So this week was fairly busy, I had a big paper due and travel stuff to work out on top of all the other work given to me by DIS. My paper was an observation paper for my practicum site and I observed whether there was any prejudice shown by the kids when they chose their friends. I actually found that though Denmark may be seen as a homogenous society, there was no segregation or favoring of the majority ethnic Danish children when choosing playmates. This is probably due to the fact that I was observing at a highly diverse and inclusive preschool, and the preschool environment is even more of a socialization tool here than it is in the US.
Yeah, exciting stuff. I don't know if I mentioned this before, but my favorite class is Danish. Our class, the special Child Diversity and Development class has the most incredible teacher! She always brings us treats, and this time on Fri. she brought my favorite thing, flodeboller, because FCK the football (soccer) team lost to Barcelona, "but they played so well!" I love her. I have an oral midterm on Friday in that class and I'm actually not too worried about it, I think me and my friend Amanda will be fine, since we're so good at Danish, haha. We have started to type to one another in Danish sometimes for practice, and I'm so surprised at how much we have learned over such a short amount of time.
My least favorite class stars a professor that just doesn't care. He has left our class 4 times, once during a guest lecture, and Friday because we were going to watch Girl Interrupted. Now, it's a good movie, so we all stayed to watch it, but he left, and the movie was so quiet we had to call IT to help us fix it. Also, he gives us these hard tests, which I study for, and I get them back with only 61.5 points out of 100 and no feedback to help me for next time. It makes no sense.
Thursday I went to practicum and had a great time! This week was the mandatory school closure week, and most Danes take their kids and go on vacation somewhere warm, because it is starting to get dark and cold. I think there were like 20 kids out of 50. So the bigger kids went out to a playground and the younger kids stayed and the middle age group went for a walk in the forest/meadows around the center. It hailed on the walk, but it was more like a mix between snow and hail which was odd. I found out that the word for "Moo" is the same because we ran into a field of cows on our way. Also, a little girl touched the electric fence, poor thing, but she was okay after a few minutes.
We went back for lunch and afterwards, my fellow DIS student and I go for a break. During the break it started to pour rain and we were like, "Oh great, we have to go outside now." But because there were so few children we just sat with them while they watched a movie. This was the best part for me because I got to hold an 18 month old boy when he woke up from his nap and he was so cute and rested on my shoulder and wouldn't let me put him down, until the pedagogue got done carving the jack o' lantern of course, then that captured all his attention.
Friday night my host mom and I went out for pizza at this adorable and hyggeligt restaurant in Helsingor. It was so delicious. Afterwards we walked over to Blockbuster and rented Amelie, which to my sort of dismay only had Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles, none of which are do-able for me. But since I've seen the movie so many times and can speak French to some degree, I could understand it fine and it was a nice evening.
Saturday and Sunday were lazy. I worked on homework and skyped my parents and boyfriend, and the only time I left the house was to go into Copenhagen for an hour to work on a group project.
This week is busy: a Danish midterm and Psychology presentation due on Friday. But then, Friday night, Amanda, Shelby, and I are staying at Sarah and Amy's place in town so we don't have to pay for as many zones to get to the airport on Saturday afternoon when we leave for GREECE!! We will be going to Athens and taking a ferry to Santorini. It will be between 70-80 degrees and there are multitudes of olives and baklava! I never really thought I would go to Greece, but here we are. It will be so exciting!
And, I will blog about that when I get back on Saturday, but then Monday, Amanda and I leave on our Austrian/German extravaganza. We will be going from CPH to Vienna, then to Salzburg (Sound of Music tour!), then to Innsbruck, then onto Munich (Neuschwanstein Castle!) and finally to Berlin, arriving back in Copenhagen at 3:00pm on Sunday.
So lots of adventures ahead, stay tuned!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Another Typical Week in Copenhagen
Sooo, this week was pretty okay.
It started out with one class in which we simply discussed our study tour and what we wanted to do for the rest of the semester, and our final projects. After class, my favorite people from the London trip (i.e. the group I got the closest to: Patti, Trisha, Lena, and Jeff, and Bailey) went to the original cupcake bakery called Agnes. I ordered a sea salt and chocolate cupcake. That night it was hardcore study time for the giant Developmental Disorders test the next day, so I waited until I had conquered that to enjoy my cupcake, which was amazing. Also, my friend Amanda was having major major problems with her host family, so I was trying to help her through that as well. I didn't get to bed until late.
Tuesday was the day of our midterm, and I don't think I did so well, but we'll see, and everyone in the class was in the same boat so it will be okay. Also, I opted not to take that class for a grade for this exact reason. I hung out with Amanda during our break as usual, then we headed to Danish, my favorite class! I love my professor, she is the sweetest, most awesome lady!
Wednesday we had a field study to Hillerod, and the pedagog training college. It was interesting to see how pedagogs are taught, and we even did some drama exercises with a drama pedagog. After that we visited a forest kindergarten that wasn't really a forest kindergarten. In Denmark, a forest kindergarten is one in which the children meet at a house or classroom in the city/town then get bussed out to the forest, where they spend all day, rain/snow or shine, playing and exploring. It's a cool concept. This one didn't really count, because it was a collection of awesome buildings next to a forest and meadows. For some of the day the children were in the buildings, but for the rest of the time they played outside. There were no fences around the property, only wooden poles painted yellow or red. A yellow pole meant that the children had to ask before they went to play there, and red meant they were not allowed to. The reason for no fencing is that, fences are almost a challenge, and may actually be more dangerous than the lack of fencing. I loved this place and I want nothing more than to send my children to a place like that.
Thursday was practicum!! I had so much fun. A few of the kids have become attached to me, and it is so much fun to play with them. It's so different here. Parents cannot sue a preschool for injuries their kid sustains or other things, so at my practicum kids jump off cabinets onto pillows and mattresses, I am permitted to basically throw the kids off the cabinet onto said pillows, and I can wrestle with them and tickle and huggle them as much as I want!
