As my days in Copenhagen started dwindling down, I became more and more conscious of both how much I had accomplished in a mere six weeks - but at the same time, I also came to the realization that there was so much I still had yet to do. Although my personal and cultural experiences in Copenhagen had been pretty far-reaching, I wished I could have been able to stay for just a while longer. After all, I had really just gotten to know my fellow students, and I wished I had more time to continue building my friendships with them. I had also become accustomed to the culture of Denmark and the independence of living in a big city, and I assumed that going home after becoming so used to my European lifestyle would be a huge shock.
On Wednesday, a guest lecturer visited our class to explain what sort of qualities an investor might look for when considering whether or not to invest in a cleantech company. He then gave a number of examples of cleantech companies that the firm that he worked for had decided to invest in. After lunch, the class went to a lecture by a representative of the Municipality of Copenhagen who described a number of the sustainable projects that the city was involved in. However, the man mistakenly chose to give his lecture outside; the day was beautiful by Danish standards, and a lot of people in the class found it hard to concentrate on the lecture at hand. Afterward, we continued the lecture back at the Municipality of Copenhagen's Center for Environment, but I was supremely tired from how busy the past few days had been and started nodding off a few times. Once we were finished for the day, I headed to Paludan to write the last of the postcards and finish a country position paper due the next day, then headed back to Hoffmans. Later in the evening, after I had finished all my work, I headed over to Sara's place and we watched Memento (which we'd been talking about watching since we met). I was blown away by how good the movie was; I had been a Christopher Nolan fan before, but watching Memento increased my respect for him a hundredfold.
The next day, I woke up early to head to Paludan with Albert and work on the paper on LiqTech that was due the next day. However, only about an hour into working on it I received an e-mail saying that class had been cancelled for the day. The extra day was definitely a help; I spent nearly the entire day working on the paper. In that time I saw Kelsey, David, Jared, Philip, and few other girls from Gronjords (Charlie and Audrey), as well as a friend of Sara's named Meredith whom I'd been introduced to the day before. After finishing the paper, I felt extreme relief and went back to my kollegium to enjoy a bit of rest and grab dinner before I headed back into town where I hung out with Philip, Kelsey, and Ellen for a bit. then, we all met up with a ton of other DIS people at a more central location and had a great night. By far, it was one of the best nights I had spent while in Copenhagen.
Our last day in class was spent working on a group exercise on which each person in the class represented a country and was responsible for bargaining with other classmates to develop a clean energy strategy that would reduce emissions across the board in Europe during the next 50 years. The exercise was a fun and interactive way to finish off the session, and it clearly left me and my classmates feeling satisfied with everything we had learned in the class. Right after class was finished, I headed straight back to my room and began packing all my things (which took a lot longer than I expected). After finishing off everything in the fridge, I headed over to Gronjords for one last visit. There, I met up with Kelsey, David, and a Danish girl from the kollegium who was friend of David's. We all headed downtown to meet up with Dustin, Charlie, Audrey, Caroline, Ilya, and a few other people and said our goodbyes. Then, we headed into Copenhagen's old meat-packing district - an area of town that was much less sketchy than it sounded. Although it had been a very low-class part of town in Copenhagen's industrial past, in more recent years it had been converted into a more cultured area filled with cafes and bars. We spent a good deal of time there, then eventually said farewell and parted ways.
The next morning was supposed to be the day of my big flight back to the States; however, buying metro passes that would take me to the airport proved much harder than I'd imagined (the machines didn't accept either my credit card or my debit card), and the mix-up caused me to be LITERALLY a minute late for the baggage check for my flight. The Delta representatives I talked to did all they could to help, but overall the staff weren't very accommodating and I ended up having to switch my flight to the day afterward (a change that both me and my family weren't happy about). In the meantime, I said my goodbyes to Jill, Katie, and Ashley, hung with Allison and Courtney before their flight left, and chilled with Albert for a bit. Thankfully, when I found myself with nothing to do, Max called me and told me that he and Sam had found lodging at a hostel near the DIS buildings and that I'd be welcome to crash there for the night. I tried heading downtown to meet up with them, but a torrential downpour appeared out of nowhere and I quickly became stuck in the middle of it. Thankfully a kind convenience store owner gave me a few garbage bags to cover myself and my baggage in, and as soon as the storm subsided I found Max and headed to the hostel. There I met Sam and David as well, and we all played a few games of pool and darts before I headed in for the night. The next day, I woke up early and made it to my flight in plenty of time - and after a brief layover in Atlanta I arrived safely in Cincinnati, where I was met by my parents.
So now that the time's come for me to wrap up my blogging at last, I'd like to end by saying that I left Europe with very few regrets. True, I may not have had gotten to see all the sights that Copenhagen had to offer or gotten to know the people I spent time with as well as I may have wanted to (after all, my time in Denmark was rather brief), but I made the most of the opportunities that were presented to me and learned a lot both in and out of the classroom. Several years ago I never would have dreamt of spending a month and a half in Europe completely on my own, and now that I've conquered Copenhagen I feel like I could deal with anything I might face back home. Right now I've got my sights set firmly on the future and look forward to a great next semester, but I'll never forget my experiences abroad. Farewell, Copenhagen. It's been real.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Back to the Grind
Returning to Denmark after spending an entire week hopping from hotel to hotel and visiting cleantech companies every day was definitely a relief; by the very end of the study tour I had started falling asleep on public transportation and I was more than ready for a break. I had become accustomed to Copenhagen's culture, atmosphere, geography, and transit system - so my return seemed like a homecoming of sorts.
Tuesday was spent entirely at a field study to a lab called Risø, which is Denmark's National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy. A number of the people in the class didn't show up for the field study, however, because they didn't get the memo from our instructor about where to meet. We first received a few lectures by Ph.D. students interning at Risø, who explained to us about what sort of projects they were working on. The primary focus of most of the research was the development of resistant fuel cells that could convert existing hydrocarbon fuel into electrical energy in a more sustainable way than by existing methods. One of the students, originally from Germany, gave an excellent presentation that everyone in the class enjoyed (although the girls in the class were also captivated by the guy's charm and good looks). Afterward, a few Risø workers gave us a tour of the labs and afterward showed us a house they had built that was closely monitored by computers to provide the greatest energy efficiency. They also showed us a number of renewable-energy-producing windmills, ranging from early models built in the 90s to the most recently developed windmill technology. After we all returned, I went and visited Christianshavn with Albert, Philip, Alec, and a few others from our class; then, after getting some work done back at the kollegium, I went over to Keops (Alec's kollegium) to wish him a happy birthday. His girlfriend had baked a cake (which was delicious), but sadly nobody else showed up since Keops was a bit out of the way. The two of us hung out for a bit, then while waiting for the night bus to pick me up I met a Middle-Eastern foreign exchange student who had come to Copenhagen to work on his thesis. I helped him get his bearings, he thanked me profusely, and I finally returned to Hoffmans.
The first weekend back passed in a flash, however; not only did I have plenty of work to catch up on, I also tried to fit in a bit of sightseeing. On Saturday, after I got up early and starting work on a paper with Albert at Paludan, we both went on a tour of the main factory of Carlsberg (Denmark's oldest and most esteemed brewery). The tour wasn't quite what we had expected, but it was cool nonetheless; we got to see the world's largest collection of unopened beer bottles from around the globe, went through a museum chronicling Carlsberg's history, got a glance at the processes of malting and brewing, saw the Carlsberg founder's personal sculpture garden, and visited the stables nearby. We also happened to see a couple girls from our class (named Nicole and Krista) after the tour. After chatting with them for a while, we headed back downtown to see if any shops were open (sadly they weren't), and headed back to Hoffmans. Later in the night, everyone from Hoffmans went out and chilled downtown for a while, but Jared, Courtney, and I all felt hella tired and quickly called it a night.
The following day, I spent the majority of my time working on my Statkraft paper at Paludan; I happened to see Sara, Eszter, Albert, and Kelsey there too, who were all working on papers as well. Later in the night, I went back to my place to get some reading done for the next day's class, made dinner, and crashed.
Boats in the Copenhagen Canals
The next day was very eventful; we spent the entire class period working on a group exercise that modeled the European energy and emissions situation using Lego bricks (which was fitting, since Lego was founded in Denmark and is still the main toy company there today). The objective of the exercise was to reconstruct the European energy grid to reduce both emissions and energy consumption by the year 2020. However, my group (which represented Southern Europe) did pretty poorly since we put way too much emphasis on reducing energy consumption form heating costs rather than from transportation - but it was a learning experience, after all. The exercise ran from 10 AM until 6 PM though (or 10:00 through 18:00 in European time), which killed most of the time I could have spent on sightseeing or getting other work done. After class I did explore the city and got some window-shopping done with Albert and Kelsey; after that, I wrote up some postcards to friends back in the States, then headed back to Hoffmans to get dinner and do some work.
