I got an email the other day to update my contact details or else I risk losing my domain. So I logged in and felt some nostalgia looking through my posts from my 2015 semester away. The strange thing was, I had seen a friend who also studied abroad at DIS Copenhagen during a different semester the day before this nice reminder email. And, my parents recently traveled to Stockholm making me feel all the feels for Scandinavia.

As I write this now, I’m back in school, teaching third grade. The Sunday scaries last night were real. It’s always a surprise how easy it is to fall right back into the routine, even after two weeks of winter break vacation. My class started their day as usual, dropping their backpacks in their cubbies and settling back into school. Before we departed for science class, I gave each student a post-it note and asked them to write down a word or sentence that described how they felt in that first moment back in the homeroom. Some responses were: good, okay, sleepy, cold, jetlagged, sad and good at the same time, happy and new.

Consider their teacher to be on the same page — here’s to 2020 and all the excitement I’m sure it will bring.

And for those who were wondering, my contact details remain the same.

S

I’ve been back in the States, as they say in Europe, for a little over three weeks now. I kept telling myself I’d write a wrap up post and now I’m finally doing it…

Let me start with a massive and forever lasting THANK YOU to Denmark, to København, to the people that made it possible for me to have an eye-opening and character building experience that compares to no other. To my parents, my friends (at home and abroad), my school (DIS and Bowdoin), my teachers. For good fortune, for gratitude, for an opportunity and adventure I will hold onto for a lifetime.

Exactly four weeks ago today, the DIS Spring 2015 semester concluded and the first friends headed to the airport for their long flights home. I was lucky enough to have a visit from my other parent–my mom–and extend my time in Copenhagen by three days. To put it simply, she LOVED my home away from home. She’s still talking about how much she loved/loves it. After those last days of Danish tourism, we got on a tiny SAS plane and flew to Stockholm. No offense to Sweden intended, but I’m definitely loyal to Denmark. I will say that Sweden was beautiful and a great way to say goodbye to my incredible time away from New York and Brunswick. 

Final thoughts and conversations broadly surround the institution of a Social Democratic System–this does not necessarily mean Danish politics is dominated by the Social Democrats, rather it refers to the system in which a democracy co-exists with a supportive welfare state. I’ve done a lot of talking about race tensions in Denmark–or lack there of? Jk there is A LOT of visible tension between the Danish and the immigrant/immigrant-background communities. They just don’t talk about it. The attitude tends to be “if we ignore the problem, it’s not a problem.” But we know that doesn’t usually, or ever work. 

The universal health care system that is characteristic of a welfare state is another interesting point of discussion. I got to experience it first-hand when a friend of mine decided to check herself into the emergency room at Bispebjerg Hospital, just across the street from my apartment/dorm. She’s fine now, and she was basically fine then but she was correct in thinking that she needed antibiotics. Hence the hospital visit. But what would have been a visit lasting a couple of hours in the United States, Carley spent three nights and four full days at the hospital, for a bacterial infection solved by four days of oral antibiotics. Maybe it’s because I’m a doctor’s daughter, as is Carley, but I cannot understand why a system that is supposed to support EVERYONE would want to keep patients with easily fixable illnesses/injuries for longer than necessary. Maintaining a hospital and caring for patients is expensive! According to the medical anthropology (in Scandinavia) readings, because neither the doctors/nurses nor patients is directly responsible for financing health care services, the system tends toward over-treatment–a “better safe than sorry” sort of view. So rather than quickly diagnose Carley’s bacterial infection, they ran tests, tried multiple painkillers, brought in like five doctors–all because there was no additional or extravagant costs to anyone involved. Except, of course, that Carley spent her last week in Copenhagen in a hospital bed…I don’t know–it seems dramatically inefficient to me. 

Let’s see. Elections are coming up–Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called for elections three weeks ago meaning that Danes will be voting this week. Honestly, I have not followed the minimal campaigning at all. The more conservative parties were more popular than the reigning liberals when I last checked. Speaking of reigning, I’m still loving the Royal Family. I must say, I enjoyed visiting their palaces much more than I did the Swedish Palace in Stockholm. Though the Swedish Horse Guards did put on an elaborate show when we visited. I am wearing an elephant bracelet in honor of the Danish Royals (because they are the Order of the Elephant). AND I just saw a BBC magazine titled “The Secret Lives of Royal Women.” Granted it’s the British family, but they are still royals. Guess which princess is on the cover–

The sun peaks through a crack in my black curtains and wakes me up every morning between 6:30 and 7:00am. As much of a pain as that is, I kinda LOVE that the sun is so bright. And it stays light until about 9pm now–honestly, it could be 4pm when you look at the sky. But it’s not!

