Thursday, November 5, 2009
More speed bumbs in the blogging world
So, as it turns out, what was thought to be a hard drive problem turned out to be a problem with the motherboard in my computer. This means I have to send my computer back to the US in order for it to get fixed. Because of this, I will not have steady access to a computer for another couple of weeks. I will do my best to write a blog entry next week from the CBS computer lab but can't make any promises. I apologize for my lack of updates, having no computer tends to complicate things. I will get this site updated at some point before I am back in the states. My next entry, however, may look more like a novel than a blog entry since I have been doing a significant amount of traveling. Hope all is well
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Hello all,
I just wanted to let everybody know that I had a hard drive failure on my computer which is why I have not updated sooner. I am getting a new hard drive shipped over from the US so once everything gets back into working condition I will update with stories from Octoberfest in Munich, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Amsterdam. Hope all is well.
I just wanted to let everybody know that I had a hard drive failure on my computer which is why I have not updated sooner. I am getting a new hard drive shipped over from the US so once everything gets back into working condition I will update with stories from Octoberfest in Munich, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Amsterdam. Hope all is well.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tivoli
As I mentioned in my last post I went to Tivoli on Friday and had a very nice time. While some of the others got the "rides pass" to ride all of the rides I wanted to save the money and just paid the entrance fee. Tivoli is more or less a theme park but caters to all ages. There is a large amount of restaurants, rides for big and small, a concert venue, and several gardens. I did go on one of the rides (you can pay for the rides idividually if you just want to go on one or two) that is easier shown than explained so I put a picture of it on my photo album. It was pretty amazing; you could see the whole city while swinging around and holding on for dear life.
On Saturday ten of us went to a park that had both both regular soccer fields and a couple "box soccer courts" if you will. If you are familiar with indoor soccer it is very similar to that except it's outside. Its an oval shaped court about a quater the size of a normal soccer field and has walls. Saturday night we went to an area called Vesterbro which is the old meatpacking district. When we left we got turned around and walked about 30 minutes in the wrong directions. Needless to say we got home a little later than planned.
I went on my first mini trip a couple weekends ago to Malmo, Sweden which is about 45 minutes away. Little known fact: there is a bridge that connects Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. It was a pretty rainy and gloomy day but we still had fun. A shopping center in Malmo sends a bus to Copenhagen every Saturday for less than what the train would cost. The only catch is that the bus takes you to a shopping mall which is not really anywhere near the center of the city and it goes back to Copenhagen at 1:00pm so you only have a couple of hours. We had to first figure out which way the city center was and then which bus would take us there. Several busses later we finally made it. It was a fun adventure. The girls we were with wanted to go shopping (what a surprise) and the guys were more inclined to explore so we split up and met back with them later in the afternoon. We found a nice park and a casino that looked more like a Country Club than a casino in terms of its cozy look and lack of flashing lights and signs. The city is obviously much smaller than Copenhagen but the architecture was pretty similar. We didn't make it back to the bus in time (not that we even tried to) so we took the train home.
While the Danish life and culture is more similar to the US than some other countries I have started to notice more differences. The kids (ages 5-15) seem much more independant and somewhat more mature than in the US. Its not unusual to see a couple 6 year olds walking by themselves in the middle of the city. Even though Copenhagen is much safer than other big cities, I get the impression that parents have instilled a sense of maturity in their childen that is different from the US. Just the other day I saw a boy no older than 6 walk onto the metro by himself on his way to school. And the stigma about Americans being loud...it's true for the most part. When people talk here it is just that, talking not yelling. I am having fun finding the little differences now that the big I was noticing when I first got here have passed over.
Mom, you asked for style differences so I figured I would post here so everyone can see. The most noticeable one is that most people dress up more than in the US. Not so much suits and ties, but more business casual. As I write this in the CBS library I see mostly jeans with button up shirts, sweaters, and polos. Tshirts are rarely worn by themselves. The jeans people wear are pretty different too. Mostly straight leg jeans and tapered jeans for both men and women. It definately took some getting used seeing all the guys which skinnier jeans on. No baggy jeans. Tights are very popular for women and most people men and women wear scarves when it's chilly out. One of the styles that I find very strange is that of teenagers (boys and girls) tucking their jeans or whatever pants they are wearing into their socks.
