Hej!
So this has been a very...interesting week. The United States Presidential Election happened. I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the results. There is a myriad of reasons why they were disappointing to me, but the one positive that I see coming from all of this is that so many people have responded by taking a stand of solidarity, and overall making it their mission to love. People fight and disagree about so many things, and it’s so easy to let a spirit of divisiveness into our communities. But I think we can all agree that love and family is the most important thing in the world. When I first came to Denmark to study abroad, I wanted to see how I could find those things here in this country. So Iet’s take a look at where I found them this week in Copenhagen. So this past Monday, as I’ve been doing most Mondays this semester, I went to a dinner/bible study at the ICC Church House. It’s so nice to have a good, small community of people that I can share a meal with every Monday. We can get so busy sometimes, and we all might have hectic weeks ahead of us, but this is a time when we can all sit down and just enjoy each other’s company for a little bit. We’re not all DIS students, so this is the only regular time I see many people in this group, so I’m really glad that when we all get there, the first thing we do is eat together and catch up. There are always candles lit which makes a nice atmosphere. Participating in a bible study abroad is also really cool because we are all such different people. We are a range of ages, from a range of different countries, and a lot of different backgrounds. But we are all united in our faith and a love of Jesus Christ, and that connection is powerful and amazing. I know that it’s much easier to notice the ways that people are different from us, because differences stand out. It’s much more incredible, however, to think about the ways we are the same, the things that connect us in spite of our differences. I have this connection to people I couldn’t have even imagined myself meeting just a few months ago. After our time here, we are going to go in so many different directions. Yet we have shared meals together. We have talked about our faiths, and our understanding of God in our lives. And we will forever be connected by four months together in Copenhagen. There was nothing extra special about our time this past Monday, but this week I’ve really reflected on how much I like spending my Monday evenings this way. I’ve made good friends, eaten good food, and learned many things. The semester is quickly coming to a close, and I only have a few Mondays left of the semester. I’m looking forward to making them count. I’ve also been talking a lot with friends, both here and back home. The nice thing about being in a study abroad program with other American students is that when hard things happen back home, you know where to find other people who understand exactly how you’re feeling. The entire time I’ve been here people have been asking about the presidential election. Non-Americans are interested, not only because of the media circus this election has been, but because the results do impact people outside of the United States. Still, it’s a little bit tiring talking to Danes about it. I feel like I’ve had to be able to explain my own political views, explain and defend why we had the candidates we did, and give a lesson on American politics and how things work. With my fellow American friends, however, I know if they ask me about the election, they are really just asking how I’m doing and offering support if I need it. This week I’ve been really glad to have other American students abroad with me. I’ve also been really glad that modern technology allows me to keep in contact with my friends from home as well. I’ve gotten to talk with friends and send one another messages of love. I also finalized plans this week for visiting my best friend later this month, which I am so excited for. She’s studying abroad in Edinburgh, so I can’t wait to share my Scotland adventures with you guys. I’m so grateful that I have such amazing friends. I’m glad that I made new ones while studying abroad. Building a support network with other study abroad students is so important when you go abroad. My fellow study abroad classmates are the only ones who understand what it’s like to be in a foreign country during Fall of 2016, and those are the people to turn to when you don’t want to explain yourself or justify your feelings - you just want to be. There are definitely both pros and cons to studying abroad in a school for only students from American colleges, but I think I’m pretty glad for it right now. If I were to describe this week as having a theme, it would definitely be family. Of course I talked a lot with my mom and my sister after the results of the election. Despite the bucket of crazy that’s probably awaiting me when I get back to the States, a large part of me can’t wait to be home just so I can see my mom. I miss curling up on her bed and invading her personal space. Thank God for Facetime, because I’ve had the chance to talk to her as face to face as you can get while being on two separate continents, and it’s been awesome. She even got to say hello to two out of three of my host siblings. When I wasn’t talking with my family at home, I was experiencing being a part of my