culturally disconcerting

This is what I saw at the train platform yesterday morning on my way to school. Lovely, yet extraordinarily depressing and disconcerting. Because soon instead of a lovely sunrise, all I will see is darkness. I am SO not excited for that.

Of course, much more happened yesterday than just a sunrise. In fact, it was a day filled with cultural experiences. I finally have a bike, which I rode to the train station on my way back into the city yesterday afternoon. It's still going to take some time to get used to having a pedal break again, but it's really nice to have another mode of transportation. For dinner I went on a picnic with some DIS kids and interns at the King's Garden. Kongens have is behind some castle and is filled with grassy lawn and sculptures, from the traditional H.C. Andersen one to modern ones. We played this game called Viking. It's a lawn game, kind of like bocce...kinda. There are five wooden blocks standing in a row on each side, and a bigger wooden block with a crown (the king) in between the two lines. Each side stands behind their line and has to throw wooden rods to knock down the wooden blocks on the other side.The rules are a bit more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it. It was a lovely day and a lovely picnic.

After the picnic I headed back to DIS with two friends, and eventually we met up with a bunch of other people and went to Christiania, which was celebrating its 35th birthday. That was even more of a cultural experience, and a lot of fun. We saw the very end of the fireworks from outside of the city. Inside there was a DJ and dancehall lights at the first main intersection. We danced there for awhile, and then wandered around for a bit. The party got a bit scary when someone started throwing homemade firecracker grenade things around, but luckily no one got hurt, just a little shook up and our group got separated. At 11 a concert started with a folksy old hippie band. They were really good, but it got really crowded, especially with Americans (at least with lots and lots of DIS kids). I left when the last person I had come with left (though I certainly still knew a good number of the people in the crowd) and followed him around for a bit, up and down the main street, running into more people we knew and talking to them. At one point, back by the concert, a Danish man asked if a group of us were from Spain or Italy. We obviously weren't Danish, but we didn't look like Americans. It was kind of flattering. A little before 1, after enjoying a cheap falafel sandwich from the falafel truck, I headed home, successfully taking the nightbus to Åvej.

I was probably the least intoxicated person at this intergenerational birthday bash (one old guy splashed his beer on his hair as the concert began, another made my friend do a sort of jig before he let him pass by through the crowd), but I still had a really great time. The communal spirit in the celebrating was awesome--the way the party took over the entire town, so you could be sitting in a café or bar or be at a concert or at a dance or at a bonfire, etc., and still be at the same party.

cpr saves lives

That is to say, having a CPR number in Denmark means I get to go to the doctor for free. I finally have a CPR number, and the yellow card to prove it (and to use as a library card). I feel so much more legit somehow.

I also finally made some Danish friends this weekend. Mikkel (my host brother) took me to see his school Friday evening, which doesn't sound all that interesting, right? However, this being Denmark and all, his school of course had a bar, with a "Friday café." There were only a handful of people there this weekend, because there was a big party last Friday, but I think that was actually better. Something big and exciting, like a theme party or karaoke, would certainly have been fun. But instead I got to talk to and get to know everyone there. I even contributed my iPod to DJ'ing—at least the song 99 Luftballons. I had such a good time, drinking and talking and singing with these Danes. It was a cheap night out too (though I do owe Mikkel a drink or two for buying dinner) because this was a school bar rather than some overpriced Copenhagen café. All in all I think Friday was my best night in Denmark so far. It was so much fun to meet and talk to and hang out with nice Danes my age. I really hope to go to another Friday café soon and hang out with Mikkel's friends some more.

På lørdag, I slept late and then worked on my Danish Jewish Museum paper. Then Siv and I made dinner and afterwards went i byen, to Nyhavn, where we got coffee in one of the chic cafés along the canal. Then we walked along Stroget and people-watched in Rådhuspladsen and then went home early. This morning I woke up early to finish my paper, and then made challah using my greatgrandmother's recipe, as recorded by my mother—my personal Rosh Hashanah celebration. I don't think I let the dough rise long enough because the bread turned out a little too dense, and I didn't put enough eggwash on before baking, but considering I have no experience baking bread and was converting from cups to deciliters, I think I did a pretty good job.

I worry, but there's nothing I can do about it.

That I think perfectly captures the major differences between American and Danish childrearing.

