Getting my mojo back!

This week saw my lust for life and living in Denmark come back. We're talking about my 'mojo' as in my magic charm or spell that allows me to be successful and happy. As I said in my last blog post I've had a bit of a rough time lately and not in the sense of terrible things happening but things just not working out and small things getting me down, but as my friend Bronwen said yesterday 'life would be boring without stories to tell.' After a couple of weeks of slogging it through the rain with my temperamental bike, the good times I've had recently have felt so much better.

A couple of things have changed since I last wrote, firstly I now contribute and edit for an online magazine called 'Jutland Station.' If you're friends with me on Facebook then you've probably noticed that I've started sharing some of my pieces. I'm co-editing the 'In The Danish Press' section with a Danish Journalism Masters student called Morten. We are currently producing a round-up article every Friday which looks at three big stories from the Danish newspapers that week. It's been great for getting to know Denmark and its press.

When I first moved here I would see faces on front pages of the newspapers or on the news in the morning but because of my lack of Danish I wouldn't understand why they were in the news. I still have a profound lack of Danish because I still haven't managed to sign up for Danish classes, but with the help of my flatmates, Morten and Danish subtitles on Netflix, I'm starting to decipher Danish news. You can check out our section here.

The biggest event happening in Aarhus and that I've had a hand in reporting, is the local elections that are taking place this Tuesday. My classmate Sam, the Society Editor for Jutland Station has been working really hard to report on the elections because there is very limited coverage in English. This has proved to be really helpful seeing as I can vote, as an EU citizen :). This week I worked on a piece about gender equality in the local elections, which was truly fascinating. I knew that gender equality in Danish politics was impressive before I moved here as I was an avid watcher of all three series of 'The Killing' or 'Forbrydelsen' and 'The Bridge' which feature strong female characters in important jobs. I didn't manage to watch 'Borgen' but I will get round to it at some point.

When I started researching for the piece I was surprised to find that whilst the representation of women is moving towards 50/50 at the Parliamentary level and Denmark has its first female Prime Minister, at the local level only around 1/3 of candidates are women. So I decided to find out more. The process of researching, interviewing a representative from the Women's Council in Denmark and a young female politician and writing the article, reminded me of why I chose this course in the first place. This is what I want to do! I want to look beneath the surface and find out more about how things work. I really hope that I will get a job that allows me to do this and pays me for it.

Being a part of the 'Jutland Station' team has meant a huge amount to me over the past few weeks. It has allowed me to learn more about Denmark and Danish culture and to write about it. Also I have been invited to meetings and met some great people. On Friday we had a lovely evening and I met some girls from the year above me who are now studying in Hamburg, which is where I'm going next year. I also met a Mundus Journalism graduate who is now completing his PhD at Sheffield. It was fascinating to meet people who have followed the Mundus path and to hear how things are going for them. It makes me very optimistic for the future.

Two weeks ago I hit a low point when I was pretty fed up of spending so much time by myself and facing bike and or weather problems if I decided to go out. I'm glad that I wrote about it because I want to be able to reflect on my time abroad in a way that looks at both the ups and downs.

I was lucky because my boyfriend came to visit me and really cheered me up. I had a lot of work to do when he was here, two essays and a presentation, and he also had to come to a couple of lectures with me, but he took it in his stride and even helped me with my work. Sometimes I just need reminding that I have consistent, steady and strong support so his visit really helped.

We had a lovely time, we worked on my assignments but we also explored Aarhus and met up with my friends. We went for a walk down to the sea, explored the city centre and visited both the Occupation Museum and Aros, the art gallery. Obviously I didn't want him to go but he left me feeling much happier and optimistic :).

Another big thing that happened this week was that I went to join a running group with my friend Katherine. I was a bit apprehensive because I haven't run much in the past 4 years but I had an absolutely brilliant time. They run on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and the whole group is training for a half marathon event in June. There's something very special about exercise groups because everyone is friendly and supportive. It was the happiest group of Danes I have met since I've been here, all those endorphins! I couldn't keep the grin off my face. If there's a sure way to get your mojo back, it's by doing things that you enjoy and are good at.

I may not have run properly for 4 years but running on Thursday made me realise just how much I've missed it. It's interesting because I might not have been where I am today if I hadn't quit athletics training when I was 18. I chose to focus on my A levels which meant that I chose University and became involved with student journalism. I even tried to join Southampton's athletics club in my first few weeks but kept missing the group. I have no regrets because I am pursuing something else which I'm good at, but finally, after 3 very busy years at Southampton I am able to do both.

I think that I have learned a huge amount since I moved here, but perhaps the most important thing is that I should make the most of it, surround myself with people I care about and do the things that make me feel alive like running and reporting. 

Rain, more rain and the occasional rainbow

The last time I posted was on the 20th October, I am sorry that I skipped a week. I've been having a difficult couple of weeks, having some real euphoric ups and crashing lows, not in terms of really awful things happening just that sometimes I'm in love with my life in Denmark and sometimes I'm not. 

I think that when it comes down to it, most of my problems tend to be linked to either the rainy, windy weather we've been having lately, or my bike, or both. I've been a bit down so haven't wanted to write in case I came across more angry than I meant to. However, I think that I should be as truthful as possible in this blog because it'll be interesting for you and also for me when it comes to reflecting on my year in Denmark.