The Rundetårn ("Round Tower") in Copenhagen
A Windmill at Risø
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Norwegian Excursion (Part 2)
After spending a few days in Norway, it quickly became apparent how different the country's culture was - despite the fact that it was just a few kilometers north of Denmark. Although Denmark has a very prevalent biking culture, we rarely saw people on bikes in urban areas of Norway. Also, with a drinking age of 16 and no open container laws, Denmark had a very liberal alcohol policy; meanwhile, Norway had a drinking age of 20 (with an additional 3 years needed for purchasing hard liquor). Even these small details made a significant cultural difference that was immediately noticeable.
On Wednesday, the class went on a hiking trip high in the mountains near Voss - which was definitely the most eventful experience of the entire study tour. A guide took us along a rugged mountain trail that wound past a number of sheep-herding communities, while explaining to us about about how fjords are formed, how gin is distilled from juniper berries found in the Norwegian countryside, and why indigenous lemming populations dwindle from drowning each year. The class found the last topic hilarious and constantly joked about finding lemmings in the mountain streams - although we didn't see a single lemming during the entire hike. It was incredible that the high mountain areas were still covered in snow in parts, and since all of the streams were fed from fresh meltwater we all drank freely from them. Also, we encountered a ton of sheep throughout the excursion - some of which followed us bleating for the entire time. After the hike, we all headed back to Voss, grabbed ice cream, and hopped on a train to Bergen (a harbor town on the West coast of Norway). After getting settled, I went with Albert, Kelsey, and a couple other girls from our class to browse around and grab dinner from a local fish market before heading in for the night.
The next day, the class headed first to the Bergen Aquarium, where we got to see a lot of local sea life and handle a few snakes. Afterward, we grabbed lunch and then witnessed a presentation by the community of Bergen (known as the "Bergen Kommune") about what the city was doing to promote sustainability. The presenters also brought in a few scientists who described the processes influencing rising sea levels - which was extremely interesting. Then, we went back to the fish market to grab dinner again before I wandered around the city with Kelsey, Ellen, Ivy, and Wilson. After browsing around for a while, buying some hand-knitted hats and sweaters, and checking out a local military fortress, we tried looking for a place where a public celebration Norway's midsummer festival was supposed to be held. This festival (known as Sankthansaften) was supposed to be one of Norway's largest national holidays, but we only managed to find a few people barbecuing and chilling at a small public park overlooking the water. We hung out there for a while, then traveled back to the hotel where we met up with a few other people from our class. We all hung out in the lobby, and Ivy played a few tunes on piano while me and a few others sang along. Afterward, I discovered that both Jason and I were locked out of our rooms - so we hung out in the hallway exchanging music on our laptops before Sam came back and let the two of us into our hotel room (where Jason also crashed for the night).
On Wednesday, the class went on a hiking trip high in the mountains near Voss - which was definitely the most eventful experience of the entire study tour. A guide took us along a rugged mountain trail that wound past a number of sheep-herding communities, while explaining to us about about how fjords are formed, how gin is distilled from juniper berries found in the Norwegian countryside, and why indigenous lemming populations dwindle from drowning each year. The class found the last topic hilarious and constantly joked about finding lemmings in the mountain streams - although we didn't see a single lemming during the entire hike. It was incredible that the high mountain areas were still covered in snow in parts, and since all of the streams were fed from fresh meltwater we all drank freely from them. Also, we encountered a ton of sheep throughout the excursion - some of which followed us bleating for the entire time. After the hike, we all headed back to Voss, grabbed ice cream, and hopped on a train to Bergen (a harbor town on the West coast of Norway). After getting settled, I went with Albert, Kelsey, and a couple other girls from our class to browse around and grab dinner from a local fish market before heading in for the night.
The First Mile Marker on Our Hike
The next day, the class headed first to the Bergen Aquarium, where we got to see a lot of local sea life and handle a few snakes. Afterward, we grabbed lunch and then witnessed a presentation by the community of Bergen (known as the "Bergen Kommune") about what the city was doing to promote sustainability. The presenters also brought in a few scientists who described the processes influencing rising sea levels - which was extremely interesting. Then, we went back to the fish market to grab dinner again before I wandered around the city with Kelsey, Ellen, Ivy, and Wilson. After browsing around for a while, buying some hand-knitted hats and sweaters, and checking out a local military fortress, we tried looking for a place where a public celebration Norway's midsummer festival was supposed to be held. This festival (known as Sankthansaften) was supposed to be one of Norway's largest national holidays, but we only managed to find a few people barbecuing and chilling at a small public park overlooking the water. We hung out there for a while, then traveled back to the hotel where we met up with a few other people from our class. We all hung out in the lobby, and Ivy played a few tunes on piano while me and a few others sang along. Afterward, I discovered that both Jason and I were locked out of our rooms - so we hung out in the hallway exchanging music on our laptops before Sam came back and let the two of us into our hotel room (where Jason also crashed for the night).
Mountain Sheep at Voss
Friday, the entire class went to a local restaurant in Bryggen (the main wharf along the Bergen harbor) where we ate a traditional Norwegian lunch consisting of fish soup and a grilled moose wrap. Afterward, we all headed to the Bergen science center; it was essentially an interactive museum aimed at educating Norwegian children about a variety of scientific issues (ranging from renewable energy to space travel). Although the subject matter was rather simple and clearly designed for a younger audience, we all had fun - especially riding on a bike-powered centrifuge. However, the study tour was winding down and many of us (myself included) were exhausted from all the activities that had been planned. As soon as we hopped on our flight back to Copenhagen, I fell asleep and didn't wake until the plane had landed. It was later in the evening by the time we arrived, so I immediately went back to Hoffmans, made a quick dinner, and went to bed.
Me and Kelsey Posing with a Moose at Bryggen
Friday, July 1, 2011
Norwegian Excursion (Part 1)
The morning after spending the night at Gronjords, Albert and I headed straight back to Hoffmans on the Metro. After I quickly finished my packing for the upcoming trip, I headed back downtown with Albert to Rådhuspladsen (Copenhagen's town hall square) where we met up with the rest of our class. A quick bus ride then took all of us to the ferry that would transport us to Norway. Although I expected the ferry to be fairly modest, it turned out that the ship was a huge cruise liner - complete with hot tubs, a cafe, several restaurants and bars, and a general store where you could buy everything from shoes to chocolate duty free. I spent the rest of the day exploring, then eventually grabbed dinner from a massive buffet (the seafood was excellent), chatted with my classmates, and worked on a presentation for the next day with a girl from my class named Ellen before heading to bed in my cabin.
The next morning, I woke up early to try to see a few fjords from the deck of the ship; sadly, it was too foggy to see anything much so I headed back to bed. After waking up a second time, I grabbed brunch and quickly packed everything to prepare for our arrival in Oslo. Immediately after arriving, we settled into a hotel room (I roomed with Sam and Albert, who would be my roommates for the rest of the trip) and then grabbed lunch before heading to visit a state-owned Norwegian company called Statkraft that provides renewable energy solutions. They presented to us for a while on what their company does; afterward, I headed to a Viking ship museum with a group of classmates, which wasn't quite as epic as I expected but was still pretty sick nonetheless. Then, we all headed back to Oslo, explored, and grabbed dinner from a local pizza place. Afterward I went out with Sam, Albert, and Kelsey; we found a local bar and we met a Norwegian DJ who told us all about the house music scene in both Scandinavia and the US before heading back to the hotel.
The next day, the class went to visit a company called CICERO - a research center that investigates climate change issues. Afterward, me and a few other people (Sam, Max, and Jason) went to visit the Nobel Peace Prize museum before heading to another lecture by another cleantech company called Mitt Klima. AFterward, we went back to the hotel, grabbing our bags, and hopped on a train bound for Voss (a small mountain resort known for its excellent hiking and skiing). After getting off the train, we all got on a bus that would take us the rest of the way; however, though we thought the ride would be only an hour or so, when we got on the bus driver immediately announced that the trip would be a total of FOUR STRAIGHT HOURS. It was one hell of a ride, but I powered through it by chatting with Ivy for most of the time. The ride was also made tolerable by the awe-inspiring view of several mountain fjords. Once we arrived in Voss, we immediately settled into a new hotel (which was ten times better than the last one) and I went with Sam and Albert to seek out food. Sadly, few places were open so we had to resort to eating at a 7-Eleven (yes, there are 7-Elevens all over Europe). Then, we went back to the room and talked for a while before heading to bed.