family here in Denmark. I’ve had a couple of good conversations with my host parents, talking about all sorts of things. I’ve played a lot with my host siblings. Three year old Ellinor likes to come into my room, turn off all the lights, and play hide-and-seek. There aren’t really many places to hide in my room, and she literally hides in the same exact spot every time, but she really enjoys it and her reaction every time I find her makes it a lot of fun for me as well. Yesterday in particular was a good day for experiencing “hygge” with family and friends as I went with my host family to two different birthday parties. The first was for a six year old boy, a friend of the family. After eating some food and cake we went to the skate park to run around on our scooters, bikes, and roller blades. I raced Ingrid (and lost) and Ellinor showed me how fun it is to go down the ramp while sitting on the scooter instead of standing. It was really fun, adults and kids skating around just goofing off. After that birthday we went to another one for my host dad’s cousin. I got to meet a lot of family, although there were too many of them for me to remember everybody. But everyone was really kind, and I got to play a few games with the other young adults that were there, including Disney Trivial Pursuit (my team lost, but only because we were holding back to give the other teams a chance to win, obviously). Yesterday was a really long day, but it was so much fun. It was a day that focused on the things that matter - laughter, playing, friends, family, good food, good conversation. Those have always been the most important things to me, and now more than ever I want to focus on them. At the end of the day, this is what I want to take with me from my time here in Denmark. At the end of the day, that’s what I want to find at home. That’s what I want to give to other people. Now it’s approaching Thanksgiving season. I’m happy to say that I know exactly what I have to be thankful for. Until next time, Vi ses!
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Hej! It's been a little while since I've posted. It's also been a pretty busy point in the semester, and I may have found it a little overwhelming (this is partially a me problem, as I tend to stress out over things that there is no need to stress out about). But you know that period in the school year where all of your teachers decide to make all of their big assignments/tests due generally around the same time, and you're basically eating, sleeping, and breathing school work? Yeah, this is that point in the semester. Honestly, it's not as bad as that probably made it sound. I love that DIS classes are actually involved and engaging. However, by the time I finished with my documentary film midterm last Friday, all I wanted was a week long nap. And guess what? That's exactly what I got! One of the best things about DIS is that there are four built in breaks from the normal class schedule. I've already written about the first two - Core Course Week and Long Study Tour 1. I am currently in the middle of Long Study Tour 2. Those who didn't travel with their class during the last break are doing so now, and many of those who have are out exploring Europe through their own personal travels. I have DIS friends currently in Vienna, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, and so many other places. It's so amazing that as study abroad students we have the opportunity to explore Europe much more easily and more cheaply than we could from the US. At the same time, I think it's important for people, especially prospective students, to know that you don't have to travel during every break. I've been in Copenhagen all week, and I am very satisfied with my decision to stay here. Sometimes what you really need is a week of rest. While traveling across Europe is a lot of fun, I wouldn't call it restful. I needed a mental checkout, and this travel break was the perfect opportunity for that. It was also the perfect opportunity to explore a little more of Denmark at my own pace. I got to hang out with one of my friends from DIS, and when we weren't making Swedish pancakes (which are basically crepes), we were out visiting all of the museums we hadn't had a chance to visit so far. My favorite? The Louisiana! The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a really popular museum to visit in Denmark, and after going I understand why. The collections in there are so incredible and really unique. The museum is beautiful, both inside and out, with a really nice sculpture garden. And there is this amazing view outside as well. Here, I'll let the pictures do the talking. As this week comes to a close, I'm spending the rest of my time just relaxing with my host family. It's really nice. I feel more rested and better prepared for these last few weeks of classes (as prepared as anyone ever is for school, anyway). I'm hoping I'm done with this case of writer's block that I've been dealing with lately, and that I'll get back to updating a little more frequently than I have been. But remember, everybody needs a break sometimes. I'm glad that DIS has given me the chance to take one. It's also alright if you don't have the money or time or desire to travel as much as your other study abroad classmates. Take the time to discover more of the amazing place that you're at. I'm pretty glad I did.