First off, I haven't been unhappy, just not happy, as I am most of the time, so I've had a couple of weeks in that interesting middle ground when things are ok but could be better. I'm sure a lot of people can relate to this :) I've had a lot of free time on my hands because my timetable has changed so I only have lectures on Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon. This is not a bad thing, at all, but as I've always been a ridiculously busy person it has been a bit strange. I said in my last blog post that there is a lack of common space, organised activity and student-led societies here so I've really been feeling it. I guess what it comes down to, is spending a lot of time by myself.

I was always envious of people who packed up and went to live in another country for a substantial period of time, a semester or a year. But I think I only ever saw their lovely pictures of nights out with friends or sun-drenched activities during the day. I never really thought that there would be a difficult adjustment period that came with moving abroad. In my case this has meant adjusting to a country which has very similar weather to the UK but has substantial cultural differences. So there's been a distinct lack of sun-drenched activities- well at least the kind that warm you up. Don't get my wrong there have been some really beautiful days with bright autumnal sunshine but there has also been a LOT of rain.

It's the little things!

I have been adjusting to the fact that I can't smile at strangers in public and the fact that unlike the familiarity of British politeness, many Danes come across a lot more blunt. This is no bad thing either, I think actually I could learn a lot from being a bit more to-the-point. The Danish just seem to have a very different approach to life and way of doing things, which makes me feel quite out-of-sync, like I'm always one step behind. There have been some exceptions of course, like my wonderful housemates who are friendly and inclusive. But when it comes to administrative things, like signing up for Danish language classes I am met by brick walls. It always seems difficult and I am the one who is doing things wrong.

In order to counter the loneliness I have been meeting up with friends and organising things myself. I've been saying 'yes' more and have taken initiative to go and explore the city myself. For example, the other week I went to a dance performance with a girl from my course, which was fantastic. I haven't been to many dance shows, but this one, entitled Kvinde Kend Dit Skab or 'Woman Know Your Box/Cupboard' was highly inventive and skilful. The dancers used four large cupboards which they moved around during the performance, perching themselves on top and moving with the cupboards in a domino-effect. They also used a range of props from ukuleles to plastic party horns which gave the dance a sense of fun, but it dealt with issues such as gender and race in an ambivalent way. I thought it was genuinely fascinating. We stayed after the performance for the after-party which was another eye-opener. The professional dancers definitely knew how to take control of the dance-floor :)

I also visited the Women's Museum in Aarhus, which was the first of its kind and one of only a handful of women's museums in the world. It's well-worth a visit and is a real reminder of how neglected women's history has been and continues to be. This museum focuses on Danish women's history but its themes are universal.

I have also been meeting up and going out with friends which has been a great way to get out of the house and enjoy their company. We tend to go out on Friday or Saturday nights and meet up during the week for more low-key things- like film nights.

I just had one particularly bad day this week when everything seemed to be against me. I fell off my bike on the way to my lecture which meant that yet again I had to run to the lecture. Then when I went to get my bike, after the lecture, the bike lock key snapped in the lock. I was with Hannah, and she persuaded me to ask for help from the mechanics, we managed to persuade someone to take the broken piece of key out with a pair of plyers. Then when we were cycling off, my chain fell off! I managed to fix it, but it did take a while. I got home and had planned to go into the city to meet Hannah for a documentary event she had helped organise. I cycled into town, then tried to get some money out and for some reason the Danish cash-points didn't like my English bank card. So with no money, and standing in the pouring rain I decided to cycle home. I got all the way back to my halls only to find that I'd lost my keys. I then cycled back to try and find them. By this point I was in tears just wondering how everything could possibly have gone wrong! I managed to find my keys though so I got back home, got in my pyjamas and skyped my boyfriend.

Yes, I had a terrible day, but as Hannah pointed out, these days are designed to make us stronger, and we managed to fix my bike twice. So, although some days I am really tested and it feels very rainy and dark, I am still here and battling through it.

I think these past few weeks have been difficult because I've thought that it was me, that I was somehow doing things wrong and that things are against me. But I am changing my mentality by organising events myself and telling myself that I'm in a different culture and that I need to approach things differently.

It's been difficult working out who I am, away from home and without my family, friends and boyfriend but I don't need to think about that either because I'm just me! I'll always automatically smile at people and I'll always be the one pulling crazy shapes on the dance floor. I'll probably have problems with my bike for as long as I own one and I don't think I'll ever give myself a sensible amount of time to get somewhere but always leave with just enough time or late. I'll always enjoy learning and writing and I'll always be curious about the world and different cultures. I have a lot of other characteristics but if you know me, then you know what these are :)

I saw a rainbow earlier, it reminded me that things can be beautiful even when it's dark and rainy. I've been having difficulties, but with a really busy schedule and a visit from my boyfriend this week things will begin to look happy and bright. Thanks as ever, for all the support, I promise to write soon.

Home from Home

I made a trip back home to London last weekend and began to think about the idea of home. What makes somewhere feel like home? My room in Aarhus is beginning to feel more like home but I don't feel settled just yet. 

