Fire Season

The past few days in Copenhagen have been crazy and filled with a ridiculous mixture of schoolwork and fun. I saw the ballet "Giselle," and went clubbing in Copenhagen's up-and-coming meatpacking district. I saw Muse in concert, went to the Icebar, and sang karaoke. I also managed to write a midterm essay, take three exams, create two powerpoint presentations, and outline a research paper. It has been quite hectic, but thankfully, things are really great.

Daylight Saving Time in the EU occurs a week earlier than it does in the United States. The sun sets at around 4:30 p.m. So I wake up in the dark, go to school in the dark, come home from school in the dark on some days, and obviously go to sleep in the dark. Cue seasonal affective disorder?

And so tomorrow night, I fly out to London for a few days, followed by a trip to Rome and a week in Russia. The madness of midterms means that fall travel break is here. So two weeks sans classes means two weeks of travel, fun, and games.

Icebar

We love karaoke!

Muse in concert at Parken

Allie and me during Muse!

On Danish Nightlife

On Being Danish: A Numbered Set of Lessons Learned Through Nightlife

1. Denmark is not like the US. There should be no looks of surprise on ay of your faces when I tell you that Denmark is very different from the United States. The culture here is vastly different, and therefore so is the nightlife.
2. Danes can be very anti-social. Danish people are known for being reserved and laid-back. They enjoy spending time with their personal social circles, which can sometimes be difficult to penetrate. In public places, such as bars and clubs, they are likely to socialize among the group that they arrived in, and only with those people. This means slightly less creeping than in similar American locales, but when it does happen, is can be much creepier. However, it should be noted that on the whole, Danes are friendly when you do interact with them. They will be straight forward and tell you their intentions. It is actually quite refreshing, and the people that you do meet are usually interesting, to say the least.
3. The ideal way to enjoy a bar is at a table. With lots of candles. This returns to the Danish idea of hygge, of coziness. If you are sharing drinks with your closest friends, you want to be comfy. You want a table so everyone can talk and Skal and just have a good time. Candles add to the mood, and warm up the room to add to your comfort.
4. Popular taste in music is questionable. Every so often, you might be out and here a song that makes you wonder just who is playing DJ wherever you are. In Denmark, I seem to have this feeling all the time. While sitting in a bar called the Happy Pig, waiting for the live musician to start playing, my ears were graced with "Mamma Mia" by ABBA. As a huge ABBA fan, I was excited but puzzled to hear this. I went upstairs to the club housed in the same building, and the first song I heard was "MMMbop" by Hanson. A few songs later came a song by Aqua. And while I do have fond recollections of this music from my childhood, I was shocked to hear it, even in this "disco." Later in the evening I went to LA Bar, a local favorite of business students. It tends to be a bit fratty, with a large amount of guys crowding the room. As we got past the bouncer and coat check and finally entered, I was shocked to hear "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, and to see a ton of guys dancing. In America this would never happen, for many reasons. But in Denmark, anything goes.
5. Cities develop in the same way. Copenhagen has a Meatpacking District. It is making the transition towards nightlife hotspot, much like its New York counterpart, but it is still functioning. Even though the area smells like meat, I easily had one of my best nights here so far hopping from place to place.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. Rather, a glimpse at some of my evening activities with some weighing in on what Danish nightlife culture is really about.

Good Citizens

Our last days in Helsinki were filled with Finnish culture and art. On Thursday morning we went to our academic visit at the Institute for Health and Welfare. We had a lecture, but had to leave early because employees of the Institute were staging a walk-out to protest governmental budget cuts. They were all wearing black and holding signs, and were preparing to walk to the parliament as we left.

That afternoon we went to another sauna - this time, it was the oldest wood-burning sauna left in Helsinki. All of the girls in the group piled in together to sweat it out. After about 45 minutes in the 100 degrees Celsius room, I called it quits. I went back to the hotel, took a shower, then primped before going out again.

Allie, Caitlin, and Me: Outside of the Finlandia Opera House

Our evening activity was a trip to the symphony, to watch the Helsinki Philharmonic perform. The show was lovely, and set everyone in the mood for a night out. After the show we found a restaurant where the hungry crowd could eat, and where we could sit at a big table and enjoy each other's company.

After lasting the last metro and getting impatient waiting for the bus, we decided to walk back to the hotel. On our way we passed by what seemed to be a hopping bar - there was a lot of noise, and a ton of people outside. As we walked, some fellows said, "Americanos? English?" Of course we said yes, and it turns out that they were with another DIS group. The bar was a karaoke place, and the best find of the entire trip.

