Yo, Oslo!

I've returned safe and sound from a weekend in which the majority of my time was spent on the turbulent waters of the North Sea. We took a cruise-ship style ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo (see map) leaving Friday at 5:00 PM and arriving in Oslo the following morning at around 9:30 AM. Friday was probably one of the windiest days since I've been here in Copenhagen, and it only got worse as we sailed past the land barrier of the islands of Zealand and Jutland and into the open sea. Nonetheless, we survived unscathed but off-balance for the rest of the weekend. The ship was extravagant, but no Titanic by any means. On board there were a few cafés and bars, a discotheque, a cinema, a live band, and a duty-free store amidst a maze of winding hallways that became increasingly difficult to maneuver through as the waves intensified and the festivities of the night progressed. I was confident that my sea-legs were sea-worthy given the amount of time i've spent fishing in my life, but a cruise ship is an entirely different story. What really got to me was the fact that you could only feel the boat moving instead of being able to look out at the water either directly or through a window and see it moving. It was no matter, just an added sensation that interestingly contributed to the night.


All of the places on the boat were ridiculously expensive, and knowing this, I had brought supplies for sandwiches, snacks, and beverages that lasted me all weekend -thanks host family. The night was spent hanging out in the cabin, rocking out, and exploring the nooks and crannies of the ship. Met some interesting characters, but there's only so much to do on a cruise ship...We tore it up on the dance floor with a hilariously over-dramaticized rendition of The Village People's YMCA. One of the more memorable -and uncomfortable- moments of the night occured when, as we were sitting around the piano, listening to the entertainer sing "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", he abruptly stopped and verbally confronted another man sitting across from us. I hadn't really noticed, but the man had been singing a different song while the piano player was performing. It obviously offended him greatly, and the rest of the song was performed among awkward glances back and forth between everyone around the piano. We ended up talking with the guy who had insulted the piano player, and his wife for a while and they were really nice classic Danish folk -that piano player had something up his ass.


Eventually we made it to bed and I slept like a baby through what I'm told was an extremely wavy night. We awoke to conditions that were drastically different -the sun was shining, the wind was absent, and the scenery of the fjords of Norway coming into Oslo was stunning. Now I really want to go to the northern part of Norway and see what the people call the real beauty of Norway -it must be beyond imagination. The picture on the right is a view of Oslo right before we docked.


We grabbed the necessary information from the front desk on the boat, and headed out for a day in Oslo. Looking back on it, I'm kind of glad we had only 8 hours to explore Oslo, because I think that's all we needed. I'm sure there's much more of it to see, but we did and saw pretty much everything I wanted to see.

Based on a whole bunch of information that was dumped upon me at an extensive dinner session by my host family and their relatives, I had a pretty good plan of what to do. We first figured out which train to take to get to "the best view in the city" -confusion was floating in the air at the train station, but we eventually found out where and which train we needed to hop on. The trainride was about half an hour and the entire time we were ascending higher and higher into the coniferous, jagged, and snow-filled mountains of Oslo. This was the first time in a while that I'd seen snow, but I'm pretty sure just about everyone back home is absolutely fed up with the sight. When we arrived at the top the view was breathtaking. I took some pictures, but it's one of those things you can't really capture with pictures -nonetheless, I've compiled a panoramic view of Adam looking over the city of Oslo (see below).



We spent a good amount of time up there just soaking it in, and in heinsight this was probably the coolest part of the trip. There were also a bunch of people that rented sleds who were sledding down the mountain and taking the train back up periodically (above and left). We were seriously considering renting some sleds, but decided not to because of our lack of time and waterproof clothing. We took the train back down and decided to go to the sculpture garden.

It was a huge park filled with stone and metal sculptures of people in iconic poses. Looking back on it, the art really reflected the culture of Norway, specifically the emphasis of children and family-life -many of the sculptures depicted adult figures interacting with childlike figures. Again, we were pressed for time so we didn't explore this area to it's fullest, but got a pretty good idea of what it was about.


We took a pit stop at a "Bagel Juice" café that was ridiculously overpriced -as with everything in Norway- and filled with colorful murals, comfortable couches, and a cozy atmosphere. From here we walked to the Royal Palace, which was quite bland and unroyal if you ask me. I thought that the architecture of the houses and shops we passed on the way were more interesting.