Flying back into London in the pouring rain and traveling on the underground made me feel like I'd come home. For some reason I can appreciate British rain more than I can Danish rain because it feels more familiar. Danish rain makes getting to lectures on my bike much more difficult, though the Danes seem to have fully equipped themselves for such weather and just get on with it. This week saw me attempt to get to lectures in the pouring rain and in record time, due to the fact that I left too late, only for the chain to come off my bike leaving me with no choice but to run the rest of the way. I turned up completely soaking wet with oil all over my hands and sweating profusely, not the best impression to give to your lecturer when the only seats left are those in the front row.

When I got into London on Friday it was pouring with rain but I felt almost comforted by the normality of it. It only became a problem when I was on the way to the theatre with my boyfriend and I realised that I'd got the address wrong. We were on the wrong side of the river with limited time to get to the show. We had to rush to the West End and it was too windy to use my umbrella meaning that we turned up at the theatre soaking wet. Well what did I expect? It seems that it doesn't matter where I am, I nearly always get lost, get the address wrong or become hindered on my way somewhere. Needless to say my boyfriend thought it was hilarious that I'd got it wrong yet again and we had to rush, but it was a trip to see 'War Horse' for his birthday so he let it go eventually.

Traveling through London to Twickenham also felt like home because of the sheer politeness of everyone on the tube. It reminded me of the twitter account '@VeryBritishProblems'. I witnessed the perfect embodiment of this when I was waiting in the queue to use the toilet at Waterloo station. There was a woman trying to come out and there was another woman blocking her way. The poor woman proceeded to say 'excuse me', 'excuse me please' in the quietest voice she could, whilst getting more and more frustrated. Eventually the woman who was obstructing her path noticed this woman's existence and annoyance and apologised. I don't think this situation would happen in any other country. It's these little things which I miss. Although we seem to make life difficult for ourselves in the UK, I feel lost in Denmark without the 'pleases', 'thank yous', polite smiles, opening doors for others and having doors held open for me.

On Friday I had a record day as I managed to meet up with one of my best friends in her lunch break, meet my family for lunch and meet my boyfriend for the evening. It was so nice to catch up with so many people in one day. It was also really nice because I realised that in the time I've been away I've actually managed to keep up to date with most of my loved ones and perhaps more so than when I was living in Southampton. Home is definitely where the heart is. It's only when you're at home, in the company of those you love that you can completely relax.

I feel very lucky that I was able to go home last week and feel a whole new appreciation for the fact that I'm not that far from home, because many of my coursemates have told me that they will not be going home until 2015, when we finish. I think for them the process of making Aarhus their home is a lot more important. That's not to say that I haven't begun to do that too.

Risskov forest

In the past week I've thought about how long it took for me to feel at home in Southampton. It's not quite the same because I spent three years there and in hindsight I tend to only think of the good times but I think I settled in quicker than I have here. One thing that really helped was the Students' Union building, the real hub of student community and activity. They just don't have that here at Aarhus University. We don't have a central space with cafes and facilities for students here. There's the University park, the Studenterhus (Students' House) and cafes at the State Library and International Centre but there is not a concourse or variety of societies and facilities. The Danish equivalent is perhaps their faculty Friday bars which are based in their faculty buildings and have their own character. I am really missing mingling with people from different subjects and taking part in student led activities. The Students' Union at Southampton felt like home to me.

Here in Aarhus I have begun to make close friendships and we have been organising our own activities like baking or making dinner together and we have even participated in Swing dance nights around the city. I think many of us like to keep busy so in the absence of activities organised by the University we have been making Aarhus homely in other ways.

Chocolate yoghurt cake :)

In a bid to keep myself active and to relieve stress I am running more. I went for a run in Risskov forest today, which is up the road from my halls. I used to run a lot so when I go out and run it feels like an extension of me and whilst I run I can make sense of both my surroundings and my feelings. Also this is the first time in three years that I've had so much free time, enough to actually be able to go running and focus on myself a bit more. I should probably make the most of it. 

I know that living abroad has both ups and downs, it can feel very lonely at times but equally I am surrounded by so many coursemates with whom I have a lot in common. I have a lot of work to do and it sometimes feels very difficult but equally I have a lot of time and so should do the things that make me happy like baking and running (not at the same time).

Coffee and Cake with friends

Living in a new place, making new friendships and working hard is difficult because it means that I have to reassess my values and my identity to some extent. This course is full of the people who were just like me at their universities- the ones who took opportunities and worked hard. I have to figure out where I fit in. It's been one huge learning curve so far and I'm sure that it will continue to test me. There are times that I really miss home but I have to remind myself that I am doing this because it's different and is supposed to be a challenge.