My 16-year-old host sister, Siv, like the average Danish teen, drinks a lot. Danish society legitimizes this behavior, since the legal drinking age (which was only recently restricted) is 16. However, parents like Eva still worry about their kids because teenagers are the most likely group to do stupid dangerous things when drunk. But unlike American parents, who would ground their teens if they thought they were going out and drinking too much, Eva just expresses her concern and lets Siv do what she wants (as long as that doesn't involve having parties in the house that would mess anything up). Eva partied as well when she was a teen, but that's not why she can't stop Siv now. Danes grant their children more freedom, to make their own decisions and their own mistakes, to take responsibility for their own actions. They may suggest their child choose a certain option, a certain path. But they cannot try to force them to, they cannot restrict the child's behavior outside of the house, and rarely actually restrict the child to the house. They let them go, and hope for the best.

my karma ran over your dogma, and now i'm in trouble...

It seems I've done something to spiritually offend Copenhagen's public transportation system, because I've been having some bad luck with it lately. Last Thursday I almost missed my study tour because the train stopped in Emdrup. I followed the crowd and took the bus, which got me in at 9:15 exactly. Luckily I had the leaders phone numbers so they knew to wait for me. On Tuesday the computer system for the trains was done, so my train never came and although I left my house extra early, I missed half of my class. Luckily all the trains were messed up, so about half the class was late. And the Wednesday night, the train decided to specifically target me. When it pulled into my station, I pressed the button on the door for it to open. But it didn't. Instead of flashing green, it was red. Other people got out at other doors, but I was stuck. I ran to another door, but by the time I got there, the train had started to move again. I got off at the next stop, thinking there might be a busstop with a map so I could figure out how to get home. But no...I was in an abandoned parking lot in the middle of nowhere. Turns out I wasn't far from home at all, but who knew? I had to call my hostmom at midnight and get a ride from her.

In other news, I went to Tivoli yesterday with Laura. It's a wonderful place, so much cleaner and calmer and nicer than American amusement parks. Plus no lines and right in the heart of the city. I was feeling brave so I went on the swings that go way high up. The view is so spectacular. You can see the entire city underneath you, and all the way to Sweden even.

Classwork is finally picking up; I have a 3000 word paper due Monday that I've done some of the research for (ie, I visited the museum that the paper is about) but I haven't started writing yet. I'm 95% sure I'm going to drop my Migrants class. I'm kind of sad because it's interesting material but there's no way I'd be able to get as much out of it as I'd like and with its conflicting due dates I don't think I'd manage. I feel bad only taking 4 classes, not because it feels like slacking, because it doesn't as I'm used to only 3 classes, but because there are so many other interesting classes I could have taken. At Carleton I've done a pretty good job balancing the types of courses I'm taking, but this semester except they're all pretty similar in form and/or in content. So the issues of migrants, minorities, and multiculturalism, at least in terms of Denmark or Jews, will continued to be addressed, just in different classes.

where the northern sea meets the northern sky

Having traveled through northern Jutland, it is good to be back in Copenhagen. Stereotypically, Copenhageners think jyllanders are hicks, which I did not find to be true; however, there is much more life in the city, and it has become something familiar. It's still surreal though, to be here.

Jutland was nice, but made me realize just how small this little country is. Aarhus, the second largest city, has a total of TWO ice cream places, only one of which was open on Saturday afternoon. It reminded me a lot of Dumfries, Scotland. Cute, but barely a city. There is a lot of history there though, and they are slowly uncovering these amazing frescoes on the walls of the church. Aarhus is also home to Den Gamle By, which is a Plymouth Plantation-esque open air museum of old buildings from Aarhus. There are many old buildings still to be found in the center of the city as well.

From Aarhus we traveled to Aalborg, which felt bigger during my brief nighttime experience, I think because the buildings aren't as old, but it is not even the third biggest city in Denmark. We stayed at a hostel a little outside the city, along the river. It was very pretty. There is this one block of condensed nightlife in Aalborg, that we stopped by. The prices were about half what they are in Copenhagen. It is very lively, but we did not stay out too late and sadly did not make any friends.

After visiting a grammar school (Grades 1-9) outside of Aalborg, we drove north, stopping at Frederickshavn Naval Base. I found the visit interesting only because onboard the naval vessel they are as concerned about fire safety as we are on Star (but so much more prepared) and they create all their own drinking water using an RO. The highlights of the trip came as we approached the northern tip of Denmark. We found ourselves transported to the middle of the desert, or so it seemed. After climbing to the top of this gigantic dune and sharing an absolutely foul shot of Gammel Dansk, we headed to the ocean for a brief yet surprisingly delightful swim.
From the beach we went to the town of Skagen, where we were staying the night. Skagen is like the Martha's Vineyard of Denmark, and by mid-September, it's practically a ghost town. There is absolutely nothing to do at night. As it caters to primarily to wealthy Copenhageners, prices are also high. However, it does have a nice art museum and just north of town is Grenen, where the seas meet.
Here you can see the northernmost tip of Denmark.From there you can look south--all of Jutland is before you.This is the farthest north I have ever been--notice the waves coming in from opposite directions.
All in all it was a very good tour. The stops lacked cohesion, but were interesting and enjoyable. The leaders and group members were great, and I won a ticket to Tivoli. I learned a bit about the relationship/differences between Copenhageners and Jutlanders, and got a greater perspective on Denmark outside of Copenhagen. Rural Denmark lacks the beauty of steep Norweigan fjords and stuff, but it has its own beauty, especially that dune, and was worthwhile to visit.

