Well, I have been home for two weeks now; in my tardiness in adding this final post, I am certain that most people have stopped following this blog. That is completely understandable: by now, I have seen probably seen most of the people that have kept up to date on this blog, a series of loving embraces and friendly smiles warming my heart upon my return to the states. However, for those of you who are still reading and are wondering what my final conclusion of my trip will be, this post is for you.
To begin, I will discuss the highlights of the lessons that I have learned since my departure four and a half months ago. These are in no particular order, as they each have had and will continue to have varying levels of influence on my life.
First, my independence has grown immensely, as evidenced first by navigation. I navigated and mastered the Danish public transportation system, the ultimate test being my ability to track and relocate my missing hat. This experience was not without its frustrations (as falling asleep and missing my train stop twice, winding up going the wrong direction on the S-train, and getting ignored by a bus driver evidence) and I certainly am not immune to travel craziness (as electrical and weather problems evidence). I also was successful in planning and navigating my trips to Rome and Malmö, feats that still daunt me even after having completed them once already. A few downright terrifying/amusing events also occurred, including my falling asleep and waking up in a bus barn in Moscow and getting lost in the red light district of Hamburg. Nevertheless, I still have developed significant abilities to find my way around a city.
My independence also increased somewhat in my ability to manage finances. My financial circumstances were simple in that I was working with a fixed amount of money for the entire semester; however, on that fixed quantity, I was able to do all of the trips that I wanted to do, find low-priced souvenirs, and even allow myself some creature comforts such as the occasional pastry. I engaged in many more financial transactions abroad than back home, even beginning the development of being able to recognize foreign coins by feel or size.
Another important lesson has been in security. While abroad, I lived in a fairly constant state of vigilance as I often had to protect myself and my valuables alone. To those of you accustomed to city life, this might not seem like an accomplishment, but my ability to keep a tight grip on my wallet and my camera improved immensely. Through much prior prompting, I even became wary of the police as necessary, especially during my travels in Russia.
Remaining on the topic of security, I also learned that the state of constant state of potential hazard that many public figures feel is not global. In the US, many public figures have contracted guards or other defensive measures in order to prevent attack from a lunatic with a vendetta. In Denmark, politicians and other celebrities seem far less concerned with potential attack, most noticeably with the lack of any mechanical security on the Queen's birthday. When I mentioned this lack of security to my host mom, she said, "Who would want to hurt the queen? That would be horrible!" The optimism, naiveté, or merely homogeneity of thought in Denmark is revealed in that statement.
One more minor lesson that Americans can derive from Europe is moderation. Americans are renowned for doing things bigger in a wide variety of ways: our meals are huge portions, our cars are immense, our daily activities consume more of the earth's resources, and our youth drinking culture encourages heavy drinking. All of these actions, taken to the extreme like we so often do, are simply killing us, whether it be from obesity or poisoning the atmosphere or poisoning ourselves. In Denmark, they have some sense of moderation, and that what resources they do not use will be put to good use by someone else; they believe in perfecting the taste of a dish rather than racking up quantity; and they do not have this binge drinking culture. If we Americans could wake up and smell the (small, organic) coffee, we might not wind up quite so unhealthy or toxic to our environment.
Europeans also have to teach Americans something about compromise. As discussed in the last post, I was immediately struck by the partisanship of political discourse among Americans. As a result of the governmental structure of the European Union, European politics are much less likely to arrive at 50/50 gridlock, largely due to the qualified majority voting in the European Parliament and pluralist political systems of representation. In the EU, this means that member states would rather vote yes on a measure they disagree with so that they can be put in charge of implementing it rather than be left behind without a voice; within the member states, this means that ruling parties can construct coalitions that will consistently support the government's measures. While I am not entirely certain that these systems of legislation are preferable, I do have immense respect for the general European belief that "We are all in this together."
Some Danish political problems, though, are as horrid as our own. Danes cannot seem to handle immigration reform or address the sociocultural impact of changing demographics. Immigrants are shunned or downright discriminated against in workplaces and marriage laws, many Danes being perfectly content to blame all political or social ills on influences of "second generation immigrants." Here, Danes could learn much from us.
Lastly, the Danish humility has struck me as something worthy of respect, contemplation, and reevaluation. As stated before, Danes have this constant thread of egalitarianism running through their politics and culture, a resource that has allowed them to construct a social welfare system that can boast the happiest people in the world. Danes have also stood up for human rights worldwide, and seem firmly committed to the belief that the socioeconomic status of people in the world should be more equal. Even the EU seems committed to these goals, as they spent billions of Euros each year to aid in the construction of sound infrastructure in the developing EU member states.
The counterpart to this egalitarianism is modesty, also incredibly strong among Danes. As a whole, Danes are a quiet and introverted people (especially when compared to the antics of Italians or Russians). In many cases, this modesty likely bolsters confidence, and Danes feel comfortable attending public or international schools to become international financiers, politicians, or activists.
There is a dark side to all of this, however; in other cases, this egalitarianism and modesty is turned against those who wish to achieve or stand out from the crowd, a concept known as Jante Law. Denmark had many great leaders that conquered much of northern Europe throughout its history, but now the Danish people ridicule or harass those with visions of grandeur. As a country, they have little to no power in their own right, and it is very easy for them to be quiet and agreeable on the world stage, and even easier for them to shun outsiders who threaten to disrupt the "little fairy tale land" that those nativistic Danes believe in so strongly. Despite all this, some degree of modesty and egalitarianism are crucial to a positive future for our world.
