitement I am feeling practically overwhelms me. Adventure looms in the distance and I intend to embrace it with the wild gusto of a turn-of-the-century explorer. To be honest, I don't really know what to expect. And, truthfully, that excites me even more.

So, to paraphrase Bill Bryson, what follows is not--cannot possibly be--a systematic portrait of Denmark. Mostly I intend to write about the little things that fill my day (whatever they may be), as I have learned time and time again that it really is the little things that count. The primary function of this blog is, well, to be a blog--to share my thoughts and experiences while abroad with the world. I hope that you all enjoy it as much as I do.

And with that, I'm off. Wish me luck, and I'll keep you posted.

Herring Ahoy,

Frazer