At this point we were back to the city center, and time was running short. We walked along the harbor to Akersus fortress, an earthly castle, church, and prison situated on a high hill and constructed in the middle ages. This was another place that could not really be captured in pictures because it was more than just the sights. The walls were stone and covered in grass, the whole thing was surrounded in a muddy mess, and around every corner was a breathtaking view of theocean. After wandering around the fortress for a while we decided to make our way back to the boat. Our legs were tired, our bodies were still swaying with the sea, and we were fenced in, so it was with much reluctance that we had to walk all the way back around the fortress to get out. Despite the exhaustive circumstances we eventually made it back to the boat before it set sail. We all needed a rest so the next hour or so was spent relaxing/napping in the cabin.




With a little more readiness and familiarity for the journey that lay ahead, we sailed off into the sea while the sun set over Oslo. One of the nicest things they had on the boat was the hot tub, and it was a pleasure to sit and relax in it with some good company and even better scenery. I made myself a sandwich for dinner and started off the night with another musical extravaganza in my room. I mostly wandered around for the next few hours and hung out with the other students from DIS who were also on the boat. Like I said before, there's only so many places to go on a boat, and only so much to do, so the night was spent socializing and dancing. We first hit up the live cover band who were cheasy but perfect for the mood. I got talked into buying three giant Tolberones at the tax-free shop because there was a deal -three for two- How could I pass it up? The night moved from the live band music area to the discotheque where the electronic beats were manifested into a raving dance-a-thon. Eventually I wore myself out and hit the hay, the weather was not nearly as stormy, so the night was actually quite pleasant. We arrived in Copenhagen at about 9:30 AM and we said goodbye to our cabin, packed our stuff and hit the road.

What a weekend. If you had asked me a couple of years ago if I thought I would ever be in Norway, I would have undoubtedly said no. The mood of the trip seemed to reflect the idea of being amazed to be where you are, but it need not only be applied to foreign countries and settings. I think it's more of a philosophy and mindset than anything else. If we were constantly in a state of excitement and exploration no matter where the geographic location, it might make life a little bit easier. Anyways, I'm just rambling at this point, and since I didn't have any time to do homework over the weekend, I gotta get crackin' today.

youtube treasure

If you're bored, and you most likely are since you're looking at this, you might want to check out some amazing youtube videos that have been shared with me in the past few days. Some of them are pretty weird, but I really love the quality of the content, and the craftsmanship of editing that has been put into these videos.

Any of the following will be amazing, so it doesn't really matter what order I put them in...

Here's a band from Copenhagen (click here for information and more videos) called Efterklang, there are a lot of videos on their site, but here are three of the best (in my opinion).

• Illuminant

• Mirador

• Prey & Predator

This next band is called "The Knife" and is from Sweden.

• We Share Our Mothers' Health / Live

I believe this next band, Familjen, is also from Sweden. The video is compiled from an old church meeting, and the first time I watched it, I couldn't stop laughing at 1:20 -I dare you to try and not.

• Det snurrar i min skalle

I can't believe how much youtube has to offer as I'm sure there are countless other extremely creative and hilarious videos out there that I probably will never see. Hopefully the good ones will be weened out from the crap and spread like wild fire through the global word of mouth that has become the internet.

Enjoy!

Midweek mayhem

Returning from the blissful weekend to a fiery Denmark was quite odd, and now today a bomb went off in a tanning salon about 200m away from where my host mom works. Does it have anything to do with the republishing of the Mohammed cartoon? Most people say no, that rather it is an cry for attention by the nydanskere (the new Danes). This particular group of second generation immigrant youth's are caught in cultural identity limbo. That is to say, they are Danish citizens, born in Denmark, but their mothers and fathers are not. They are mostly from Turkey, Pakistan, Somalia, Palestine, Lebanon, and various other areas affiliated with the religion of Islam. The crisis for these youths is that they are not considered Danish mainly because the way they look, and they can't relate to the cultural traditions of their parents because they were born in Denmark.Brief story here

I don't know if the fires and the bombing that took place today are related, or whether any of it is organized in any manner, but the racial tensions between the immigrant population here and the 'ethnic Danes' is growing. On my way home from school on Monday there was a warning being displayed periodically on the LCD screen of the bus that mentioned the word 'nydanskere'. Of course it was in Danish and I couldn't read the rest of it so I don't know what it meant.