A Deckside View of Our Cruise Ship
The next morning, I woke up early to try to see a few fjords from the deck of the ship; sadly, it was too foggy to see anything much so I headed back to bed. After waking up a second time, I grabbed brunch and quickly packed everything to prepare for our arrival in Oslo. Immediately after arriving, we settled into a hotel room (I roomed with Sam and Albert, who would be my roommates for the rest of the trip) and then grabbed lunch before heading to visit a state-owned Norwegian company called Statkraft that provides renewable energy solutions. They presented to us for a while on what their company does; afterward, I headed to a Viking ship museum with a group of classmates, which wasn't quite as epic as I expected but was still pretty sick nonetheless. Then, we all headed back to Oslo, explored, and grabbed dinner from a local pizza place. Afterward I went out with Sam, Albert, and Kelsey; we found a local bar and we met a Norwegian DJ who told us all about the house music scene in both Scandinavia and the US before heading back to the hotel.
The Main Floor of the Cruise Ship to Oslo
The next day, the class went to visit a company called CICERO - a research center that investigates climate change issues. Afterward, me and a few other people (Sam, Max, and Jason) went to visit the Nobel Peace Prize museum before heading to another lecture by another cleantech company called Mitt Klima. AFterward, we went back to the hotel, grabbing our bags, and hopped on a train bound for Voss (a small mountain resort known for its excellent hiking and skiing). After getting off the train, we all got on a bus that would take us the rest of the way; however, though we thought the ride would be only an hour or so, when we got on the bus driver immediately announced that the trip would be a total of FOUR STRAIGHT HOURS. It was one hell of a ride, but I powered through it by chatting with Ivy for most of the time. The ride was also made tolerable by the awe-inspiring view of several mountain fjords. Once we arrived in Voss, we immediately settled into a new hotel (which was ten times better than the last one) and I went with Sam and Albert to seek out food. Sadly, few places were open so we had to resort to eating at a 7-Eleven (yes, there are 7-Elevens all over Europe). Then, we went back to the room and talked for a while before heading to bed.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Pre-Departure Happenings
As a part of the DIS program, every class during the second three-week session goes on a week-long study tour to a country other than Denmark. These study tours all fall on the second week of session 2, and are meant to give students a firsthand look at the issues discussed in class (as well as broadening their cultural experiences while abroad). The destinations of the study tours ranged from Amsterdam to Scotland to Poland, but for Sustainable Technology class we're visiting Norway. I've actually been in Norway for the past few days, but because of the tightness of our schedule I haven't been able to blog at all. Here I'll just cover some of the events leading up to the study tour, then on the trip back to Denmark I'll get around to recounting my experiences in Norway.
On Friday, I went to class as usual; we ended up discussing the results of the UNFCC and the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. After class, Sam, Jason, and I all met in the DIS cinema and discussed our views of the material covered in class. Our discussion devolved into an hour-and-a-half long intellectual debate about how best to change American culture and people's perceptions in order to promote environmentalism. It was actually one of the most interesting experiences I've had while abroad; it's not often that people passionately engage each other about intellectual issues like this. Afterward, I went back to Hoffmans, got some laundry done, and made dinner. I then headed downtown with Albert, Jared, and a few other girls from our Kollegium who had just arrived for the second session, and we went to visit Tivoli - the renowned Danish amusement park centered in downtown Copenhagen. As I had just learned a few days before, the band Aqua (of "Barbie Girl" fame) were going to be playing a free show that night, so we were all excited - though also apprehensive about how good the concert would be, considering the band's status as the epitome of one-hit-wonders. Once we arrived, Albert and a few of the girls managed to sneak into Tivoli through through the back entrance of a restaurant adjacent to the park; however, me, Jared, and one of the girls decided to play it safe and pay the entry fee. Thankfully we made the right decision, since one of the other girls ended up getting caught in the act of sneaking in and was almost kicked out of the park. Once we were all inside, however, we realized that ride tickets were extremely expensive, so we only paid to get into the fun house - which was indeed fun, despite being a glorified children's playhouse. After exiting the fun house we ended up seeing Chris, Nia, and I girl named Hannah (whom I had met a few weeks ago), as well as Jill, Ashley, and Katie; it was definitely cool to see so many fellow DIS students there for the concert. We then staked out a spot for the concert early, only to find that one of our instructors (Pam) was also there - so chatted with her for a while before Aqua came on. I was surprised by how good of a show they put on - though it was infinitely more amusing because Pam knew all of Aqua's obscure songs and danced along the whole time. After they played "Barbie Girl,"we all headed back to Strøget, met up with Kate Schratz for a bit, and then went to a venue near DIS to hang out with Jill, Ashley, and Katie for a while. After that, the night got pretty interesting - I ended up chatting with a few Danish guys, hung out briefly with Andy Tucker and his friend Jay, and was hit on by a few unattractive Danish girls (whom I managed to escape from after smoothly passing myself off as Matt Wolschleger). Eventually, I headed back to Hoffmans with Katie.
The next day, I slept in and spent a good portion of the day working on a paper for class with Albert. Early in the afternoon, we headed over to a cafe called Paludan Bøger - an old bookstore that had been converted into a cafe, where I had met up with Sara and worked on a paper a week earlier. After working for a solid 5 hours, we headed back to Hoffmans where I finished up my laundry and napped before making a delicious dinner of pesto-doused pasta. Then, I hung out with Albert, Jared, Kyle, Hirsch, Ryan, and a few other people from our Kollegium and played card games before Albert and I headed over to Gronjords to hang out with Sam, Dustin, David, Kelsey, Jason, and a few other girls from their Kollegium whom I had met before. We all talked and danced for a while, and eventually found ourselves chatting with a British guy named Neil who was in charge of organizing social events for the entire Gronjords complex (in total, Gronjords consists of 5 or so high-rise buildings). Me, Albert, a guy from our class named Dominic, and girl named Melissa whom we had met that night all hung out in his apartment for a while and made popcorn until it was almost 4 AM; seeing that it was so late, we decided to crash in Gronjords for a while. Neil grabbed a few spare mattresses and bedrolls from his room, and me, Albert, and Dominic all got a few hours' rest before getting up early and heading back to our respective kollegiums.
On Friday, I went to class as usual; we ended up discussing the results of the UNFCC and the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol. After class, Sam, Jason, and I all met in the DIS cinema and discussed our views of the material covered in class. Our discussion devolved into an hour-and-a-half long intellectual debate about how best to change American culture and people's perceptions in order to promote environmentalism. It was actually one of the most interesting experiences I've had while abroad; it's not often that people passionately engage each other about intellectual issues like this. Afterward, I went back to Hoffmans, got some laundry done, and made dinner. I then headed downtown with Albert, Jared, and a few other girls from our Kollegium who had just arrived for the second session, and we went to visit Tivoli - the renowned Danish amusement park centered in downtown Copenhagen. As I had just learned a few days before, the band Aqua (of "Barbie Girl" fame) were going to be playing a free show that night, so we were all excited - though also apprehensive about how good the concert would be, considering the band's status as the epitome of one-hit-wonders. Once we arrived, Albert and a few of the girls managed to sneak into Tivoli through through the back entrance of a restaurant adjacent to the park; however, me, Jared, and one of the girls decided to play it safe and pay the entry fee. Thankfully we made the right decision, since one of the other girls ended up getting caught in the act of sneaking in and was almost kicked out of the park. Once we were all inside, however, we realized that ride tickets were extremely expensive, so we only paid to get into the fun house - which was indeed fun, despite being a glorified children's playhouse. After exiting the fun house we ended up seeing Chris, Nia, and I girl named Hannah (whom I had met a few weeks ago), as well as Jill, Ashley, and Katie; it was definitely cool to see so many fellow DIS students there for the concert. We then staked out a spot for the concert early, only to find that one of our instructors (Pam) was also there - so chatted with her for a while before Aqua came on. I was surprised by how good of a show they put on - though it was infinitely more amusing because Pam knew all of Aqua's obscure songs and danced along the whole time. After they played "Barbie Girl,"we all headed back to Strøget, met up with Kate Schratz for a bit, and then went to a venue near DIS to hang out with Jill, Ashley, and Katie for a while. After that, the night got pretty interesting - I ended up chatting with a few Danish guys, hung out briefly with Andy Tucker and his friend Jay, and was hit on by a few unattractive Danish girls (whom I managed to escape from after smoothly passing myself off as Matt Wolschleger). Eventually, I headed back to Hoffmans with Katie.
Defying Gravity at the Tivoli Fun House
The next day, I slept in and spent a good portion of the day working on a paper for class with Albert. Early in the afternoon, we headed over to a cafe called Paludan Bøger - an old bookstore that had been converted into a cafe, where I had met up with Sara and worked on a paper a week earlier. After working for a solid 5 hours, we headed back to Hoffmans where I finished up my laundry and napped before making a delicious dinner of pesto-doused pasta. Then, I hung out with Albert, Jared, Kyle, Hirsch, Ryan, and a few other people from our Kollegium and played card games before Albert and I headed over to Gronjords to hang out with Sam, Dustin, David, Kelsey, Jason, and a few other girls from their Kollegium whom I had met before. We all talked and danced for a while, and eventually found ourselves chatting with a British guy named Neil who was in charge of organizing social events for the entire Gronjords complex (in total, Gronjords consists of 5 or so high-rise buildings). Me, Albert, a guy from our class named Dominic, and girl named Melissa whom we had met that night all hung out in his apartment for a while and made popcorn until it was almost 4 AM; seeing that it was so late, we decided to crash in Gronjords for a while. Neil grabbed a few spare mattresses and bedrolls from his room, and me, Albert, and Dominic all got a few hours' rest before getting up early and heading back to our respective kollegiums.