Friday was a good day. I went to class with good friends, had the best lecture ever in the history of developmental disorders (because it was not given by our professor, but by a very cool Aspie named Carl), then a break with Amanda, and then Danish, where she brought us cookies because she was proud of our results on our quizzes (see what I mean?). What made the day the best though was going to my new favorite place, called Paludan Bogcafe. It is a huge cafe with high ceilings and books EVERYWHERE. You walk in and there is a staircase leading to a hallway with books from floor to ceiling. The prices are reasonable too and the chai latte I got was SO delicious. I sat there for a good hour and a half just enjoying the hundreds of books around me, including North and South which I had brought with me and finished there. After the cafe, I walked around to see the beginning of kulturnatten (Culture night) where all of the museums and landmarks are free once you buy the culture night pass. It looked like it was going to be a great night. I met up with my mom and sister at the station and we began shopping. Sofie left for Spain with her football team this morning and there were a ton of sales, so she got stocked up on winter clothes and shoes. Though shopping all night was fun, mostly because of the company, I wish we had had time to see some of what kulturnatten had to offer.
By the end of the night our feet were tired and so were we. Unfortunately our trains decided to have a bunch of technical difficulties, so we got to the station at 10 and didn't get home until midnight. Then we just had some tea together and went to bed.
Today I have done next to nothing. I caught up on some of my shows and wrote a page and a half of my 6-8 page paper due on Fri. and did my readings for monday because....
Tomorrow is Legoland! I get to go to the original one in Billund, about a 3 hour drive from CPH. I'm excited to hang out with some great friends there, and maybe I'll write about it on Monday.
But that's all for now folks! <3
It started out with one class in which we simply discussed our study tour and what we wanted to do for the rest of the semester, and our final projects. After class, my favorite people from the London trip (i.e. the group I got the closest to: Patti, Trisha, Lena, and Jeff, and Bailey) went to the original cupcake bakery called Agnes. I ordered a sea salt and chocolate cupcake. That night it was hardcore study time for the giant Developmental Disorders test the next day, so I waited until I had conquered that to enjoy my cupcake, which was amazing. Also, my friend Amanda was having major major problems with her host family, so I was trying to help her through that as well. I didn't get to bed until late.
Tuesday was the day of our midterm, and I don't think I did so well, but we'll see, and everyone in the class was in the same boat so it will be okay. Also, I opted not to take that class for a grade for this exact reason. I hung out with Amanda during our break as usual, then we headed to Danish, my favorite class! I love my professor, she is the sweetest, most awesome lady!
Wednesday we had a field study to Hillerod, and the pedagog training college. It was interesting to see how pedagogs are taught, and we even did some drama exercises with a drama pedagog. After that we visited a forest kindergarten that wasn't really a forest kindergarten. In Denmark, a forest kindergarten is one in which the children meet at a house or classroom in the city/town then get bussed out to the forest, where they spend all day, rain/snow or shine, playing and exploring. It's a cool concept. This one didn't really count, because it was a collection of awesome buildings next to a forest and meadows. For some of the day the children were in the buildings, but for the rest of the time they played outside. There were no fences around the property, only wooden poles painted yellow or red. A yellow pole meant that the children had to ask before they went to play there, and red meant they were not allowed to. The reason for no fencing is that, fences are almost a challenge, and may actually be more dangerous than the lack of fencing. I loved this place and I want nothing more than to send my children to a place like that.
Thursday was practicum!! I had so much fun. A few of the kids have become attached to me, and it is so much fun to play with them. It's so different here. Parents cannot sue a preschool for injuries their kid sustains or other things, so at my practicum kids jump off cabinets onto pillows and mattresses, I am permitted to basically throw the kids off the cabinet onto said pillows, and I can wrestle with them and tickle and huggle them as much as I want!
Friday was a good day. I went to class with good friends, had the best lecture ever in the history of developmental disorders (because it was not given by our professor, but by a very cool Aspie named Carl), then a break with Amanda, and then Danish, where she brought us cookies because she was proud of our results on our quizzes (see what I mean?). What made the day the best though was going to my new favorite place, called Paludan Bogcafe. It is a huge cafe with high ceilings and books EVERYWHERE. You walk in and there is a staircase leading to a hallway with books from floor to ceiling. The prices are reasonable too and the chai latte I got was SO delicious. I sat there for a good hour and a half just enjoying the hundreds of books around me, including North and South which I had brought with me and finished there. After the cafe, I walked around to see the beginning of kulturnatten (Culture night) where all of the museums and landmarks are free once you buy the culture night pass. It looked like it was going to be a great night. I met up with my mom and sister at the station and we began shopping. Sofie left for Spain with her football team this morning and there were a ton of sales, so she got stocked up on winter clothes and shoes. Though shopping all night was fun, mostly because of the company, I wish we had had time to see some of what kulturnatten had to offer.
By the end of the night our feet were tired and so were we. Unfortunately our trains decided to have a bunch of technical difficulties, so we got to the station at 10 and didn't get home until midnight. Then we just had some tea together and went to bed.
Today I have done next to nothing. I caught up on some of my shows and wrote a page and a half of my 6-8 page paper due on Fri. and did my readings for monday because....
Tomorrow is Legoland! I get to go to the original one in Billund, about a 3 hour drive from CPH. I'm excited to hang out with some great friends there, and maybe I'll write about it on Monday.
But that's all for now folks! <3
Friday, October 8, 2010
Adventures in London
Hey guys, it's been a while.
Last Saturday I left for London with my Children in a Multicultural Context class. We arrived at 10am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, grabbed lunch, and visited a really cool adventure playground called Glamis. It is not in the best part of town, but kids of all backgrounds are allowed to come play and build and make friends under adult supervision.