Observations from my first month in Denmark

Hi,
It's been so long since I last blogged, my apologies. I had to write my first Masters exam last week so I hope that you can appreciate that my brain was aching from too many new words, new theories and the pressure of having to write a 2500 word assignment in one week, to blog. That does not mean that I haven't had some fun in the meantime. I am still a fresher at heart, though definitely not in my ability to party several nights in a row leading up to an essay deadline. I'm making my first trip home tomorrow so I want to talk about my reflections on the course so far, some of the things I've been doing to avoid work, the work I have done and finally warn you all that I might have changed substantially by the next time you see me... in terms of manners :)

It's now five weeks since I left the UK to embark on this Masters course and I have to say first of all that I am actually really proud of myself. I managed to get here and get stuck in to the course and my new life in Denmark without any serious damage to myself or my mental state. The assignment last week definitely tested my resilience though. After almost four weeks of committed studying, 18 hours of lectures a week and a lot of time spent with coursemates and friends, last week I faced the prospect of taking on this essay which meant spending a lot of time by myself. However, I was lucky enough to have the support of some classmates with whom I had a long study day with on Tuesday and another meeting on Thursday. I also called on my poor mum and dad to help with proof-reading so no, I wasn't completely alone.

It was only on Wednesday night at some hour past midnight that I felt completely lost, the essay question was refusing any and every attempt I made to try and understand it and I realised that I'd rather go home than finish the stupid thing. I ended up working myself up into a right state which was probably due to late nights and stress than homesickness, but you know when everything suddenly looks terrible in the middle of the night, mid-essay, well that was me. I was relieved to find out that a lot of other people felt similar last week. An exam after four intense weeks of this course shook everyone up a bit. I just can't imagine what it was like for those who had to write their essay in Englis as their second or third language! Anyway, I did it! I completed it, and not only that, I wrote the essay that I wanted to write, so my perseverance and help from others really paid off.

I mean it when I say that so far this course has been everything I hoped it would be. I'm learning about globalisation and how it is affecting journalism and the media. Last month we studied topics like War, Development and Terrorism and how to report on them. It has been a real eye-opener, as we have been encouraged to study our home media and share with the group. This means that my Mundus colleagues from China, Africa and Latin America have been able to provide an alternative perspective to that provided by the Western media. It has been a thoroughly engaging and interesting experience. 

The essay last week though showed me that this course is difficult. I know that it is going to continue to test me and it will sometimes seem overwhelming. We went through the plans for the next modules and next semester today and looking at it all in one go was pretty daunting. I just have to think of it like training for a marathon or series of races and take it each day and each week at a time. I couldn't write the end exam of my current module now so I have to work up to it. I couldn't write my thesis now but that's the final test and so I will be able to do it by the time I get to it.

Hannah, on our trip to the harbour

When I'm not working I have been exploring the surrounding area around my halls. I took a few long walks last week to clear my head and also went exploring around the harbour with my friend Hannah. I can see the sea from my room so last week I decided to go on a run to try and find it. I didn't find it on that occasion but later in the week I did. I had to walk down through the forest. It was beautiful, there are some old Danish houses which appear through the trees. Once by the sea there is a small community of painted houses. I had a fantastic time just walking around and exploring.

The Harbour is a short cycle from my halls and is also worth a visit. It is an interesting place which looks like it only exists for industrial purposes but there is the odd tourist-friendly sculpture or site to explore. We saw a huge pair of pink sunglasses, entitled 'Sea Pink' and an attraction called 'The Dome of Visions'.

'Sea Pink'

Dome of Visions

Another way I successfully avoided work was by taking part in a big flat party on Saturday night. It was called the Tour de Chambres which involved a tour of the rooms on my floor. In each room the host had to have a theme which included both a drink and a game for the group. There was a Eurovision room where we had to sing in groups for the 'Eurovision trophy', a 'Dexter's Laboratory' room in which we had to compete to make the tallest tower out of marshmallows and spaghetti, a French room which involved a piggy back race whilst feeding the person on the back with a croissant, a circus room, a kid's party room complete with face-painting, a carnival room, a grandma room and a pirate room. We had a brilliant time and the themes were extremely creative. One thing I did realise though is that my flatmates have the most beautiful rooms! Their rooms are beautifully furnished with lovely furniture, furry rugs, paintings on the walls etc.

In the French-themed room

Finally I just wanted to warn you all that my move to Denmark is changing me slightly in terms of manners. I never really appreciated how seriously we take manners in the UK. That is until I opened the door for someone here and they didn't even acknowledge my existence. I brushed it off as something that doesn't happen very often, only for it to happen again and again! I kept moving out of the way for people to walk or cycle past me, only for them to completely ignore me. Also, if I went to go through a door the person on the other side wouldn't wait for me but decide to go through at the same time as me. I have also been waiting in a queue and someone has pushed me out of the way. I have never appreciated the British manners as much as I do now. However, in an attempt to 'get even' I have started doing the same, ignoring people who hold doors open and walking through doors when I feel like it. It feels so wrong!

Also, people here don't tend to smile at each other in public. This is something I have begun to notice and it upsets me. I'm walking around as my normal happy face and smile at someone but instead of being greeted with an equally happy face I get a glare, a stare, a look of sheer confusion, or a look of embarrassment. I was talking to my Danish housemate about this and apparently if you smile at someone in the street in Denmark that person either thinks there's something wrong with you or there's something wrong with them. So I guess that means I've got to stop smiling at strangers too. All I'm trying to do is brighten your day Denmark. No, I really do have to stop because the one time I got a smile back was from a man who then proceeded to come over to my table and ask my friends and I if we wanted drugs. Smiling is getting me into all kinds of trouble here, please just don't be offended if I bring this restraint back to the UK with me.