So I have talked several times about how a friend of mine has learned to love averican foods and now it's my turn. I have a new found love for falafals. While I know this is not danish, middle easterners have little stands everywhere that sell them and I can't get enough. What's funny is that I didn't even know I was eating a chickpea patty the first couple of times i ate it. I just figured it was some sort of meat.
Well I should probably get caught up on reading before class tomorrow so I will let you go. I started a new album called Copenhagen 2 so you don't have to scroll through old photos. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
Coop
http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
On Saturday ten of us went to a park that had both both regular soccer fields and a couple "box soccer courts" if you will. If you are familiar with indoor soccer it is very similar to that except it's outside. Its an oval shaped court about a quater the size of a normal soccer field and has walls. Saturday night we went to an area called Vesterbro which is the old meatpacking district. When we left we got turned around and walked about 30 minutes in the wrong directions. Needless to say we got home a little later than planned.
I went on my first mini trip a couple weekends ago to Malmo, Sweden which is about 45 minutes away. Little known fact: there is a bridge that connects Copenhagen, Denmark to Malmo, Sweden. It was a pretty rainy and gloomy day but we still had fun. A shopping center in Malmo sends a bus to Copenhagen every Saturday for less than what the train would cost. The only catch is that the bus takes you to a shopping mall which is not really anywhere near the center of the city and it goes back to Copenhagen at 1:00pm so you only have a couple of hours. We had to first figure out which way the city center was and then which bus would take us there. Several busses later we finally made it. It was a fun adventure. The girls we were with wanted to go shopping (what a surprise) and the guys were more inclined to explore so we split up and met back with them later in the afternoon. We found a nice park and a casino that looked more like a Country Club than a casino in terms of its cozy look and lack of flashing lights and signs. The city is obviously much smaller than Copenhagen but the architecture was pretty similar. We didn't make it back to the bus in time (not that we even tried to) so we took the train home.
While the Danish life and culture is more similar to the US than some other countries I have started to notice more differences. The kids (ages 5-15) seem much more independant and somewhat more mature than in the US. Its not unusual to see a couple 6 year olds walking by themselves in the middle of the city. Even though Copenhagen is much safer than other big cities, I get the impression that parents have instilled a sense of maturity in their childen that is different from the US. Just the other day I saw a boy no older than 6 walk onto the metro by himself on his way to school. And the stigma about Americans being loud...it's true for the most part. When people talk here it is just that, talking not yelling. I am having fun finding the little differences now that the big I was noticing when I first got here have passed over.
Mom, you asked for style differences so I figured I would post here so everyone can see. The most noticeable one is that most people dress up more than in the US. Not so much suits and ties, but more business casual. As I write this in the CBS library I see mostly jeans with button up shirts, sweaters, and polos. Tshirts are rarely worn by themselves. The jeans people wear are pretty different too. Mostly straight leg jeans and tapered jeans for both men and women. It definately took some getting used seeing all the guys which skinnier jeans on. No baggy jeans. Tights are very popular for women and most people men and women wear scarves when it's chilly out. One of the styles that I find very strange is that of teenagers (boys and girls) tucking their jeans or whatever pants they are wearing into their socks.
So I have talked several times about how a friend of mine has learned to love averican foods and now it's my turn. I have a new found love for falafals. While I know this is not danish, middle easterners have little stands everywhere that sell them and I can't get enough. What's funny is that I didn't even know I was eating a chickpea patty the first couple of times i ate it. I just figured it was some sort of meat.
Well I should probably get caught up on reading before class tomorrow so I will let you go. I started a new album called Copenhagen 2 so you don't have to scroll through old photos. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods.
Coop
http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
Friday, September 18, 2009
Time won't stop flying by
Hi all,
A month in and it feels like just yesterday that I wandered off the plane into a new country, not knowing anybody in the whole continent. I am now the one able to help give directions and some recommendations. Things have definately slowed down compared to the first couple of weeks but still very busy compared to most standards. The weather has been absolutely beautiful; only one day of rain since I have been here. It has rained a couple times late at night and early morning but once the sun comes up the clouds seem to clear out. We have been to the beach several more times since the last time I wrote (I will put up some pictures of us playing American football at the beach) and we go to the King's Garden a lot. It's a park in the middle of the city that is a great place to relax, read, play frisbee, etc. I have not been to any of the museums yet but that is because we are trying to do as much outside as we can before the weather turns cold and rainy in October. Today we are going to Tivoli which has lots of restaurants, a theme park and I am honestly not sure what else since I have not been there yet. I will take pictures and elaborate on my next post. The website is http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-3351.htm if you want more information on it. It's a very big attraction for both tourists and locals alike.
