Week 4: Core Course Week!

Every semester, DIS designates an entire week for students to spend the weekdays solely with their core course. The week is scheduled for two or three days at DIS with the other two dedicated for a trip with the core course classmates as well as the professor and an extra chaperone (although I know one of my roommates had two extras).

If you want to learn more about my experience, keep reading (and I hope you enjoy as it is quite detailed)!

Monday, September 9th, 2019

Today started off with waking up at an ungodly hour of the morning and briefly saying goodbye to Allie H. before she departed for the train to meet her core course at 08:30. Lucy had already left because she had to meet her group at 07:00 by the central train station. While they were off and traveling around Western Denmark, I spent the first day with my core course (Positive Psychology B) in a DIS classroom.

We started the first day of Core Course Week with a discussion about the Core Course Integration paper that will be due the following week (once we get back from Western Denmark). We also discussed in our strengths groups (based on a survey we filled out last week to determine what our greatest strengths are; my top trait being honesty and fairness) the possibilities as to why the Danes are considered to be one of the happiest countries in the world.

Following that discussion, we had a guest lecturer who shared with us the concept of the Open Prison System (I will probably refer to it as OPs, or OPS when mentioning the system overall ) that Denmark has. In comparison with the Closed Prison System (CPS) that we have in the United States, the OPS concept was quite a culture shock just learning about it. OPs have fewer security guards on (for lack of a better word) “active” duty; the prisoners are under a great deal of trust in the eyes of the law and OPS as they are provided with the pleasure of what someone would describe as a single-college-dorm room with a television that has access to cable, the freedom to eat something other than bread (not that I know what they feed people in CPS), exercise, and sleep comfortably. They are not fenced in the perimeters of the prison grounds; however, there are landmarks that, if the prisoner were to cross it, the law would perceive that as an escape and the prisoner would not be allowed back in and potentially be placed in a closed prison (if it was not clear, Denmark does have a closed prison system as well). Another way that a person could land themselves in a closed prison after being in an open prison is if they act out of character/misbehave; one could say they would be thrown out of the open prison and ripped from their open prison “privileges” if they do not follow the already lenient rules that are placed in the system. Essentially, prisoners in Denmark’s OPS are treated like they are humans who deserve a second chance, rather than throwing them in the worst living conditions. I am not saying I am lawyer or a judge, but (in my !!! opinion), I strongly believe that the American Justice System has some work to do. Our lecturer had quite the story to tell as she grew up on the grounds of the OPS even though nobody in her family was imprisoned. She shared stories of the interactions she had with the prisoners when she would return home from school. She shared the stories of some of the prisoners who were dealing with depression and were acting out because they had certain expectations of the open prison (e.g., seeing their children). These high expectations that were never met coincide with the fact that OPs provide unkept promises for those who will be sent there, which is another topic she discussed during her lecture.

Following the lecture, we were given time to eat lunch on our own and I got the chance to visit and eat at a classmate’s køllegium which was great as I have not seen one for myself given my housing placement outside of the city, rather than in an apartment or dorm-style living situation.

Following the unnecessarily long (although very much appreciated) lunch break, we heard from another lecturer who explained to us how architecture and placement of buildings and structures can enhance or diminish the amount of positivity in an environment. We were even taken on a mini-tour of Central Copenhagen and around Nørreport Train Station (although we’ve been here for 3-weeks and know what the city looks like). For example, right next to the station, there is a tall building with completely glass walls and, although unidentifiable at ground level, a roof where the architects build a small garden where the rain (as it does quite often in Denmark) will be collected and not have to drain off the roof (like any other building around it) and onto the pedestrians walking below it. The greenery and the aesthetically-pleasing glass building enhances positivity in the environment.  Additionally, there is a large portion of the walk-way that is dug up in order to form a bicycle parking lot. The parking lot is lower than the platform that people will walk on which enables the pedestrian to see above and beyond the bicycle handlebars. The parking lot is not necessarily an enhancer or diminisher of positivity in the environment, but it provides convenience for pedestrians which could be seen as a slight enhancer. Across the street from this bicycle parking lot is a random island with an unpleasant looking wall where there is barely any pedestrian traffic; but, there is a lot of motor vehicle traffic. This wall is an example of how there can be a decline in the positive atmosphere because nobody enjoys looking at a boring cement wall where there is a risk of coming close to being hit by a car or a cyclist. I wish I had photos to share, but I didn’t want my phone to get wet in the rain we were stuck in.