Finnish people love slow songs for karaoke. My friends and I signed up to sing a Backstreet Boys song. While we waited, we witnessed a ton of odd choices. Some random Finnish man sand "Space Oddity," which turned out to be pretty good. There was also a rousing rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody," plus some Finnish songs. But we were easily the best performance of the night. My friend Allie gave her camera to some locals in the bar so they could photograph our rousing rendition of "I Want It That Way," but I guess they got distracted since they ended up taking pictures of themselves. But we did get a few winners out of the night.

Our last day was pretty quiet. We paid a visit to the Chiasma Art Museum, where we saw the exhibit Elixer. It was pretty trippy, but the museum as a whole was very interesting. In the book store, I saw a book that I had worked with when I was an intern at HNA. That was a really cool feeling. But the day was quiet, and after a short lunch we went to the airport and flew back to Copenhagen after a wonderful week in the Baltic states.

As a whole, the trip was pretty incredible. It was a great opportunity to get to know my classmates and to bond with friends. But aside from the socializing and having fun, our group did some amazing things. We went to two countries that I would never have visited on my own. We immersed ourselves in culture, and got to know the feeling and flavor of each locale. We learned about healthcare, and the plight of real people in the post-Soviet era. We had a unique experience, a gratifying experience, and an enlightening experience - but most of all, it was a positive experience.

Farewell to the Enchanted City

It was with great fortune that my group was treated by sun (and considerably less wind) on our second morning in Tallinn. With some early free time, my friends and I went around the city, searching for cool things to purchase since Estonia is so cheap (10 Estonian Krooni to a dollar), and retaking some of out photos from the previous day so that they would look nicer. This is what Tallinn actually looks like, perfect clouds and all.

Later that morning we visited the Occupation Museum, which described the process by which Estonia became part of the Soviet Union, what the 50 year occupation was like, and how Estonia became an independent state once more. There were pictures showing Estonians rejoicing when the Nazis entered the country, and there are stories of Estonians joining the German army. At first, this seemed absolutely horrifying. But placed in context of the Russian occupation of the Baltic states, it makes sense. Which is worse - Nazis or Russians? People were so opposed to the Soviet occupation that they were fighting it in many different ways. For some men, that meant in a German uniform. After World War II ended, the Soviets remained in control until the collapse of the union in 1991. For a country that is younger than I am, Estonia still has an impressive structure, an active economy, and a unique sense of pride and joy in their recently obtained freedom.

The picture to the left is of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedrall in Tallinn. The church is Russian Orthodox, and it is like nothing that I have ever seen before. As beautiful as the building is on the outside, it is even more so on the interior. The main sanctuary was dark, and services were occurring so the room was filled with an eerie and beautiful chanting. The walls were decorated with elaborate gold moldings, and beautiful icons. I found one that depicted the last of the Romanov dynasty, among many other images of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, and the saints of Orthodoxy.

This church is located in the Old Town of Tallinn, directly across the street from parliament. Our tour guide on the previous day's walking tour explained that it makes an interesting juxtaposition, with Russia still looming over the Estonian government. This seems to reflect Estonia's place in the greater framework of Europe. As one of our previous guest lecturers explained, Estonia is a middle man. It is stuffed between Europe and Russia, and it is a point that connects the north of Scandinavia to the rest of southern Europe. It is the center point in drug trafficking and human trafficking routes. It is also a locus in the rising HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. It seems like Estonia is still coming into its own as a country, feeling the pressures of nationhood from every direction.

After a second lecture on Tuesday, our group left the hotel and caught a ferry to Helsinki, the capitol of Finland. The ferry ride was smooth. I wanted to go outside on deck, but it was very cold, and windy, and the sea salt breeze was not as poetic as I hoped it would be.

Once we reached Helsinki, our group checked in to the Holiday Inn (which is much nicer in Finland than in the United States). We had a night on our own, so my friends and I wandered around, exploring the city and finding our way around. The architecture was interesting, a strange mix of modern and old-fashioned, with a splash of art noveau. It was pretty cold, so we found a bar/cafe (or baari as the Finnish like to call them) where we could sit, get drinks, and embrace local culture. We did not get a chance to mingle with any Finnish people since normal people are not out late on Tuesday nights, but we we did figure out the Metro, get to know the city center a bit, and figure out how to walk back to our hotel. Everyone was excited to explore the city further in the morning, and to see what makes Helsinki such a unique locale in Northern Europe.

Girls of the Golden West

This past weekend I traveled to Western Denmark with my program and core class. We did a lot of driving, some touring, and some academic activities. I'll write about the academic aspects of my visit in the near future, since most of the time was spent learning about the Danish healthcare system and I have plenty to say about that. We visited a hospital, a general practitioner's clinic, and the regional headquarters for southern Denmark. And while this was certainly an example of vast differences between America and Denmark, the non-academic parts of the trip brought to light the enormous differences between rural and urban Denmark.