That night we went out to dinner at an Indian food place, where the tables are double decker with a ladder for the waitresses to use. It was delicious and super cool. We then walked to the London Eye, where we saw beautiful views of London at night. Having woken up at 4:30, I was ready for bed, especially because myself and another girl got lost and had to find our way back in the rain.
Day 2, we had breakfast at the hotel then left on a bus and walking tour of London. We stopped at Tower Bridge, where we took lots of photos and saw the bridge lift to let a boat pass under, which only happens once or twice a year. We stopped at Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After this we had lunch and shopped on our own in Brick Lane, Whitechapel and met at the Freud museum after. That night was for sure my favorite night of the trip, because my friends Patti, Jeff, Lena, and Trisha went through Covent Garden and SoHo and found a lovely little Italian place called Melanie's, where we ate delicious pasta, then we enjoyed London at night in Trafalgar Square. It was so nice to spend time with such great people in one of my favorite places on Earth.
Day 3 was a long one. After breakfast we walked from Barbican to Brick Lane because the tubes were on strike. We visited the East London Acedemy in the London Muslim Center, and the mosque within. I learned a lot about Islam, more than I had before, and though I didn't believe it or agree with it all, it was interesting to see another worldview. Then, we went back to Brick Lane for Iranian food, and I picked up some fried dough, yummy. After lunch we went to an amazing school in the center of London where we got to see first-hand how the British school system deals with integration (much more gracefully and effectively than in Denmark). I loved that school and I wanted to send my kids there. Who knows, maybe I will. Finally, in our last scheduled visit of the day, we went to a Bollywood dance workshop where we learned a dance to Jai Ho, the song from Slumdog Millionaire. It was more tiring than I realized and we were all ready for showers afterwards. But, Lena and I had tickets for Les Miserables, so we got all pretty in the locker room (as pretty as we could get with how sweaty we were, haha), then went to grab dinner (yogurt and granola and coffee) then to the show! The first half of the show was incredible, but as I had had a headache for most of the day and had taken the last of my packed ibuprofen a few days before, I was nauseous and miserable the 2nd half. I still enjoyed the show, but it got to the point where I just needed to go home and sleep.
Day 4
We were originally going to go to Kensington to see the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, but we weren't allowed in, so we went to the Palace just to see the gardens, then we split off into separate groups. My group was supposed to go to Notting Hill. And we did, just not the part I wanted to see, so I separated from the group and went on my way, while they went shopping. First, I took the tube from Notting Hill to Oxford Street, where all the shopping is, then I made my way back through SoHo and Covent Garden, sitting when I wanted to and going where I pleased, stopping wherever I saw fit. I found some cool shops in SoHo and a really nice park where I sat for a while. Then I ended up in Leicester Square area where I visited the National Gallery, which is incredible. After that, I found a Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat - a cafe place with fresh, ready-made food and drink that I love) and took it to eat in Trafalgar Square. After lunch I set off towards St. James' Park, where I meandered around and took photos and sat and just enjoyed the park. After spending some time in the park, I walked up the Mall and through to Piccadilly Circus, then all the way down Piccadilly. On my way I found a nice little antique market where I picked up a fabulous little teacup for 5 pounds, then sat in a cafe for some tea down the street. Finally, before meeting up with the group, I took the tube to Bromley to Normand Park, which was a nice park in a not-so-nice area. It wasn't a bad area by any means, but it wasn't great either, so I just took some photos and took the train back. We all at Chinese food in Leicester Square then went to Avenue Q which was incredibly funny and inappropriate. After the show, Jeff, Trisha, Alice, Bailey, and I went back to Trafalgar Square, then to Buckingham Palace to see it at
night.
After my day alone in the city I felt so connected to it and so at home that I felt that someday I have to live in London, even if only for a year or so. It's an amazing place and my favorite in the world, even still after spending 6 days there. Most people missed Copenhagen, but I didn't. Perhaps it's because I don't spend enough time in the city, which my new close friends are going to help me with I think. :)
Day 5
We had 3 visits on day 5, starting with a trip to Greenwich for a visit to the Royal Observatory and Meridian line. The only problem was, we got there at 8:30 and it didn't open until 10:00, and it was pouring in true London fashion. So we were a little pissed that we had to wake up so early and stay out in the rain, even if the views were cool. After touring the museum, we started walking down, planning to go to one of the other museums for lunch. On our way down we were discussing how crappy the morning had been and a nice British lady who was walking her dog told us that Johnny Depp was in town filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and she told us how to get to the set at the Royal Naval College. We wandered around seeing lots of trailers and some people dressed as pirates, though no Johnny Depp, until we stopped in front of one gate where you could see through a bit of the tarp. We saw someone dressed as Jack Sparrow, but we weren't sure if it was him, and he heard us and turned around and smiled and waved at us, and we knew it was really Johnny! :D It was awesome. Then we went to the National Maritime Museum for lunch, then to our next visit to Mulgrave Early Child Center. It was so great to interact with kids who I could speak English to! I had so much fun!! Then we went to the Charlton Athletic Race Equality Center, which is dedicated to community cohesion and outreach through sports. For dinner we had fish and chips at the tavern next to the movie set, and for dessert delicious cheesecake. Then Trisha, Alice and I walked along the Thames and headed back to the hotel to pack.
Day 6
We went to the Natural History Museum to observe teachers guiding their students through the museum. Then we left for lunch at a pub, it was roast chicken, peas, and chips, followed by apple pie. We wrapped up the trip then were left for 2 more hours of free time. During this time, I went off alone again back to some antique book shops I found on Charing Cross Rd in the Leicester Square area. I went into one shop that had been in operation since 1855. There I bought a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, Cranford, from 1898! It is in such good condition and I was so excited. Then I grabbed a latte at the cafe across the street and sat for a while until I went back to the hotel to get ready to go. When the bus got there, we had a 2 hour ride, so we watched what else, but Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We got to the airport and they made me check my umbrella, which came back to me broken :( We grabbed dinner and snacks, but by the time we were done doing that we had to run to the gate because it was final boarding call. I thought I was going to die I was so scared. I made it though, and finally got home about 12:30am, skyped my boyfriend for a couple hours, then went to bed and woke up this morning at 1pm. I was so exhausted.