After the tour (we ended up going to a garden too), I walked to Nørreport Station with a classmate of mine to catch a train back to my homestay where I met my host mother’s sister! She was very nice and I’m glad I got to meet her and have dinner with her and my regular host parents. I would be lying, however, if I said I didn’t miss Lucy and Allie at dinner.

Tuesday, September 10th, 2019

Tuesday morning was ROUGH, let me tell you. It started drizzling when I got on my bike to ride to the train station; but, when I reached the pathway where the cows are (refer back to my reflection post), it was a torrential downpour. My jacket, which is supposed to be waterproof, wasn’t waterproof and my backpack, clothes, and shoes were dripping wet. It was insane how much rain there was. For a clearer image of what my outfit looked like: my light blue jeans were no longer light blue (dark blue) and it looked like I wet my pants but in reverse because I was sitting on my bike seat which didn’t get rained on, of course. Below is a picture of the rain suit that I ordered as a result of this unfortunate event.

When I arrived at the classroom, we immediately began to discuss the possible reasons why København is ranked as one of the happiest countries in the world. Then, we were asked to go out into the public and interview people on the streets or in a local coffee shop. Nobody in my group really wanted to go outside because it was cold and raining, so we instead interviewed Line about her opinion.

After the interview and discussion with Line, we discussed more reasons based on an article we had to read for the class.

Following the class discussion, we went to lunch at a Mediterranean food restaurant called Riz Raz and it was absolutely delicious. It was fun to get to know my classmates better outside of the classroom setting, especially over a meal provided for us by DIS. The only part of the meal that was not covered by DIS was the gelato that a few classmates and I enjoyed on our way back from the restaurant to the DIS Library Theater where we watched Happy (2012; link to the trailer on YouTube).

Happy (2012) is a documentary that focuses on how happiness is not defined in the same way for everybody. Everybody defines happiness in their own way; it all depends on their living situations, their socioeconomic status, their mental and physical state, and their overall wellbeing.

When the day was done, I went home to dinner and was surprised by my host mom’s sister with a delicious creme dessert with two cookie-type pieces to make it a sandwich. That made my night so much better as I was feeling lonely without Lucy and Allie.

Wednesday, September 11 2019

#NeverForget

While I personally do not remember the event, I am able to empathize for the emotion and the effect it had on my family and my friends along with their families through the highly personal and miraculous stories. I won’t go into detail as I want to respect the privacy of those whom i know whose stories I’ve heard, but I wanted to acknowledge the fact that all day, I had in mind those who we lost in 2001 and the people who are strong and whom we are still lucky to have with us (including those who fought the fire and went in to save people in the chaos).

That evening, when I was waiting for Lucy and Allie H. to return home from their trips to Western Denmark, I ended up watching some of the Live Footage of the reading of the names on YouTube (hosted by the YouTube channel for EuroNews) and found this year’s reading of the names quite eye-opening as family members of those who lost there lives that day were reading the names until they reached their family member’s name when they shared their thoughts and prayers.

The reason for this day’s description to be like this is I had no commitments for DIS today except for packing and getting ahead on homework that I knew I wouldn’t want to do on Sunday morning (I will explain once we get to Saturday’s description).

That night, Lucy, Allie H. and I ate a delicious chicken curry (we specifically requested this dish as we are so very fond of it) and finished catching up with the latest episodes of Bachelor in Paradise (thank you SLU for providing us with a VPN!). The three of us always enjoy spending time together as a way to settle down before bedtime whether through face masks (although they make us look like we are straight out of The Purge) and movies or television shows.

Thursday, September 12th, 2019

This morning was an ~early~ morning. I woke up at 6:00 AM to finish packing any last-minute items that I listed (and made my phone’s lock screen) to ensure that I didn’t forget anything on my trip to Western Denmark. Reminder: I have forgotten my phone in my room quite a few times this semester and have enough travel experience to know what it feels like to forget even the smallest necessities in life.

Lucy ended up riding her bike with me at 7:00 AM so she could go to the gym. Meanwhile I went to the station and met up with a fellow classmate to walk to our class’s meeting spot. Plot Twist: we found five other classmates, but it took us ten minutes to find the actual busses.