Going into the trip, I thought that Western Denmark would be dreadfully boring, just farmland and not much else. To be brutally honest, the other cities that our group visited were not exactly bustling metropolises. Playing the New York City snob, I would call them quaint towns. But this difference in idea is part of what makes Denmark such a unique country, when considered in comparison to the United States, as well as when examined by itself.

Our first cultural visit was to the Rødding Højskole in the small town of Rødding. A højskole, (pronounced like high school), is a very unique institution, originally intended to prepare the uneducated rural youth to be active members of the rising democracy of Denmark. It was a way of communicating Danish culture, and preparing young people to be fine and upstanding citizens in the larger framework of Danish society.

Today, højskole is for students who are not sure what they want to study at university, and who want time to explore different areas and to really find themselves. These are boarding schools, which is a big part of the experience. Students live together with their teachers, which fosters a close knit and safe environment for learning and growth. There are no tests and no homework assignments - students are there only to learn.

The DIS group joined the students in Rødding for dinner and games - nothing fosters international bonding like a good game of dodgeball. We had dessert and some singing time, where all the students sang English and Danish songs. The favorites seemed to be selections from the Beatles, and other retro hits. After our activities were over, one of the Danish students begged to take us to Napoleon, the local bar. It turned out to be the only bar in Rødding, and it was on one of the two streets in the town. When we got there, it was a tiny, smoky joint. The only other people in there were three old people, who looked like they had been in the bar for awhile, and probably did this every night.

Our other cultural visits included a visit to a science museum, where I rode a segway (!). We visited a city called Sønderborg in southern Denmark. We had dinner at a restaurant on the harbor, and went to a huge outdoor concert in town. It seemed like everyone in Sønderborg was at that festival, rocking out to a band that is apparently very famous in Denmark.

After the music was over, a large group of American students headed over to local hotspot "Maybe Not Bob." Yes, that was the name of the bar. I don't get it either. But I had an amazing time. The place seemed like it was a scene for the underage crowd - there was a sign on the wall boasting an after-school special. It was a bit of a dive, with wood tables soaked in beer, walls covered in graffiti, and air so smoky you could hardly see the people next to you. But it was great music and great company. The DJ played some great choices (everything from the most current radio hits, to favorites from the 90s, to God Bless America - yes that really was played in a bar). But my friends and I danced all night, and all I could think was, "I really freaking love Denmark."

This entire experience was an experiment in nightlife in small towns. I am very used to being in a big city, so to me , Copenhagen is small. But for the people that we met this weekend, Copenhagen is the big city. There was something really nice about the way that people appreciate the small towns that they are from, and make the most out of what any city dweller might dub "limited resources." Though I do love the city, I am surprised to say that I had an amazing time in Denmark's south and west.

After a long weekend in Western Denmark, I was absolutely thrilled to return to my Kollegium and to be back in the city. Copenhagen is officially home, and I like it.

Run, River

My first weekend (not to mention my first full week) in Copenhagen is drawing to a close on this breezy, sunny Sunday evening. I spent my weekend socializing, touring the city, and exploring what it is to live like a Dane.

On Friday afternoon I went on a boat tour of the canals. I felt like a huge tourist, but I have to admit that the view of the city from the water, glowing softly in afternoon sunlight was really lovely. We saw a lot of tourist sites, including the famous Little Mermaid statue. Which, by the way, was not as large as you would think. It is actually tiny. And you can basically walk up to it and touch is (or decapitate it like has happened before). There were a bunch of spots on the tour where I had already been, and a lot more that I did not even know existed. I got a lot of good ideas for future photo ops and excursions for when I feel like being a tourist again.

The rest of my weekend involved exploring Copenhagen nightlife. DIS (the program that I'm on) rented out a club for a big "end-of-orientation" party. It was surprisingly entertaining. They played Michael Jackson songs, and bad music from the '90s. People were blasting music in the streets, but the most popular selections were by ABBA. A lot of the people wandering about were American, and very obvious about it ("OMG in America they totally don't have places like Viking Bar!"). And yet there was such a charm about it. Blasting old Swedish pop music is really endearing. And the '90s throwbacks weren't too awful. There were plenty of Danes. Maybe next time we'll go places that are a bit less touristy. All in good time.

Today was a very quiet day. Most things are closed on Sundays in Copenhagen, thanks to old laws that mandate which businesses can open and close at what times. It was quiet and much like a New York Sunday, though I could not go shopping and spend my hard-earned money. Even though there was not a lot to do, it was the kind of quiet day, perfect for walking and wandering, that you need every so often.