Sorry about the long post, but a lot happened. If you got this far I'm impressed
Last Saturday I left for London with my Children in a Multicultural Context class. We arrived at 10am, dropped off our bags at the hotel, grabbed lunch, and visited a really cool adventure playground called Glamis. It is not in the best part of town, but kids of all backgrounds are allowed to come play and build and make friends under adult supervision.
That night we went out to dinner at an Indian food place, where the tables are double decker with a ladder for the waitresses to use. It was delicious and super cool. We then walked to the London Eye, where we saw beautiful views of London at night. Having woken up at 4:30, I was ready for bed, especially because myself and another girl got lost and had to find our way back in the rain.
Day 2, we had breakfast at the hotel then left on a bus and walking tour of London. We stopped at Tower Bridge, where we took lots of photos and saw the bridge lift to let a boat pass under, which only happens once or twice a year. We stopped at Parliament and Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral. After this we had lunch and shopped on our own in Brick Lane, Whitechapel and met at the Freud museum after. That night was for sure my favorite night of the trip, because my friends Patti, Jeff, Lena, and Trisha went through Covent Garden and SoHo and found a lovely little Italian place called Melanie's, where we ate delicious pasta, then we enjoyed London at night in Trafalgar Square. It was so nice to spend time with such great people in one of my favorite places on Earth.
Day 3 was a long one. After breakfast we walked from Barbican to Brick Lane because the tubes were on strike. We visited the East London Acedemy in the London Muslim Center, and the mosque within. I learned a lot about Islam, more than I had before, and though I didn't believe it or agree with it all, it was interesting to see another worldview. Then, we went back to Brick Lane for Iranian food, and I picked up some fried dough, yummy. After lunch we went to an amazing school in the center of London where we got to see first-hand how the British school system deals with integration (much more gracefully and effectively than in Denmark). I loved that school and I wanted to send my kids there. Who knows, maybe I will. Finally, in our last scheduled visit of the day, we went to a Bollywood dance workshop where we learned a dance to Jai Ho, the song from Slumdog Millionaire. It was more tiring than I realized and we were all ready for showers afterwards. But, Lena and I had tickets for Les Miserables, so we got all pretty in the locker room (as pretty as we could get with how sweaty we were, haha), then went to grab dinner (yogurt and granola and coffee) then to the show! The first half of the show was incredible, but as I had had a headache for most of the day and had taken the last of my packed ibuprofen a few days before, I was nauseous and miserable the 2nd half. I still enjoyed the show, but it got to the point where I just needed to go home and sleep.
Day 4
We were originally going to go to Kensington to see the Princess Diana Memorial Playground, but we weren't allowed in, so we went to the Palace just to see the gardens, then we split off into separate groups. My group was supposed to go to Notting Hill. And we did, just not the part I wanted to see, so I separated from the group and went on my way, while they went shopping. First, I took the tube from Notting Hill to Oxford Street, where all the shopping is, then I made my way back through SoHo and Covent Garden, sitting when I wanted to and going where I pleased, stopping wherever I saw fit. I found some cool shops in SoHo and a really nice park where I sat for a while. Then I ended up in Leicester Square area where I visited the National Gallery, which is incredible. After that, I found a Pret a Manger (Ready to Eat - a cafe place with fresh, ready-made food and drink that I love) and took it to eat in Trafalgar Square. After lunch I set off towards St. James' Park, where I meandered around and took photos and sat and just enjoyed the park. After spending some time in the park, I walked up the Mall and through to Piccadilly Circus, then all the way down Piccadilly. On my way I found a nice little antique market where I picked up a fabulous little teacup for 5 pounds, then sat in a cafe for some tea down the street. Finally, before meeting up with the group, I took the tube to Bromley to Normand Park, which was a nice park in a not-so-nice area. It wasn't a bad area by any means, but it wasn't great either, so I just took some photos and took the train back. We all at Chinese food in Leicester Square then went to Avenue Q which was incredibly funny and inappropriate. After the show, Jeff, Trisha, Alice, Bailey, and I went back to Trafalgar Square, then to Buckingham Palace to see it at
night.
After my day alone in the city I felt so connected to it and so at home that I felt that someday I have to live in London, even if only for a year or so. It's an amazing place and my favorite in the world, even still after spending 6 days there. Most people missed Copenhagen, but I didn't. Perhaps it's because I don't spend enough time in the city, which my new close friends are going to help me with I think. :)
Day 5
We had 3 visits on day 5, starting with a trip to Greenwich for a visit to the Royal Observatory and Meridian line. The only problem was, we got there at 8:30 and it didn't open until 10:00, and it was pouring in true London fashion. So we were a little pissed that we had to wake up so early and stay out in the rain, even if the views were cool. After touring the museum, we started walking down, planning to go to one of the other museums for lunch. On our way down we were discussing how crappy the morning had been and a nice British lady who was walking her dog told us that Johnny Depp was in town filming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and she told us how to get to the set at the Royal Naval College. We wandered around seeing lots of trailers and some people dressed as pirates, though no Johnny Depp, until we stopped in front of one gate where you could see through a bit of the tarp. We saw someone dressed as Jack Sparrow, but we weren't sure if it was him, and he heard us and turned around and smiled and waved at us, and we knew it was really Johnny! :D It was awesome. Then we went to the National Maritime Museum for lunch, then to our next visit to Mulgrave Early Child Center. It was so great to interact with kids who I could speak English to! I had so much fun!! Then we went to the Charlton Athletic Race Equality Center, which is dedicated to community cohesion and outreach through sports. For dinner we had fish and chips at the tavern next to the movie set, and for dessert delicious cheesecake. Then Trisha, Alice and I walked along the Thames and headed back to the hotel to pack.
