Could I Be?

I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel to several countries around the world. Despite my best efforts, I have been repeated reminded that I am an outsider. The language barriers I faced in Mexico and Italy, despite the fact that I studied both of those languages in school. The red carpet treatment that I received in Romania simply because I was an American. The immediate recognition by the Brits that I was an American since I was inadvertently wearing jeans and "trainers" (sneakers). The quiet chant of "white people" by Jamaican kindergartners when they streamed out of school at recess. So while I planned to be respectful of Danish culture, I knew I would stick out like a sore thumb. As I was packing, I debated if I should take my Carolina trucker hat or my camouflage Carolina hat. "Do they even know what camouflage is?" my wife asked me. The answer: yes, they know it and they wear it.

What was a big surprise to me was how comfortable I felt amongst the Danish people. I guess I had this image of the stereotypical Scandinavian: tall, blond, flawless skin. And while those people were there--and surprisingly over-represented in service workers at the Copenhagen airport--there were a lot of people that looked like me: brown hair, fair skin, rosy cheeks. These were my people. My heritage may be 100% English, but a student of British history may know that a strong Danish influence came with the Jute invasions of the 4th and 5th centuries.

I've previously mentioned how English-friendly Denmark is and how I encountered the smallest language barrier that I have ever experienced in a foreign country (I can't explain how hard it is to decipher some of the accents in Britain.) But my favorite language moments were when I approached a sales counter and the clerk began speaking to me in Danish. Could I pass?

Very Danish. Dressy casual. The bike = #1 Danish accessary.

More Danes. Drinking an American Coca-Cola. (Side note: I was not a fan of the Danish version of Coke. Not enough carbonation.)

Dane? Oh no, that's me.

Me and the Little Mermaid. How much more Danish can I get? Umbrella = #2 Danish accessory.

More Danes

Professional Dane

The decision = trucker hat. Notice the lack of blue parka for me and Lindsay--hard-core Danish.

Leading my people

Danish kids. Please note the camouflage pants. Yes, they're camo man-pris.

More Danes. My female colleagues noted that this appeared to be the official teen girl wardrobe: black tights worn under shorts or a skirt. I believe that this is simply recognition that this country is too cold for warm weather attire.

Danish man in tunnel.

Danish man in tunnel?

Okay, I may be comfortable around these folks. But I'm only visiting in the summer.

Toes in the Sand

6-21-12

One of my goals for the trip was to make it to the beach. I accomplished that goal during our visit to Sweden. We captured a gorgeous sunset and visited one of the most interesting places of the trip.

After we got as many beach shots as we could, we ventured out to the end of this pier. As I've previously noted, everything closes up pretty early and this appeared no different. But one of the employees opened the door and told us we could have a look around. We walked into a restaurant and then out the back door, which opened up into a large quantity of changing rooms surrounding two "pools" in the water. After we wandered around for awhile, the employee came out and told us he could explain what we were seeing. His name was Simon, and he was working at the facility for the summer. The business was basically a swim club, and it was divided into separate sides for men and women. The members show up, strip down, and basically hang around naked. Not much swimming actually goes on, since the water stays pretty chilly year round. Instead, most of the customers hang out in the wet and dry saunas. (Yes, I actually got to see a sauna in Sweden!) To my complete surprise, the swim club stays open year round--they even break up the ice for people to take quick dips in the winter. When it is cold enough for the ocean to ice over, I think it's way too cold to be in the water...or near the water...or even outside...or next to a window.

Changing room

The most interesting part of our visit to the swim club was the conversation with Simon. It was really interesting to hear a Swedish perspective after spending a week in Copenhagen. Living in such an insulated location as North Carolina, I have a hard time imaging the cross-cultural interactions between the two nations. While I realize that European nations are smaller and closer together than those on this side of the Atlantic, it still surprises me how quickly you can be in a completely different country. And of course, as I have learned from the Texas-Mexico border, there is a lot more interaction across the borders than you would think.

I do find the efforts to create the Oresund mega-region to be truly innovative. These two places with distinct cultures, histories, languages, and politics are trying to merge their interests in order to become more globally significant. The irony of the situation is that the two regions were once under the same crown--the Scania region of Sweden where Malmo lies was part of the Danish kingdom until the 17th century. I did enjoy finding the differences between the Swedish and Danish cultures. Sweden was much more ethnically diverse. At the restaurant, none of the workers were ethnically Swedish--our waitress was of Turkish descent and the cook was Asian. One of our cab drivers was Middle Eastern. The people in Sweden were more stylish, more "put-together." Yet, Copenhagen felt significantly more cosmopolitan and better-maintained than Malmo. And my favorite difference: the food portions in Sweden were bigger. We also learned that we came one day before one of the biggest celebrations of the year: the Swedish Midsummer. Apparently, everything shuts down--every business, every restaurant. In fact, the restaurant we ate dinner at was one of the few that would be open, and every reservation had been booked for weeks.

When we learned at our orientation in April that we might get a chance to visit Sweden, we were all excited. Even though we only spent one evening in Malmo and pretty much everything was closed while we were there, it really was one of the highlights of the trip.

I guess this is my "Little Mermaid" pose.