Me and a Couple Girls from Hoffmans Waiting for Aqua
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Copin' with Environmental Issues
Aside from being one of the happiest nations on Earth, Denmark also is one of the most environmentally friendly. When you first land in Copenhagen, one of the most salient things you can see from the air is a series of wind turbines anchored off the coast. These turbines (which can easily be seen from other areas of the city too) send a blatant message to anyone who might not know: "Copenhagen is going green." This environmental consciousness can also be seen in other, more subtle aspects of Danish culture too. For example, most buildings don't have extensive air conditioning; rather, most Danes conserve energy by opening large windows and doors designed to provide ventilation to their homes. I've also heard from other students that the city of Copenhagen is planning to completely redesign their energy and fuel system in the next decade or two; even now, electric cars like the Tesla Roadster are becoming pretty popular in European countries, and the Danes hopes to capitalize on this by being proactive and updating their energy and fuel infrastructure early. All of this provides a perfect background for the class that I'll be taking the second session - Sustainable Technology and Culture.
On Tuesday, I went to my first class of the Session 2; as it turned out, I knew a few people in the class (including Sam, a guy from my last class named Christof, and a girl I had met earlier named Ellen) - which was a relief to know, since I wouldn't have such a hard time matching names with faces again. The material we covered during the lecture, though - corporate social responsibility, or CSR - was a bit over my head since I hadn't taken the CSR class from the previous session, while those who had taken that class seemed much more confident and knowledgeable about the material. After class, I met a guy from Massachusetts named Albert who was also living in my kollegium; Sam and I showed him around the city for a while, then I went back to Sam's kollegium and chatted with him while Albert went back to Hoffmans. After a little while, we all went to a Turkish buffet downtown with the rest of our class; I ended up meeting a few people (including a guy named Max and a Canadian girl named Kelsey), and a group of us (me, Sam, Albert, Kelsey, Max, and Christof) all tried heading to a bar to see one of Sam's friends play some live music. However, we couldn't find the place so we all sat down at a small hole-in-the-wall cafe and chatted for a while before we parted ways. After heading back to Hoffmans, I read for a while and went to bed.
Wednesday's schedule was about as jam-packed as Tuesday's; after sitting through our daily class lecture, our class went on a trip to a Danish alternative living arrangement called Hyldespjældet. At first, I thought it would be akin to a commune, but when we arrived I found that it actually had very good living arrangements that were even better kept than many of the apartments and kollegiums I had seen around the city. The man who showed us around the facilities told us all about the sustainable practices that the residents kept; they ranged from a communal chicken pen (which was the first program to be instituted there) to storage of urine in underground tanks in place of using an unsanitary sewer system to growing plants on the roofs of buildings to increase the buildings' durability and increase greenspace. One house in Hyldespjældet was run completely on solar energy, which I found fascinating. After the class returned from the trip utterly exhausted, I went with Albert, Max, and two other guys from our class named Jason and Dominic to start work on an upcoming class project. Then, we all went to a DIS-sponsored dinner at a local restaurant called Riz Raz, and from there Albert and I went to visit people from our class and my Positive Psych class at Gronjords before heading over to a DIS-sponsored social event at the DIS Studenterhusen, or Student House. We all headed back after a while to crash at Hoffmans.
On Thursday, I woke up early and felt terrible; my allergies had been growing steadily worse over the past week, and that morning I could barely breathe through my nose. I decided to get some extra sleep, but slept through my alarm and ended up arriving to class late due to heavy traffic. When I arrived, I apologized profusely to the instructor, but she was very understanding and even suggested some steps I might take to find better allergy medications while in Denmark. As it turned out, I didn't miss much - only part of a guest lecture that the main instructor had scheduled only because she had a doctor's appointment earlier that day. After lunch, I went with a group of other students (Sam, a girl from Hoffmans named Ivy, and another guy named Wilson) to visit LiqTech, a cleantech company that we'd chosen to present on and write a paper about. As we learned, LiqTech produces silicon carbide filters for diesel engines and liquid waste treatment. We met with the founder and CEO of the company, Lasse Andreassen, and got the chance to talk to him about the history of LiqTech, its products, the sustainable practices it uses, and the demand for its goods and services. He then gave us a tour of LiqTech's facilities; the company was actually much smaller than we had thought. Afterward, we returned to our kollegiums, and I got a lot of grocery shopping done before cooking dinner, reading, and heading in for the night.
On Tuesday, I went to my first class of the Session 2; as it turned out, I knew a few people in the class (including Sam, a guy from my last class named Christof, and a girl I had met earlier named Ellen) - which was a relief to know, since I wouldn't have such a hard time matching names with faces again. The material we covered during the lecture, though - corporate social responsibility, or CSR - was a bit over my head since I hadn't taken the CSR class from the previous session, while those who had taken that class seemed much more confident and knowledgeable about the material. After class, I met a guy from Massachusetts named Albert who was also living in my kollegium; Sam and I showed him around the city for a while, then I went back to Sam's kollegium and chatted with him while Albert went back to Hoffmans. After a little while, we all went to a Turkish buffet downtown with the rest of our class; I ended up meeting a few people (including a guy named Max and a Canadian girl named Kelsey), and a group of us (me, Sam, Albert, Kelsey, Max, and Christof) all tried heading to a bar to see one of Sam's friends play some live music. However, we couldn't find the place so we all sat down at a small hole-in-the-wall cafe and chatted for a while before we parted ways. After heading back to Hoffmans, I read for a while and went to bed.
Windmills Off the Coast in Copenhagen
Wednesday's schedule was about as jam-packed as Tuesday's; after sitting through our daily class lecture, our class went on a trip to a Danish alternative living arrangement called Hyldespjældet. At first, I thought it would be akin to a commune, but when we arrived I found that it actually had very good living arrangements that were even better kept than many of the apartments and kollegiums I had seen around the city. The man who showed us around the facilities told us all about the sustainable practices that the residents kept; they ranged from a communal chicken pen (which was the first program to be instituted there) to storage of urine in underground tanks in place of using an unsanitary sewer system to growing plants on the roofs of buildings to increase the buildings' durability and increase greenspace. One house in Hyldespjældet was run completely on solar energy, which I found fascinating. After the class returned from the trip utterly exhausted, I went with Albert, Max, and two other guys from our class named Jason and Dominic to start work on an upcoming class project. Then, we all went to a DIS-sponsored dinner at a local restaurant called Riz Raz, and from there Albert and I went to visit people from our class and my Positive Psych class at Gronjords before heading over to a DIS-sponsored social event at the DIS Studenterhusen, or Student House. We all headed back after a while to crash at Hoffmans.
Our Guide Showing the Class Sustainable Housing in Hyldespjældet
On Thursday, I woke up early and felt terrible; my allergies had been growing steadily worse over the past week, and that morning I could barely breathe through my nose. I decided to get some extra sleep, but slept through my alarm and ended up arriving to class late due to heavy traffic. When I arrived, I apologized profusely to the instructor, but she was very understanding and even suggested some steps I might take to find better allergy medications while in Denmark. As it turned out, I didn't miss much - only part of a guest lecture that the main instructor had scheduled only because she had a doctor's appointment earlier that day. After lunch, I went with a group of other students (Sam, a girl from Hoffmans named Ivy, and another guy named Wilson) to visit LiqTech, a cleantech company that we'd chosen to present on and write a paper about. As we learned, LiqTech produces silicon carbide filters for diesel engines and liquid waste treatment. We met with the founder and CEO of the company, Lasse Andreassen, and got the chance to talk to him about the history of LiqTech, its products, the sustainable practices it uses, and the demand for its goods and services. He then gave us a tour of LiqTech's facilities; the company was actually much smaller than we had thought. Afterward, we returned to our kollegiums, and I got a lot of grocery shopping done before cooking dinner, reading, and heading in for the night.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
A Change in Scenery, New Arrivals
Again, I've been astounded at how fast time has been flying these past couple weeks. I've hardly had time to organize my thoughts, let alone blog about them; it's been one thing after another. I'll definitely make a more concerted effort to keep the blog updated, but it's tougher now that the pace of my life abroad is picking up.