I don't really know if there is a solution to this problem except for changing the mental portrait of the nydanskere in the minds of the Danish population. Fires, bombs, and other acts of violence are obviously not the way to be doing this. It's hard for me to understand why they don't realize that the only thing that vandalism and arsonry is going to create is more prejudice and discrimination in their own daily lives. The topic could be, and will be debated in the coming weeks I'm sure, but for now I'm going to focus on other things...


Our group finally came up with an idea for the presentation and paper we having coming up on March 3rd. We're going to be looking at the kindergarten and after-school programs that are offered in the area of Christiania. It will be interesting to see if and how children are taught or treated differently in the notoriously unique area of Christiania versus the way it is being done in the greater Copenhagen area. On the right is a picture of the colorful Dr. Seuss-esque playground of Christiania's kindergarten, located right on the lake. I don't know how easy it will be to accumlate information about this topic due to the fact that everyone who lives in Christiania is usually pretty selective on who they talk to, and don't really take too kindly to strangers. Oh well, should be fun anyways...

I've decided to take an overnight ferry to Oslo, Norway this weekend with a group of DIS students. The cruise-style ship sails from Copenhagen harbor on Friday at 4:30 overnight, arriving in Oslo sometime in the morning -hopefully it will be around sunrise, it would make for some beautiful pictures. I'll be spending all day in Oslo and then sailing back that night and returning to Copenhagen on Sunday. I'm going with 3 people I met over the short study tour to Western Denmark who are all in the same Psychology and Child Development program as me.

(Adam looking over the lake surrounding Christiania)

I mentioned earlier in the blog about a song entitled "Dream inside a Dream" that I was writing, and it's progression is continuing into one of the most beautiful things I've written so far. I'm also working on completing "Beautiful Lies", which is also blossoming into a fantastic song. I might get a chance to record them before I leave for the March Euro trip, so be on the lookout!

A weekend in Western Denmark

So, I've returned from a wonderful weekend in western Denmark with a new perspective on what Denmark is, instead of just what Copenhagen is. Here is the general route that we took over the weekend. I got to know some really cool people, and we stayed in an absolutely gorgeous hostel in Skanderborg -a definite contender for highlight of the trip.

Day 1

We left Copenhagen at around 745AM for Odense, crossing the second longest bridge in the world (or so I'm told). We started off the weekend by touring a kindergarten that was comprised of 90-95% ethnic children from places like Somalia, Turkey, Palestine, etc. The kindergarten was in a heavily populated immigrant neighborhood that was referred to as 'a danish ghetto' only because of the public housing complexes, but there were hardly any signs of blight or crime, and I felt like I was walking through a nice apartment complex. Anyways, we spent some time there talking with the guy in charge and learning about the intensive danish language classes that they offer to children with no danish background. We also learned how they try to 'socialize' or prepare these children for the danish lifestyle by mixing with other, more ethnically danish kindergartens. The highlight of this part of the trip was playing outside with the kids on some, what looked to be homemade, bike-cars.

We took off for Odense, a city of around 100,000 inhabitants in the center of Denmark. Here we were on our own for lunch, and I went to a nice Italian restaurant named "Mama's". I think our waitress was composed more of plastic than flesh, and some of the people I was with didn't exactly get what they were expecting for food, but nonetheless I had some decent to pretty-decent penne with beef and tomato-cream sauce for a reasonable price (as reasonable as it gets here in Denmark). Odense is also the birthplace of the famous writer/artist/creator Hans Christian Andersen. If the name isn't ringing a bell think 'The Ugly Duckling', 'Thumbelina', and 'The Little Mermaid'. The town is extremely proud to be his hometown, and we visited the house he was born in, the H. C. Andersen children's museum, and the adult museum the following day-all of which were very enjoyable.


