Short Study Tour to Århus, Esbjerg, Roskilde and more.

Hi,

I have been bad about updating the last couple weeks, I know. I think it is because my work is picking up and there is so much to do and well...sleep is precious.
I have not had the chance to detail my trip to western Denmark to the lovely towns of Århus, Esbjerg, and Roskilde. I posted pictures on facebook from the trip which involved visits to organizations semi-related to my core class, the Psychology of Happiness (the fluffy term...known in the field as Positive Psych).

We first took a bus to Århus, where we did a workshop at this special type of school called the KaosPilots. It is a program for entrepreneurers (can't spell that) who learn business and life skills. Basically they help them find their passion in life while teaching them process management etc. It was a cool workshop, we did these relaxation exercises and got to know our classmates better, talked about our feelings, you know..psych stuff. One exercise I enjoyed was we were asked to list the top 7 things we are passionate about in life, then the top 7 things we are angry about in society, then the top 7 things we are great at. It is pretty difficult to write down things you are great at, which was the toughest part for me. Anyways, after compiling these lists...we got in groups of 3, shared them, then worked to give each other suggestions about what each could be themed. So, for instance, my top 7 passions...the common theme among them (we decided) was "cultivating/finding beauty in life and relationships"...so yeah, I guess that's me.

We stayed at a hostel that night, and also go to go out to a nice dinenr and then experience some Århus social scene. There was a scottish bar with trivia in english that basically alluded to the fact that Americans are dumb. Not much excitement with this night, I was so full from dinner (in a good way) I thought I might puke. SO on to the next day.

We then journeyed by bus to the lovely town of Esbjerg. There we were introduced to this school containing a program called the SKILLS program. On the way there, however, we go to stop at these really cool statues called "Man Meets the Sea"..essentially these 4 white, stone giants overlooking the ocean. It was SO cold and SO windy...pretty much unbearable...but still so beautiful.
Anyways, this SKILLS program took in troubled youth, teens with horrible pasts and gave them a 8 week course on essentially...life. They ate together, exercised together, learned about proper nutrition and taking care of yourself. They also were taught all that grown-up stuff no one teaches us in the States, such as banking, taxes, etc. Additionally, they had classes in Psychology as well to learn about its uses and applications. There were 17 and 18 year olds who stood up in front of all us and shared their incredible stories and abusive pasts and how this program changed their life. It made me feel indrecibly grateful for who I am and how I got here. They were so inspiring, and I wish we ahd programs like this in the United States. It may seem like we do from the description, but trust me, we do not.

After our emotional day, we checked into our hostel and then headed to a...bowling alley... for some dinner and cosmic bowling. Kind of bizarre. It was interesting to say the least. Bowling came with a free drink and there was a bar so everyone could relax, have some fun, and...bowl.

The final day was spent traveling. We then had a lovely lunch at a restaurent on the water with a traditional Danish dish called "shooting star" in english. Fish, Shrimp, Caviar. Next we headed to the Viking museum next door, had a very boring lecture on viking culture and Danish Hygge (coziness). I only say boring because we were all so tired at that point, no one was paying attention, and the man lecturing sounded like he should be employed by those companies who make "put you to sleep tapes." He had a soft, soothing voice that just, well,...put you to sleep.

So I was so tired when we got back from this trip, but it was a Saturday, and an opportunity to go out..so my friends and I decided to. I mean, we are in Europe, right?
Well I was not very pleased when this one bouncer rejected me and told me that in order to get in I needed to carry around a copy of my passport.Meanwhile, I had shown him an ID with my birth date on it. Anyways, there is no way I am doing that. So that made me mad. Luckily, when we went elsewhere, we were able to have fun. Though Danish Clubs play some really bizarre music. Like techno about bouncing kittens. No joke. I asked them to play some Lady GaGa, but no cigar.

Alright, well, there is more to update on. Essentially, it was Fashion Week in Copenhagen this past weekend which was cool. We put our names on the guest lists of some shows/events but never made it there (and lines were long). We also with with Britt's host sister to see Valentine's Day...the movie with a billion famous people in it. It was good, since I technically have a valentine, but probably depressing for those who don't. It was no where near as good as Love Actually (same premise), Taylor Swift was a horrible actress and painful to watch, and Patrick Dempsey's character was mean (so obviously didn't approve of that). Also, forgot to mention we had a mexican buffet dinner pre-movie that was amazing.

Sorry this post is all over the place but I had a lot to fit in. I will try to be better next time. I am going to be in London this weekend (!!) and then the next weekend I'll be in Scotland for a week with my core class. I will update after London!

Hilary