This last week has been amazing! I feel like I've said that a few times before, but I guess there could be much worse things than having multiple great weeks. I got to see Danish countryside, bond a whole lot with my News Media class, have substantial conversations with a few Danish students, get hands on experience in the media industry, and celebrate my 21st birthday!
I'll start with my study tour. We had to meet at 8:15 on Thursday morning which was a bit rough, but after a hefty nap during our 2.5 hour bus ride to Odense, I was ready to go. Upon arriving in Odense, my class went to the headquarters of TV2, a nationwide TV station. We took a tour of the building and heard a few different people speak about their jobs and the media industry as a whole. Parts of it were really interesting and they fed us some delicious pastries, but I must admit it was rather long and I got a little bored at times.
We then had a buffet lunch at a local restaurant and were given time to explore the Hans Christian Andersen Museum. H.C. Andersen was born in Odense and his old home, now the museum, is a huge tourist attraction. After the museum we were given time on our own to explore the city and then drove to the hostel. This was my first experience in a hostel and I was pretty impressed, although I have been told Danish hostels are of much higher quality than most so I shouldn't get too used to these standards. I shared a room with four other girls in my class and while it definitely felt a bit like summer camp it was a really great way to get to know them a lot better.
After getting settled we went back into the city to ice skate and get some hot chocolate. We also got some drinks with our teachers (something a little more unheard of in the U.S.) and got to know them on a personal level which was nice. Back at the hostel most people went right to bed but the two of my American guy friends and I stayed up and played cards with the four Russian girls in our class. It was a bit random but it was really fun and quite an experience to hang out with them since we had never really interacted much before and they have such different histories than we do.
Friday was definitely one of my favorite days I have had so far in Denmark. In the morning we attended a workshop on media and news production at Brandts, a local cultural institution. While a majority of my class stayed in the studio to create a newscast, four of my classmates and I were assigned the task of taking a video camera out into the "field" and creating, filming, and editing a two-minute clip on anything we desired. Although none of us really knew what we were doing and we only had four hours to complete this all in, I think it turned out really well and we're all pretty proud! If you go to the following link (http://www.brandts.dk/wm140054) and click on "Se Video" my class's compilation will play. The clip in the middle about violence in Odense nightlife is what I was responsible for. It was awesome to really play an interactive role and I think we all learned a whole lot.
After leaving Brandts we went to a gymnasium, which is the Danish form of high school. Our teacher had arranged for us to meet a class of Danish students, most of whom were between 18 and 20 years old. Their school has a bar/club in its basement (ridiculous, I know) so we each met one or two of them and hung out for a few hours. The two guys I was with told me all about the Danish school system, their perceptions of America based on the four weeks they spent last year in Texas, politics, and tons of other things. It was so fun and interesting both talking to them and simply observing this Friday afternoon social drinking culture. This was probably the highlight of my whole weekend and I definitely hope to keep in touch with them.
A few hours later our bus arrived at a restaurant near Viborg where I had the most delicious meal I can remember, consisting of tons of fresh bread, salmon, potatoes, and some kind of really good soup. It was a great end to a great day and from there we went to our next hostel and all fell asleep rather quickly.
Saturday was a little less exciting. We took a cultural walking tour of Viborg, a city in Denmark that is over 1,000 years old. We saw some really pretty architecture and went inside the big cathedral, but we were all incredibly tired and it was rather cold so I think some of its charm may have been lost on us.
We did work up an appetite, however, which was rather unfortunate due to what lunch had in store for us. Our teachers wanted us to have a really cultural day, so lunch (which lasted about three hours - painful!), included raw herring with curry paste and rye bread, an egg dish, and cheese that released quite possibly the most potent smell I have ever experienced. I forced myself to at least try a small bite of everything (which I must say I regret - not so tasty), and nearly my whole class was extremely grateful for the sandwiches we bought at the gas station on the way home!
We returned to Copenhagen Saturday night and Sunday unfortunately consisted of lots of studying and schoolwork. I had a test yesterday in my News Media class and a presentation this morning in Advertising. Both went pretty well but their preparation definitely consumed lots of my time and I have still yet to catch up on sleep!
Yesterday was my 21st birthday so I got to celebrate with some of my friends here. I got serenaded Sunday night at midnight by them singing Happy Birthday in Danish, which was very impressive considering we all still don't understand the language. Last night we all went out to dinner and then had a low-key night at a bar with live music where we hung out with some Danes who were in Copenhagen for the night with their band. Thanks to this morning's presentation, we're postponing the big celebration until tonight but I still had a really great time yesterday and who doesn't love a two-day long birthday?
Now that I feel like I have just written a novel, I'll wrap this up. Prague this weekend!