Ok so since the last post, I’ve been to even more European countries: add Poland and Italy to the list. Talk about a stark contrast. I went to Krakow on a class trip to visit Auschwitz then met Shanna and Meg in Cinque Terre, on the Tuscan coast of Italy for a much needed three days in nature. We hiked, got a little sunburned and ate really yummy pastas, prosciutto and vibrantly orange cantaloupe. No more pure vegetarianism for me. That last travel break culminated with me learning that I can travel by myself (I spent two days in Florence), but it is always more fun with friends.

After another week in Copenhagen, my dad visited. We had a blast, walking in the sunshine, visiting design stores to prep for my mom’s upcoming visit/furniture shopping extravaganza. We ate a lot of New Nordic cuisine and learned how sustainability can be incorporated into food. My new favorite museum is the Louisiana.

This weekend I explored Tivoli, the amusement park located in the center of Copenhagen. Still feeling a little queasy from the upside down roller coasters. We have one more day of classes at DIS, then it is technically finals week. I’ve got two more long papers to write by the end of the week.

In the meantime, check out a whole bunch of new photographs under See What I’m Seeing–I’ve added Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Krakow, and more around Copenhagen.

…At least that’s what it feels like since I last wrote. Since my March 23 post, we’ve had another travel break, and a week of school. Today (Monday, April 13) marks another week of school, but also our last week before the third and final travel break–starting on Saturday, I’ll be visiting Krakow, Poland and exploring Florence, Italy.

Short summary of the last three weeks: I spent ten days with my mom in Prague, Vienna and Budapest — touring, exploring, spa-ing. That was both relaxing and exhausting. I returned to Copenhagen only to be greeted by two essays, the prospect of a class presentation, a looming final exam, a phone interview for a summer internship, and the SUN! Believe it or not, I ditched my coat last week. Maybe a bit prematurely. But I did it, and I’m never going back. It’s sweater weather from now on.

Copenhagen is an entirely different city when the sun is shining and the temperature is above 40°F. Danes are out and about, coats are coming off (I even saw a few bare legs!), drinks are coming out–I can’t tell you how many cans of beer and/or bottles of wine I saw throughout Saturday-day. There is a lot more chatter on the bus in the morning. People are having fun! (Not that they weren’t before, it’s just more visible in the sunlight.)

An update on royalty and the Danish flag: Last week, on April 9, the flags were raised at half-staff to commemorate the 75th “anniversary” of German occupation of Denmark during World War II. And this Thursday, April 16, is Queen Margrethe II’s 75th birthday–the flags will be flying, she and the Royal Family will make a public appearance, there will be a parade behind her carriage, and I can’t wait to celebrate with her.

Other than that, I don’t have much to share in the realm of observations, comments, oddities, happenings. It’s been a busy couple of weeks, and I imagine the next few will be as well, but also a reasonably routine couple of weeks. The semester is more than half way over, and it’s beginning to feel like we are winding down. I’m sure May 15th will be here sooner than anyone is expecting.

Photos from my weekend in Geneva, Switzerland, March 20-22. Biggest memories: They speak French. Swiss Francs is the accepted currency–beautiful, colorful money that is too long for a standard sized American or European wallet. Fifty cents is a coin labeled 1/2 Fr. The Jet d’Eau (The Geneva Water Fountain) was described as “The Empire State Building of Geneva because it is a fountain in the middle of the lake” in an overheard conversation. I enjoyed the permanent exhibition at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. Having just had a class about the effects of disaster on children and “playing” a computer game on stopdisastersgame.org, the museum’s interactive game teaching visitors about preparing for natural disasters was especially relevant. I can honestly say, it is a serious challenge to prepare for any kind of natural disaster–earthquake, hurricane, tsunami, whatever. I also think it is somewhat morbid to play a game with the premise being the occurrence of a massive disaster. Lastly, EVERYTHING is closed on Sundays.

Photos from my trip to Barcelona, March 13-15.

As always, for photo-documentation of all my adventures, click through to See What I’m Seeing.

On Friday morning when my professor asked me where I was going this weekend (I had my bag with me), I told him I was going to Barcelona. “Oh, poor you,” was his response (said in a snarky, sarcastic way).