I was able to watch the Colorado State vs Colorado football game online which I am very happy about since CSU won and that has not happened for several years. Wish I could have been able to fly home for the game and fly back when it was over :) In my last post I talked about Mathias from Belgium who had his first PB&J sandwich and couldn't stop eating them. Well to add to that story, one of the guys on my floor from LA had his parents ship him a box of goodies which included some JIF peanut butter because the peanut butter here is subpar. Mathias may have just found one of his favorite foods. He loves JIF and all "american food" which we decided is american because of how it is prepared. Ie: BBQ chicken, fried egg sandwich, PBJ, homemade pizza sandwich. He just loves sandwiches in general. It's pretty entertaining to watch him discover new foods that he never ate in Belgium but seem so mainstream at home.
I finally have my first trip booked for the weekend of September 25; I am going to Munich with some friends from here. I am very excited and cannot wait to finally get some traveling in. I know this is a shorter post than the others but I am leaving for Tivoli here in a few minutes. I will finish the update and add pictures this weekend. I wish everybody a fun and safe weekend.
Coop
A month in and it feels like just yesterday that I wandered off the plane into a new country, not knowing anybody in the whole continent. I am now the one able to help give directions and some recommendations. Things have definately slowed down compared to the first couple of weeks but still very busy compared to most standards. The weather has been absolutely beautiful; only one day of rain since I have been here. It has rained a couple times late at night and early morning but once the sun comes up the clouds seem to clear out. We have been to the beach several more times since the last time I wrote (I will put up some pictures of us playing American football at the beach) and we go to the King's Garden a lot. It's a park in the middle of the city that is a great place to relax, read, play frisbee, etc. I have not been to any of the museums yet but that is because we are trying to do as much outside as we can before the weather turns cold and rainy in October. Today we are going to Tivoli which has lots of restaurants, a theme park and I am honestly not sure what else since I have not been there yet. I will take pictures and elaborate on my next post. The website is http://www.tivoli.dk/composite-3351.htm if you want more information on it. It's a very big attraction for both tourists and locals alike.
I was able to watch the Colorado State vs Colorado football game online which I am very happy about since CSU won and that has not happened for several years. Wish I could have been able to fly home for the game and fly back when it was over :) In my last post I talked about Mathias from Belgium who had his first PB&J sandwich and couldn't stop eating them. Well to add to that story, one of the guys on my floor from LA had his parents ship him a box of goodies which included some JIF peanut butter because the peanut butter here is subpar. Mathias may have just found one of his favorite foods. He loves JIF and all "american food" which we decided is american because of how it is prepared. Ie: BBQ chicken, fried egg sandwich, PBJ, homemade pizza sandwich. He just loves sandwiches in general. It's pretty entertaining to watch him discover new foods that he never ate in Belgium but seem so mainstream at home.
I finally have my first trip booked for the weekend of September 25; I am going to Munich with some friends from here. I am very excited and cannot wait to finally get some traveling in. I know this is a shorter post than the others but I am leaving for Tivoli here in a few minutes. I will finish the update and add pictures this weekend. I wish everybody a fun and safe weekend.
Coop
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Almost three weeks in and time is still flying by. I have a feeling the whole semester is going to be like this. I am loving it here more and more everyday. We are still experiencing unusually warm and sunny weather but I think that's about to change. It has definately started to cool off but still very nice.
Last friday we went to what we thought was a circus in a big courtyard at one of the other residences. After watching it, I am not sure if it quite qualifies as a circus. There were 5 or 6 people dressed pretty ordinary putting on a play while doing some acrobatic stuff. I will do my best to explain and I put up a couple pictures which might be the best way to understand. One lady was climbing what looked like two sheets hanging from a window and was twisting and flipping around while holding onto the "sheets." One of the guys climbed a pole and was doing horizontal handstands and another guy was playing a drum. I laugh as I type this because it sounds so bizaare and thats exactly how it was. Not very exciting but we had a good time.
