Political Fictions

0xKaren26 - Karen in Denmark seeking August's father - (2009) (Denmark)

http://gawker.com/5359252/free-affair-and-bastard-child-with-your-denmark-trip

The joys of Denmark, courtesy of Sarah.

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.

Times Mirror Square

Americans love a lot of things - football games, hot dogs, people with accents. But we also have a very traditional concept of lifetime milestones. You graduate high school, go right to college, finish in four years, and hopefully spend a semester or year abroad, so you have the opportunity to do some traveling on Mom and Dad's dime. After graduation, it is time to get a job or continue to graduate school. Everyone should have a plan, an agenda.

But for Danish students, it is very different. Last night, I attended an orientation for Danish students who are planning on studying abroad in the United States. I learned a great deal about the Danish idea of being a "young adult," and got to see the differences between the life of young Danish students and my own higher education experiences.

The typical Dane becomes independent at the age of 18. If you still live under the roof of your parents, chances are you will be paying them rent. Many people work part-time while in school, and it is not unusual at all to take gap time for travel and exploration. But, once you get to uni (as they call it), you specialize immediately. There is no general education or liberal arts curriculum. You go for a specific topic, and spend an average of three years completing your undergraduate work.

I always thought that studying abroad we a mostly American idea - send your kids to Europe so that the can drink even though they are under 21, and let them have some adventure time before they need to get serious and move into the rest of their adult lives. But Danish people study abroad as well.

The group that I met last night was a large delegation to Barnard College, uptown from my home university, NYU. They are coming to the States for a variety of reasons - more advanced classes, the opportunity to see New York and explore a different continent, to decide if they want to pursue a higher degree overseas. They study abroad for many of the same reasons we do - we just think it is strange that they would be so eager to come spend a few months in America, of all places. For us, Europe is exotic, a far-off land with sexy accents, chicer fashion, and a much richer cultural history. We romanticize what lays across the Atlantic Ocean, and create a fantasy about diving into a world of jetsetters and magically becoming more fashionable and classy.

But it works in reverse to a certain degree. Europeans also have ideas of stereotypes that may exist in our country. I met a Danish fellow who asked what my favorite line dance was, since he has been to a bar outside of Chicago that had line dancing on Tuesday nights. One of the girls who is going to Barnard looked at me very seriously and asked, "All I know about Americans is from America's Next Top Model. Is that really bad?"

Maybe it is kind of bad. But we're no better. As one of the speakers at the orientation said that the whole purpose of studying abroad is to expand your cultural horizons and to prepare yourself for the global world that we live in today. This is when I realize that Europeans are real people too, and this is when Europeans realize that I'm not a cowboy, nor am I particularly rowdy at sporting events. Networking with international students is a way of noting and learning to explain the differences and similarities between different groups of people, and fostering understanding and knowledge, rather than furthering ignorance, when addressing the international community. This is really proving to be an excellent opportunity to get to know people who not like me, and yet really not so different after all.