Keep smiling though and Mange Tak! :)

Aarhus is a Beautiful Place

I'm coming to the end of my fourth week in Aarhus! Sorry about the sporadic posts it seems I'm not too good at setting a day and sitting down to write my blog, it seems that I always have something to read, somewhere to go or failing that I just want to watch Mad Men. Yes, I recently got into Mad Men and in two weeks I've made my way to Season 3. It's a little bit too addictive. Besides all that I have three things I want to talk about this week, firstly my experiences of the beauty of Aarhus, second my Birthday which was last Friday and finally my hilarious attempts at trying to cycle like a Dane.

Aarhus is a beautiful place

Last Tuesday I booked myself onto a Cultural Tour of Aarhus which also involved a trip to the Viking Museum. Yet again I got horribly lost trying to find the group. I was cycling and hadn't given myself enough time to get there. I'm sure everyone's been there when you've left yourself just enough time to get somewhere but not factored in any time for getting lost. So I got lost and had to ask some ladies who were walking around Aarhus for directions. They were extremely helpful though and I managed to find the right place in the end, I even bumped into my classmate who'd also got lost. The tour took us around the city on foot. Once I'd joined the tour we went to look at an old courtyard which dated to the fifteenth century. The houses looked very much like Tudor houses in the UK but they were a lovely orange colour.

We then moved on to an old street with brightly coloured houses. These houses are extremely expensive to buy in Aarhus now and are protected. It would be a truly beautiful place to live. In the photo you can see my classmates walking up the cobbled street. The houses on both sides are cottage-like in size and each one was a different colour.

  

Apparently the main river of Aarhus, which now flows through the city centre, was completely taken out at one time and filled in with concrete.  It's hard to believe that today because the canals in the city centre are lined with cafes and restaurants and are a tourist attraction in themselves. The funny thing is hearing any Dane say the word 'canal.' Instead of saying 'caNAL' as we might say they place the emphasis on the 'CANal' so it sounds more like 'Kennel'. It took me a while to work out what they were talking about. 

The tour took us along the river side and into the main square of the city then into the Viking museum because it started raining. The best thing about the museum is that it was built on the level on which they found Viking artefacts. That means that to enter the museum you have to go underground and as you walk down the stairs you can see the different layers for the different time periods right up to the 1970s. The museum itself is built on the site of two longhouses and you can see the different artefacts they found around each of the different buildings. There is also a 3D model of what Aarhus might have looked like in Viking times. The original name of Aarhus is Aros which means 'river mouth' and so when you look at the the town plan you can see how the original settlement was built around the river mouth.

We emerged from the museum in bright sunshine. The Cathedral and Theatre looked stunning in the bright Autumn sun. 

The Theatre

The Cathedral

We finished up our tour with a walk into the Dockyard area of Aarhus and learned of the new developments happening there. Then we went to the Latin Quarter which used to be an unloved part of the City but was renovated to resemble the Latin Quarter in Paris. 

The tour was fantastic and I saw a lot more of Aarhus but the weather has been so nice recently that I often find myself on my bike or walking home looking at the beautiful buildings and feeling very lucky that I have a whole year to explore and appreciate this beautiful city. 

My mentor invited myself and her other mentees over for dinner on Sunday and I cycled to her place which is close to the harbour. She has a lovely flat and she made us a Danish variation of pizza which includes a layer of potato on the pizza dough with tomatoes and pesto. It's occasions like this that I love, getting to know Denmark, Danish culture and my Danish friends. 

It's been quite hard settling in because I know that there are many people on my course living with or very close to others from our course. There are only two of us from the course in my halls. But it has meant that I've got to know my housemates and they are a wonderful group of people. I just got in from another common dinner and we always have a real laugh and a nice catch up with each other. 

So I am truly experiencing the beauty of Aarhus and getting settled in, I live in a beautiful place. 

My Birthday

It was my birthday on Friday, 20th. I had been really worried that I would not have many if any people to celebrate with as I've only been here 3 weeks. However, I was wrong, I had a wonderful day. 

I woke up really early. I tend to do this on my birthday even though I'm 22 now. In the past I have shared a special moment in the kitchen with my dad at around 6am in the morning of my birthday. He told me that I was born at around 6.30am and he remembers watching the sun come up with me so in the years since he shared this story with me I often wake up and watch the sun rise. I sent my dad this photo of the sunrise.

The Sunrise from my window, 7.30 Danish time, 6.30 English time

I had a whole day of classes so from 10am-4pm but it was a great day. I'd invited my classmates to join me for a celebration in the evening so many of them came up to me during the day and gave me hugs for my birthday. It was also wonderful this year to receive birthday greetings in so many different languages.

In the evening, I skyped my grandparents, my parents and my boyfriend and opened my cards which was really nice. Then I'd organised a pizza party at my flat before going into town. My flatmate Bianca bought some balloons and candles and made the whole party special for which I was so grateful. I celebrated my birthday with my lovely flatmates and my coursemate Hannah, we had a fantastic time dancing around the kitchen, chatting and eating pizza. Then just before we left, the girls sang Happy Birthday and I had to blow some candles out on a pudding that Bianca had made.