On Saturday we learned about a World's Strongest Man competition that we just HAD to go to. It took us about a half hour to get to the location only to learn it had been cancelled. It really drives me nuts that the internet and websites are very rarely used here, otherwise we may have been able to figure out it was cancelled beforehand. Oh well.
Since everybody is getting settled in we have started talking about and planning trips to visit other parts of Europe. October 30-November 1 CBS has made arrangements with a cruise ship for a 3 days cruise to Oslo. The whole boat is reserved for international students (the first 500 to sign up) if I understand correctly. While we do have to pay for it ourselves we got a really good deal and we feel this could be one of the highlights of the semester. Some friends and I are also talking about going to Prague sometime in November. There is also talk of going to the Netherlands and I may go home with a Belgian friend of mine to Antwerp at some point as well. If anybody has any recommendations please let me know.
I was a couple european friends the other day and I was talking about how I wanted to be able to buy a gallon of milk when the biggest container they have is a liter. One of them said, "You are just used to everything in America being bigger." He was absolutely right. Food portions, washing machines, milk, cars, even text books are bigger in the US. Not necessarily a good or bad thing, just another difference between the US and and Europe.
On monday night a group of us went to see Inglorious Bastards with Brad Pitt. Great movie except for one little problem. Much of the movie is in French and German since it's about a group of American "Nazi Killers." In the US this would not have been a problem since the subtitles would be in English but since the language here is Danish the subtitles were in Danish. I am sure the movie would have been better if I could have understood everything but it was still great nonetheless.
Several of us Americans introduced one of the guys, Mathias, from Belgium to his first PB&J sandwich and his reaction was great. He absolutely loved it. The very next day we was on a mission to find peanut butter and jelly at the store which is not as easy as it sounds here. Only a few stores carry peanut butter.
I had my first real class on Wed and it went well. Most, if not all, of the class is international students, several of which live in the same building as I do. My three other classes are all second quarter classes and don't start for several weeks so for right now I only have class from 12:30 to 3:20 on Wednesdays.
I think I jinxed myself by saying the weather is great as the sky just opened up and started pouring. I think it may be about time to finally invest in a rain jacket and umbrella. I have added more pictures so feel free to check out the album again at http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
I wish everyone a fun and safe weekend. Take care.
Cooper
Last friday we went to what we thought was a circus in a big courtyard at one of the other residences. After watching it, I am not sure if it quite qualifies as a circus. There were 5 or 6 people dressed pretty ordinary putting on a play while doing some acrobatic stuff. I will do my best to explain and I put up a couple pictures which might be the best way to understand. One lady was climbing what looked like two sheets hanging from a window and was twisting and flipping around while holding onto the "sheets." One of the guys climbed a pole and was doing horizontal handstands and another guy was playing a drum. I laugh as I type this because it sounds so bizaare and thats exactly how it was. Not very exciting but we had a good time.
On Saturday we learned about a World's Strongest Man competition that we just HAD to go to. It took us about a half hour to get to the location only to learn it had been cancelled. It really drives me nuts that the internet and websites are very rarely used here, otherwise we may have been able to figure out it was cancelled beforehand. Oh well.
Since everybody is getting settled in we have started talking about and planning trips to visit other parts of Europe. October 30-November 1 CBS has made arrangements with a cruise ship for a 3 days cruise to Oslo. The whole boat is reserved for international students (the first 500 to sign up) if I understand correctly. While we do have to pay for it ourselves we got a really good deal and we feel this could be one of the highlights of the semester. Some friends and I are also talking about going to Prague sometime in November. There is also talk of going to the Netherlands and I may go home with a Belgian friend of mine to Antwerp at some point as well. If anybody has any recommendations please let me know.
I was a couple european friends the other day and I was talking about how I wanted to be able to buy a gallon of milk when the biggest container they have is a liter. One of them said, "You are just used to everything in America being bigger." He was absolutely right. Food portions, washing machines, milk, cars, even text books are bigger in the US. Not necessarily a good or bad thing, just another difference between the US and and Europe.
