Whilst preparing for our exchanges, Rotary told us repeatedly, "If you don't go to school in your host country, you get sent home. No school=No exchange."
Before arriving in Denmark, I had contemplated that statement numerous times. Why was school so important during exchange? It would just takes time away from all the adventures I'm having, I could stay home if I wanted to go to school!The answer was, you experience emotions and culture that you couldn't have any other way.
One day I was sitting in some class, bored out of my mind. Then some boys right in front of me started goofing off, they were acting like a bunch of idiots. Even without understanding what they were saying, they still made me laugh pretty hard. Another time this happened was this past Monday. The previous Friday, there was a boy who was hit by a train after being at a school party. The boy, Jonas, was sixteen. Much too young to die. Monday morning, we all filed into an assembly. Somebody, I presumed he was the principle, read something about Jonas. Even without understanding what was said, I could feel the heartbreak. So many classmates were in utter grief, and I could feel without understanding. School is important because it gives you an insight to things that are unspoken in a culture.
Over the course of a month, my language skills have grown. While I still can't understand everything, its a great start. I had my first conversation in FULL Danish. It went something like this;
*70+ year old lady says something to me in Danish*
"I cannot speak Danish."
"Oh! Where are you from?"
"I am from the USA."
It might have been a short conversation, but I was extremely proud of myself for being able to do it. Lately, I have been saying "I cannot speak Danish" quite frequently in stores. I love the fact that if anyone saw me on the street, they would assume I was Danish until I opened my mouth. I even dress like the Danes, black, grey, and white.
The biggest part of exchange is experiencing your country in a non-tourist way, which I accomplished on Saturday. My friend Aly and I decided that we wanted to go to Copenhagen on Saturday. This trip would include no plans, no schedules, no tours. We just wants to wander around and get lost in the city. We made it to the main Copenhagen station and met up with another friend, Sophia. After we all met up, we had to figure out the best way to get to a specific part of the city. It took us around 15 minutes to figure out where to go, then we struggled to figure out which train to take. When we got to the place we wanted, we went to H&M. Later, Aly had to meet up with her counselor. That took us a solid half hour to get everyone in the right place. After meeting up with him, we argued and got lost trying to find the perfect place to get Chinese takeout. We settled on a questionable place called Mr. Chin's Chinabox Takeout. When the day was over, we found our way to the train station and went home. We didn't accomplished much that day, but we didn't ask a single person for directions. That's what being an exchange student is all about, getting lost and figuring things out the way a local would.
Lately the debate of whether or not people from the United States should call themselves "Americans" has come up. Geographically speaking, there are two (some may say three) Americas. North and South (sometimes Central America too). Within these Americas, there are countries. I don't know about you, but if I knew someone was from Chile, I would call them Chilean. I wouldn't call them South American, unless I didn't know exactly which country they were from. The same thing should go with those living in North America. Canadians, Mexicans, and those living in the USA are all by definition North Americans. Sadly the USA has no official term for it's citizens, but I have found that US-American is less offensive than American. Personally, I like to call myself a Minnesotan, then explain that it is a state in the USA.
This week has been full of ups and downs. The death of someone in school, maneuvering classes that I can't understand, wandering around Copenhagen & Hillerød, speaking Danish.The fact that I have been here for a month already is extremely disheartening. I can feel the minutes ticking away, it makes me very nervous and I don't want to waste a single moment. I'm afraid of what's going to happen when this year is over, I will be a senior, time to start real life. If you don't think that's absolutely terrifying, there is something seriously wrong with you. As humans we fear the unknown.
This is a frequent problem, cars driving down unmarked, pedestrian zones. (Hillerød)
Copenhagen
Went to the MAD (Modern American Diner) in Copenhagen, here's their attempt at Mac n' Cheese...
I love hearing about all of your experiences! Glad you are having fun!
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