Day 6
We went to the Natural History Museum to observe teachers guiding their students through the museum. Then we left for lunch at a pub, it was roast chicken, peas, and chips, followed by apple pie. We wrapped up the trip then were left for 2 more hours of free time. During this time, I went off alone again back to some antique book shops I found on Charing Cross Rd in the Leicester Square area. I went into one shop that had been in operation since 1855. There I bought a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, Cranford, from 1898! It is in such good condition and I was so excited. Then I grabbed a latte at the cafe across the street and sat for a while until I went back to the hotel to get ready to go. When the bus got there, we had a 2 hour ride, so we watched what else, but Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We got to the airport and they made me check my umbrella, which came back to me broken :( We grabbed dinner and snacks, but by the time we were done doing that we had to run to the gate because it was final boarding call. I thought I was going to die I was so scared. I made it though, and finally got home about 12:30am, skyped my boyfriend for a couple hours, then went to bed and woke up this morning at 1pm. I was so exhausted.
Sorry about the long post, but a lot happened. If you got this far I'm impressed
Monday, September 27, 2010
Medieval Ribe
Hello all!
So this week went by fairly quickly, with few assignments and a lot of fun at practicum.
There is this little boy Tobey, who understands English, and therefore he is the child with whom I have been spending most of my time. He loves me and he was having me follow a very specific running course and playing with me for a lot of the day. There is also a girl who understands a bit of French, so I was able to use that as well. However cool that is, we discussed today that while home languages such as English or French or German, in another girl's case are sometimes able to be used in the school, any Arabic or other Middle Eastern languages are not, even by the Muslim paedagog at my site. It is an interesting difference, and today in class we learned that sometimes if a teacher speaks one of those languages, they will be asked to speak Danish only, while I am allowed to speak Danish, English, and French to the children.
So it was a fun day on Thursday.
Friday I went to class then boarded the bus with only 7 other students, to Ribe, Denmark, in Southwest Jutland. It began as a Viking market around the year 710, so it is celebrating its 1300th anniversary as a town this year. It is very small and very quaint and beautiful, with its half timbered houses and cobblestone streets surrounding the Cathedral from 1134. I loved it there.
The first day we had a scavenger hunt, visited a medieval monastery, and the cathedral, and sort of saw a bird phenomenon known as "The Black Sun," where all the starlings in the area gather to practice for migration. It was pretty cool. The monastery and cathedral were both beautiful places, and the day could not have been better! We climbed 290 steps up to the top of the cathedral where we got a breathtaking view of the town and the surrounding areas. We even did some analytical sketching of the inside of the cathedral to really get a feel for the details of the architecture, which is something I have never done, but I really enjoyed it and it gave me new perspective.
All in all, it was a great weekend.
I found out today that I will be able to see Les Mis and Avenue Q in London, and we get to take a Bollywood dance class, among our other visits to the Freud museum and various community centers, playgrounds, and schools.
I am sooo excited!
So this week went by fairly quickly, with few assignments and a lot of fun at practicum.
There is this little boy Tobey, who understands English, and therefore he is the child with whom I have been spending most of my time. He loves me and he was having me follow a very specific running course and playing with me for a lot of the day. There is also a girl who understands a bit of French, so I was able to use that as well. However cool that is, we discussed today that while home languages such as English or French or German, in another girl's case are sometimes able to be used in the school, any Arabic or other Middle Eastern languages are not, even by the Muslim paedagog at my site. It is an interesting difference, and today in class we learned that sometimes if a teacher speaks one of those languages, they will be asked to speak Danish only, while I am allowed to speak Danish, English, and French to the children.
So it was a fun day on Thursday.
Friday I went to class then boarded the bus with only 7 other students, to Ribe, Denmark, in Southwest Jutland. It began as a Viking market around the year 710, so it is celebrating its 1300th anniversary as a town this year. It is very small and very quaint and beautiful, with its half timbered houses and cobblestone streets surrounding the Cathedral from 1134. I loved it there.
The first day we had a scavenger hunt, visited a medieval monastery, and the cathedral, and sort of saw a bird phenomenon known as "The Black Sun," where all the starlings in the area gather to practice for migration. It was pretty cool. The monastery and cathedral were both beautiful places, and the day could not have been better! We climbed 290 steps up to the top of the cathedral where we got a breathtaking view of the town and the surrounding areas. We even did some analytical sketching of the inside of the cathedral to really get a feel for the details of the architecture, which is something I have never done, but I really enjoyed it and it gave me new perspective.
All in all, it was a great weekend.
I found out today that I will be able to see Les Mis and Avenue Q in London, and we get to take a Bollywood dance class, among our other visits to the Freud museum and various community centers, playgrounds, and schools.
I am sooo excited!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Typical (If possible) Week in Denmark
This week was pretty normal, with nothing much happening. I went to class, went to practicum, ate dinner with my host family and watched TV/movies, etc.
It was a very nice, fun week. The most noteworthy occurrences began on Wednesday when our class was taken on a field study, a grown-up word for a field trip. I had two that day, one in the morning to the DIA Skole, a Muslim private school in Norrebro, an area of Copenhagen. I was extremely interested in this trip. The school teaches classical Arabic, Danish, and English to all of its students, and they were all more than willing to show off and ask us questions or, in the case of the younger students, sing us a familiar song about 5 Little Monkeys. After that, we found a nice cafe and got treated to drinks by our school. I spent the rest of my morning with 3 girls from my class, talking, shopping and eating DELICIOUS food.
One of the girls, Bailey, showed us a bakery close to campus with good prices and fabulous food. I got a huge fresh baked bun with Brie cheese, mixed greens, and a pepper, which I removed, all for 30kr which is about 5 bucks. It was so much better than any $5 footlong sub I have ever had at Subway.