After lunch we checked into our hostel which was not really what comes to mind when you hear the word 'hostel', but rather when you hear the words 'sweet-ass hotel'. My roommates and I took a walk in the city and got a feel for it before we took off again as a group for the 'Kultur Hus' (Culture House). This was truly one of the most memorable visits in the trip. Upon entry of this so-called 'culture house' I was a little confused as to what exactly it was, and why it was even called a house of culture, but when I left, I knew why. Basically it's a center for mentally handicapped people of any age where they are employed as musicians, artists, bartenders, fabric-makers, and anything in between. The idea behind it roots itself in the fact that a lot of what determines your sense of identity is your occupation -and this is probably the most important aspect of identity in Denmark. In Denmark, the mentally handicapped recieve a considerable sum of money from the government in order to be able to live. Sure, it's enough for food and rent, but money isn't the sole answer. The culture house offers a full-out, top of the line music studio, a bar and cafe with kitchen, a computer lab, an art studio, a fabric/textile making room, a theatre, and a safe environment where the mentally challenged can socialize, and learn important real-life lessons. My favorite part was the music studio -we actually got to hear a performance of the band and it was amazing, every member was rockin' out and having fun. Oh yeah, they provided us with bottled cokes -I think I had like 4 of them by the time I left...

We returned to the hostel briefly, and then headed out to dinner at a Danish-style buffet located right in town. Four words -All you can eat. I don't really know if I really need to say anything else, other than it was delicious and a good group bonding time. After dinner we hung out in the hostel for a bit and hit the town, a smaller and less routey atmosphere than the Copenhagen nightlife.


Day 2

I woke up at the crack of 8AM and was one of the first people to enjoy the bread, jam, cheese, juice, and delicious coffee provided by the hostel. It was a good morning, and after everyone was packed up we checked out and headed for the Hans Christian Andersen museum. We first visited the children's museum which was quite the interactive and wimsicle experience. This museum uses the imagery and creativeness of H. C. Andersen in an interactive way that prompts kids to actively engage themselves and participate in the fairytales that have become culturally ingrained into their lives. They also have a really nice art space in the upstairs that is illuminated beautifully with an abundance of skylights and windows. The art supplies are top quality and some of the artwork that was in there was amazing, and it was all made by the kids! After the children's museum we headed across the way to the adult museum where I learned much more than I knew there was to learn about Hans Christian Andersen. I'll spare you with the details, because it took me about an hour and a half to read his whole life story -time well spent. One of the more interesting things that struck me as a surprise was his ability to draw and create paper cut-outs. The blue, elaborate paper cut-out below was his last and most elaborate.

After a few hours of exploring in the museum we went out to lunch and got some cheap falafel that hit the spot pretty hardcore. These were our last hours in Odense, and reflecting back on it, it was quite an experience and I would like very much to go back sometime -it's only an hour and half by train from Copenhagen!

So we boarded the bus and Otto -"Yo Otto!!"- drove us out to a danish design museum that offered a breathtaking view of a lake with a small town situated on the coast. The museum itself was filled with innovative, creative, and sometimes downright strange furniture and art. I snapped some photos of the art, but as I was setting up my camera for a panoramic shot of the sunlit grass in the foreground of the beautiful lake and danish town it died...I was quite pissed, and because it is a lithium battery I couldn't buy any batteries (either way, the museum didn't sell any). Hopefully I'll be able to snag some pictures from people I was with and give you guys a sense of the beauty and serenity that this view created.

So after a long day of visiting museums and fartin' around we boarded the bus once again and set off for Skanderborg (see map above) for our hostel. This was probably the most beautiful hostel that I'll ever have been at. It was just outside the town of Skanderborg situated amidst a dense forest. The rooms and cabins were situated a stones throw away from the biggest lake in Denmark. As we arrived the sun had begun to set, and it was one of those moments that you really can't describe in words. At this point, I was pretty pissed my camera died, but decided to try to turn it on anyways. I managed to get 3 pictures, and I stole some from my friend, but once again, it's one of those "you had to be there" moments. (Photo courtesy of Vicki). We ate dinner at the hostel and talked about our experiences thus far in a discussion type setting, led by our fantastically goofy professor, Jan. After dinner he proceeded to serenade us with some Flamenco style guitar. It was quite elegant and beautiful. We proceeded to a bowling alley in town and stormed that place like nobody's business. High score for the night -112...yeah, I'm on my way to becoming pro. It was a grand ol' time, and we returned to the hostel to find another group of DIS kids eating dinner and drinking wine -the business kids. One of the guys in our group, and my roommate for both nights -Maury- borrowed Jan's guitar and proceeded to tear it up to an extent that this particular guitar probably had never been torn. We both played each other some shit, but for the most part Maury provided the entertainment of the night as he sang the party favorites at the business kids' cabin all night. The stars were bright, the moon was shining, and everyone was happy.