Last Saturday, a group of friends that I had made from my Positive Psych class and I decided to take a trip to Malmö, Sweden. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a miscommunication about the timing of when we were supposed to meet. Two of the girls who were planning on making the trip with us arrived at København H (the main train station in Copenhagen) several hours early; after realizing that nobody else was at the station, they decided to leave by themselves. The worst part of the whole scenario was the fact that they left their phones off because they didn't want to incur any phone charges (the cost of making international calls, even between nations as close as Denmark and Sweden, can be astronomical) - so none of us could contact them. Needless to say, tensions were running a bit high as we left without them. Once we arrived in the city, things got better - we grabbed a quick lunch downtown, toured around for a while, and even saw the two girls (Caroline and Kelsey) for a bit. However, they decided to go off and see the city on their own, and we could still sense some latent tension. The city couldn't really compare to Copenhagen though, and after our return I went and visited the kollegium that my friends lived in (Gronjords), met a few other people who lived there, and hung for a while before returning to Hoffmans.
Last Saturday, a group of friends that I had made from my Positive Psych class and I decided to take a trip to Malmö, Sweden. Unfortunately, there was a bit of a miscommunication about the timing of when we were supposed to meet. Two of the girls who were planning on making the trip with us arrived at København H (the main train station in Copenhagen) several hours early; after realizing that nobody else was at the station, they decided to leave by themselves. The worst part of the whole scenario was the fact that they left their phones off because they didn't want to incur any phone charges (the cost of making international calls, even between nations as close as Denmark and Sweden, can be astronomical) - so none of us could contact them. Needless to say, tensions were running a bit high as we left without them. Once we arrived in the city, things got better - we grabbed a quick lunch downtown, toured around for a while, and even saw the two girls (Caroline and Kelsey) for a bit. However, they decided to go off and see the city on their own, and we could still sense some latent tension. The city couldn't really compare to Copenhagen though, and after our return I went and visited the kollegium that my friends lived in (Gronjords), met a few other people who lived there, and hung for a while before returning to Hoffmans.
Radhuset, the City Hall in Malmö
The next day, I went to pick up Jared Scheck around noon; we had been in contact though Facebook for a while, and I knew that he would be staying in Hoffmans as well. We met at Nørreport Station (the main Metro and S-tog station downtown) and I brought him back to Hoffmans. I showed him around the kollegium for a while before he passed out on my floor from jet lag; however, once he awoke we met up with Katie Schratz downtown (whom I had seen only a few times in Copenhagen before then) and we grabbed dinner at a local vegetarian salad bar. Afterward, we all hung out at a public park nearby and reminisced about our days at Denison. After we were finished trading stories, we met up with a few of my friends from Gronjords and chilled for a while before deciding that it was time to head back; Jared was really starting to feel the jet lag and we figured that we didn't want to be out too late. Jared then slept in the Hoffmans common room for the night.
Posing with a Troll in Malmö
The next morning, I took Jared downtown for the DIS orientation, then went to return my textbook from the first session before I headed to a beach in Amager to hang out with Sara, Eszter, and a few others from their kollegium (Tåsingade). Sadly it was a bit windy and not as warm as we had expected, so nobody really wanted to get in the water. Instead, we all just lay out, read, and joked about Sara's musical taste (she had brought her iPod, which according to her hadn't been updated in a good ten years). Later on, I went back to Gronjords to play a game of basketball with Dustin, David, and Sam (a guy from their kollegium whom I had met a couple nights earlier; as it turned out, he was taking the same class as me for the second session). As we found out, though, we were all sorely out of shape and got winded pretty quickly after just one game of 2 on 2. After that, I headed back to Hoffmans, grabbed some dinner, and went straight to bed.
An Odd Statue Garden in One of Malmö's Public Parks
Monday, June 13, 2011
The Last of Session 1
Last week flew by! On Tuesday, class was cancelled YET AGAIN. Without much to do or any way to contact people, I chilled on the roof of Hoffmans for a while, started working on a paper for class, and finished an application for an on-campus entrepreneurship program. I also discovered that the order for my phone hadn't gone through, so I re-sent it in the hope that it would arrive in the next few days. Later on, I met up with a girl named Sara who I had befriended a few weeks earlier; we hung out at a local coffee shop for a while and worked on our papers, then headed back to her place. There, her roommate cooked us dinner and I chatted with a few people from their Kollegium before Sara and I grabbed ice cream. Sadly, Ben and Jerry's was the closest and cheapest option; for the umpteenth time, I felt a bit guilty for getting the most American food while abroad. Afterward I headed back to Hoffmans, worked on my paper some more, and crashed for the night.
A Man Enjoying One of Copenhagen's Public Gardens
Some of the Sickest Graffiti I've Ever Seen
On Friday (the last day of class for our first session), we had yet another guest lecturer speak to our class about preconceived judgments and do a few workshops with us. Most of the workshops were very meditative and seemed a bit far-out to most of the people in the class, but what the lecturer had to say was fairly interesting. Afterward, I went to check with DIS and ask what possibly could have happened to my phone. They called the phone company and asked about the drop-off point but didn't get any definitive answer, so I headed back to the location see if there wasn't some sort of mistake. I entered apprehensively, and somehow ended up in the publishing company's office asking if it was the right place. As it turned out, there was ANOTHER street with a name that was only one letter off from the name of the street I was on. Sheepishly I went to the new location and found it to be even sketchier than the first one - it was in a basement that had been completely torn apart, and the haggard-looking man who gave me the new phone told me there had been a break-in recently. For as sketchy and haphazard as the situation seemed to be, at least the phone I got worked perfectly - so I went back to DIS, talked to Sara and found out where she was going to be later in the night, then headed back to Hoffmans. I later met up with Sara at a local cafe where some company party was being held, but ended up meeting an ex-con and was hit on by a drunk Danish dude - so we beat a hasty retreat back to Sara's place where I chilled with her and her roommate (Eszter) and ate Nutella until I was ready to pass out and headed back to my place.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Taxes and More Taxes
Although Denmark is rated as the happiest country on Earth, it also has one of the highest tax rates of any country. I've heard that the upper income tax brackets in Denmark can pay taxes that amount to almost 75% of their yearly income. This also extends to sales taxes, which are about 25% for most goods (including groceries). No matter where I go in Copenhagen, everything is expensive; I've seen music CDs that would be 15 USD max in the U.S. sell for about 150 DKK (Kroner, the Danish currency) - which amounts to roughly 30 USD. That's just outrageous. It seems to work for the Danes, though, since they all maintain stable and roughly equal standards of living.
On Sunday, I woke up early and went with Jill and her roommate Karina on a tour of Frederiksborg Palace, which built by King Frederik II in the 16th century and was home of the Danish royal family through the 19th century. We barely missed a guided tour of the palace, but we explored on our own for a while and got to check out every room of the palace that was open to the public. The palace was mostly filled with paintings of Danish royalty and famous events in Danish history, plus a collection of gaudy furniture and old astrological equipment - but sections of the ground and top floors were set aside as gallery spaces that were used for displaying artwork commemorating important figures in modern Danish politics and culture. We also happened to meet a few other people from our class at the palace, and afterward we grabbed some food at a local pølse stand (pølse is the signature Danish hotdog) before heading back to Hoffmans by S-tog. Later I just chilled in the room for a while and got some reading done.
The next day wasn't too eventful; in class a guest lecturer same in and explained the theories behind narrative psychology - a field of psychology that looks into the ways that people describe their life stories - and discussed how this field could be used to explore the positive qualities of people's lives. Everyone in the class then ended up participating in a workshop where we used narrative psychology techniques to consider ways that problems in people's lives that could be improved. During a break I chatted with a few guys form my class who had visited Berlin the past weekend an asked them about their trip, and after class me and a group of my classmates checked out some shops downtown. Afterward I browsed around for a while, headed back to my Kollegium, and grabbed some groceries from Netto. Later I studied at the park near Hoffmans and chatted with a girl named Nadia who lives few floors up from me, then afterward a girl named Theresa who also lives here showed me how to get onto the roof of the Kollegium. It's so tight. From now on, I'll probably get most of my studies done up here!
On Sunday, I woke up early and went with Jill and her roommate Karina on a tour of Frederiksborg Palace, which built by King Frederik II in the 16th century and was home of the Danish royal family through the 19th century. We barely missed a guided tour of the palace, but we explored on our own for a while and got to check out every room of the palace that was open to the public. The palace was mostly filled with paintings of Danish royalty and famous events in Danish history, plus a collection of gaudy furniture and old astrological equipment - but sections of the ground and top floors were set aside as gallery spaces that were used for displaying artwork commemorating important figures in modern Danish politics and culture. We also happened to meet a few other people from our class at the palace, and afterward we grabbed some food at a local pølse stand (pølse is the signature Danish hotdog) before heading back to Hoffmans by S-tog. Later I just chilled in the room for a while and got some reading done.