In this list, and in this blog, I have hoped to detail the differences between a life lived in the US and a life lived in Denmark. I cannot hope to find a fitting conclusion for such a long writing (in fact, this might be my longest continuous writing yet), though suffice to say that I have learned and experienced so much in those four months that I will never again have the same world outlook. I feel more confident in addressing future challenges, though I am also more cognizant of my weaknesses. I realize that I can have an existence alone, but that I will undoubtedly need strong friendships and family ties to keep me stable, and it is truly only upon returning home do I recognize the true strength of that love and friendship. I realize my attempts to be well-liked and friendly, though I now know that my actions can be viewed as cold and judgmental. I decided on a few career paths that I would likely not pursue, but I was made aware of many more that need thoughtful contemplation. Through all, I promise myself that I will remain optimistic and faithful, and try to make a little "hygge" where I can.
That's the end of the blog. Thanks for reading; my wish is that it has been enlightening or at least entertaining. I'm Aaron Barker. Good night, and remember that every challenge can be overcome with love, courage, and hope.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Return
Good afternoon, all.
Well, I misspoke about updating from Indianola; right now I am back at Grinnell. I have seen so many people that I have missed for such a long time; I am so blessed to have so many good friends and such loving parents.
Coming back was interesting, though uneventful. I flew from Copenhagen to Chicago and then Chicago to Des Moines; the Copenhagen-Chicago flight was interesting in that I left at 3:40 and arrived nine hours later at 5:15. There were a few other DIS students who flew back on the same plane, which was a pleasant surprise.
I did have, however, numerous bursts of culture shock in my transit. First, during the long flight, I talked local, state, and national politics with the woman sitting next to me; she was an avid supporter of Obama, and she decried how the Republicans had become the party of "No!" This experience was rather perplexing to me; to be frank, I agreed with most of her points and arguments for her political beliefs, but I quickly realized that she was locked in this politically-polarized mindset demonizing the opposition. I then realized that I, for maybe the first time in my politically-aware life, was somewhat removed from this polarized system. I began to realize that American politics are always in a constant state of deadlock, while European politics are much more conducive to compromise and even consensus (well, on many things, anyway; some things still completely divide the EU, like the Iraq War). Given my gradual realization that I was returning to the American political atmosphere, I merely stated that compromise was necessary for us to really enact positive and lasting change.
Upon arrival in Chicago, however, I was veritably assaulted by American-ness: I noticed dozens of differences immediately, ranging from the gruffness of airport employees to ridiculously long security lines to cowboy hats to American fashion to weight problems to English-everywhere to American dollars to the English measurement system. After transferring my luggage, I went to a Chili's Restaurant in the airport and ordered the least-Danish thing on the menu: Chili Bacon Burger. Not only was it a sandwich, but I ate it with my hands, it was spicy, it was a mix of all sorts of flavors, and it was indescribably messy. While breaking my fast of American food, I just sit and watched people, noticing how different everyone looked and how they interacted with each other. I find it hard to put it into words, but I looked at my fellow Americans as... interesting.
On the flight to Des Moines, I had another sociopolitical encounter of a different variety. I spoke with a strong conservative who expressed his concerns about how country's tendencies towards socialism. After I told him that I had just gotten into Chicago from Copenhagen, he was curious to know how the Danes handle issues such as taxation and gun control; as could be expected, my responses surprised him. Here was an entirely different political discussion; while I did not sense this man harbored any hostility towards those of the "other side" here, I was exposed to arguments that were so different than any European or DIS student political arguments. With these three experiences, I realized that I was going to have to navigate American politics and culture again.
After much longing, imagining, and waiting, I finally arrived back home in Indianola and then went to my other home at Grinnell. The inevitable "How was Denmark?" was asked again and again; I felt that my answers have been getting more creative over time. I have indeed developed inter-cultural skills; I had a lot of fun; I saw many places that I had only dreamed of seeing before.
However, the answer to, "How was Denmark?" is not nearly as interesting as "How did your experience in Denmark change you?" That is a question that is much deeper and requires much more thoughtful contemplation. That answer will come in the next post, in what will likely be the final post before the closing of this Blog. Stay tuned.
Well, I misspoke about updating from Indianola; right now I am back at Grinnell. I have seen so many people that I have missed for such a long time; I am so blessed to have so many good friends and such loving parents.
Coming back was interesting, though uneventful. I flew from Copenhagen to Chicago and then Chicago to Des Moines; the Copenhagen-Chicago flight was interesting in that I left at 3:40 and arrived nine hours later at 5:15. There were a few other DIS students who flew back on the same plane, which was a pleasant surprise.
I did have, however, numerous bursts of culture shock in my transit. First, during the long flight, I talked local, state, and national politics with the woman sitting next to me; she was an avid supporter of Obama, and she decried how the Republicans had become the party of "No!" This experience was rather perplexing to me; to be frank, I agreed with most of her points and arguments for her political beliefs, but I quickly realized that she was locked in this politically-polarized mindset demonizing the opposition. I then realized that I, for maybe the first time in my politically-aware life, was somewhat removed from this polarized system. I began to realize that American politics are always in a constant state of deadlock, while European politics are much more conducive to compromise and even consensus (well, on many things, anyway; some things still completely divide the EU, like the Iraq War). Given my gradual realization that I was returning to the American political atmosphere, I merely stated that compromise was necessary for us to really enact positive and lasting change.
Upon arrival in Chicago, however, I was veritably assaulted by American-ness: I noticed dozens of differences immediately, ranging from the gruffness of airport employees to ridiculously long security lines to cowboy hats to American fashion to weight problems to English-everywhere to American dollars to the English measurement system. After transferring my luggage, I went to a Chili's Restaurant in the airport and ordered the least-Danish thing on the menu: Chili Bacon Burger. Not only was it a sandwich, but I ate it with my hands, it was spicy, it was a mix of all sorts of flavors, and it was indescribably messy. While breaking my fast of American food, I just sit and watched people, noticing how different everyone looked and how they interacted with each other. I find it hard to put it into words, but I looked at my fellow Americans as... interesting.