Day 3

I awoke again at the sharp crack of 8AM and was, once again, the first person down to enjoy the delicious, and eerily similar breakfast of bread, jam, cheese, cornflakes, and coffee provided by the hostel. We packed up and left the hostel for Århus (see above map), the second largest city in Denmark with a population of 300,000. As I was giving a synopsis of the trip to my host mom I referred to this city as Copenhagen's little brother -I'm not sure if I heard that on the guided bus tour that we received upon our arrival, or if I just coined it myself, but I use the term because the city tries to emulate Copenhagen's big-city feel in every way. There's even a royal palace that is used occasionally by the royal family as a sort of second home. It's a beautiful town that centers around it's harbor, and I would also very much like to go back to this city and explore.

After the bus tour we went to a place called Den Gamle By (The old town). It's one of the most popular tourist attractions in Denmark and it features authentic old-town buildings dating back as early as the 1500's. After industrialization, there was a mass disappearance of these types of town centers as they were replaced with factories and the new metropolis. This old town includes everything that would be in a traditional town anytime before the age of industrialization like a blacksmith, a leathermaker, a general store, a barber, etc. They really try to be authentic, and it was very interesting to just be in this kind of surrounding. The weather was not so nice and our tour guide was not so interesting, so most of the time I was just walking around and goofin' with the gang. Again, I was camera-less for this portion of the trip, but I'll probably be able to steal some pictures from someone eventually (above: how I felt without my camera...but actually a picture that was in the Kultur Hus in Odense drawn by a mentally handicapped person).

After a brief traditional Danish lunch in the old town we headed off for a drastic shift in time and focus, to the museum of modern art in Århus. This was really a design spectacle, for there was a huge atrium in the middle of the 8-floored complex, and the outside of the building was an atypical clean and modern red-brick style of architecture. The stairs spiraled up all the way from the basement to the top of the building, and you could even go out on the roof and see a semi-breathtaking view of the city. There was one exhibit that really was amazing, and without a picture words won't do it justice, but I'll try. It was basically a 15ft, incredibly realistic sculpture of a boy wearing nothing but shorts (giant shorts) crouched close to the ground with his head inbetween his hands looking out into space with a reserved, weak, and helpless look. It was amazingly well done and extremely creepy to look at. Other than that, it was a standard modern art museum with multiple floors and an innumerable amount of work each amazing and thought-provoking in their own way.

After this museum we boarded the bus for one final bus ride with our busdriver, Otto -"they call them fingers, but I've never seen then fing." It was about a 5 hour drive back to Copenhagen, and we watched 'A Beautiful Mind' on the way -a phenomenal movie. Everyone was excited to get back, riding on the high that was acheived in a few short days in western Denmark.


If you read this whole thing, congratulations, you pretty much experienced western Denmark and don't ever even have to go there! Just kidding of course, you should go there because it was amazing. I hope whoever's reading this appreciates the depth and time I put into it, and a little feedback would be nice every once in a while -so don't be afraid to comment on whatever, whenever you want.

Most epic post ever.

looking forward to the weekend, and back on the week

Ahh, what to say about the last few days...

Well I woke up late for my class on Monday and got there an hour late -so much for punctuality. It was quite unfortunate because the teachers had used an example from one of my papers to lead a class discussion on specific aspects of the Danish educational philosophy. Oh well, as the teacher said upon my arrival, "shit happens."