The Facade of Frederiksborg Castle
The next day wasn't too eventful; in class a guest lecturer same in and explained the theories behind narrative psychology - a field of psychology that looks into the ways that people describe their life stories - and discussed how this field could be used to explore the positive qualities of people's lives. Everyone in the class then ended up participating in a workshop where we used narrative psychology techniques to consider ways that problems in people's lives that could be improved. During a break I chatted with a few guys form my class who had visited Berlin the past weekend an asked them about their trip, and after class me and a group of my classmates checked out some shops downtown. Afterward I browsed around for a while, headed back to my Kollegium, and grabbed some groceries from Netto. Later I studied at the park near Hoffmans and chatted with a girl named Nadia who lives few floors up from me, then afterward a girl named Theresa who also lives here showed me how to get onto the roof of the Kollegium. It's so tight. From now on, I'll probably get most of my studies done up here!
The View from the Hoffmans Roof
(And yes, I'm currently writing this blog update from the roof. The view of Brønshøj - the suburb where Hoffmans Minde is located - is phenomenal.)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Distortion (Part 2)
The only thing I can say to preface this update is: Distortion was SICK!
Early on Thursday I went with a few girls from Hoffmans (Erin, Juliana, Vivian, and Theresa) and a guy named Sanjay from the French Alps to walk around the city and explore. We stopped by the entrance to Christiania, a politically and socially autonomous community in downtown Copenhagen where squatters took over an old military area. We explored a bit but felt slightyl sketched out, so we left pretty quickly after finding food. I had a great time getting to know them all better, and talked for a while with Sanjay about how he compared his experiences in France and Denmark. Later, after knowing what to expect from Distortion on the first night, I went downtown with Jill, Katie, and Ashley again on Thursday. There wasn't as much going on during the daytime; again, there were live DJ sets and plenty of hipsters, but since we arrived later than the day before we didn't get the chance to check as many out. Later in the night we hopped between a club called Rust and a Latin dance club and had a pretty great time at both. Rust was definitely the better venue, though - with two floors and a better variety of music, it was awesome. Unfortunately it was pretty packed for most of the time, and I swear we spent a solid 10 minutes just trying to wedge our way through the crowd up the stairs to the upper floor.
On Saturday I hung around Hoffmans for a while, then headed back downtown with Katie and Ashley for the final Distortion events (Jill wasn't feeling well so she stayed in). This night, it was located in the old meat-packing sector of the city - so a lot of the events were in renovated industrial areas, which added a lot to the atmosphere. There were a lot of awesome things to check out - for example, there was a set blasting hardcore German electronic music, a reggae DJ who tossed out free shirts and whistles, a laser-light rave dancefloor set up in a gym, a huge electronica concert in an old warehouse, and a pool set up with neon lights and music. It was by far the best night I've spent in Europe so far. However, I sadly lost my brand-new pair of boat shoes after I left them outside the pool - which definitely put a damper on the night when it came time to leave.
Early on Thursday I went with a few girls from Hoffmans (Erin, Juliana, Vivian, and Theresa) and a guy named Sanjay from the French Alps to walk around the city and explore. We stopped by the entrance to Christiania, a politically and socially autonomous community in downtown Copenhagen where squatters took over an old military area. We explored a bit but felt slightyl sketched out, so we left pretty quickly after finding food. I had a great time getting to know them all better, and talked for a while with Sanjay about how he compared his experiences in France and Denmark. Later, after knowing what to expect from Distortion on the first night, I went downtown with Jill, Katie, and Ashley again on Thursday. There wasn't as much going on during the daytime; again, there were live DJ sets and plenty of hipsters, but since we arrived later than the day before we didn't get the chance to check as many out. Later in the night we hopped between a club called Rust and a Latin dance club and had a pretty great time at both. Rust was definitely the better venue, though - with two floors and a better variety of music, it was awesome. Unfortunately it was pretty packed for most of the time, and I swear we spent a solid 10 minutes just trying to wedge our way through the crowd up the stairs to the upper floor.
Me and the Others at the Entrance to Christiania
The next day, I got the chance to explore the park near my Kollegium better while getting some jogging in. After hanging around Hoffmans for a while, I headed to the King's Gardens to chill with Kyle, Ryan, Hirsch, Tom, a friend of Hirsch's who was visiting for a few days, and a guy from Boston that I'd met earlier named Tim. We all had a great time just hanging out and joking, then after a while met up with Ravy, grabbed some pizza, and headed to the location of Distortion for that night. The first few DJs we visited weren't the best, but after a while we found one we liked. At first, we tried dancing and waited for girls to approach us, but once that strategy proved ineffective Tom and Ryan straight up grabbed a few girls' hands and told them, "Dance with us!" After about 30 seconds of dancing, the girls ran away as fast as they could! It was by far one of the funniest things that had happened since I'd been in Europe. A few minutes later we approached a group of girls with a bit more subtlety, but they also scattered quickly; it seems that European girls' ideas of having a good time are different than American girls'. Later in the night we met a few other girls from Hoffmans, then while they stayed downtown we went back to the Kollegium. I, however, got separated from the rest of the group by accidentally getting on the wrong bus. While waiting for the bus back to Hoffmans I met a Danish student who was one of the friendliest Danes I had met so far. We chatted for a while on the bus, then finally I arrived at Hoffmans and crashed for the night.
Me, Ashley, Jill, and Katie at Distortion
On Saturday I hung around Hoffmans for a while, then headed back downtown with Katie and Ashley for the final Distortion events (Jill wasn't feeling well so she stayed in). This night, it was located in the old meat-packing sector of the city - so a lot of the events were in renovated industrial areas, which added a lot to the atmosphere. There were a lot of awesome things to check out - for example, there was a set blasting hardcore German electronic music, a reggae DJ who tossed out free shirts and whistles, a laser-light rave dancefloor set up in a gym, a huge electronica concert in an old warehouse, and a pool set up with neon lights and music. It was by far the best night I've spent in Europe so far. However, I sadly lost my brand-new pair of boat shoes after I left them outside the pool - which definitely put a damper on the night when it came time to leave.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Phoneless in Copenhagen, Plus Distortion (Part 1)
Normally, DIS provides all of its students with free phones to help offset the costs of international calling. However, since a DIS representative didn't pick me up from the airport, I missed the session where the phones were handed out. So ever since I've been here, it's been tough to communicate with anyone outside my Kollegium or my class. I've definitely managed to get by, but it's been a week since I've ordered a new phone and still no response. I guess I'll just have to stick with it and hope that phone gets here in the next few days.
On Monday, class wasn't much different from what I'd experienced in the past - however, our professor openly admitted to the class that this was her first time teaching (in either Danish or English). This really didn't come as a shock to me or any of my other classmates; although the professor always seemed very friendly and well-meaning, we could all tell that she wasn't very confident at directing class discussion or teaching the material. At least the simplicity of the class made sense to us now. After class, I browsed around the city with a few of my classmates - Ilya, Chris (the guy who had gone to Lakota East), Caroline, Gabby, Nia, and a few others - and we all went on a scenic tour of Copenhagen's canal system. One of the main highlights of the tour was a waterfront view of The Little Mermaid, a bronze statue based upon Hans Christian Anderson's tale of the same name. After the tour, we all grabbed dinner from a respectable restaurant on Copenhagen's main pedestrian street and then parted ways. I returned to Hoffmans, grabbed a quick dinner, then explored the park near the Kollegium and ran a few laps before heading in for the night.
The next day, a guest lecturer taught our class; he was hella better at teaching than our usual professor, and every girl in the class was captivated by his suave charm. After class, I went back to Hoffmans and grabbed a few necessities from the local Netto with Jill, then made a hearty dinner of rice and eggs. Later in the night I tried to meet up with some other people at another Kollegium, but the directions I got from a Copenhagen local proved to be faulty and took me in the OPPOSITE direction of where I wanted to go. By the time I realized I was going in the wrong direction, it was pretty late and I decided to head back to my Kollegium. On the way back, though, I met a kindly old man heading home for the night. In broken English, he told me that he was a cab driver who had just finished his shift and was looking forward to seeing his family that night. He then related to me how he was not allowed to drive his taxi home, but rather was forced to park it in a too-small, dank cellar for reasons of economy. It seems that the high tax rates in Denmark have as much of an impact on its citizens as they do on visiting foreigners.
Yesterday morning, I was awakened by Jill telling me that class was cancelled again. Mentally I shouted a "HELL YEAH" before going back to sleep for a few hours. After waking up, I watched a few episodes of Community on my laptop, got a bit of reading done, then headed down to the park to run a few laps. After doing some laundry, I hung with Jill and a couple other girls from Hoffmans (Katie and Ashley) for a while before we all headed into town to check out Distortion - an annual 5-day celebration of Copenhagen's arts, street life, and club culture. This year it happened to coincide with a 4-day weekend celebrating Ascension Day, so the timing of the festival was impeccable. When we arrived in downtown Copenhagen, entire plazas were jam-packed with hipsters flocking around DJ sets. Seriously, this was the biggest collection of hipsters I'd seen in my entire life. We met a few other people there and checked out a few of the DJ sets, which were really fun. The atmosphere was sick, though as the night wore down and we started visiting clubs, none were really happening. We did manage to meet a Norwegian guy who looked spot-on like Jesus, though; he was extremely amusing and kept asking us why on Earth we'd want to study in Denmark, of all places! We talked to him for a while about his experiences in Denmark and the differences between the Danish and Norwegian languages, then walked around for a while before Jill and I decided to head back.