My lovely flatmates

Then we cycled merrily into Aarhus to a ping pong bar called Shen Mao. It was a really cool place which had one large table tennis table and a dancefloor. Many of my coursemates were already there and I was overwhelmed by how many came out to join us. It was probably the biggest party I've had to date! I rented a table tennis paddle and joined in the game which was effectively a large game of everyone taking one turn to hit the ball back and the whole group moving around the table until everyone is out except two. Needless to say trying to hit the ball when you've had a fair bit to drink brings a whole new hilarity to the game!

They played some great music all night and I had a fantastic time pulling all kinds of shapes on the dancefloor and drinking cocktails. I had an incredible birthday and I was so thankful to everyone for helping me celebrate in style, it's so nice to know that although we've only been here for a few weeks we're forging strong friendships and having a great time together.

Cycling 

Finally I just wanted to share some of my first experiences of trying to ride like a Dane. Everyone in Aarhus cycles, and it's not surprising since they've really built their roads to accommodate for cyclists. The cycle lanes run parallel to the main roads and here you have to cycle the same way as the traffic. This I found tricky to start off with because I'm used to cars travelling on the opposite side of the road. I got seriously confused, especially at crossroads.

However, once I got the hang of that I then had to work out how to get on my bike and peddle across the road whilst the light was green. It seems they don't give you enough time to make mistakes. I'm not used to having a bike which has peddles which act as a brake when pushed backwards. This means that when I'm waiting for the traffic light I have to get my pedals in the right position so I just get on and go, but I can't just push the pedals around so it takes me longer. The first few times I cycled anywhere everytime I stopped at traffic lights it took me ages to sort the pedals out and the lights changed at least three times!

Having said that, the worst thing I've done on a bike since I've been here is crash just as I left my halls. I was cycling down the path and at the end there are posts on both sides. For some reason I because fixated on one of the posts rather than thinking about where I was going. I braked but I crashed straight into it. It hurt so much! The bike went up backwards and the handlebars went straight into my stomach. I'm not a bad cyclist, I've cycled since I was about 6 years old but every now and again I make a complete idiot of myself! There were so many people watching too!

The weirdest thing about cycling here is that they seem to have trouble with people cycling and texting. I just cannot comprehend how someone can cycle and text as they cross the road! I also don't understand how they can talk on their phones whist cycling! There have been so many times when I've been overtaken by someone either talking on their phone or texting. I'm an accident waiting to happen without the added factor of a phone so I think I'm going to leave that to the Danes.

In the meantime, thanks for reading! As you can see I'm settling in and starting to really enjoy my time here, as always thank you for your continued support :)

Second Week in Denmark

First off, it seems I've already run out of puns for 'Aarhus' sorry everyone! Also I'm sorry that it's taken me ages to blog this week I've had a really busy time getting stuck in with my course and meeting lots of new people. 

I left my last post talking about my first experiences of the study culture here in Denmark and I started full lectures on my first Friday here. We started with a whole day's classes, 10am-4pm talking about the 'World Agenda' and I had to submit an assignment for my very first class! So far I am loving the course though. We start the day with an hour's introduction lecture given by the course lecturers, then we move onto a smaller group seminar class, led by a Teaching Assistant, for around 3 hours in which we discuss the texts that we have read and answer a set question. Then we finish the day with a 2 hour conclusion class led by the course lecturers in which a pair from each group presents the findings of their groups and we all debate the different theories relating to the topic of the day.

I volunteered to take the very first presentation on the Friday with my classmate Johannes, something which I was really nervous about. I had never studied the 'World Order' or our specific theory, 'Liberalism' before, but with most things in my life I threw myself in at the deep end. I like a challenge and I thought that taking the first presentation would then mean I was more confident about sharing my ideas. We had to give a short presentation about 'Liberalism' and it didn't quite go to plan because I got a bit tongue-tied and couldn't even say 'Liberalism' to begin with. But we got it under control. Then members of our class were encouraged to ask questions and challenge our position, which I admit was pretty scary at first but it really did help me to understand the limitations of the theory we'd studied that day.

I came away at the end of my first day's lectures feeling really happy because the day was structured in such a way that I started the day feeling clueless and ended the day feeling really confident and excited about what I had learned. I have left most of my classes since then with a smile on my face, Sometimes I look and feel exhausted. But mostly I feel like I am in the right place and that this course will benefit me no end. I already feel like I have learned far more about the world and how it operates, journalism and myself than I could have imagined. Since our first lectures on the Friday 7th September, we have moved on to study Globalisation, Globalisation's effect on Journalism and today we studied War Reporting and how that has changed. During the course of this module we will move on to study how to report on things like the Hunger crisis and Terrorism. It all inspires and interests me so the reading, although there is a lot of it, isn't a chore to read.

I have done other things other than study since I last posted though. Last Friday after class we had a huge welcome party for all 103 of us on the course. It was fantastic because we were all encouraged to bring a snack or drink from our country. There was a lot of different types of food but there was also numerous different liquors from different countries including Vodka and Whisky. Needless to say my memories of the party are a little hazy. We then went into town to a club and continued to dance late into the night.