My second field study was to an allotment garden area in Gladsaxe, a suburb of Copenhagen. An allotment garden is a peculiar thing. It is run like a little government, with a union of gardeners and a volunteer to be the chairman. Families or individuals can rent land for about $400 a quarter, and on that land they are responsible for having a house (usually summer homes for those living in the city) and a well-kept garden. Here we were given weinerbrod, or Danishes, told of the history of the gardens in Europe (they are everywhere but they started in Denmark as early as the 1600s, but mostly popping up in the late 1800s), then taken on a tour. After this, we were treated to another Danish tradition (like weinerbrod), lagekager or layer cake. It was magical, but apparently better cakes exist, and I will find one.
Thursday I went to practicum at the preschool, and had lots of fun and few language problems, though they did happen. My paedagog whom I work with took me and the other student, Marissa, on a tour of all of the other sites, which was cool. The paedagog, Henriette, is so helpful and I know she will be an excellent resource as the semester goes on.
Friday I went to the mall, Fisketorvet with my friend Katie and her friend Leah. I finally found rainboots, but I bought them the next day, which I will get to. I learned not to go to Baresso again, no matter how good the chai is, because no chai is worth 6 bucks. I stocked up on winter things at H&M, my new favorite place. I bought gloves and thick tights.
Saturday I helped my friend Justin move out of his old folkehojskole in Helsingor to an apartment with a roommate in Ordrup, closer to school. Afterwards, we went back to Fisketorvet where I bought my rainboots, which I definitely needed yesterday.
Now, Sunday was the main event! It was the FCKobenhavn vs Brondby football match! I made sure to wear blue to support FCK. The game was NUTS. This is a huge rivalry match, and they charge extra just because they knew the Brondby fans would be insane, and they were. My mom and Danish professor say this was the worst they had ever heard/seen it. At the beginning of the game when FCK scored their first goal, Brondby lit flares and threw them onto the field and held them in the stands. They had to pause the game for a few minutes to let them burn out. Then, toward the end, when Brondby knew they were going to lose, they began setting seats on fire. Yes, you read that right. The grand totals = 487 seats burned, 44 arrests, and 2 police men injured in riots before the match, on the way to the stadium. The total damage equaled 600,000kr, which is roughly 100,000 USD. They charge more, about 50kr each ticket to cover these damages, so they have 1,500,000kr to spend to replace the seats, as long as my numbers are right.
It was a great week. This week I am planning my travels to Greece, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and hoping to get tickets to the 25th anniversary show of Les Mis in London. That would be amazing.
Also, stay tuned for my blog about my trip to Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark, which just celebrated its 1300th birthday!
It was a very nice, fun week. The most noteworthy occurrences began on Wednesday when our class was taken on a field study, a grown-up word for a field trip. I had two that day, one in the morning to the DIA Skole, a Muslim private school in Norrebro, an area of Copenhagen. I was extremely interested in this trip. The school teaches classical Arabic, Danish, and English to all of its students, and they were all more than willing to show off and ask us questions or, in the case of the younger students, sing us a familiar song about 5 Little Monkeys. After that, we found a nice cafe and got treated to drinks by our school. I spent the rest of my morning with 3 girls from my class, talking, shopping and eating DELICIOUS food.
One of the girls, Bailey, showed us a bakery close to campus with good prices and fabulous food. I got a huge fresh baked bun with Brie cheese, mixed greens, and a pepper, which I removed, all for 30kr which is about 5 bucks. It was so much better than any $5 footlong sub I have ever had at Subway.
My second field study was to an allotment garden area in Gladsaxe, a suburb of Copenhagen. An allotment garden is a peculiar thing. It is run like a little government, with a union of gardeners and a volunteer to be the chairman. Families or individuals can rent land for about $400 a quarter, and on that land they are responsible for having a house (usually summer homes for those living in the city) and a well-kept garden. Here we were given weinerbrod, or Danishes, told of the history of the gardens in Europe (they are everywhere but they started in Denmark as early as the 1600s, but mostly popping up in the late 1800s), then taken on a tour. After this, we were treated to another Danish tradition (like weinerbrod), lagekager or layer cake. It was magical, but apparently better cakes exist, and I will find one.
Thursday I went to practicum at the preschool, and had lots of fun and few language problems, though they did happen. My paedagog whom I work with took me and the other student, Marissa, on a tour of all of the other sites, which was cool. The paedagog, Henriette, is so helpful and I know she will be an excellent resource as the semester goes on.
Friday I went to the mall, Fisketorvet with my friend Katie and her friend Leah. I finally found rainboots, but I bought them the next day, which I will get to. I learned not to go to Baresso again, no matter how good the chai is, because no chai is worth 6 bucks. I stocked up on winter things at H&M, my new favorite place. I bought gloves and thick tights.
Saturday I helped my friend Justin move out of his old folkehojskole in Helsingor to an apartment with a roommate in Ordrup, closer to school. Afterwards, we went back to Fisketorvet where I bought my rainboots, which I definitely needed yesterday.
Now, Sunday was the main event! It was the FCKobenhavn vs Brondby football match! I made sure to wear blue to support FCK. The game was NUTS. This is a huge rivalry match, and they charge extra just because they knew the Brondby fans would be insane, and they were. My mom and Danish professor say this was the worst they had ever heard/seen it. At the beginning of the game when FCK scored their first goal, Brondby lit flares and threw them onto the field and held them in the stands. They had to pause the game for a few minutes to let them burn out. Then, toward the end, when Brondby knew they were going to lose, they began setting seats on fire. Yes, you read that right. The grand totals = 487 seats burned, 44 arrests, and 2 police men injured in riots before the match, on the way to the stadium. The total damage equaled 600,000kr, which is roughly 100,000 USD. They charge more, about 50kr each ticket to cover these damages, so they have 1,500,000kr to spend to replace the seats, as long as my numbers are right.
It was a great week. This week I am planning my travels to Greece, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and hoping to get tickets to the 25th anniversary show of Les Mis in London. That would be amazing.