On monday night a group of us went to see Inglorious Bastards with Brad Pitt. Great movie except for one little problem. Much of the movie is in French and German since it's about a group of American "Nazi Killers." In the US this would not have been a problem since the subtitles would be in English but since the language here is Danish the subtitles were in Danish. I am sure the movie would have been better if I could have understood everything but it was still great nonetheless.
Several of us Americans introduced one of the guys, Mathias, from Belgium to his first PB&J sandwich and his reaction was great. He absolutely loved it. The very next day we was on a mission to find peanut butter and jelly at the store which is not as easy as it sounds here. Only a few stores carry peanut butter.
I had my first real class on Wed and it went well. Most, if not all, of the class is international students, several of which live in the same building as I do. My three other classes are all second quarter classes and don't start for several weeks so for right now I only have class from 12:30 to 3:20 on Wednesdays.
I think I jinxed myself by saying the weather is great as the sky just opened up and started pouring. I think it may be about time to finally invest in a rain jacket and umbrella. I have added more pictures so feel free to check out the album again at http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
I wish everyone a fun and safe weekend. Take care.
Cooper
Friday, August 28, 2009
Two weeks into the adventure Aug 28, 2009
I wasn't sure how I felt about starting a blog but realized it would probably much easier than writing many different emails. Well, here I am two weeks in and it has been a blur. I am sure that since I waited so long to start this I will be forgetting some stuff but I will do my best.
I left Denver International Airport at 11:30am on Friday August 14. After stops in DC and Zurich, Switzerland I arrived in Copenhagen at 12:30pm on Saturday the 15th. I remember having many emotions when I arrived; relieved to be out of the cramped airplane, excitement of being in a new country, nervousness of being in a new country. I was assigned a buddy to pick me up from the airport, Henrik, who is a Danish student at Copenhagen Business School. Immediately after leaving the airport we went straight to a soccer game between Copenhagen and Aarhus (another city in Denmark). Henrik is from Aarhus so we were with that team's fans and let me tell you, soccer fans are extremely loyal to their teams and love to sing and chant for their team. Aarhus won 1 to 0. After the game the Aarhus fans had to remain in the stadium for 20 minutes to avoid any problems with the Copenhagen fans, and luckily there were none.
The first week in Copenhagen involved lots of getting situated and meeting new people, and trying to adjust the best that I could. It helped that there were many people in the same situation as me. The building I live in is in the heart of the city which is exactly what I was looking for. There is only one toilet and one shower per floor of about 10 people (male and female) so this could be a problem if people need to shower at the same time. The biggest issue with the building is that there are only two small washers and two dryers (neither one of which seem to work) for the whole building (40 people) and it costs the equivalent of $6 for each load. But on a more positive note, I am about 50 yards from a nice canal that is great to hang out at and watch boats go by. There is one other residence one street over but other than that all the other international students live closer to CBS (Copenhagen Business School). Even though I am further away, it is still only 3 subway stops away.
I have met many different people from all over the world and "groups" have already been forming. The guys I hang out with most are from San Diego, Switzerland, Belgium, North Carolina, Italy, and France. The other day we went to the beach and taught the Europeans how to play American football. It was strange having friends my age that didn't really know how to play football. Just shows how different cultures can be. They also have jellyfish here but interestingly they don't sting; you can hold them in your and they feel just like Jello. We have also been doing lots of exploring the city and going out at night. Bars and clubs don't close till the wee hours of the morning (5-6am) which is very different from states.
Another thing about Copenhagen that is very obvious once you get here is how expensive everything is. Most things are double the price (no exaggeration) of what I would pay in Fort Collins.
Everybody in Copenhagen seems to be thin and I attribute this to the fact that they bike and walk everywhere. When rush hour comes along there are masses of people on foot and bikes, not so much with cars. The public transportation is great so there is no need to have a car.
Because I am so far away from home and everything is so different here I do feel the effects of culture shock and minor home sickness when I am by myself in my room but when I am out doing stuff and hanging out with my new friends I have been having a great time. I have started an online picture album at http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
The weather here has been absolutely perfect, 60's and 70's with sun everyday. Everybody says this is very unusual and once fall and winter come around it will get much more gloomy so we are trying to do as many outdoor activities as possible.