A Windmill at Kastellet
On Monday, class wasn't much different from what I'd experienced in the past - however, our professor openly admitted to the class that this was her first time teaching (in either Danish or English). This really didn't come as a shock to me or any of my other classmates; although the professor always seemed very friendly and well-meaning, we could all tell that she wasn't very confident at directing class discussion or teaching the material. At least the simplicity of the class made sense to us now. After class, I browsed around the city with a few of my classmates - Ilya, Chris (the guy who had gone to Lakota East), Caroline, Gabby, Nia, and a few others - and we all went on a scenic tour of Copenhagen's canal system. One of the main highlights of the tour was a waterfront view of The Little Mermaid, a bronze statue based upon Hans Christian Anderson's tale of the same name. After the tour, we all grabbed dinner from a respectable restaurant on Copenhagen's main pedestrian street and then parted ways. I returned to Hoffmans, grabbed a quick dinner, then explored the park near the Kollegium and ran a few laps before heading in for the night.
A View of Copenhagen's Canals
The next day, a guest lecturer taught our class; he was hella better at teaching than our usual professor, and every girl in the class was captivated by his suave charm. After class, I went back to Hoffmans and grabbed a few necessities from the local Netto with Jill, then made a hearty dinner of rice and eggs. Later in the night I tried to meet up with some other people at another Kollegium, but the directions I got from a Copenhagen local proved to be faulty and took me in the OPPOSITE direction of where I wanted to go. By the time I realized I was going in the wrong direction, it was pretty late and I decided to head back to my Kollegium. On the way back, though, I met a kindly old man heading home for the night. In broken English, he told me that he was a cab driver who had just finished his shift and was looking forward to seeing his family that night. He then related to me how he was not allowed to drive his taxi home, but rather was forced to park it in a too-small, dank cellar for reasons of economy. It seems that the high tax rates in Denmark have as much of an impact on its citizens as they do on visiting foreigners.
Christiansborg Palace, House of the Danish Parliament
Yesterday morning, I was awakened by Jill telling me that class was cancelled again. Mentally I shouted a "HELL YEAH" before going back to sleep for a few hours. After waking up, I watched a few episodes of Community on my laptop, got a bit of reading done, then headed down to the park to run a few laps. After doing some laundry, I hung with Jill and a couple other girls from Hoffmans (Katie and Ashley) for a while before we all headed into town to check out Distortion - an annual 5-day celebration of Copenhagen's arts, street life, and club culture. This year it happened to coincide with a 4-day weekend celebrating Ascension Day, so the timing of the festival was impeccable. When we arrived in downtown Copenhagen, entire plazas were jam-packed with hipsters flocking around DJ sets. Seriously, this was the biggest collection of hipsters I'd seen in my entire life. We met a few other people there and checked out a few of the DJ sets, which were really fun. The atmosphere was sick, though as the night wore down and we started visiting clubs, none were really happening. We did manage to meet a Norwegian guy who looked spot-on like Jesus, though; he was extremely amusing and kept asking us why on Earth we'd want to study in Denmark, of all places! We talked to him for a while about his experiences in Denmark and the differences between the Danish and Norwegian languages, then walked around for a while before Jill and I decided to head back.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Getting Around Town
Bikes are ubiquitous in Copenhagen - it seems that everyone who lives here owns a bike and uses it to travel everywhere. On nearly every street there are separate lanes for bike traffic, and they're usually just as congested as the sidewalks or the streets. There are also a number of free bike stations positioned around the city; you can insert a 2-Kroner coin to release a bike, ride it around for as long as you want, then return it to any other station and get your 2 Kroner back. I have yet to use one of these free bikes, but I look forward to checking them out soon.
On Friday, I went to class and along with the rest of the class made a short presentation about what we'd found by observing/interviewing the Danes in downtown Copenhagen. Afterward, I returned to Hoffmans for a while and got some cleaning done around the room, then once Kyle, Ryan, and Hirsch returned we met up with a a couple guys named Ravy and Tom, and we all went into town and explored for a while. While Kyle, Ryan, and Ravy stayed and got food in the downtown area, though, Hirsch and I headed back to the Kollegium, bought a few sausages, and cooked a feast like none other. After meeting back up with the other guys and a few girls from the Kollegium, we went back downtown and chilled late into the night.
The next day, I woke up extremely late and got very little done during the daytime. However, the guys and I did make a pasta dinner of epic proportions while the girls from Hoffmans went out. Afterward, we all visited Tom's Kollegium and watched the Manchester-Barcelona game before going out on the town. Today, we all met up downtown and got last-minute tickets to a live soccer game between Copenhagen's own F. C. København and AaB. Although the game was very one-sided, the experience was a great one - at one point, the crowd suddenly erupted in an orgy of inflatable toys being tossed around, and throughout the game a collection of Copenhagen's finest soccer hooligans shouted boisterous anthems. After the game, we returned to Hoffmans by bus, and I Skyped my family before hitting the books and crashing for the night.
Bikes Parked Outside My Kollegium
On Friday, I went to class and along with the rest of the class made a short presentation about what we'd found by observing/interviewing the Danes in downtown Copenhagen. Afterward, I returned to Hoffmans for a while and got some cleaning done around the room, then once Kyle, Ryan, and Hirsch returned we met up with a a couple guys named Ravy and Tom, and we all went into town and explored for a while. While Kyle, Ryan, and Ravy stayed and got food in the downtown area, though, Hirsch and I headed back to the Kollegium, bought a few sausages, and cooked a feast like none other. After meeting back up with the other guys and a few girls from the Kollegium, we went back downtown and chilled late into the night.
One of Many Churches in Downtown Copenhagen
The next day, I woke up extremely late and got very little done during the daytime. However, the guys and I did make a pasta dinner of epic proportions while the girls from Hoffmans went out. Afterward, we all visited Tom's Kollegium and watched the Manchester-Barcelona game before going out on the town. Today, we all met up downtown and got last-minute tickets to a live soccer game between Copenhagen's own F. C. København and AaB. Although the game was very one-sided, the experience was a great one - at one point, the crowd suddenly erupted in an orgy of inflatable toys being tossed around, and throughout the game a collection of Copenhagen's finest soccer hooligans shouted boisterous anthems. After the game, we returned to Hoffmans by bus, and I Skyped my family before hitting the books and crashing for the night.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Something Truly Hip
It may sound cliche, but one of the first things that impresses itself upon you when you arrive in a foreign country is how much you stand out from the locals. It's incredibly easy to tell a foreigner from a Danish local - the tight jeans, perfectly styled hair, fashionable leather shoes, and general air of urban ennui make the Danes all look uniformly cultured. Copenhagen really is a city of hipsters - enough to put me to shame.
On Wednesday, I made it to class early and was extremely proud of myself. For lunch, the guys in my class and I discovered a schwarma restaurant close to the DIS buildings - where the food was solid and the prices were very reasonable. Our class was cut short, though, when everyone broke into groups and walked around downtown Copenhagen making observations of the Danish people. After all, Denmark is the highest-rated country for happiness - so it makes perfect sense that studying the Danes would give us a unique perspective on the study of positive psychology. After browsing around several shops in downtown Copenhagen with a few classmates, I went back to Hoffmans, listened to music for a while, and chilled with Kyle. The two of us, along with the two other guys in our Kollegium (Ryan and Hirsch), then went to a free dinner sponsored by DIS; the food and drinks were some of the best we'd had yet in Copenhagen. Before the evening wound down, Kyle and I tossed a disc at a local park, and he coached me on my Ultimate skills; then, we spent the rest of the night hanging with a few girls down the hall.
The next day, I arrived at the Positive Psych classroom to find that class was cancelled for the day - so the few classmates who hadn't gotten the memo and I decided to take a tour of the public parks in the downtown area. At our second stop, we visited a greenhouse that housed a ton of exotic plants - none of which were familiar to us. We then decided to take the S-tog (the Copenhagen subway system) to an old fortress in the northeast sector of town. It proved to be a HORRIBLE decision though, since we had no clue how the S-tog system worked and ended up having to backtrack several times. At one point, a girl from my class and I got separated from the others in a different station, but thankfully we managed to make our way back without too much trouble. The fortress was pretty sick though, which made up for all the commotion. After returning to Hoffmans, I got some cleaning done and chilled in our common room with my hallmates for a while.