Also, stay tuned for my blog about my trip to Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark, which just celebrated its 1300th birthday!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Most Amazing Weekend (So Far)
So Thursday morning I had to wake up at 5:15 to get to Frue Plads by 7:15 to board the bus for our short study tour to Western Denmark. We spent most of our time on Funen and in Odense and its surrounding areas, also known as the birthplace of the world's most famous Dane, Hans Christian Andersen.
The first day, we crossed over onto Funen, pronounced Foon and spelled Fyn in Danish. Our first stop was to a school called the Hans Christian Andersen school, which is a school of 400 students from grade 0-9 (or kindergarten to 9) which represent 16 different nationalities. In this school, diversity is an asset, and the children learn about each other through Socratic discussion with one another and are given tremendous opportunities to challenge themselves and each other, and to build self-esteem and to learn to the best of their abilities so they can reach their potential. The school was built in 2000 and was incredible to be in. We had the opportunity to ask students about themselves and to work briefly with some of the younger children. It was an incredible place that is doing great things for the children of the area.
We spent the majority of our time this weekend in a suburb of Odense called Vollsmose. It could be seen as a sort of ghetto, because it is made up of about 10,000 people mostly of minority background. It is considered to be dangerous by many Danes because the media reports the worst cases. However, I did not have the same feeling when I was there. I felt oddly connected to it.
From the school we split up and half of us went to Yggdrasil, a center for minority mothers to come with their children to learn how to best take care of them and to make friends in the community. The other half went to a children's city in Vollsmose, which was basically a giant supervised playground with houses and pirate ships and slides and swings. But that I only know from pictures because I went to Yggdrasil.
After that we went to the university in Vollsmose/Odense to see and interact with a theater group called Act Now. It was comprised of 5 Muslim women/girls and 1 Muslim man. They do a sort of theater called forum theater, in which the actors gain insight and the answers to the conflict in the play from their audience. This was perhaps my favorite part of the trip, because it opened my eyes. I saw past the headscarves and all my preconceived notions of what it is to be a Muslim woman, and I saw for the first time that everyone is the same. Everyone has hopes and dreams (and these women had high ones that they were already achieving) and problems, but no matter where you come from, you can find common ground and connection that can bridge any cultural differences that may exist.
We went to dinner following the theater activities at a Danish buffet called the Ugly Duckling. Then, about 6 girls and our professor walked around Odense at night and got cake and wine or in my case, water and a flodeboller at a cafe. We then retreated to the hostel and went to bed.
We had a wonderful breakfast at the hostel and then went to the Vollsmose Kulturhus, a community center that offers help finding a job, community activities, computer classes, a recording studio, and a venue where cultural activities can be held. Then we went to a bazaar for lunch and shopping, though it was mostly empty due to Ramadan. From there we walked to Fyrtojet, or the Tinder Box, a children's center next to Hans Christian Andersen's home. There, we heard a story, painted a picture, played dress up and got our faces painted. Then we went to HC Andersen's house, where I bought a teacup and something for my mom.
We ate Turkish food for dinner, then went back to the Kulturhus to see a musical/dance show called Drums of Joy by a group from Uganda. It was absolutely incredible and informative, and my friend Trisha and I want to buy the cd.
On the note of new friends, I now feel like I know and can talk to every person in my class. This experience brought us all together, and I feel like I have at least 2 more close friends, but about 15 classmates that have now become friends. The extent of friendship differs, but I definitely feel like I am friends with the majority of my class.
Saturday, our last day, we visited Gavnø Castle, which dates back to 1402 but is furnished in the Rococo style (one of my favorites). It is home to the largest privately-owned collection of paintings in Europe. The castle looked like it was out of a Jane Austen novel, and a family still lives there, a baron and his wife and children. My favorite part of the castle was the grounds, and the fact that it was furnished so lavishly with gold molding, treebranches, roses, and teacups.
This was the most incredible weekend and experience I have had so far, and it makes me very excited for London, which will be more of the same, only in one of my favorite cities in Europe.
You can find photos on my facebook.
The first day, we crossed over onto Funen, pronounced Foon and spelled Fyn in Danish. Our first stop was to a school called the Hans Christian Andersen school, which is a school of 400 students from grade 0-9 (or kindergarten to 9) which represent 16 different nationalities. In this school, diversity is an asset, and the children learn about each other through Socratic discussion with one another and are given tremendous opportunities to challenge themselves and each other, and to build self-esteem and to learn to the best of their abilities so they can reach their potential. The school was built in 2000 and was incredible to be in. We had the opportunity to ask students about themselves and to work briefly with some of the younger children. It was an incredible place that is doing great things for the children of the area.
We spent the majority of our time this weekend in a suburb of Odense called Vollsmose. It could be seen as a sort of ghetto, because it is made up of about 10,000 people mostly of minority background. It is considered to be dangerous by many Danes because the media reports the worst cases. However, I did not have the same feeling when I was there. I felt oddly connected to it.
From the school we split up and half of us went to Yggdrasil, a center for minority mothers to come with their children to learn how to best take care of them and to make friends in the community. The other half went to a children's city in Vollsmose, which was basically a giant supervised playground with houses and pirate ships and slides and swings. But that I only know from pictures because I went to Yggdrasil.
After that we went to the university in Vollsmose/Odense to see and interact with a theater group called Act Now. It was comprised of 5 Muslim women/girls and 1 Muslim man. They do a sort of theater called forum theater, in which the actors gain insight and the answers to the conflict in the play from their audience. This was perhaps my favorite part of the trip, because it opened my eyes. I saw past the headscarves and all my preconceived notions of what it is to be a Muslim woman, and I saw for the first time that everyone is the same. Everyone has hopes and dreams (and these women had high ones that they were already achieving) and problems, but no matter where you come from, you can find common ground and connection that can bridge any cultural differences that may exist.