Even Copenhagen, like Skagen, is starting to get quiet, now that tourist season is over. We walked by the canals this afternoon, and saw that the tourboats were practically empty even though the weather was beautiful. It's nice, not to be surrounded by throngs of tourists, but it's also kind of sad that more people aren't experiencing this remarkable city.

As for my own city, I saw the trailer for the World Trade Center movie today. Before I knew what movie it was there were scenes of New York, and that made me happy/homesick. But then I realized what it was and that made me tense and upset. That movie should not have been made and I cannot understand why anyone would see it. Not in New York, not elsewhere in America, not in Denmark. Next time I see something that reminds me of home, I want it to be happy.

whelmed

Sometimes there is so much to think about or write about that I can't keep up, even when it's my homework to.

We had a small dinner party tonight, with some work friends of Eva's. Denmark, it seems, has a history of "squatting"--that is to say, people taking over a building or an area and claiming it as theirs even though they have no legal right to it. Christiania is one example; Dannerhuset is another. This concept I've always seen translated as "squatting," yet I think for Danes the idea has much less negative connotations. In searching for the right word, our conversation moved on to the topic of the settlers of the American west, and I extrapolated on some of the nuances of how American history is taught. It is fully recognized (in the schools I attended at least, which are of a high caliber) that white colonists and settlers in North America did terrible things to the Indians, that we stole their land, exposed them to new diseases that their bodies were unprepared to deal with, and provided for a culture of alcoholism in many of their communities. At the same time, however, westward expansion continues to be considered a positive part of American history. Today California and New York about equally shape national character. No one wants to imagine a United States of America that did not extend west of the Mississippi. We critique the ideology of Manifest Destiny, but continue to use neutral, if not positive, terms-settlers, settling, development, civilizing-to describe what happened. I would never--until now--consider the brave families who headed west along the Oregon Trail to start a new life "squatters" when they settled down in Oregon. Yet basically that's what they (and the early colonists, etc etc etc) were doing. Establishing themselves on land that was not theirs to claim, and refusing to leave. Other countries often teach stereotypes and misconceptions about America, but sometimes a foreign perspective is illuminating. (They didn't seem to be judging America, because they have done to the Greenlanders as we have done to the Indians, but their perspective was somewhat more objective.)

As Eva works with autistic kids and people who work with autistic kids, we eventually started discussing autism and Asperger's syndrome. I was incredibly impressed by these Danes ability to discuss this issue in English, for my sake. Diagnosis has gone up significantly in recent years; the reasons behind this and the effects of this I think may be an interesting topic for my health care paper. Perhaps because I live with someone who works with autistic kids, but from what I hear autism seems surprisingly prevalent in Denmark. Yet people with autism and Asperger's are uncomfortable with the core Danish value of "hygge." I wonder about the effect of cultural contexts on such conditions...

Southern Sweden countryside

Another benefit of my weekend in Sweden: sunshine and fresh air. Copenhagen may have better air quality than New Jersey, but it's got nothing on Minnesota, and I can tell. It was nice to get out into the countryside. Plus the weather was fabulous, the sun slightly reviving my quickly fading tan (or at least giving me a booster shot of vitamin D).

Anyway, here are some pictures from my adventures:
Me. On a bike. In Sweden. no big deal...

Nimis


Windmill!