Vi ses! Hej! It feels like it's been a while since I last posted, but that's probably because I've been busy having fun in London for the past week! That's right, I went with my CMC class on our Long Study Tour to London, England, and it was absolutely incredible. The great thing about Long Study Tour is that it's a great mix of enriching, relevant visits related to our course, and also time to just explore the wonderful city of London. We packed so much into this week, so I'll try to stick to a few key parts. This post might be a long one, so I hope you enjoy it! The Language So, just in case any of you were wondering, in England, people speak English. The signs are in English. The menus are in English. The little British children speak English. It was so refreshing to be back in a country where everything is in my native language. I love the opportunity to learn and get better at Danish, but even though the UK is not the same as the United States, this little aspect made it feel like being home again. The Food One of my favorite things about this trip was just how well we ate. When you’re on a college student budget, most of your meals are pretty simple and quite repetitive. When you travel with DIS, however, they really go all out for you. Here's just a few of my favorite places DIS paid for us to eat at - if you're in London and looking for some good dining, definitely check these places out: 1. Tas Restaurant - For dinner the first night we ate at a Turkish restaurant. We got to try a lot of different appetizers, including some delicious hummus, and then a really nice main course. If you’ve never tried Turkish food, I’d highly recommend it. 2. The English Restaurant - We had a really nice three course meal, and I would go all the way back to London just to eat the amazing risotto I had. I tried bread pudding for the first time for dessert, and it was really good. It was also cool because we had our own little room upstairs booked just for us. We might’ve left Denmark for the week, but that meal was very ‘hyggeligt.’ 3. Fortnum & Mason - Definitely the best meal, and one of the best parts about the trip was high tea at Fortnum & Mason. I’m not even a big tea person, but everything was so beautiful and tasted delicious. A very fancy presentation, and despite the fact that we were just eating finger sandwiches and scones, we all were so full. Nothing is more British than afternoon tea in London! 4. Desserts - Obviously dessert is one of the most important food groups, and London had a great variety to satisfy my sweet tooth. From warm brownies to knickerbocker glories, from mini cheesecakes to gelato, everything I had was so good. The coolest was probably this ice cream place called Four Winters, where they make their ice cream with seasonal ingredients and liquid nitrogen! Watching the process was cool, and the end result was delicious too! It should also be mentioned that all of the places we went out to eat at were amazing at accommodating any and all eating restrictions. We had some vegetarians, gluten free people, and people with dairy allergies on our trip, and they were always able to eat as well as the rest of us. DIS and all the restaurants took care of us very well. The Shows I think my absolute favorite part about the London trip was going to see shows. I love theater, and on Tuesday I got to go to the Globe Theatre, which was a cool experience. We saw Imogen, a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. I had honestly never heard of Cymbeline before, and I wondered how well I’d follow and enjoy Imogen. I needn’t have worried. It was such a great show. It was kind of a mix between Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and King Lear, and the modern setting created elements of fun and humor. The cast was talented and incredibly diverse, which I loved. One of the actors was even deaf, and though I couldn’t understand everything he said, I loved watching him sign on stage. I’m so glad we got to go as a group and see this show. I also went with Vivian, one of the girls in the class, to go see The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime at the Gielgud Theatre. An incredible show - I would recommend it a thousand times over. The stage design is amazing, and they use it in a way that for me gives an incredible insight into what a person with autism’s mind is like. Funny and heartwarming, I am so glad that I decided to go see this show. Whether in London, New York, or anywhere else, if you have the chance to go and see this show, do it. You will not regret it! CMC Site Visits Of course, part of going on a long study tour is to do things related to your core course. In a child development course it’s all about children, and our first visit was to the V&A Museum of Childhood. It’s a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the UK’s museum of applied arts. It was cool too see, and included a toy gallery with toys from across the years, an exhibit of children's clothes, a history of games and more. Melissa and I even found an old version of chutes and ladders and decided to sit down for a game Our group also split to visit two different nursery schools, and my group visited the Holmewood Nursery School. I thought it was a really great site. The children are two and three years old, and they do lots of fun and creative activities dictated by their own interests. The school was also very diverse, with kids not