We went to dinner following the theater activities at a Danish buffet called the Ugly Duckling. Then, about 6 girls and our professor walked around Odense at night and got cake and wine or in my case, water and a flodeboller at a cafe. We then retreated to the hostel and went to bed.
We had a wonderful breakfast at the hostel and then went to the Vollsmose Kulturhus, a community center that offers help finding a job, community activities, computer classes, a recording studio, and a venue where cultural activities can be held. Then we went to a bazaar for lunch and shopping, though it was mostly empty due to Ramadan. From there we walked to Fyrtojet, or the Tinder Box, a children's center next to Hans Christian Andersen's home. There, we heard a story, painted a picture, played dress up and got our faces painted. Then we went to HC Andersen's house, where I bought a teacup and something for my mom.
We ate Turkish food for dinner, then went back to the Kulturhus to see a musical/dance show called Drums of Joy by a group from Uganda. It was absolutely incredible and informative, and my friend Trisha and I want to buy the cd.
On the note of new friends, I now feel like I know and can talk to every person in my class. This experience brought us all together, and I feel like I have at least 2 more close friends, but about 15 classmates that have now become friends. The extent of friendship differs, but I definitely feel like I am friends with the majority of my class.
Saturday, our last day, we visited Gavnø Castle, which dates back to 1402 but is furnished in the Rococo style (one of my favorites). It is home to the largest privately-owned collection of paintings in Europe. The castle looked like it was out of a Jane Austen novel, and a family still lives there, a baron and his wife and children. My favorite part of the castle was the grounds, and the fact that it was furnished so lavishly with gold molding, treebranches, roses, and teacups.
This was the most incredible weekend and experience I have had so far, and it makes me very excited for London, which will be more of the same, only in one of my favorite cities in Europe.
You can find photos on my facebook.
Sweden, Tivoli, Class, and Family time.
Wow it's been a while...so much to tell. I apologize for all of these mega posts, but during the week I don't have a lot of time to write.
So here we go. Friday night, no one was going to be home except me and my mom, so we went out and got some pizza, which is okay here, but different and it makes me miss New York Giant. Then I think I finished watching Dexter and worked on a paper. I had 2 papers due this week and lots of reading. However, Saturday was my friend Julia's birthday, so we had plans to go to Tivoli. Before that, my mom and I went over to Helsingborg, Sweden on a ferry. It was only 48 kroner for a return ticket and it only took about 20 minutes to cross the Øresund. It was a great day for such a trip, and we walked around the city, had coffee and cake in a cafe, shopped, and visited Helsingborg castle.
When I got back home I got changed and got on the train to Copenhagen for Julia's birthday. It was lots of fun, we walked around the park, took lots of pictures, got ice cream, and finally, we went on the tallest swing carousel in the world, which is 80m or 262ft. The view of Copenhagen at night was incredible, though they made me take off my glasses so it was mostly a blur. I will have to do it again and sneak them on somehow.
After the ride we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, which gave us a distinct American feel. We each got our meals, then waited for an hour for the check. You would think, most likely, that this is bad service. But in Denmark, it is good service. They will never take your plates unless it is obvious that you are finished, and they will never force you out by giving you the check too soon. In Denmark, all restaurants take hygge - coziness, very seriously, and they want you to feel comfortable. So, they light candles, and let you stay there as long as you'd like. It's actually quite nice.
Sunday and Monday and Tuesday I worked on papers and watched Project Runway, then in the evening after dinner on Sunday, my mom, Sofie and I watched The Proposal. :)
Wednesday I was free from field studies so I slept in and then my mom and I went for a walk around Kronborg Castle. We walked on the beach looking for amber (we didn't find any this time, but both my mom and a friend of hers from work have found it under the seaweed, so I am on a mission to find some also), and I saw a bunch of Jellyfish washed up on shore. Then we reached the castle and walked around it and into the courtyard, though not in this time. It was a very nice day.
This post is already far too long so I will post the next one right after this, because I feel this weekend deserves its own post.
So here we go. Friday night, no one was going to be home except me and my mom, so we went out and got some pizza, which is okay here, but different and it makes me miss New York Giant. Then I think I finished watching Dexter and worked on a paper. I had 2 papers due this week and lots of reading. However, Saturday was my friend Julia's birthday, so we had plans to go to Tivoli. Before that, my mom and I went over to Helsingborg, Sweden on a ferry. It was only 48 kroner for a return ticket and it only took about 20 minutes to cross the Øresund. It was a great day for such a trip, and we walked around the city, had coffee and cake in a cafe, shopped, and visited Helsingborg castle.
When I got back home I got changed and got on the train to Copenhagen for Julia's birthday. It was lots of fun, we walked around the park, took lots of pictures, got ice cream, and finally, we went on the tallest swing carousel in the world, which is 80m or 262ft. The view of Copenhagen at night was incredible, though they made me take off my glasses so it was mostly a blur. I will have to do it again and sneak them on somehow.
After the ride we went to dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, which gave us a distinct American feel. We each got our meals, then waited for an hour for the check. You would think, most likely, that this is bad service. But in Denmark, it is good service. They will never take your plates unless it is obvious that you are finished, and they will never force you out by giving you the check too soon. In Denmark, all restaurants take hygge - coziness, very seriously, and they want you to feel comfortable. So, they light candles, and let you stay there as long as you'd like. It's actually quite nice.
Sunday and Monday and Tuesday I worked on papers and watched Project Runway, then in the evening after dinner on Sunday, my mom, Sofie and I watched The Proposal. :)
Wednesday I was free from field studies so I slept in and then my mom and I went for a walk around Kronborg Castle. We walked on the beach looking for amber (we didn't find any this time, but both my mom and a friend of hers from work have found it under the seaweed, so I am on a mission to find some also), and I saw a bunch of Jellyfish washed up on shore. Then we reached the castle and walked around it and into the courtyard, though not in this time. It was a very nice day.
This post is already far too long so I will post the next one right after this, because I feel this weekend deserves its own post.
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