Tuesday I came prepared for class and feelin' fresh. The day flew by, and I went out in the night to another jazz club. This one had full animal hydes on the wall including zebra, leopard, and more. There were also snake skin lamps -'quite freaky isn't it brett?' Anyways, after the music had subsided we made way for "The Happy Pig" another bar within walking distance. It was packed full of DIS students who eventually trickled out. I managed to squeeze some foosball and serious dancing in before we left.



Today is my half-birthday. Go me! Six more months til' the big 21. Our class also took a mini-field trip to a unique playground in the city. What makes this playground unique is the way in which it was built and maintained -by the homeless. It's basically an empty parking lot in the midst of the bustling metropolis that is Copenhagen, and more specifically the drug-notorious area of Christiania. A group of homeless people have, in the past few years, created a mini-railroad track and homemade train that encompasses the lot. There are homemade bikes, piles of sand and earth, murals, a boat, and much more. The way it works is that a kindergarten, or private party, can rent out the place for a few hours for a small fee. The money is used to buy essential supplies for the upkeep of the playground. Whatever else is there has been scavenged, or donated. There aren't very many philanthropic projects like this anywhere in Denmark, and as to my knowledge, the world. Here are some pictures...






So tomorrow I'll be leaving for the weekend for my Western Denmark study tour. I could tell you more about it, but I'll just save that for afterwards.





Look at this monstrous spider that lives in the corner of my room. IT NEVER MOVES. It's freaking me out.

an integral week

Ahoy!

Well, it's Sunday night, I should be reading, but instead am bloggin'. It's been long four days since my last entry full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and now the memories are have been stored in the banks of my mind.

Thursday was another day with the kids. Same routine -bused from the kindergarten to a farm an hour north of the city at 7:30AM. Last week I was uncomfortably cold, so I put lots of layers on and prepared thoroughly -probably a little to much in heinsight. The day was quite the contrast from the previous gloomy, windy, and sunless Thursday. Instead, the skies were clear, the sun was shining, and it was a pleasant walk along the coast. I'm sorry for the horrible weather the Midwest seems to be having this winter, but I have show you what you're missing...

I attempted to interact more with the kids, but the language barrier is proving harder than expected. On the way to and from the farm I busted out the notebook and a pen and generated some interest in that way, but their attention didn't last for too long. Oh well, I guess I'll just stick to pushing them on the rope swing, swinging them above and around my head, and being constantly bombarded by "leg-huggers". They hug your leg and don't let it go, so walking becomes a weight-lifting exercise. Actually, the whole thing makes your body sore the next day, it's better than going to the gym!

On Friday I was more tired than usual in all three of my classes and a series of things went wrong, including an embarrassing moment on the bus that dampered the mood of the day. The bus drivers here are either really nice, or incredibly mean. Also, you have to really know what you're doing on the bus in order to get on. Take this for example...I hadn't noticed it before but you can only enter from the front of the bus. I was only going to take this bus for a very short distance (just across a canal) so I stayed at the front of the bus, standing. When the bus stopped I tried to exit from the front, the bus driver wore a puzzled but irritated face. I told him I didn't speak danish, and he said a few more things in danish eventually followed by a stern, "what are you doing?". I indicated that I wanted to get off, and reluctantly he opened the door. So moral of the story, if you're ever in Copenhagen, always get off the bus from the back unless you want to piss off the bus driver and embarrass yourself.

Anyways, my host mother and father went to Sweden this weekend to hang out at their flat that they have there. I opted out this time because Gitte told me that they'd probably be going sometime in April or May. I think seeing Sweden when the flowers are in bloom, and the weather is even warmer would be amazing. Instead I spent Friday evening in Nørrebro at a bar called Barcelona. They had two floors full of party-goers and a dance floor with two DJ's playing a standard House mix -nothing too exciting. Although I did break it down pretty hardcore. Saturday was spent sleeping until 1, followed by an expedition into town to meet up with a friend from school. We made our way to Christiania where we met a silly German guy who we became friends with. He had an interesting philosophy on life, and turned out to be a chef working in the biggest hotel in Germany -I forgot the name but it's somewhere in Munich.

I came home early, reheated some Lasagna -for some reason it's always better reheated- and went to bed. Today was spent reflecting on my practicum, reading some stuff for classes, and cutting my hair.







Doesn't get more danish than this (liver patte on rye bread)

the bike