On the flight to Des Moines, I had another sociopolitical encounter of a different variety. I spoke with a strong conservative who expressed his concerns about how country's tendencies towards socialism. After I told him that I had just gotten into Chicago from Copenhagen, he was curious to know how the Danes handle issues such as taxation and gun control; as could be expected, my responses surprised him. Here was an entirely different political discussion; while I did not sense this man harbored any hostility towards those of the "other side" here, I was exposed to arguments that were so different than any European or DIS student political arguments. With these three experiences, I realized that I was going to have to navigate American politics and culture again.
After much longing, imagining, and waiting, I finally arrived back home in Indianola and then went to my other home at Grinnell. The inevitable "How was Denmark?" was asked again and again; I felt that my answers have been getting more creative over time. I have indeed developed inter-cultural skills; I had a lot of fun; I saw many places that I had only dreamed of seeing before.
However, the answer to, "How was Denmark?" is not nearly as interesting as "How did your experience in Denmark change you?" That is a question that is much deeper and requires much more thoughtful contemplation. That answer will come in the next post, in what will likely be the final post before the closing of this Blog. Stay tuned.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Final Journey: Returning Home
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.
(As I am very tired and still need to pack, this post will be brief)
By this time tomorrow, I will have returned home to Indianola, IA. Having spent four months in another country, I will now embark on the trip home. There are so many things that need to be said about the trip, far more than I could put into this blog. I will have some analysis when I get back to the States and have a little time to de-jet-lag, as well as some final comments for those of you that have stuck with my blog in its entirety. I have realized that people will undoubtedly ask me "How was Denmark?" "What did you learn?" "Did you have fun?" and all sorts of similar questions; unfortunately, I will likely fall into a pattern of answering questions and be unable to give deep, meaningful analyses to inquirers. However, while the task is indeed impossible, I will do my best to discuss my experiences at whatever length is desired.
Now, sleep calls. The next update will be from my home in Indianola. Stay tuned. But for now, good night, and may the good news be yours.
(As I am very tired and still need to pack, this post will be brief)
By this time tomorrow, I will have returned home to Indianola, IA. Having spent four months in another country, I will now embark on the trip home. There are so many things that need to be said about the trip, far more than I could put into this blog. I will have some analysis when I get back to the States and have a little time to de-jet-lag, as well as some final comments for those of you that have stuck with my blog in its entirety. I have realized that people will undoubtedly ask me "How was Denmark?" "What did you learn?" "Did you have fun?" and all sorts of similar questions; unfortunately, I will likely fall into a pattern of answering questions and be unable to give deep, meaningful analyses to inquirers. However, while the task is indeed impossible, I will do my best to discuss my experiences at whatever length is desired.
Now, sleep calls. The next update will be from my home in Indianola. Stay tuned. But for now, good night, and may the good news be yours.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Inevitable Post: What I Miss and Will Miss
I miss...
my parents.
my friends at Grinnell.
my friends in Indianola.
my Church community.
my cats, Gobo and Wembley.
swing dancing.
long theological conversations that go into the wee hours of the night.
the Grinnell Dining Hall.
sweetcorn and pork chops.
the American healthcare system.
the dull roar that emanates through campus during party evenings.
singing.
advertisements and announcements that I understand.
driving.
taking pictures for the S&B.
the Quad (Cowles version, not South Campus version).
Iowa spring.
low sales tax.
complaining to people how much homework I have.
listening to other people tell me how much homework they have.
playing trombone.
sub-free social events.
showers that don't flood.
dropping in on people unexpectedly.
zany American politics.
barbecue.
my bed.
hugs.
What I will miss...
my host family.
my DIS friends.
my DIS profs (especially Jacob and Christina).
regional trains.
being able to address anyone by their first name.
good pastries.
tea and cookies in the evenings.
a place safe enough that parents can leave their children in front of stores.
traveling all over the place.
kroner (especially coins being worth something).
good, inexpensive wine.
biking to the station.
walking (and getting lost) around the city.
power outlets with a switch.
hygge.
my parents.
my friends at Grinnell.
my friends in Indianola.
my Church community.
my cats, Gobo and Wembley.
swing dancing.
long theological conversations that go into the wee hours of the night.
the Grinnell Dining Hall.
sweetcorn and pork chops.
the American healthcare system.
the dull roar that emanates through campus during party evenings.
singing.
advertisements and announcements that I understand.
driving.
taking pictures for the S&B.
the Quad (Cowles version, not South Campus version).
Iowa spring.
low sales tax.
complaining to people how much homework I have.
listening to other people tell me how much homework they have.
playing trombone.
sub-free social events.
showers that don't flood.
dropping in on people unexpectedly.
zany American politics.
barbecue.
my bed.
hugs.
What I will miss...
my host family.
my DIS friends.
my DIS profs (especially Jacob and Christina).
regional trains.
being able to address anyone by their first name.
good pastries.
tea and cookies in the evenings.
a place safe enough that parents can leave their children in front of stores.
traveling all over the place.
kroner (especially coins being worth something).
good, inexpensive wine.
biking to the station.
walking (and getting lost) around the city.
power outlets with a switch.
hygge.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Some adventures and more reflections
Good afternoon, all. I hope that the day finds you well.
I've done a few interesting things since last I Blogged (man, that sounds awful. We need to think up a better verb). I also have to study for a European Storytelling test tonight, so I'll try to make this slightly shorter.
First, we had our Photojournalism exhibition on Friday, which was very cool. Right now, our prints are hung in the DIS common room (where everyone goes to eat their lunch). As stated earlier, I did my photographs of a professor at Copenhagen University. I feel as though I have developed a lot through this process, and I hope that I can come back to the Scarlet and Black with a bit more experience than before.