That “poor you” jealousy was absolutely warranted. Barcelona was a blast. Mostly because I didn’t realize how much I miss friends from home–it was SO fun to see Meg (Bowdoin friend who is spending the semester in Seville in Southern Spain). We met at the airport on Friday, found our way into the city, went for a late dinner of tapas and sangria and went to bed.

Saturday’s forecast was scattered thunder storms and some serious rain. We layered up in waterproof clothes and hit the town. Walked up and down La Rambla, explored in El Barrio Gotico (Gothic Quarter), admired the Santa Maria del Mar church in El Born, did a little bit of shopping, and got caught in the rain. Luckily, we were able to duck into the Museu Picasso giftshop and look at the postcards of the paintings were weren’t going to see as the storm passed over after twenty minutes. The sun came out, Meg walked with a new spring in her step (she’s not used to bad weather in Seville, unlike those of us who have almost grown fond of grey skies), I put on my sunglasses, and we continued walking and attempting to read/understand the Catalan street names and menus (mix of Spanish and French). One of the highlights was an afternoon snack of churros and chocolate with a heaping amount of whipped cream. Dinner in Barceloneta was delish paella and leisurely enjoyed. Those three hours passed by in what felt like 30 minutes. After some dancing and observing the bar and club scenes, we went back to the hotel and crashed for the night.

L to R: Sophie, Meg and Grace standing in front of a Gaudí streetlamp.

Sunday was our day of culture. Definitely the highlight of the trip, we toured Casa Batlló, a “masterpiece by Antoni Gaudí” in form, color and light. Characterized by marine motifs, dragons and lizards, the house is colorful and incredibly beautifully light by natural light. The audio tour commentary was a bit long, but provided us with basic information about Gaudî, his vision for Casa Batlló and the family that at one point inhabited the house. We followed this excursion with a quick look at the outside of La Sagrada Familia, the very famous still incomplete modernist basillica, also designed by Gaudí. The guidebooks say a lot about the elements of symbolism and significance of each detail such as when the church is finally completed (predicted 2026. Building started in 1882), there will be 12 towers, one for each apostle. I think it looks like a giant drip castle–you know, like when you drip wet sand on top of more wet sand and continue until your vision of a sandcastle is complete.

L to R: Meg, Sophie and Grace on the top floor of Casa Batlló posing for a Disneyland-style photo.

The Noble Floor of Casa Batlló Gallery room overlooking Passeig de Gràcia.

For New Yorkers who take the subway and those who know the subway system: In the same fashion as the NYC subway’s system of a light up “map” of the specific line you are traveling on–at the start of the line, all the stops are lit up and as you pass each one, the lights are dimmed so that you know where the train has passed–the Barcelona metro indicates where the train is/has been. I am confident in my abilities to navigate public transportation. I feel like have a sort of instinct that not everyone has, and for that I am grateful. But wow, did I get thrown off when I noticed that the lights on the metro line maps were turning ON (instead of off like in NYC) as we passed stations. Especially when I didn’t connect that the lights were turning on when we approached the stations but only saw that the light for our stop was off. I doubted my sense of direction for a moment there. Meg and Grace could not understand my confusion. #culturaldifferences some people would say, though not truly a cultural difference but just a technical difference.

As promised. Here are some of my favorites. For the rest of the edited down version, look at the top bunch of photographs on See What I’m Seeing.

Bikes, bridges and houseboats in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Canal Tour.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Sunset at La Trappe.

WAFFLES!

Grand Place, Brussels, Belgium.

Bruges, Belgium.

Bruges, Belgium.

Canal tour in Bruges, Belgium.

Canal tour in Bruges, Belgium.

Grand Place, Brussels.

When we first arrived in Copenhagen and DIS welcomed us with the first orientation meeting, they showed us a picture of a table. The equality table. I listened, acknowledged, and moved on to thinking about other things.

Earlier this week, NPR had a story about the disappearance of the American Dream. The message I took from The Numbers Add Up To This: Less And Less Opportunity For Poor Kids, is the opportunity gap is widening and social upward mobility is a steeper, more difficult climb today.

Is this supposed to be a surprising article? We talk about this in every public education class. Literally every class. And I think the increasing difficulty for generations to leap beyond their parents’ class is true to some extent in Denmark too, at least in Copenhagen. I’m just not buying the whole “we are totally equal” claim here. There is no question that the Nordic countries are more equal than others. I can write about that for three pages–just ask my Equality professor (We had a test today). But there is absolutely inequality within the system of equality.

Take the equality table I mentioned above. It’s called the Super-Elliptical by Fritz Hansen.

TABLE SERIES SPANLEGS Super-Elliptical by Fritz Hansen.