The ocean!!!!!

where amber waves of grain meet the big blue sea

The countryside of southern Sweden reminds me a lot of Minnesota. Kilometer after kilometer of flat farmland, dotted with wind turbines. Sweden has some nice old windmills, as well. But the best part is that, in sharp contrast to landlocked Minnesota, the entire time I was there I was never more than 5 km from the ocean. Even though Copenhagen is on an island, I haven't seen any ocean since I've been here, so it was sooo nice and refreshing. I didn't go swimming (though I expect to this week on my study tour of northern Jutland that spends a lot of time by the water) but I did touch the water, which was surprisingly warm. Cute little harbor towns, the smell of salt water in the air, quaint little farms... I liked biking through the countryside much more than canoeing. For one, you don't need to be able to get into a rhythm with your partner so that you don't hit the side of the river every minute or so. The river was beautiful but long, and the scenery changed very very slowly. Both activities wore out my body, but the fresh air and physical activity put my cold on hold for a couple days (though now I'm exhausted and stuffy). The main stop during biking was to visit Nimis, an additional 2 km hike down a cliff to the water, where there are these fabulouos, evolving driftwood sculptures. The artist was actually there working on it when we were there, and we got to hear him speaking to some other DIS students about it. I have pictures, which are still on my camera, which I will post because it's not quite possible to describe this place in words. There will be a documentary on the Discovery Channel about it soon. I climbed to the top of a bunch of the towers, and in and through rooms and passages, which was quite the adrenaline rush but eventually I had enough.

The hostel we stayed at was quite nice. There were individually wrapped Toblerone pieces on each pillow. It was a little manor house in the middle of alfalfa fields. It was the birthday of one of the girls, so we did some traditional Danish celebrating with a toast of the most foul alcohol I have ever tasted. I was exhausted so I went to bed at 11, but I had a lot of fun. The people on my trip were great, and three of them knew other Haworthians (and knew other people that I know).

Yesterday evening I saw a cute Danish film called "Den eneste ene." It was funny and enjoyable and I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a nice Danish film. I'm hoping to plan out my two travel weeks in October soon, so if anyone has any recommendations... I want to do a bunch of random things, so I think it will be hard to find someone to accompany me the entire time, plus it's hard to know at this point who would be a good travel buddy. I love (and often prefer) exploring places on my own, but I'm not very good at meeting people when I'm on my own, and I know I'd feel more comfortable with someone around to make sure I'm okay. I think I'll have some time to do some research this evening, and contact people whom I might visit.

flirting's a sport...

Anna and Emma have this cute little dialogue about how flirting is a fun, healthy game. And it is, usually. However, the rules of the game are different in different cultures (though not quite as different as American football and football). At International Night at the Student House, Lisa and I met a friendly, chatty German medical student. After inviting us to a party in a couple of weeks, he wrote down his phone number so we could call him about it. He asked if it was "rude," to give someone your number. It's not rude, but traditionally in America at least giving someone your number has certain romantic significance. These days phone numbers are thrown around pretty carelessly, and easy to find via facebook and such, but there's still that association. He was addressing two of us, in his broken English, so it's hard to know exactly what he meant. I didn't feel comfortable giving him mine, and I'll probably never call, but it is rather exciting to say I have a cute German's phone number.

the distance from New Jersey to Denmark

Today I met a girl from New Jersey. Not another DIS student or staff, but a genuine Dane living in or near Hareskovby. Imagine that. She found out I was American because she tried to ask me if the train had come yet. She grew up near Princeton, but her family is Danish and she's going to high school here.

Family life continues to go wonderfully. We don't have the traditional 3-hour long family dinner, for which I am grateful, but food still brings the family together. We're all busy people with separate schedules, so it's nice to have time together. Last night I had to make my own dinner, and tomorrow I'll probably be eating out, but it's all right. I enjoy the flexibility. Eva will be gone Thursday and Friday, and I'll be gone Saturday and Sunday, and then a whole week have gone by with us barely seeing each other. I must remind myself that for once, I have more than 10 weeks.

I successfully skyped with my dad earlier, which was a bit odd but fun. If anyone would like to talk to me, for free, we can do that.

There was a volunteer orientation meeting this evening, which unfortunately was not very useful because my contact was not there. However, I have a meeting tomorrow night at the organization, so I will certainly learn more then about what I will be doing at Dannerhuset (provided I find my way there). After the volunteer meeting there was a meeting of the International Club, because believe it or not, I am an international student. There was tasty wine and cheese and snacks, a get-to-know-you activity, and then a panel with some DIS staff primarily of non-American backgrounds. There was a lot of interesting and helpful information about adjusting to Danish culture and understanding Danish frankness and humor and getting to know the Danes. I'm quite glad I went.

I don't have any classes tomorrow, but I do have a field study in the morning to the headquarters of the Liberal Party (they're on the right side of the spectrum). Afterwards I'm going siteseeing with some new friends. It's looking like it will be a good day, despite the predicted (and predictable) rain.

a dane's eye view

Well, the weekend is finally over, and while I'm not sure where on earth my parents are right now (they were stranded on Star Island, but were hoping to get off today), I did finally talk to my mom for the first time since I got here, which was very nice. I feel rather disconnected from everything. But I suppose they're disconnected from me too.