After the exhibition, I went to Tivoli with DIS! Woot! Now, to explain what Tivoli is... it is kind of like an amusement park, but it is also a major concert venue (on Friday nights, i.e. when we were there) and garden (there are thousands upon thousands of beautiful flowers there that are all in bloom right now). As the rest of the DIS people clumped up and headed on their own separate directions, I was left wandering aimlessly for a bit until I met another of my lone fellow DIS friends also wandering aimlessly. So, we made a conscious decision to walk around together and explore. However, things took a turn for the daring when someone who entered with a season pass gave me a multi-ride ticket... which means that I could go on as many rides in the place as I wanted. My newfound friend also wanted to try every ride she could, so things got interesting. She went on a huge fast roller-coaster with three loops called The Demon; my courage was not sufficient to join her. Then we went to a big swing that lifted us high above the buildings of Copenhagen. I never really noticed just how low all of the buildings are: Copenhagen does not have any skyscrapers in the downtown area. The view was spectacular... then the swings started to spin, and I was quickly spun into a position that I had no idea what direction I was facing and where I was going next. Then we went on a few more tame rides (including one wooden roller coaster), and then, against my better judgment, she convinced me to go on "The Demon". I must admit, it was heart-rattling, but it was very fun.
After making ourselves almost vomit, we did some shopping and got candyfloss (that's apparently the European term for cotton candy; what an awful name). Then we listened to the concert, a performance by Swedish pop singer Lisa Nilsson. Put simply, she was excellent; it was mostly relaxed music with the occasional hard rock, and both her vocals and the bass guitar solos were stellar. We finished the evening by getting some chai tea and then watched an awesome light show over a lake while on a bridge over said lake. Being right in the middle of the show was cool, especially when a lot of smoke whooshed out from under us.
Sunday was also a bit of an adventure; I went with my host parents to Kokkedal Castle. I was a little disappointed in that the "castle" was actually just a really big mansion; no parapets, no moat, no big stone walls. Apparently the castle was used as a summer house by royalty in the distant past, then it fell into disuse over the years. Here's the interesting part: a wealthy, private individual bought the castle, and then began a massive renovation project. However, the fellow ran out of money, so the castle renovations remained unfinished. Then, the castle was bought by the royalty again, then sold again to a private individual to undergo renovations to turn it into a conference center. (I might not have all the facts straight on when this place changed hands, but the point of the matter is that the building has had a bit of a rough existence since its original construction in 1746).
Now, since I am in the midst of doing my evaluations for my DIS professors, it seems like it would be a good time to give a thumbs up and thumbs down list for DIS.
Thumbs up: Study tours are freaking amazing. They are well-planned, relevant for the course material, informational, fun, and allow for at least some free time. Two of the study tours are also entirely paid for by DIS in advance, so those are even more amazing. Then again, I should say that my program (European Politics) is renowned for its cool study tours, I believe.
Thumbs up: Course offerings are incredible. You can take almost anything that you can think of here, including applied sciences though not including theoretical sciences. I am so glad that I was able to diversify a bit, taking a Politics class, a psych class, an English class, a photography class, and a language class.
Thumbs up: Compared to other study abroad programs, DIS academics are very strong. The professors are almost all professionals in their given field, so, for the most part, they know what they are talking about. I felt that I learned a ton this semester, though that may have been due to my course selection.
Thumbs down: Program might be simply too big. In general, the classes are quite large, as 4 out of 5 of mine had more than 30 people.
Thumbs down: DIS focuses on group projects, which, as much as I enjoy interacting with people, is incredibly inconvenient because none of us live anywhere near each other. If I could take the group projects at Grinnell and the individual projects at DIS, I would be much happier.
Thumbs down: A general expectation that students here love to party. Time to go out to a bar and drink is essentially included in the study tours, and the 4 days of classes every week facilitates people getting hammered on a regular basis. DIS faculty and staff also seem to drink just a little too much at times; I feel that it would be best if I not name names.
Anyway, here's a little more to chew on about my study abroad experience. Only 5 days until I arrive back in the states (AHH!) and only 7 days until I get back to Grinnell (AHH!)
I've done a few interesting things since last I Blogged (man, that sounds awful. We need to think up a better verb). I also have to study for a European Storytelling test tonight, so I'll try to make this slightly shorter.
First, we had our Photojournalism exhibition on Friday, which was very cool. Right now, our prints are hung in the DIS common room (where everyone goes to eat their lunch). As stated earlier, I did my photographs of a professor at Copenhagen University. I feel as though I have developed a lot through this process, and I hope that I can come back to the Scarlet and Black with a bit more experience than before.
After the exhibition, I went to Tivoli with DIS! Woot! Now, to explain what Tivoli is... it is kind of like an amusement park, but it is also a major concert venue (on Friday nights, i.e. when we were there) and garden (there are thousands upon thousands of beautiful flowers there that are all in bloom right now). As the rest of the DIS people clumped up and headed on their own separate directions, I was left wandering aimlessly for a bit until I met another of my lone fellow DIS friends also wandering aimlessly. So, we made a conscious decision to walk around together and explore. However, things took a turn for the daring when someone who entered with a season pass gave me a multi-ride ticket... which means that I could go on as many rides in the place as I wanted. My newfound friend also wanted to try every ride she could, so things got interesting. She went on a huge fast roller-coaster with three loops called The Demon; my courage was not sufficient to join her. Then we went to a big swing that lifted us high above the buildings of Copenhagen. I never really noticed just how low all of the buildings are: Copenhagen does not have any skyscrapers in the downtown area. The view was spectacular... then the swings started to spin, and I was quickly spun into a position that I had no idea what direction I was facing and where I was going next. Then we went on a few more tame rides (including one wooden roller coaster), and then, against my better judgment, she convinced me to go on "The Demon". I must admit, it was heart-rattling, but it was very fun.
After making ourselves almost vomit, we did some shopping and got candyfloss (that's apparently the European term for cotton candy; what an awful name). Then we listened to the concert, a performance by Swedish pop singer Lisa Nilsson. Put simply, she was excellent; it was mostly relaxed music with the occasional hard rock, and both her vocals and the bass guitar solos were stellar. We finished the evening by getting some chai tea and then watched an awesome light show over a lake while on a bridge over said lake. Being right in the middle of the show was cool, especially when a lot of smoke whooshed out from under us.