On the Saturday I felt worse for wear but I did manage to sort out some administrative things and I bought a bike. It's not the most beautiful bike I've ever seen but it's functional and I managed to pick it up and cycle it all the way home. I got lost on the way but not on the way back! That's one piece of really good news, I've stopped getting lost everywhere! Since I got lost so many times in my first week I have now built up a mental map for myself and I know where places are in relation to each other now. I have also found a really nice route to the Danish School of Media and Journalism which only takes 20 minutes.

On Sunday I ventured into the city centre to meet some friends. We had a look around a flea market and then sat by the canals with some coffee. The city centre is truly beautiful and I am looking forward to visits from friends and family so I can show it off.

We didn't have classes on Monday this week which I was really glad about because it rained so hard ALL day! Rachel and I visited the Clubs and Organisations Fair though, which proved to be useful as we gathered some information about different clubs and societies within the University and some places to visit in the city. We did go out in the evening though, to a bar on the canal in the city, celebrate some birthdays. A huge amount of my coursemates came and we had a great time chatting, laughing and dancing.

Aarhus Canals at night

The weather brightened up on Tuesday so I cycled my bike to the University. I've found two routes to get there one involves a long, fairly steep hill, perfect for getting to campus in a hurry and the other is a fairly flat route perfect for the way home. It's worked out pretty well. A student from the year above us came to chat to us on campus and it proved really useful as he told us all about freelancing, his experience of Danish culture and the best places to get coffee in town. After the talk I studied in the State Library. It was a nice place to study but next time I go I'm going to check out the Relaxation area which has beanbags and sofas!

We had a full day's lectures on Wednesday which was great until about 3pm when everyone started to feel really tired. My lecturer seems to have so much energy. We were all falling asleep and he was cracking jokes and asking why no one was laughing. I wasn't in any state to do much when I got home that evening because I was so tired.

I spent most of Thursday reading but I also managed to cook Roast Dinner for my flatmates. There are 14 of us most are Danish with the exception of myself and Bianca who is from Brazil. I had some help with the cooking which made it a lot of fun. The Roast itself was actually the best I have ever made because the roast potatoes were really crunchy and crispy. I represented Britain quite well in that respect :). My food got eaten up by everyone which made me really happy and then Bianca made a Brazilian dessert for us all. We then went downstairs to the bar in our Halls for a Quiz about Strange Facts. It was such a lovely evening getting to know my flatmates better and I am really glad that I am living with Danish students both because they are teaching me a lot about Danish culture and because they are great company.

I had another full day of classes on Friday which went really fast. In the evening we went to the Friday Bar in the University Park, it was the largest one in Denmark. It was laid out like a festival with different tents for different music. We met a huge group of our coursemates there and danced all night until the music stopped. I thought I had some pretty crazy dance moves but now I've witnessed those of my coursemates I'm not so sure :)

At the Friday Bar

Saturday morning was spent relaxing. In the afternoon Rachel and I headed into the city to meet some others and to explore. We couldn't find the girls we had arranged to meet and ended up walking around and around the Cathedral. We did find some interesting museums though, like the Womens Museum, the Viking Museum and the Occupation Museum so we'll have to go back to visit those. In the end we just had a coffee and chatted before taking a look around the cobbled streets and brightly painted houses. We did end up meeting the bigger group so we all had a chat and a glass of wine together before heading home.

So you're all pretty up to date now with what's been happening in my life except for one thing. I decided to lend my services in editing our 'Blue Book' which is effectively our Yearbook. The deadline to get the whole thing done is 3 weeks from now, which has put some added pressure on but hey, when I said I have been getting stuck in, I truly have. No wonder it's been such a whirlwind. I can't believe I am already starting my third week here. It goes to show that things are becoming a lot easier and I am really enjoying myself. It's my birthday this week so I know that it's going to be a good one.

I am missing everyone at home but right now I am really proud of myself for adjusting to life here and engaging with the challenge that is my Masters. Thank you as ever for all your support I couldn't do it without you.

Aarhus in the middle of our street

So I've bowed to significant pressure and called this blog post 'Aarhus in the middle of our Street'. But I will now burst that bubble unfortunately because it's not actually pronounced 'Aar'hus but more like 'Or'hus so it sounds less like 'Our House' than I thought. Anyway, this blog post is about my move to Aarhus and the early stages of making it into my home.

I left London on Monday morning on a flight from Heathrow. I was very lucky because my dad managed to use some of his Airmiles (acquired through years of travelling for business), to get me a Business Class flight from Heathrow to Copenhagen. I felt quite teary leaving my house because my move to Denmark had been a slightly blurry and distant event up until that moment. In the car with my dad and boyfriend, I said 'this feels so weird, I can't believe this is actually happening' and my dad responded by saying 'this is happening because back in January you said 'ooh this looks quite exciting, I'd like to do that''. This is true, it seemed like a very exciting prospect back in January, but then that's all it was, a prospect, and in the car on Monday morning that prospect became a reality! My dad left me at the departures gate and then I was left alone with my boyfriend for a teary few minutes but somehow he managed to make me laugh a lot before I said goodbye. As I walked through security I was still grappling with the fact that I was actually going.