On Wednesday, I made it to class early and was extremely proud of myself. For lunch, the guys in my class and I discovered a schwarma restaurant close to the DIS buildings - where the food was solid and the prices were very reasonable. Our class was cut short, though, when everyone broke into groups and walked around downtown Copenhagen making observations of the Danish people. After all, Denmark is the highest-rated country for happiness - so it makes perfect sense that studying the Danes would give us a unique perspective on the study of positive psychology. After browsing around several shops in downtown Copenhagen with a few classmates, I went back to Hoffmans, listened to music for a while, and chilled with Kyle. The two of us, along with the two other guys in our Kollegium (Ryan and Hirsch), then went to a free dinner sponsored by DIS; the food and drinks were some of the best we'd had yet in Copenhagen. Before the evening wound down, Kyle and I tossed a disc at a local park, and he coached me on my Ultimate skills; then, we spent the rest of the night hanging with a few girls down the hall.
A Public Park in Downtown Copenhagen
The next day, I arrived at the Positive Psych classroom to find that class was cancelled for the day - so the few classmates who hadn't gotten the memo and I decided to take a tour of the public parks in the downtown area. At our second stop, we visited a greenhouse that housed a ton of exotic plants - none of which were familiar to us. We then decided to take the S-tog (the Copenhagen subway system) to an old fortress in the northeast sector of town. It proved to be a HORRIBLE decision though, since we had no clue how the S-tog system worked and ended up having to backtrack several times. At one point, a girl from my class and I got separated from the others in a different station, but thankfully we managed to make our way back without too much trouble. The fortress was pretty sick though, which made up for all the commotion. After returning to Hoffmans, I got some cleaning done and chilled in our common room with my hallmates for a while.
A Heavily Graffiti'd S-tog Station
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
First Few Days
The first couple of days in Copenhagen have been a whirlwind of activity! It seems like I've barely had the time to settle down and get things in order. On the first day of class, all DIS students went on a tour throughout the city to familiarize ourselves with its landmarks and general layout. Some major highlights included the King's Gardens (a large public park in the northwest of downtown where Danes and students go to socialize on afternoons), the palace of the Queen of Denmark (where we witnessed the changing of the royal guard), and the house of the Danish Parliament. Afterward I went to my first Positive Psych class, which was interesting enough; the prof introduced the basic theory behind the school of positive psych and engaged the class in a few group activities. Afterward, I picked up some materials from DIS and returned to my Kollegium with Jill and a few others. Later in the evening, a number of the Kollegium residents and I went down to the local Netto (the cheapest grocery store chain in Copenhagen) to pick up a few necessities for our rooms. Afterward, we all went to a local restaurant for a solid meal - though we felt a bit guilty for ordering the most American-sounding items on the menu. When we returned, we hung in our common room for a while and ended up meeting a transfer student from Berlin, and together we joked and discussed EU politics and the European economic system before heading in for the night.
The next day, I ended up taking the wrong bus into downtown Copenhagen and was kicked off at an unfamiliar stop - but thankfully my trusty map and quick wits got me to class only a minute late. The professor was understanding though, since several other students arrived about half an hour later than I did. During our lunch break I met a few guys from my class, one of whom was from Cincinnati too! Even though he went to Lakota East and we didn't seem to have any friends in common, we immediately became pretty friendly. The class discussion afterward was actually pretty engaging, and after getting out of class I went on a walk around the downtown area with several other classmates. We found another awesome public garden and visited Rosenborg castle, near the King's Gardens. I also got my first taste of a Danish hotdog, which was wrapped in bacon and topped with spicy mustard and pickles - and it was EXCELLENT. I took a glorious nap after returning to the Kollegium, then got some reading done, grabbed a quick dinner, and later went out with a group of people from Hoffmans Minde (our Kollegium). We hung around in downtown Copenhagen for a while, though eventually Kyle and I decided to head back to the Kollegium around 1 while the rest hung out with a few other DIS-ers downtown.
My Kollegium
The next day, I ended up taking the wrong bus into downtown Copenhagen and was kicked off at an unfamiliar stop - but thankfully my trusty map and quick wits got me to class only a minute late. The professor was understanding though, since several other students arrived about half an hour later than I did. During our lunch break I met a few guys from my class, one of whom was from Cincinnati too! Even though he went to Lakota East and we didn't seem to have any friends in common, we immediately became pretty friendly. The class discussion afterward was actually pretty engaging, and after getting out of class I went on a walk around the downtown area with several other classmates. We found another awesome public garden and visited Rosenborg castle, near the King's Gardens. I also got my first taste of a Danish hotdog, which was wrapped in bacon and topped with spicy mustard and pickles - and it was EXCELLENT. I took a glorious nap after returning to the Kollegium, then got some reading done, grabbed a quick dinner, and later went out with a group of people from Hoffmans Minde (our Kollegium). We hung around in downtown Copenhagen for a while, though eventually Kyle and I decided to head back to the Kollegium around 1 while the rest hung out with a few other DIS-ers downtown.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Layover and Arrival
Who'd have believed that so much could happen in just a day's time? After departing yesterday evening from the Cincinnati airport, I arrived in Paris for a brief layover. Little did I know that only a handful of workers at Charles de Gaulle Airport speak serviceable English (or even more likely, they refuse to speak to Americans) - so as I fumbled around exchanging dollars for Euros and purchasing airport wi-fi service, I'm sure I butchered the few French phrases that I knew. However, the bathrooms at Charles de Gaulle were absolutely SICK, which sort of made up for the difficulties. After about four hours in Paris, I finally departed for Copenhagen and arrived without too much hassle.
In the brief time I spent in the airports, I was astounded by the variety of people I encountered. Ranging from the Xavier University alum traveling to Budapest to work at a study abroad program there, to the seasoned European traveler embarking on a cruise, to the kindly Icelandic couple also en route to Copenhagen, each new person I met added a bit of perspective to my own travels.
Once I arrived in Copenhagen's airport, I quickly met a few fellow DIS students from the States (DIS is the Danish Institute for Study Abroad). However, after we all shared stories of our universities back home, we realized that the DIS staff who were supposed to meet us were nowhere to be found. After a lot of deliberation and many failed calls to the DIS offices, we finally hailed a cab and found our way to the program's buses by a roundabout route. Exhausted after the past couple hours' ordeal, we each went our separate ways and settled into our respective Kollegiums (a Danish cross between dorms and apartments). When I arrived at mine I met my roommate - a guy named Kyle Canuette hailing from UNC Chapel Hill - and an intern studying architecture in Denmark gave us the lowdown on our living situation over pizza from a local Italian restaurant. Despite missing a shower head and some other room necessities, my roommate and I made do and explored the Kollegium with a few other DIS students. Then, after hanging with a few girls from down the hall (one of whom, Jill, also goes to Denison) we finally settled down for the night.
In the brief time I spent in the airports, I was astounded by the variety of people I encountered. Ranging from the Xavier University alum traveling to Budapest to work at a study abroad program there, to the seasoned European traveler embarking on a cruise, to the kindly Icelandic couple also en route to Copenhagen, each new person I met added a bit of perspective to my own travels.
Once I arrived in Copenhagen's airport, I quickly met a few fellow DIS students from the States (DIS is the Danish Institute for Study Abroad). However, after we all shared stories of our universities back home, we realized that the DIS staff who were supposed to meet us were nowhere to be found. After a lot of deliberation and many failed calls to the DIS offices, we finally hailed a cab and found our way to the program's buses by a roundabout route. Exhausted after the past couple hours' ordeal, we each went our separate ways and settled into our respective Kollegiums (a Danish cross between dorms and apartments). When I arrived at mine I met my roommate - a guy named Kyle Canuette hailing from UNC Chapel Hill - and an intern studying architecture in Denmark gave us the lowdown on our living situation over pizza from a local Italian restaurant. Despite missing a shower head and some other room necessities, my roommate and I made do and explored the Kollegium with a few other DIS students. Then, after hanging with a few girls from down the hall (one of whom, Jill, also goes to Denison) we finally settled down for the night.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ready at Last
It's been a long time coming, but finally there's only a day left until I leave for Copenhagen! After many months of preparation, it's hard to believe that I'll be leaving the states for the first time. Despite being extremely pumped, I'm also a bit apprehensive - in just over 24 hours I'll be completely on my own in a foreign country, and I'll be responsible for providing myself with all my own necessities. Being so self-reliant must be liberating, but at the same time it's pretty staggering to think about. I'm also sure I'll be completely broke by the time I get back in July, but after all the worthwhile experiences I'll have abroad I'm positive that I won't regret it - no matter the expenses. My bags are packed, my fingers are crossed, and I'm ready for the trip of a lifetime. Denmark, bring it.
(By the way, mock me as much as you want for the title and layout. I'll go to any level of self-deprecation for the sake of comedy.)
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