Sweet Home Denmark

This represents the more progressive viewpoint of immigration in Denmark. This issue is what I have been studying most of my time here and it has been extremely interesting. Both sides of the debate are passionately rooted in history whilst trying to reckon with a contemporary globalizing world. It will be fascinating to see where the policies stand years from now. This sign, however, is just simply hilarious.

“…if a big burly man in lederhosen ever offers you a hand up to dance on top of a table at a European beer festival… you take it.” (Yes, really, straight from JHall)

 c

That’s right. Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany this past weekend. And I survived! It was quite the jam-packed weekend as you might guess. We started out on a train at 6 o’clock on Thursday night. This is where the hard work began.. overnight trains are not too easy to sleep on. But being 5’2” finally came in handy because I eventually just gave up and took to the floor. Yep, a low point. Then, we arrived in Munich at 10 a.m., dropped our stuff in a tent at the campsite, grabbed a “welcome beer,” and headed out to the festival.

Luckily, the best twin in the world Shelby met us outside we got to go straight to a table! The rest of the day was dancing, singing, and roaming the festival. We made sure to try the fun house (which lived up to its name) and go on a few spinny rides. Also had to purchase some kind of Oktoberfest garb! A red fedora with feathers on it? yes, please :) We finished the day sitting hillside with ice cream cones. Then back to the campsite for more dancing and mingling and some much needed sleep.

Day Two was pretty much the same, just add an earlier morning, more beer, and a few extra pretzels. Mmmm I don’t know how many I ate, but I don’t think I will be able to eat another one for at least a year. They are as big as my head! But so were the beer steins..

We spent Sunday training it back to Copenhagen. It was a beautiful trip gazing out the window at the small villages and German countryside. I am so glad that I was able to see that part of Europe.

Overall, it was a great experience just to be there and to see it. It wasn’t as crazy and wild as I thought it would be, which was good! Most of the crowd was families (babies in lederhosen=cutest thing ever) and others just there to have some fun. We met people from all over Europe every time we sat down! I can easily say it is one of the happiest places I have ever been.. like Disney World with beer :)

In conclusion, I think I can confidently say that I made Mama proud with this one.

Big day today for Denmark! The election was yesterday and the Social Democrats pulled out the win. This is great for many reasons, but one of the neatest is that for the first time in Danish history a woman is prime minister! Woop, woop, get it Denmark.

In other news, I have just returned from Sweden, Denmark’s hip next door neighbor. Sweden is known for it’s progressive policies on immigration and high diversity, which is why my Migration and Cultural Conflict class took this trip there. We started our trip in Malmö where we visited a Muslim primary school and mosque. Seeing a mosque for the first time was awesome and the kids were adorable! Then onto Rosengård, an ethnic neighborhood known for its diversity and close-knit vibe. Playgrounds and open park space could be spotted everywhere and the guys who were showing us around seemed to know everyone by name. A great community to see. The next day we headed to Göteborg to see the Museum of World Culture, which is easily one of the coolest places I have ever been. Upstairs we looked at some hip modern art and downstairs was an exhibit on travel called Destination X. It looked at all aspects of travel, even migration and forced travel, which fit right in with our class. Next day was kayaking in the North Sea. Though it was pretty cold, it was a lot of fun. Nice to be a little outdoorsy and take a break from the city life. All in all, Sweden gets an A+ from Allie O :)

This is my very first and very late post. If you know anything about me, my tardiness on this endeavor will not surprise you at all, as procrastination is one of my favorite pastimes. But, this point is actually a good place to start my introduction to Denmark. I have learned so much about this society already and am always finding new norms to follow. One of the first things I learned is that Danes hate it when people are late (oops! Maybe I should move). Even the public transportation is perfectly punctual! As many know, I have a silly nerdy obsession with public transportation and I am in love with the system here. Funny thing is, the buses and trains are SO quiet. A loud conversation with your neighbor or on a cell phone is normally looked down upon. Needless to say, when a group of American students hop on, it’s… kind of apparent. It’s a different story on a Friday or Saturday night though, where you will find some very “talkative” Danes on the train.

Other than that I have learned how delicious all forms of carbs are here. Every sandwich, pastry, or simple slice of bread I eat is phenomenal. We have even found a favorite bakery with a great student discount :) Mmmmm

And, if you don’t have a bike, then you definitely don’t live in Copenhagen. It’s a whole bike culture where everyone rides everywhere and in any kind of weather. Getting run over by a bicycle has become a legitimate fear of mine.

So, the town I live in is called Helsingør and it is absolutely adorable. It is actually about half an hour outside of the city (yay, train time!), has a great view of Sweden (yes, really, I see Sweden daily), and is known for the best “is” (ice cream) in Scandinavia. Oh yea, and Hamlet’s Castle is here!! Go Shakespeare. I mean, why would you want to live anywhere else? The castle is called Kronborg and rests right on the beach. After an amazing afternoon exploring it, we climbed the tallest tower and got a great view of the city and the water. Definitely one of the best experiences thus far.

Exactly where do I stay while in Helsingør? Well, it’s called a folkehøjskole, and we don’t have anything like it in the states. They were founded by this bigwig philosopher/poet/priest in Danish history named Grundtvig. He believed in creativity, compassion, and cooperation between cultures. That’s what is embodied in these Danish folk high schools. Young people come here before or after university or mid-career to explore their interests or just take a break. They study language, art, history, or whatever suits you! Mine is called Den Internationale Højskole, or International People’s College. There actually aren’t any Danes living here, but we make up for with people from all over.. literally. I don’t know how many times in my life I will be able to say that one of my neighbors is from Ghana and the other is from Slovakia, but it can’t be many, so I just want to throw that out there and hear how cool it sounds.

Okay, I promised myself that I wouldn’t make super long blog posts, so I will end this one here. In the future they shall be short, sweet, and maaybe more frequent. Much more to tell about Denmark, school, and a hell of a birthday weekend, so stay tuned..