The Super-Elliptical  is iconic to Denmark because of its rounded edges. Because there are no hard edges, everyone sits around the table “equally,” i.e. there is no head of the table. (It also comes in a circular version, but I think the elliptical/oval is the original.) Ok, so everyone is at the table in an equal position EXCEPT that 1) the table is oval so there are still longer and shorter “sides” as there would be on a truly rectangular table and 2) the table is REALLY expensive. It costs a minimum of €2000 which is just over $2000. Obviously not everyone can afford it.

Even if the table wasn’t meant to carry so much symbolism in its original design, they (Danes, the internet) sure do talk about it as a symbol of welfare and equality. Here is a description from another website selling the table: “The formula based shape has no ends and this is why the Super-Elliptical table can be seen as a democratic table where everyone has an equal position.” 

A democratic table? Sitting at equal position? Seems a disadvantage for anyone stuck by a leg.

I think talking about equality is good. But it’s only as good as people act on it, you know? It’s like how we talk about the American Dream in the United States as a possibility for everyone, but if we are honest, it’s not. NPR said it exactly–family matters because it either gives you an advantage or disadvantage from the very moment you are born. It’s all about social capital and access.

As for the conversation about equality in Denmark, who really knows? Are the people who are typically disadvantaged in the equality sphere–people “who are not part of society,” because they look different or come from different backgrounds (immigrants and children of immigrants, in particular)–part of the equality conversation? Probably not. But maybe one day they will be. Yes, theoretically, upward mobility is available to everyone in Denmark because everyone has access to childcare and then to education–public or private because private schools are 80% subsidized (ok, not everyone, but a lot of people can send their kids to private school if they so choose). But I’ve heard it said multiple times that even though there is more equality in Danish education than there is in other countries, when you look at numbers, Danish achievement rates are not has high as they are in other countries. Haven’t confirmed that though. 

Anyway, if I’m going to sit at a democratic table, I’d much prefer a tulip table such as the one below. No issues with table legs clashing with human legs at this one.

Amsterdam was like a bigger Copenhagen. This makes sense because as I learned in my Royalty class, King Christian IV (the greatest king of Denmark ever according to the essay prompt on my exam) was greatly influenced by Dutch architecture and the city’s layout. The townhouses lining the canals are beautiful, and I definitely see the resemblance in the facades on the houses in CPH. Believe it or not, there is more color in Copenhagen — greens, blues, reds, yellows brighten up the long grey days. I prefer the neutral tones in Amsterdam. I think the muted browns, blues, greys and black tie the city together. And it was sunny while I was there so maybe I didn’t need the color as much…

A difference between Amsterdam and Copenhagen: the people. Especially the colors of the people. Excuse me for being blunt (I’m finding that Europeans are generally blunt themselves) — I saw more people who are black in two days in Amsterdam than I have seen in the entire seven weeks I’ve been abroad. Those seven weeks include visits around Copenhagen, Berlin, Sweden and Edinburgh. I feel like that sort of diversity, or lack there of, is saying something. Not sure what it’s saying, but it’s something.

This observation combined with an essay I’m writing for my Stolen Childhood’s class and a reading I did for Danish Culture about Danish education brings me back to the Nordic principle of en god barndom, or a good childhood life. As I write in my persuasive paper, the ideas of en god barndom of egalitarianism, emancipation and cooperation, promoting and protecting children’s rights and social development, the treatment of Danish children and students as “beings” rather than “becomings” (“beings” = current participants in society; “becomings” = future participants in society) are all fabulous sounding attitudes toward children. The value of social and personal development into human beings is visible among Danes, young and old. I see kids (youngest being six or seven) take the bus alone all the time. There is absolutely truth to elements of en god barndom. But the ways I’ve heard the ideas talked about here, the message is that en god barndom is “the right way” and is practically flawless. However, I’m not convinced that the principles are universally applicable or even should be the universal model for raising children. Given the increasingly heterogenous population in Denmark, the reality that there are cultural, moral, ethical, religious, social, you name it, differences in individual communities, I don’t see how the model of en god barndom can be successful anywhere other than a strictly homogenous population.

Next task: challenge the concept in class. Is Denmark really equal? But first, a painting analysis of Louis XIV of France and his spectacular legacy of magnificence, opulence and power for European monarchies. A picture of the painting is below.

Louis XIV in His Royal Costume, 1701 by Hyacinthe Rigaud

Can you believe it!? We are already about half way through the semester. And though I hesitate to say it because I don’t want to jinx it, I think spring might be here. It’s been warmer (I have been wearing one jacket instead of two), and the sun has been shining more than usual. Fingers crossed this weather is here to stay!