Sunday was also a bit of an adventure; I went with my host parents to Kokkedal Castle. I was a little disappointed in that the "castle" was actually just a really big mansion; no parapets, no moat, no big stone walls. Apparently the castle was used as a summer house by royalty in the distant past, then it fell into disuse over the years. Here's the interesting part: a wealthy, private individual bought the castle, and then began a massive renovation project. However, the fellow ran out of money, so the castle renovations remained unfinished. Then, the castle was bought by the royalty again, then sold again to a private individual to undergo renovations to turn it into a conference center. (I might not have all the facts straight on when this place changed hands, but the point of the matter is that the building has had a bit of a rough existence since its original construction in 1746).
Now, since I am in the midst of doing my evaluations for my DIS professors, it seems like it would be a good time to give a thumbs up and thumbs down list for DIS.
Thumbs up: Study tours are freaking amazing. They are well-planned, relevant for the course material, informational, fun, and allow for at least some free time. Two of the study tours are also entirely paid for by DIS in advance, so those are even more amazing. Then again, I should say that my program (European Politics) is renowned for its cool study tours, I believe.
Thumbs up: Course offerings are incredible. You can take almost anything that you can think of here, including applied sciences though not including theoretical sciences. I am so glad that I was able to diversify a bit, taking a Politics class, a psych class, an English class, a photography class, and a language class.
Thumbs up: Compared to other study abroad programs, DIS academics are very strong. The professors are almost all professionals in their given field, so, for the most part, they know what they are talking about. I felt that I learned a ton this semester, though that may have been due to my course selection.
Thumbs down: Program might be simply too big. In general, the classes are quite large, as 4 out of 5 of mine had more than 30 people.
Thumbs down: DIS focuses on group projects, which, as much as I enjoy interacting with people, is incredibly inconvenient because none of us live anywhere near each other. If I could take the group projects at Grinnell and the individual projects at DIS, I would be much happier.
Thumbs down: A general expectation that students here love to party. Time to go out to a bar and drink is essentially included in the study tours, and the 4 days of classes every week facilitates people getting hammered on a regular basis. DIS faculty and staff also seem to drink just a little too much at times; I feel that it would be best if I not name names.
Anyway, here's a little more to chew on about my study abroad experience. Only 5 days until I arrive back in the states (AHH!) and only 7 days until I get back to Grinnell (AHH!)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
A couple museums and some reflections
Good evening, all. I hope the day finds you well.
I do not have too much to write about this evening, but I feel that it is still incredibly important for me to keep a running update on how things are going. Here goes.
With my European Storytelling class, we went to the Frilandsmuseet, an open-air museum of old Danish and Swedish houses. The houses are apparently in almost the exact same condition as they have been for over a hundred (and some up to two hundred) years, the vast majority of them having been deconstructed from elsewhere around Denmark or Sweden, numbered, and then re-erected board by board and piece by piece at this museum. The buildings certainly looked authentic: the boards were of awful quality (apparently Denmark has very bad wood for construction purposes, so that's why most of the old houses' timbers are leaning to one side). We saw the village pond, the village tree, and all that, as well as the inside of a few homes. Because of the persistent cold every winter, very little of old Danish homes were heated, and the heat that was there was often the same heat source used for cooking. In most well-off homes, there used to be kind of a chimney room, where the blazing fire would heat stones that would be used for cooking, with an exit for the smoke at the top. The houses of the rich also often had an immense pile of manure in the center of the farmhouse in order to prevent other people from stealing your manure (mind-boggling, isn't it?) Danish egalitarianism was seen throughout the homes, as servants were allowed to eat with the family and often even sleep in the same bed as the master or children.
The storytelling element came into play when we talked about the "little folk" that helped do chores and protect the farmland. Previous Danes believed in the existence of tiny creatures that helped with housework; they would protect the family and farm from harm as long as the family left spilled food or drink for them to eat. There were also apparently some "little folk" rumored to live in the nearby forests, but those types were evil and malicious and abducted people to experiment on and terrify them. (One of my fellow classmates at this point made an astute observation that, while modern people don't often believe in little home elves running about the house, many still do believe in aliens that live in outer space that abduct and experiment on people). Apparently the little folk were supposed to be the angels that fell with Lucifer, not really evil beings but rather not-so-perfect beings.
Later that day (yesterday), I went on another museum trip, this time to the State Museum of Art. I was very pleased to find out that it was free; however, I must admit that it was not as much to see as other museums I have been to lately (maybe I spoiled myself by going to the Vatican Museums and the Hermitage?) The scope of art there was vast, ranging from 15th or 16th century to the present day. I must admit that, despite having gone to the Louisiana Museum and being exposed to the best modern art in Denmark, modern art still just doesn't do it for me, so I mostly spent time looking at the older stuff. There were an assortment of really gorgeous landscapes and still-lifes, as well as depictions of many mythological events such as the falling of the Titans. Of course, in almost all of the Christian artwork, Mary was the absolute focus; maybe I would have to be Catholic for that fascination to make sense. There was a photography exhibit on the top floor, though I was a little disappointed in that the vast majority of the photographs were heavily edited either through darkroom techniques or Photoshop, so it was kind of hard for me to get very excited about those. Then there was the modern art exhibit, some of which was kind of interesting: I liked the art from the era of intense Danish nationalism, most especially when the subject matter was something that I recognized from Copenhagen.
Besides these two museum trips, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my experience here at DIS. There's so much to say; studying abroad is so much more complex than just a blog post can describe. I have done so many things that I never would have imagined doing: seeing the Winter Palace, integrating with a Danish family, seeing the Sistine Chapel, talking about ancient European stories's influence on modern video games, stood in the meeting rooms of the European Union, navigating a foreign city by myself... Now, classes are almost over, and in 9 days I will be heading back to the US. I have been talking with my friends here a lot about the program; what we have liked and what we have disliked. Many of us feel that the academics here are incredibly easy, with the obvious exception of pre-med, child development, or architecture students. Most of us loved the study tours, I feel, one person even going so far as to say that they are the reason that they would recommend DIS to future students. Some people felt that they did not learn anything in any of their classes and that this all has been one long vacation.