Our first bus ride from the big city of København took us to our professor’s childhood home where she translated her father’s lecture about being a psychologist who works with people with a history of or with a current addiction (to drugs, specifically). He also works with individuals who are impacted by addiction indirectly; for example, they may have (a) family member(s) who have or had addictions. The topic of family systems and dynamics was emphasized throughout his discussion as his philosophy on someone’s psyche all relates back to the family system that they grow up in and are raised by. The hospitality that our professor’s parents provided was far more hygge than any of us expected. We took our shoes off at the door (though I’m used to that at my own homestay and will continue to carry that simple gesture when at home in the States); we were invited to sit in their living room and treated as though we’re a part of their loving family; we were presented with hot coffee, hot tea, and some delicious thin cookies that we are asking the recipe for from our professor. It was very endearing to watch her and her father work together to provide us with the lecture. Her parents are very generous to open up their beautiful home to 20-or-so college students, especially before we’ve even had a cup of coffee.

Following the visit to our professor’s childhood home, we had a nearly three-hour bus ride to Århus, Denmark where we visited The Old Village.

Our class was divided into two groups, each with their own tour guide. I was in a group with our professor and it was quite fun to interact with her in a non-classroom setting. We learned that Hans Christian Anderson used to work (at least; I cannot remember if he used to live here too) when he was writing his folktales! It was a quaint little village with an amazing history and a tremendous selection of pastries.

Following our trip to The Old Village, we drove 40 minutes to Skanderborg, Denmark where we checked into our first hostel (DanHostel). This family-oriented/nature-oriented hostel is located in a very remote area; however, it is on a lake. A few of my classmates and the two chaperones even took a couple of canoes out on the water.

Prior to arriving to Skanderborg, I was very eager to go canoeing myself; however, it was extremely windy and the air was a bit chilly already. I still admired their courage to go on the water from afar with my other classmates as we sat on benches that were placed on a grounded dock that stretched out a good 15 feet over the relatively large pond (think Lake Winnipesaukee but a smidge smaller).

Meanwhile, we realized that another section of the Positive Psychology core course was staying at the exact same hostel and we met a few of them. In fact, one of them attended the same high school as someone I’ve known since I was two years old (Sydney). Sydney and my high schools used to compete against each other in athletics and I met the girl girl in the other section of Positive Psychology through Sydney after a volleyball match during my Junior Year. She and I realized that we met each other through Sydney because we vaguely recalled the conversation we had about her looking at St. Lawrence University and about me looking into attending Skidmore (which is where she now goes). It was very exciting to experience such a coincidence.

Dinner at the hostel was quite a treat as we enjoyed a vegetable dish with delicious meatballs/meat patties and some bread (I ate way too much bread than I should have on this trip). Following dinner, we enjoyed a campfire where we made Snobrød (some type of dough wrapped around a stick/pole and roasted over the campfire similar to the process of roasting a marshmallow in the States) and a few bottles of (what I am convinced was) non-alcoholic beers. It was a wonderful few hours of bonding through scary stories, the classic game of telephone and sharing three things that we were grateful for that day. I have actually been keeping up with a gratitude app on my phone that my professor recommended and supposedly, after a couple of months, I should “see a positive impact on my overall well-being and happiness and satisfaction in life [note: happiness and satisfaction should not be confused]. After the campfire and prior to going to bed, the class went to one of our cabins (coincidentally it was the one I was assigned with five other girls) and we bonded even more.

Friday, September 13th, 2019

~CUE THE CREEPY MUSIC!~

Luckily nothing bad occurred today for me. The only difficult part of the day was the early wake-up call. My classmates and I woke up around 7:00 AM in order to have time to freshen up, recollect our belongings, and bring our personal items to the bus before going to the dining room in the main lobby for breakfast. Breakfast was chosen from a delicious assortment of jelly and thicker spreads, sandwich (open-faced) meat, scrambled eggs, and a few pancakes with a little maple syrup!

When we were satiated, our professor led us onto the same dock I was on yesterday (admiring the canoe and the water and the almost-sunset) for a meditation. I cannot recall the type of meditation it was, but we had to close our eyes and luckily, the dock was grounded enough that we weren’t moving side to side (unless you count the wind) so I was able to avoid motion sickness.