Yesterday I finally got a real sense of the city. It started with an "alternative sightseeing" tour of Vesterbro, which is on the other side of Tivoli/Town Hall Plaza. Sort of an outer borough, but must closer. The guide pointed out a bunch of cool shops and buildings and bars. There are a lot of "drugaholics" in Vesterbro, especially outside of this one church. But there are also a lot of state-run rehab centers in the area to help them clean up. Not the safest neighborhood in Copenhagen at night, but still beautiful and fine if you've got a buddy and know where you're going. We went into this one place, it's a cultural center now, that this guy spent years creating, making all sorts of fun and funky mosaics on the inside and outside. It's impressive. Some pictures will say more than I can:


After the tour, we headed back to DIS along Istegade, a former red light district street which currently houses many sex shops--Denmark was the first country in the world to legalize porn (the other end of Istegade has some very classy cafes and clubs). Maps and cameras in hand, we stood out as American tourists (which we're not), causing some (drunk already?) Danes to cat-call "Oooh American girls. You want to dance?" Humorous, yet a reminder that we do need to be careful. After a quick lunch of a bagel with cream cheese and lox, I headed out on a bike sightseeing tour. I strongly recommend doing such a thing. I met more people, got to see so much more of the city, and got the authentic Danish experience of biking everywhere. Among the highlights of the tour were the best bakery (apparently, I have yet to try anything from there) in Copenhagen, the Royal Opera, which we managed to look around for free by innocently walking through an open door without tickets, and the free city of Christiania. The weather, too, was gorgeous, possibly the best day so far in rainy Copenhagen. After a long day, I ended up staying in, but did figure out the nightbus schedule so I won't have to worry too much about getting home late in the future. Additionally, my host family will soon have a bike for me.

I spent the day today with my host family, whom I'm really enjoying. We started out with a traditional Danish breakfast. Then we went shopping, because the stores are open on the first Sunday of the month. Whoever (the guidebooks) said they didn't have malls in Denmark lied, because they certainly do, but they are a little different. There are grocery stores and cheese stores etc. along with the trendy clothing stores, like a nice regular market area only enclosed. After shopping we went to have coffee with the grandmother, who lives in the first complex of apartment buildings built in Denmark, and to see that area where my host mother grew up. I was able to successfully communicate one sentence in Danish. It was rather exciting.

drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

I've finally had all my classes. I'm excited for the health care classes, despite the fact that it's at 8:30 am, which means I have to leave Hareskov at 7:30. One of the teachers is very cute, and they both seem very dynamic. The material should be interesting; I would study public health more in the real world if biology didn't bore me so much and health-related things didn't gross me out so much. My Danish politics class will probably be a lot of work, but the professor is really funny, in a Danish sort of way. Migrants, Minorities, & Multiculturalism has the same teacher as my Jews in Europe class, but she's cute and old so it's not too bad. If I had to drop a class I would drop that one, mostly because it covers a broader area than my interest, and will be a lot of work. In that class, as well as in my Danish class, I have to keep an observation journal. That, combined with this and my real journal, equals quite a lot of reflection on my Danish experience. I'll probably reuse the same experience or example multiple times. But hey, then I'm sure to remember it. One thing I was reflecting on today about what I learned this summer is that it's so much better to have important conversations when sober, because they will be easier to remember and you can communicate more clearly, I think.

We spent the end of my Minorities class talking about Danish drinking habits. The legal age to purchase alcohol in Denmark is 16, much most youth start drinking at 12. It is a coming of age stage for most Danish youth, that lasts 5-8 years. Alcoholism is recognized as a problem, but not really addressed, at least in my classroom. There is one week a year when they encourage people to limit their drinking: women are told to have no more than 14 drinks a week, 21 for men. Everyone in my class was shocked by these statistics. I'm interested in learning more about the role and effect of alcohol in Denmark. It adds a dimension I'm less happy about to the society (though I enjoy the freedom to drink whenever and wherever I want). I got a bit of a taste of the Danish nightlife tonight (though not really) because we had the DIS social at the Happy Pig. It was only DIS people throughout the entire bar until 11. I met some new people, including a girl in my Danish Politics class who I may go to Madrid with. I also hung out with a bunch of Carleton people, getting to know them better. I didn't stay out too late, because I was unsure about the nightbus, but I made the last regular train and bus home. It was a fun night, and DIS got the bar to charge half price on everything, which was especially nice for my wallet.

Now though, it's certainly time for bed, because I have hours and hours of siteseeing ahead of me tomorrow, most of it on bike.