My analysis (and there will be more in posts to come, never fear) is that, with a few exceptions, DIS gives you what you put into it. The courses are easier than Grinnell, pure and simple; however, many of the readings are just as informative. I have written about the same number of papers that I do at Grinnell, but they are shorter and graded significantly easier. Tests are more about memorizing information rather than synthesizing it; however, there is a lot of information to memorize, especially in the science classes. If you want to get drunk every other night and drink yourself stupid on all of the study tours, you can; if you want to visit museums, get heavily involved in Danish culture, and have a cultural experience in many different cultures, you can do that too. The program is so large and so flexible that all 660 of us have probably had very different experiences. Personally, I have absolutely loved being able to take applied classes, and I truly feel that I have gotten some insight into some of the practical skills that might be needed if I decide to go down a particular career path. I certainly am burning with desire to study a language again, likely due to my amazing Danish professor. A host family is a mixed blessing, as it is incredibly cultural and insightful but very lonely. The study tours were amazing, and I cannot recommend them highly enough if someone wants to come to DIS to see Europe, which is not as shallow of a goal as I had once thought. Denmark is certainly a safe, wealthy, quiet country, and I can certainly understand why Danes are so reluctant to stray far from their little fairy-tale-land.
More, hopefully more thought out reflections will come later.
I do not have too much to write about this evening, but I feel that it is still incredibly important for me to keep a running update on how things are going. Here goes.
With my European Storytelling class, we went to the Frilandsmuseet, an open-air museum of old Danish and Swedish houses. The houses are apparently in almost the exact same condition as they have been for over a hundred (and some up to two hundred) years, the vast majority of them having been deconstructed from elsewhere around Denmark or Sweden, numbered, and then re-erected board by board and piece by piece at this museum. The buildings certainly looked authentic: the boards were of awful quality (apparently Denmark has very bad wood for construction purposes, so that's why most of the old houses' timbers are leaning to one side). We saw the village pond, the village tree, and all that, as well as the inside of a few homes. Because of the persistent cold every winter, very little of old Danish homes were heated, and the heat that was there was often the same heat source used for cooking. In most well-off homes, there used to be kind of a chimney room, where the blazing fire would heat stones that would be used for cooking, with an exit for the smoke at the top. The houses of the rich also often had an immense pile of manure in the center of the farmhouse in order to prevent other people from stealing your manure (mind-boggling, isn't it?) Danish egalitarianism was seen throughout the homes, as servants were allowed to eat with the family and often even sleep in the same bed as the master or children.
The storytelling element came into play when we talked about the "little folk" that helped do chores and protect the farmland. Previous Danes believed in the existence of tiny creatures that helped with housework; they would protect the family and farm from harm as long as the family left spilled food or drink for them to eat. There were also apparently some "little folk" rumored to live in the nearby forests, but those types were evil and malicious and abducted people to experiment on and terrify them. (One of my fellow classmates at this point made an astute observation that, while modern people don't often believe in little home elves running about the house, many still do believe in aliens that live in outer space that abduct and experiment on people). Apparently the little folk were supposed to be the angels that fell with Lucifer, not really evil beings but rather not-so-perfect beings.
Later that day (yesterday), I went on another museum trip, this time to the State Museum of Art. I was very pleased to find out that it was free; however, I must admit that it was not as much to see as other museums I have been to lately (maybe I spoiled myself by going to the Vatican Museums and the Hermitage?) The scope of art there was vast, ranging from 15th or 16th century to the present day. I must admit that, despite having gone to the Louisiana Museum and being exposed to the best modern art in Denmark, modern art still just doesn't do it for me, so I mostly spent time looking at the older stuff. There were an assortment of really gorgeous landscapes and still-lifes, as well as depictions of many mythological events such as the falling of the Titans. Of course, in almost all of the Christian artwork, Mary was the absolute focus; maybe I would have to be Catholic for that fascination to make sense. There was a photography exhibit on the top floor, though I was a little disappointed in that the vast majority of the photographs were heavily edited either through darkroom techniques or Photoshop, so it was kind of hard for me to get very excited about those. Then there was the modern art exhibit, some of which was kind of interesting: I liked the art from the era of intense Danish nationalism, most especially when the subject matter was something that I recognized from Copenhagen.
Besides these two museum trips, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my experience here at DIS. There's so much to say; studying abroad is so much more complex than just a blog post can describe. I have done so many things that I never would have imagined doing: seeing the Winter Palace, integrating with a Danish family, seeing the Sistine Chapel, talking about ancient European stories's influence on modern video games, stood in the meeting rooms of the European Union, navigating a foreign city by myself... Now, classes are almost over, and in 9 days I will be heading back to the US. I have been talking with my friends here a lot about the program; what we have liked and what we have disliked. Many of us feel that the academics here are incredibly easy, with the obvious exception of pre-med, child development, or architecture students. Most of us loved the study tours, I feel, one person even going so far as to say that they are the reason that they would recommend DIS to future students. Some people felt that they did not learn anything in any of their classes and that this all has been one long vacation.