The bus took us to our next destination back to Århus where we went to the famous Århus (ARos) Art Museum with The Boy and the Rainbow Bridge!

It was very fun to explore the museum with my classmates and enjoy the art we wouldn’t have seen otherwise (since we’re so far away from Århus and don’t have our own cars.

For lunch, we enjoyed food from Århus Street Food which is similar to Fanueil Hall in Boston, Massachusetts: there is an overwhelming number of food stations and the smell is changing wherever you walk. I ended up eating a delicious Caprese salad panini! We sat as a class before attending our last activity for the day with a local psychologist.

We were granted time with Emil Rask who is a local psychologist in Århus and works with clients who suffer from anxiety and/or depression. He shared with us his strategies/methods for working with clients who are not so pleased with either their own lives or their need for attending a therapy session. He reasoned with us about how these strategies work and the ability to listen to the client and work with what they’re giving you to get to understand them better without being invasive is incredibly crucial in this profession. It was one of the first lectures I have had during which I was reassured that a profession through which I can help someone else (without expecting anything in return) is something I want to pursue.

Following our lecture, we walked to our next hostel/hotel: Cabinn Århus and it was a very small hotel; we were paired up with roommates and then we had a few hours to explore the second largest Danish city.

For dinner, we went to Rømer where we enjoyed a delicious chicken breast (?) and a corn/mac & cheese concoction. It was absolutely delicious; we even paired it with a simple drink (my choice being a basic Rosé. Dinner was followed by more bonding with my core course group.

Saturday, September 14th, 2019

Today was QUITE a long day.

The day started out with a wake-up time around 7:00 AM (like the previous day).

Breakfast was similar to that at the DanHostel; still delicious nonetheless.

Our bus ride ended up being delayed by half an hour so we were led by our professor through another meditation session. This session was held in a relatively public setting; thus, a complete stranger saw us doing our meditation and decided to join the class and followed along.

Once we got on the bus, we prepared ourselves for another nearly three-hour bus ride to Svanholm, Denmark where we went to a Co-Housing Facility.

The Co-Housing Facility is a place where multiple families and couples will live together and share nearly everything (yes, including their own finances) with one another. They have their own dining facilities; they harvest their own fruits and vegetables; they celebrate special events together; they have their own elementary/middle school (most children leave around the age of 18 and venture into the “real” world and sometimes return with their own families one day); and, they have one specific living facility in which it has been passed down through an entire extended family for generations. Our visit to Svanholm ended with a delicious soup and some fresh home-baked bread!

Our ride home only lasted about 2 hours; however, it felt like three as I was anticipating the Khalid concert that Lucy, Allie H., Eliza (who is from St. Lawrence University, as well) and I have had tickets for since early August! It was quite the treat to experience a live performance of one of my favorite artists with people who also appreciate his music!

Note: If you go to a concert at Royal Arena, do NOT expect to find a seat on the train returning to Central Station and take the Metro as the amount of people trying to push their way onto the train (since the next train to Central wasn’t until forty-minutes later) was extremely overwhelming and not worth being sucked into. We still barely managed to find a place to stand on the metro (it was like a can of sardines), but at least we were able to get home! I was definitely a “Free Spirit” that night!

If you are still reading this blog post, endless props to you as I know this is like a novel. I hope you’re enjoying my experience and that I am not oversharing (if you have comments or questions, please share them in the comments below.

My overall opinion regarding Core Course Week is it is as equally a bonding experience as it is an academic/learning experience. I am grateful for the opportunity that DIS provided us with for this designated week “off” from regular classes and for the moments I got to share with my classmates.

The upcoming week is just a normal week of classes; thus, please don’t expect as long of a post (if I post at all) next week! If you do want to be notified when I publish my next post (as I am not constantly sharing them on my personal FaceBook account as I did for the first two), you can subscribe to this blog by providing your email below or following through a WordPress account (easiest only if you already have an account made).

Until my next post, thank you again for reading and for joining me on my study abroad adventures!

Hej Hej,

Allie

P.S. If you are a student looking into studying abroad with DIS Copenhagen, I am happy to communicate with you, just drop a comment below and I’ll try my best to answer any and all questions.