Malmo!

 6/21/12

On Thursday evening, we crossed the Oresund Bridge and visited Malmo, Sweden. The trip lasted about thirty minutes, and many of us couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit another country while we were there. We arrived after six, so everything other than the restaurants were closed. Just like in Denmark, the day ends promptly. We had an incredible dinner, though not uniquely "Swedish." I did notice at the portions were much larger than in Denmark, and the prices were a little more reasonable. After we finished our meal, I asked our waitress what we should do. Five minutes later, we were in a cab headed for the beach.

Heading across the Oresund. Wind turbines in the distance.

Canal view

Medieval center of town

Globalization at its best/worst?

Wienerschnitzel, root vegetables, and morel mushroom gravy

German potatoes on the side

We split dessert: passion fruit cheesecake, mocha mousse, and vanilla ice cream.

Can you see the time? Just after 10 p.m. and still light out. It did not get dark until almost 11 (or, in other words, right when we were trying to find a cab back to the train station).

The Turning Torso. Tallest building in Scandinavia and one of the most controversial. Pretty cool that I got to see this, since I studied it in a workshop a couple of summers ago.

Heading back on the train. With Amanda, who looked more Swedish than almost anyone we saw in Malmo.

I know it's blurry--but check out the time. It's 0:01 in the morning (one minute after midnight).

Sorø Science Camp

6/21/12

This afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit an initiative by the Danish government to identify and foster talented students in the sciences. The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Moller Videncenter at Sorø pulls students aged 12 to 20 from across the nation. They stay at the school for a few schools, interact with other top students, learn from exceptional students, and utilize the latest scientific gadgetry. Here are the reasons why the government chose to start the camp:

1. To ensure Denmark's competitiveness in a globalized economy and knowledge-based society
2. Talent is contagious
3. Unreleased talents do not prosper (According to the camp, these students have the potential to become one of the best if their potential is stimulated)

It is refreshing to see an initiative aimed at top-level students. I often feel that every reform, every new program that comes our way in the American school system is designed for struggling students-- differentiation, literacy strategies, block scheduling, cooperative learning, and so on. While I recognize the very real need of these students, our schools also need to challenge the advanced students. I appreciate that the Danish government utilizes the talented teachers throughout the nation to lead the instruction, and I was also impressed by the technology available to the students. One piece of equipment at the facility was one of only three of its kind in the country--and it is available for twelve year olds to fiddle around with. Of course there are attempts like this in the United States (the North Carolina Governors School comes to mind), but they are few and far between. The emphasis on education as an investment in the future really impressed me.

Another delicious catered lunch. I would be a MUCH better teacher if I was offered a spread like this every day.

The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Moller Videncenter (Science Camp)

Checking out the 3-D lab with the center's director

Resting on Danish design--Was it a chair? Table? Both?

Secret Garden

We had a few minutes between lunch and our presentation this afternoon in the tiny town of Sørø. I took the time to wander into the gate of what looked like the church garden. Turned out to the cemetery instead. Each grave site was a tiny, well-manicured garden. They were bordered by small hedges, each one was uniquely landscaped, and most had little pavers that you could walk up to reach the headstone. I have visited many unique cemeteries (I don't seek them out, I'm not weird like that) both in the United States and abroad. I've seen the raised burial chambers in New Orleans and Charleston, the rural family plots scattered throughout the South, the seemingly ancient churchyards in Scotland and England, the immensely colorful and festive cemeteries along the Mexican border, and many others. But I believe that this cemetery was the most serene and beautiful that I have seen. I'm not sure whether this site was unique to the town or was representational of the country, but I do appreciate when I stumble upon these little cultural discoveries during my travels.

One Man's Trash = Another Man's Treasure

6-21-12

This morning's trip took us out of the city to Vestorbraending Recycling and Waste Treatment Plant. I was a little wary as to why I had traveled all the way to Denmark to visit an incinerator, but I was really impressed by the presentation on recycling and the consequences of consumption. The plant included an interactive educational facility for schools to bring students and educate them on waste. According to the plant, waste is a resource that can be recycled or turned into energy. Danish families sort their trash to go to three locations: the recycling center, the incinerator, and the landfill. Recycling is free, but customers are charged for hauling away the other two materials. Materials going to the landfill cost the family/business more than double what goes to the incinerator. By using this tiered payment system, the Danish government is creating incentives for its citizens to reduce their waste.

The presentation emphasized the "hidden flows of consumption" around the world, or in other words the waste and pollution that are a direct consequence of the production for our consumer products. For example, the aluminum for one soft drink can results in one kilogram (two pounds) of polluted red clay. The weight of a cell phone is 100 grams (less than one pound), but the hidden flow is 75 kilograms (165 pounds) of waste. In addition, a single cell phone contains several hard metals (including gold) that are dangerous to put into landfills.

We learned about landfill and urban mining. Several countries, including Belgium and Japan, are now digging through their landfills searching for electronics, metals, plastic, and minerals to reclaim. Urban mining searches for resources that are sitting unused in storage in people's homes. Recycling is not only about saving landfill space; it is also about reusing resources.