only from a variety of racial backgrounds, but also different first languages, kids with different physical and/or developmental disabilities. It was very different from my experience of schools in Denmark. I think my favorite part of that school (besides the kids’ British accents - adorable!) was that the teachers seemed to really know and care about the students as individuals rather than just a group of kids. When the Assistant Head, who was showing us around, would talk about kids from different backgrounds and histories, he always talked about them by name rather than by some ability, and during the tour he interacted with the kids as he passed them. It was great to see, and I think it was my favorite CMC site on this trip. We also went to Greater London Authority to talk with members of the Education and Youth sector of the mayor’s office. We talked with the Peer Outreach Group, a group of amazing young people helping to create change and affect policy in London. The work they do absolutely amazing. They help and empower youth, and they give them a real voice, actually bringing youth concerns to the mayor. It was a very inspiring talk, and I’m looking forward to digging more into the programs they talked about and how I can bring some of that back with me to the States. Touristy things So what do you do when you first get into the city, after dropping of your bags to the hotel? You get on the London Eye of course! It’s this really giant ferris wheel, the largest in the world when it was erected, and it gives you an amazing view of the city. It was cool to see the city at night from this view too! I took a walk with another classmate and Lea, one of our tour leaders, through Hyde Park, which was so beautiful and peaceful. There were lots of dogs (a good thing), lots of birds (a not so good thing, in my opinion), and we even got a phone call from Queen Victoria! Other touristy spots included The London Tower, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, and more. Some of us also went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which is huge. We unfortunately did not have time to go inside, but it was still really impressive from the outside. There’s so much to see and do in London, and even though we did a lot, I know there’s so much more that I didn’t have time to do. I will definitely have to come back sometime! This past week was one of the best in my time abroad so far. I love London, and it was so much fun to travel with my class. I think we’re a good group. I love that DIS has travel built into the program, and it’s a huge part of the reason I chose to study abroad here. I can’t wait to hear about everyone else’s travels as well. For now, I’m back in Denmark, and I’m going to enjoy being back at my home away from home.
Vi ses! Hej! So after a month of really amazing weather, something that many Danes have told me is unusual for this time of year, it is officially cold in Denmark. Of course, it probably feels worse to me than it does to all of the natives. This morning my Danish teacher commented on what nice weather we were having today (it was not nice weather, it was cold). But the good part about this time of year is that it's Fall, my favorite season! I can already see the leaves starting to change colors, and warm, delicious soups have started cropping up as part of dinner. It's wonderful! It also means that I get to see some of the Danes' Fall traditions, and my host family introduced me to a fun little one this past weekend. Here Ingrid and I are sifting through fallen leaves to find chestnuts. During the Fall kids will go out collecting them to make little animals with matches and/or toothpicks. My favorite part was probably just stepping on crunchy leaves, because who doesn't love to do that? We went back home to make several giraffes, spiders, and other fun little creations. They're beautiful, no? I'm sure this is only the beginning of the fun traditions my host family will introduce me too. I'm excited to see what a Danish Halloween will look like. How similar or different will it be to what I'm used to back home? I don't have any super special Fall or Halloween traditions that I do every year, but if anyone has any ideas for American Fall traditions I should introduce my host family too, let me know! Vi ses! Hej! Today I had my first Wednesday field study of the semester! Well, technically I had two field studies. The first was for my CMC class, and we went to the Imam Ali Mosque. It was my first time visiting a mosque, and it was a really cool experience. We went on a short tour to look at some of the most important rooms in the building, as well as just learning a lot of more general things about Islam. Then we sat and got a chance to talk with our tour guide, who was actually a Danish Muslim convert. There's a lot I could say about this visit, so I'll just stick with the three things that stuck with me the most: 1. The Architecture and Design The building was honestly extremely beautiful. It wasn't beautiful in an extravagant way, with jewels and sculptures and extra fancy furniture. It was actually quite simple in a lot of ways. I liked that their reasoning for simplicity was so that the focus could be on God and not on material things. Still, the Arabic script, the carpets, it was all just really nice to look at and appreciate. 