My analysis (and there will be more in posts to come, never fear) is that, with a few exceptions, DIS gives you what you put into it. The courses are easier than Grinnell, pure and simple; however, many of the readings are just as informative. I have written about the same number of papers that I do at Grinnell, but they are shorter and graded significantly easier. Tests are more about memorizing information rather than synthesizing it; however, there is a lot of information to memorize, especially in the science classes. If you want to get drunk every other night and drink yourself stupid on all of the study tours, you can; if you want to visit museums, get heavily involved in Danish culture, and have a cultural experience in many different cultures, you can do that too. The program is so large and so flexible that all 660 of us have probably had very different experiences. Personally, I have absolutely loved being able to take applied classes, and I truly feel that I have gotten some insight into some of the practical skills that might be needed if I decide to go down a particular career path. I certainly am burning with desire to study a language again, likely due to my amazing Danish professor. A host family is a mixed blessing, as it is incredibly cultural and insightful but very lonely. The study tours were amazing, and I cannot recommend them highly enough if someone wants to come to DIS to see Europe, which is not as shallow of a goal as I had once thought. Denmark is certainly a safe, wealthy, quiet country, and I can certainly understand why Danes are so reluctant to stray far from their little fairy-tale-land.
More, hopefully more thought out reflections will come later.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Short Travel Break, Post 2: Louisiana, May Day, Swing, and a Special Hat
Good evening, all.
So, here comes another blog post your way. I have a lot of very short subjects to discuss today, so hold onto something because away we go!
First, I went to Louisiana on Friday. Yep, Louisiana ... Museum of Art. It is in a city called Humlbæk just north of here, and it's a modern art museum. I went with my host parents on Friday. It was quite a place: there was already any room to park around the museum (despite there being 100-200 parking spaces), and this place is in a town that's smaller than Grinnell. There were actually a surprising number of really well-known artists' works, including one Monet and a couple Picasso. A few exhibits were really interesting, such as a few mobiles made from painted straw; others were definitely "Is that art?" moments, such as a solid blue painting called "Monoblue" set across from a solid pink painting called "Monopink." There was also a collection of 10,000+ plaster casts (the artists said that no two were alike), and two immense bronze spiders. I was glad I went, even if I am not usually one for modern art.
Saturday was quite a day, though not exactly as I had planned. In the early afternoon, I left for Copenhagen to go to the big May Day celebration. However, upon getting off the train at Østerport, I had a horrifying realization: I had left my black wool hat on the train! I turned around as fast as I could, but could only watch as the doors closed and the train sped off to the airport with my hat on it. I was crushed... it was a great hat... I went to the ticket counter and said that I had left something on a train, and they told me to call the main office. I did that, but it was in Danish, so the only thing I could do is leave a message (or, at least, I thought I left a message). Then I went to the ticket counter in Nørreport, hoping to find someone else to tell about my hat. They said that there's nothing they can do, and that I should call this different number after 3:00. So, without my hat, I decided to go kill time at the May Day thing that I had planned on attending.
The best way that I can describe the May Day thing is a mix of Block Party, 10/10, the Iowa State Fair, and the Harkin Steak Fry saturated in Communism (Now if your head is not spinning after that, then I have failed). Anyway, so it is a big communist/socialist political day, and there's Communist and Social Democratic party people distributing leaflets and waving red flags and all that. There was a lot of hammer and sickle emblems all over everything, too, and socialist/communist politicians were giving speeches. However, there were also tons of merchants selling all sorts of things, including scarves, jewelry, hats, hot dogs, kebab, thai food, and a bunch of other stuff, so that part was very fair-like. Then there was alcohol. And by that I mean there was alcohol ... and lots of alcohol. There must have been 100+ clusters of Danes sitting around on the grass (the event was held in a big park near the football stadium), each cluster with at least one 30 rack of beer. And the average age was incredibly low, I would say maybe around 30 at the highest. Most of the groups looked like late high school students or early university students, each with their own rack of Carlsberg beer or Sommersby hard cider (keep in mind: the drinking age is 16 here). It was loud and noisy and law-violating (saw plenty of jaywalking, public intoxication, and indecent exposure), certainly not consistent with any of my previous encounters with Danes, except maybe at the FCK football game. Oh yes, and there were concerts going on at the same time as all this.
However, I didn't exactly do much while I was there: I didn't feel like drinking, I wasn't hungry, I didn't want to buy any overpriced accessories, I didn't have anyone to talk to, and I didn't understand any of the speeches; the event was more of a case study of Danish society rather than an actual event that I attended. And I was also missing my hat terribly...
After my camera battery died, I left to go call the number about my hat. They said that I needed to file a lost and found report, and that the sooner I did that, the more likely it would be that I could get my hat back. So, I went back home (an hour long trip, as you already know), and then filed the report. I then killed some time, trying to not think about my lost hat, then, after calling the train station again and having them say that they did not find my hat upon cleaning the trains, I decided to go train hopping to see if I could find my hat.
So, I went to the station and hopped on the train to Vedbæk. No hat. Then I got off and killed some time walking around the empty Vedbæk school before getting on the train to Skodsborg. Again, no hat. In Skodsborg, I walked around a forest killing some time, then got on the train to Klampenborg. Again, no hat. In Klampenborg, I walked around the station and tried to look at it as a logic puzzle; the people at the station said that they have no idea where the trains go once they reach their final destination because they get renumbered upon a successful run. However, I realized that I had left my hat on the :02 indirect train between Nivå and Kastrup. If the train comes at 20 minute intervals and it takes about an hour to get from one to the other, then it would make sense that there are six trains running on that circuit. However, the circuit was about to close soon, so I realized that I could only check two more trains and would have to leave one unchecked. So, I got on the train to Hellerup and went to my previous seat and behold! there was my hat. I grabbed it and proceeded merrily to Hellerup, where I caught a train back to Rungsted. This was an extremely lucky occurrence: any drunk idiot could have picked it up (or thrown it away or vomited in it or goodness knows what else), or the train conductor could have picked it up and thrown it away... but they didn't, and my train hopping paid off. I consider myself very very lucky.