I start class on Wednesday but the way school works is so different from the US. It's really a terrible system. I have one class that is the whole semester and 3 classes that are only second quarter classes. The only thing consistent about my class that starts on Wednesday is that it is on Wednesday throughout the semester. Depending on the week the time and location of the class varies. My second quarter classes are the same way so it's very hard switch around classes because the times vary from week to week so it's easy for classes to overlap each other on some weeks. I am sure everything will work though.
It's lunch time so I must be heading out. If any of you have questions or want more information on one thing or another please do not hesitate to ask. I love getting emails from friends and family. I wish everybody a fun and safe weekend.
Cooper
I left Denver International Airport at 11:30am on Friday August 14. After stops in DC and Zurich, Switzerland I arrived in Copenhagen at 12:30pm on Saturday the 15th. I remember having many emotions when I arrived; relieved to be out of the cramped airplane, excitement of being in a new country, nervousness of being in a new country. I was assigned a buddy to pick me up from the airport, Henrik, who is a Danish student at Copenhagen Business School. Immediately after leaving the airport we went straight to a soccer game between Copenhagen and Aarhus (another city in Denmark). Henrik is from Aarhus so we were with that team's fans and let me tell you, soccer fans are extremely loyal to their teams and love to sing and chant for their team. Aarhus won 1 to 0. After the game the Aarhus fans had to remain in the stadium for 20 minutes to avoid any problems with the Copenhagen fans, and luckily there were none.
The first week in Copenhagen involved lots of getting situated and meeting new people, and trying to adjust the best that I could. It helped that there were many people in the same situation as me. The building I live in is in the heart of the city which is exactly what I was looking for. There is only one toilet and one shower per floor of about 10 people (male and female) so this could be a problem if people need to shower at the same time. The biggest issue with the building is that there are only two small washers and two dryers (neither one of which seem to work) for the whole building (40 people) and it costs the equivalent of $6 for each load. But on a more positive note, I am about 50 yards from a nice canal that is great to hang out at and watch boats go by. There is one other residence one street over but other than that all the other international students live closer to CBS (Copenhagen Business School). Even though I am further away, it is still only 3 subway stops away.
I have met many different people from all over the world and "groups" have already been forming. The guys I hang out with most are from San Diego, Switzerland, Belgium, North Carolina, Italy, and France. The other day we went to the beach and taught the Europeans how to play American football. It was strange having friends my age that didn't really know how to play football. Just shows how different cultures can be. They also have jellyfish here but interestingly they don't sting; you can hold them in your and they feel just like Jello. We have also been doing lots of exploring the city and going out at night. Bars and clubs don't close till the wee hours of the morning (5-6am) which is very different from states.
Another thing about Copenhagen that is very obvious once you get here is how expensive everything is. Most things are double the price (no exaggeration) of what I would pay in Fort Collins.
Everybody in Copenhagen seems to be thin and I attribute this to the fact that they bike and walk everywhere. When rush hour comes along there are masses of people on foot and bikes, not so much with cars. The public transportation is great so there is no need to have a car.
Because I am so far away from home and everything is so different here I do feel the effects of culture shock and minor home sickness when I am by myself in my room but when I am out doing stuff and hanging out with my new friends I have been having a great time. I have started an online picture album at http://picasaweb.google.com/cliggett86
The weather here has been absolutely perfect, 60's and 70's with sun everyday. Everybody says this is very unusual and once fall and winter come around it will get much more gloomy so we are trying to do as many outdoor activities as possible.
I start class on Wednesday but the way school works is so different from the US. It's really a terrible system. I have one class that is the whole semester and 3 classes that are only second quarter classes. The only thing consistent about my class that starts on Wednesday is that it is on Wednesday throughout the semester. Depending on the week the time and location of the class varies. My second quarter classes are the same way so it's very hard switch around classes because the times vary from week to week so it's easy for classes to overlap each other on some weeks. I am sure everything will work though.
It's lunch time so I must be heading out. If any of you have questions or want more information on one thing or another please do not hesitate to ask. I love getting emails from friends and family. I wish everybody a fun and safe weekend.
Cooper
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