Ok, so since my last post 11 days ago (!!!) I have been to Brussels and Amsterdam. Brussels was great — it’s a beautiful city where it usually rains but it so kindly held back the clouds while we were there. Because I traveled to Belgium with my European Politics course, we got visit the EU Government Institutions and meet with cabinet members, Parliament employees, the foreign correspondent for Denmark’s main news source TV2,  and see much more. Getting to hear from speakers at the European Commission, European Parliament and during an interview with a Permanent Representative to The Netherlands, the relationship between the EU Institutions became more clear and I learned that EU politics is not much simpler than that in the the United States and many of the current issues reported in the news are similar to those discussed/faced by the Legislative and Executive Branches.

Let’s see if I can get the make up of the institutions right. Imagine a triangle with the corners being the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Member States/Council of Ministers.
European Commission: There are 28 commissioners, one from each member state. The current president of the Commission is Jean-Claude Junker of Luxembourg. The High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President (there are four VPs) is Frederica Mogherini, former Minister of Foreign Affairs for Italy. Other cabinets headed by commissioners are Climate Action and Policy, Trade, Health and Food Safety, Transport, etc. All proposals and initiatives for legislation must come from the Commission.
European Parliament: The closest analogy to the EP would be the U.S. House of Representatives. There are 751 members of European Parliament.
Member States/Council of Ministers: Also known as the Council of the European Union or the Council. These are the national governments for each of the 28 member states in the European Union. While they exist to promote and protect the interests of their individual states, they also must consider the interests of the EU as a whole and work with the Commission and Parliament to further their agendas. There is a six-month rotating presidency. Currently Latvia holds the presidential seat.
Let’s not forget about the European Council, not to be confused with the Council of Ministers. The European Council consists of the heads of states (prime ministers, presidents, chancellors) of the 28 member states. According to their website, the European Council “defines the EU’s overall political direction and priorities.” The head of the European Council is Donald Tusk from Poland. His title is “President of the European Union” despite the fact that the EU is not a federation of states (it’s not called the United States of Europe).

In addition to the academic portion of our study tour to Brussels, we had yummy class meals. Of course we covered the four things you’re supposed to get in Belgium — waffles, fries, beer and chocolate. We enjoyed a tour and tasting at La Trappe, a trappist beer brewery. It can claim the trappist classification because the beer was brewed (or brewing was supervised) by monks, the proceeds benefit the monastery and all excess goes to some sort of charity/social good, and a third quality that I cannot remember. What makes it especially special is that after the first round of fermentation, trappist beers are left to ferment a second time. We were told to ask for beer bottles that are a year past their experation date the next time we go to a bar. La Trappe is known for it’s Quadrupel, a 10% alcohol content beer that is a beautiful, bold amber color. Beyond that, I’m still learning how to classify and order beer that I like.

After Brussels, we spent half a day in The Hague to visit the ICTY, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This UN court tries and indicts war criminals from the Yugoslav wars that resulted in the dissolution of the territory and establishment of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. We heard from a captivating speaker, one of the prosecutors at the ICTY, but the biggest take-away I was left with was/is her last message about internships and jobs — in order to get a job in your life, you need to have work experience. This begs the question of how do you get that first job? If you couldn’t tell/didn’t know, it’s summer internship application season…

From The Hague, we took a bus to Amsterdam. The class spent about six hours in the city before departing back to CPH. I stayed the weekend with a classmate and some other friends. We went to the Van Gogh Museum, took pictures with the iconic “I amsterdam” sign, and walked through the Red Light District (I actually got a formal tour of the Red Light District led by a former prostitute organized by DIS. Fascinating stuff I will share over the phone if you are interested.) We did a lot of walking through the canals, took a canal tour, and soaked in the sun while wearing sunglasses (until now, a rarity in Copenhagen). I’ll have to go back to Amsterdam for the Rijksmuseum, the tulips and the Anne Frank House.

Overall, a successful travel week. I’m exhausted and SO happy to be back in Copenhagen, even in my icky room at Bispebjerg. Pictures are on their way. Multiple pieces of technology overwhelm me (as I sit here with a computer, iPad and phone on the table). And it’s a busier week in my classes — three essays and one exam. So I better get to work! But here’s a picture to hold you over:

At European Parliament. Formally dressed in our professional business attire. Danish politicians often wear jeans and definitely do not wear a tie.