My last interesting thing of the weekend was another session of swing dancing. I think that I wrote about this last week, so I won't talk about it to much here. I danced with a goodly number of people; however, I've come to notice that the dancing scene is a little less casual here than at the Grinnell Swing Society. Here, most people seem to come with their significant other and do not spend much time dancing with anyone else unless they are both particularly experienced in swing dancing. This was certainly not always the case, but I felt like it was an incredible challenge for me to find any available follows for much of the dance. Today, I danced with a Pole, a German, and a few incredibly experienced Danes, and they have told me what many experienced follows have told me: relax and loosen up, only then will I really start to get into the music.
Anyway, that's a wrap for today. Sleep beckons. That's the news, and I'm outta here.
So, here comes another blog post your way. I have a lot of very short subjects to discuss today, so hold onto something because away we go!
First, I went to Louisiana on Friday. Yep, Louisiana ... Museum of Art. It is in a city called Humlbæk just north of here, and it's a modern art museum. I went with my host parents on Friday. It was quite a place: there was already any room to park around the museum (despite there being 100-200 parking spaces), and this place is in a town that's smaller than Grinnell. There were actually a surprising number of really well-known artists' works, including one Monet and a couple Picasso. A few exhibits were really interesting, such as a few mobiles made from painted straw; others were definitely "Is that art?" moments, such as a solid blue painting called "Monoblue" set across from a solid pink painting called "Monopink." There was also a collection of 10,000+ plaster casts (the artists said that no two were alike), and two immense bronze spiders. I was glad I went, even if I am not usually one for modern art.
Saturday was quite a day, though not exactly as I had planned. In the early afternoon, I left for Copenhagen to go to the big May Day celebration. However, upon getting off the train at Østerport, I had a horrifying realization: I had left my black wool hat on the train! I turned around as fast as I could, but could only watch as the doors closed and the train sped off to the airport with my hat on it. I was crushed... it was a great hat... I went to the ticket counter and said that I had left something on a train, and they told me to call the main office. I did that, but it was in Danish, so the only thing I could do is leave a message (or, at least, I thought I left a message). Then I went to the ticket counter in Nørreport, hoping to find someone else to tell about my hat. They said that there's nothing they can do, and that I should call this different number after 3:00. So, without my hat, I decided to go kill time at the May Day thing that I had planned on attending.
The best way that I can describe the May Day thing is a mix of Block Party, 10/10, the Iowa State Fair, and the Harkin Steak Fry saturated in Communism (Now if your head is not spinning after that, then I have failed). Anyway, so it is a big communist/socialist political day, and there's Communist and Social Democratic party people distributing leaflets and waving red flags and all that. There was a lot of hammer and sickle emblems all over everything, too, and socialist/communist politicians were giving speeches. However, there were also tons of merchants selling all sorts of things, including scarves, jewelry, hats, hot dogs, kebab, thai food, and a bunch of other stuff, so that part was very fair-like. Then there was alcohol. And by that I mean there was alcohol ... and lots of alcohol. There must have been 100+ clusters of Danes sitting around on the grass (the event was held in a big park near the football stadium), each cluster with at least one 30 rack of beer. And the average age was incredibly low, I would say maybe around 30 at the highest. Most of the groups looked like late high school students or early university students, each with their own rack of Carlsberg beer or Sommersby hard cider (keep in mind: the drinking age is 16 here). It was loud and noisy and law-violating (saw plenty of jaywalking, public intoxication, and indecent exposure), certainly not consistent with any of my previous encounters with Danes, except maybe at the FCK football game. Oh yes, and there were concerts going on at the same time as all this.
However, I didn't exactly do much while I was there: I didn't feel like drinking, I wasn't hungry, I didn't want to buy any overpriced accessories, I didn't have anyone to talk to, and I didn't understand any of the speeches; the event was more of a case study of Danish society rather than an actual event that I attended. And I was also missing my hat terribly...
After my camera battery died, I left to go call the number about my hat. They said that I needed to file a lost and found report, and that the sooner I did that, the more likely it would be that I could get my hat back. So, I went back home (an hour long trip, as you already know), and then filed the report. I then killed some time, trying to not think about my lost hat, then, after calling the train station again and having them say that they did not find my hat upon cleaning the trains, I decided to go train hopping to see if I could find my hat.
So, I went to the station and hopped on the train to Vedbæk. No hat. Then I got off and killed some time walking around the empty Vedbæk school before getting on the train to Skodsborg. Again, no hat. In Skodsborg, I walked around a forest killing some time, then got on the train to Klampenborg. Again, no hat. In Klampenborg, I walked around the station and tried to look at it as a logic puzzle; the people at the station said that they have no idea where the trains go once they reach their final destination because they get renumbered upon a successful run. However, I realized that I had left my hat on the :02 indirect train between Nivå and Kastrup. If the train comes at 20 minute intervals and it takes about an hour to get from one to the other, then it would make sense that there are six trains running on that circuit. However, the circuit was about to close soon, so I realized that I could only check two more trains and would have to leave one unchecked. So, I got on the train to Hellerup and went to my previous seat and behold! there was my hat. I grabbed it and proceeded merrily to Hellerup, where I caught a train back to Rungsted. This was an extremely lucky occurrence: any drunk idiot could have picked it up (or thrown it away or vomited in it or goodness knows what else), or the train conductor could have picked it up and thrown it away... but they didn't, and my train hopping paid off. I consider myself very very lucky.
My last interesting thing of the weekend was another session of swing dancing. I think that I wrote about this last week, so I won't talk about it to much here. I danced with a goodly number of people; however, I've come to notice that the dancing scene is a little less casual here than at the Grinnell Swing Society. Here, most people seem to come with their significant other and do not spend much time dancing with anyone else unless they are both particularly experienced in swing dancing. This was certainly not always the case, but I felt like it was an incredible challenge for me to find any available follows for much of the dance. Today, I danced with a Pole, a German, and a few incredibly experienced Danes, and they have told me what many experienced follows have told me: relax and loosen up, only then will I really start to get into the music.
Anyway, that's a wrap for today. Sleep beckons. That's the news, and I'm outta here.
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