2. The Inclusivity This mosque is a Muslim place of worship, but that doesn't mean that only Muslims are allowed inside. The mosque doesn't serve just one specific group of Muslims either, such as Iraqi or Turkish only. Instead, it does it's best to serve people from all sorts of backgrounds. The messages are often given in Persian, Arabic, and Danish so that whatever people in the community speak, they will be able to understand. Quran quotes are written both in Arabic and in Danish, so that all Danes can feel welcome in this place. The mosque also allows people, Muslim and non-Muslims alike, to use the buildings for other events . They want it to feel like a space for all people. It was really good to see this example of inclusivity, because people often have the idea that religion and especially Islam are meant to be exclusive, but I believe that true faith invites everyone to participate, no matter who you are or what you believe. 3. Being a Danish Muslim Convert Denmark is a very secular country, despite being labeled a Christian country. Danes also seem to have a struggling relationship with the growing Muslim population in Denmark. Some people have misconceptions about what it means to be a Muslim woman, and when my tour guide, we'll call her Mina, decided to take the veil, people couldn't understand why she would do such a thing. So many people began to treat her differently. Mina told us stories about the years of harassment she faced, and how nobody ever stood up for her. I learned a lot of different things from visiting this mosque, but the most important thing I took away is that it is not okay to be silent when someone else is being mistreated. I'm not Muslim. I don't have to be to see that Muslims deserve to be treated with respect and kindness just as everyone else does. I don't need to be in order to appreciate a mosque and what it being here does for the community. Being Muslim in Denmark may not be easy, but it is definitely beautiful. Of course, this was only the morning. I unfortunately had to leave a little bit early to book it to the destination for my second field study, this one for my Developmental Disorders class. This visit was to the Snoezelhuset, a really interesting place that helps people from a variety of ages with a variety of issues, especially sensory issues. It has four different rooms meant to stimulate senses in different ways, or sometimes to help shut off certain senses for a person who might be overstimulated. We got to go into each of the four rooms and explore a little bit. My explanations probably will not do these rooms justice, but I'll try anyway. Also note that these rooms are arbitrarily numbered, one can go into any of the rooms at any time. Room#1 The first room I went into was playing loud music and was filled with all of these bright colors. There were these tall skinny fish tanks (fake fish) with bubbles that changed color. There was a bed that you could feel the music vibrating through when you laid on it. There were toys and everything. It definitely seemed like a room meant to energize you, but our guide showed us how quickly it could be turned into a relaxing environment by putting on more relaxing music, turning out the lights, and draping these weight blankets on us. It was so relaxing and really cool. Room#2 The next room was the opposite in terms of color. Everything inside the room was black and grey with a little white. We laid on different bean bag type chairs or pillows or cushions, and the lights were turned all the way off. The only light came this small, rainbow colored curtain glowing in the dark. With more blankets draped over us (this one felt like it was filled with little plastic balls), it was so easy to just lay down and relax (and maybe take a quick power nap). This would definitely be a good room to focus on turning off all of the other senses and simply focus on your kinesthetic sense, feeling where you are in space. Definitely a nice and relaxing space. Room#3 This room was a giant ball pit. Need I really say more? Room#4 I forgot to take a picture in this room, but room number four looked like a fancy room at a hotel except better. A giant water bed filled the room, and it was heated, which actually felt really nice. There was also a hammock, which you could be swung in. The room was all white and felt very peaceful. I think that someone with anxiety or stress could really benefit from an hour here, because it's very relaxing in unexpected ways. I'm definitely interested in learning more about these methods. So, that's the Snoezelhuset. It was a very fun experience for me and my classmates, but it was also cool to hear stories about the different ways that just an hour at this place benefited people with brain damage, autism, or different sensory issues in amazing ways. Sometimes it's the simple things we don't think about that could make a big difference. Well, those were my two field studies. I hope reading about them could at least be a tiny fraction as interesting as experiencing them was. I really like the field study aspect of DIS so far, because you get to see really cool places and engage with what you're studying in a new way. I can't wait to tell you about more of my adventures here! Vi ses! |
AuthorOn ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. Part of my heart I'm leaving behind in the United States. Join me as I take the rest on an amazing adventure to Copenhagen, Denmark! ArchivesCategories
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