After the presentation, we donned safety vests and hard hats for our tour of the facility. We started with the trash, moved into the control room, saw the incinerator and turbines, and wrapped up at the "smokestack." I put that term in quotes, because 99.5% of what exits that stack is steam. I learned something new about myself on the tour: I can dry heave from only a smell. While the smell of the garbage was really getting to people, I thought it was manageable. But then we passed through a small corridor that was sealed by two sets of doors, where the air was warmer and more stagnant and the odors of that trash was left to pervade every cranny and fester, and it really hit me.

I was really struck by the effects of our consumption and waste. It makes me want to be much more conscientious about what I buy--making sure I purchase things that I need and that are high enough quality that I will not have to repurchase. I also want to be conscious of what I am throwing away. I do not want my trash to be leaching harmful materials into our soil and water.

Check out their website: http://www.wastelab.dk

This diagram shows how far all the materials that make up a knapsack travel before it is sold in Denmark. Total distance: 180,945 km (112,434 miles)

Hard hats and safety vest: ready for the tour

Trash drop-off

This diagram shows the workings of the plant. (1) Trash comes in on the lower left; (2) big claws lift it up and drop it into the incinerator; (3) the trash is burned, heating up large pools of water; (4) steam from the water turns a turbine on the roof, which produces energy that is sent by power lines into the town; (5) the hot water is sent by pipes into homes where it is used for radiant heating; (6) trucks take away sludge left over by the burning process, much of it is used to pave roads.

Checking out the incinerator

Looking up the stack. It was pretty tall!

Before and after: what recycled aluminum cans can be turned into

New idea for waste bins: built-in separation for cans, bottles, paper, and trash.

Down the Rabbit Hole

6-20-12

One of the biggest recommendations that I received from various people about what to do in Copenhagen involved visiting the area known as Christiania. This area was formed by squatters in the 1970s, who moved into abandoned army barracks. Formed as a Hippie commune, the neighborhood gained semi-autonomous status that gives it a unique identity and somewhat lax laws. One of the students at the Ingrid Jespersen school advised several members of our group to visit Christiania. When asked why he recommended it, the boy said, "It's very Danish." Several members of our group visited the community earlier in the week, and they found it a pretty interesting place.

On our way into Christiania

The three dots are a symbol for the neighborhood. They represent the three "i's" in Christiania.

I would describe my mood as excited about seeing the area, and I promised myself to be nonjudgmental and open-minded during my visit. But as soon as I entered the neighborhood, my mood immediately shifted to unease. I felt uncomfortable, anxious, and very quiet. I expected artsy, quirky, unique. Instead, it just seemed run down. Since Copenhagen is very urbanized, I expected Christiania to fit that mold. The neighborhood was much less organized, though. For example, you expect urban green spaces to be well planned-out, with parks and sidewalks, maybe fountains or public art. The "green spaces" in Christiania were overgrown, with dirt paths worn over the years, and random people doing random things. Many of the structures and yards reminded me of what I've seen in developing nations like Mexico and Jamaica. And the people seemed a little worn as well. I thought many of them looked haggard. We were there to engage the culture, to observe, to strike up conversations. I just didn't know how to react, and that's why I stayed quiet during most of our visit. Not silent, but I didn't take the lead at any point. I spent most of the day confidently leading myself and others through the city, but in Christiania I felt lost.

The main part of the community is "pusher street," named for the drug trade along this road. While this situation is in no way legal in Denmark, for the most part it is permitted. Photographs are strictly prohibited in this area. What one would see is tables and stands selling various types of pot and hash, and a wide variety of individuals milling about (some to buy, some to look). In this area of the city, it is as appropriate to walk around smoking pot as it would be to drink a beer on any other street. Maybe it was on purpose, or maybe it relates more to my own naivete, but I did not actually see any drugs being sold or consumed. I did, however, see a lot of people that looked like tourists. There were also more people who seemed like they had nothing to do during the middle of the day than anywhere else I had been in a long time.

We found out many interesting facts about Christiania. There are seven communities within the neighborhood, and each works as a direct democracy. When an issue is raised, everyone in that community comes together to address the problem. If the group is not unanimous, then no decision is reached and the issue is dropped. When one member dies, the community decides who will "inherit" the house. Many of the residents work outside of Christiania. One question that wasn't answered was in regards to taxation. Is the community paying the same taxes as everyone else? Do they have the same energy and water restrictions? How far does there autonomy go? The government tried to reign in the community a few years ago, but the effort was largely unsuccessful.

In the end, it was good that I visited Christiania. It showed me a very different side to Copenhagen and reminded me that one culture can have many unique facets. Throughout the week, I have struggled with what I am calling the "permissiveness" of the Danish culture. Nowhere was that theme more prominently displayed than in this neighborhood. Plus, sometimes the sketchier areas of a city are worth visiting just for the shock factor. It's like seeing the French Quarter in New Orleans.

We saw this poster at several places in Christiania. It says: "no weapons, no hard drugs, no violence, no private cars, no biker colours, no bulletproof clothing, no sale of fireworks, no use of thunderflashes, no stolen goods."

Adios, Christiania

I bought this book before I left Denmark. Hopefully, it will provide some more insight.