As I had a Business Class ticket I then made my way to the British Airways lounge. I must have stuck out like a sore thumb though because everyone in there looked very smart and then in I came, my face still streaked with tears, carrying a huge rucksack and a coat on one arm whilst attempting to hold my phone, passport and boarding pass in my other hand. As I was alone I didn't really want to leave anything on the seats so I tried to make some coffee and pick up some croissants single-handedly. As you can see, I was successful this time! :)

My flight to Copenhagen was pretty easy and very comfortable, though I sat next to a businessman with whom I tried to make conversation with at some point. I say tried, because I asked him questions and then could not for the life of me hear what he said in reply. There's only so many times you can ask someone to repeat themselves and after about 3 questions he put his headphones back on. Note to self, do not engage in conversation on a plane unless the person you are talking to has a very loud voice.

When I landed in Copenhagen I had to get a connecting flight to Aarhus from another terminal. It all went smoothly though and I managed to get the bus to the right place. I met a coursemate for the connecting flight which made me feel less nervous. His name is Viral and he lives close to London too so we had a lot to talk about. He is also a former sports editor for The Boar, Warwick's student publication which won the Ones To Watch Student Publication of the Year for which the Wessex Scene was placed in the top 3. I thought that our meeting might be awkward seeing as the competition results came out the night before but it was fine because Viral left in 2012 and took a year out so was not part of this year's team. We did have a good conversation about it though :)

Hello Aarhus!!

We had to get a bus from the airport to the University which took around 40 minutes. My mentor then came to pick me up from the bus stop. We got a lift to my Halls from her dad, which I was very grateful for. Unfortunately for me though I live on the 3rd floor of my block which meant I had to carry my 22.8kg suitcase up 3 flights of stairs. We met one of my flatmates on the stairs so she showed me to my room and explained some formalities. My first impression of my room was that it looked a little bit like a prison cell, but there's nothing your own bedding, cards and photos from home can't fix, so it's now looking much better.

I then unpacked and went to the supermarket. My trip around the shop was relatively easy, that is until I got to the checkout. I didn't have any bags and the cashier sent all my shopping through at the speed of light whilst I frantically searched for bags, bought them and then scrambled to pack everything. In the process I tipped a huge pile of leaflets onto the floor and I was trying my best to pick them up and pack all my shopping but no one seemed to have that much of a sense of humour. I then just paid and tried to sort myself out but before I had even two seconds to sort myself out, the cashier sent another customer's shopping through. It was crazy, so I think I might be avoiding the supermarket for a bit. Plus, it was a very expensive shop!

There is one other girl from my course in my Halls so I met her on Monday evening so that we could walk into town to meet some of the others. We went into the city centre and met our coursemates in a bar. It was great because the bar was virtually empty except for our group so we could all sit around and chat to each other. Everyone was very friendly and we had some great conversation and lots of laughs. But we didn't stay too long because we had to get the bus back. Unfortunately for us though we missed the bus so decided to walk home. We completely underestimated how far it was. We walked for around 45 minutes and then got very lost so had to walk into a petrol station to ask for directions. She called a taxi for us because she said we were miles away. We got home safely in the end.

We had our first introduction to the course on Tuesday and I was supposed to get to the Danish School of Media and Journalism for 2pm. My coursemate Rachel, who lives in my Halls, had other arrangements so I decided to go it alone, 'how hard can it be?' I asked myself. I got some directions from Google maps and it was supposed to take about 20 minutes to walk so I left myself an hour to get there. I got horrendously lost in the middle of a park! None of the Danish people I asked knew where I was supposed to be going. I ended up on a road and on the right bus eventually but I got to the lecture 10 minutes late.

The introduction to the course was great, I finally got to put some faces to the names of those I'd met on Facebook. The course organisers were all really friendly and welcoming too so I started to feel more relaxed about the whole thing. I left the session feeling calm and self-assured however, my biggest mission of the trip so far was then to try and navigate back home.

I thought I knew which bus to take so I felt pretty positive, that is until we ended up on a road I'd never heard of which seems a really long way from home. I walked up the road to try and get another bus back, waited for a while and got on a bus towards the city centre. I got off again because I just did not recognise any of the street names or anything. By this point I was really starting to feel frustrated and angry. So I got on another bus and ended up even further away from where I wanted to be! The fact that cars drive on the other side of the road here really confused my sense of direction. So I got on one last bus thinking 'this must be it!' The ridiculous thing is, I ended up right back at the Danish School of Journalism and Media, right where I'd started from! At this point I was on the verge of tears and I thought God help me, I am definitely NOT clever enough to be on this Masters course, please someone take me back to the airport! But I pulled myself together and gave up on buses completely so decided to try and walk home. This proved much more successful because I only took one wrong turn and realised where I was. I ended up going back through the park that I'd got lost in on the way. 2 HOURS after I first left the Danish School of Media and Journalism I finally made it to my flat. Needless to say I was exhausted!

Lost in the park, but I can see Aarhus Harbour

In the evening though we all went to our first International Night at the Studenterhus, run by the International Centre. There was a huge hall with a bar and lots of flags hanging from the ceiling and the place was really busy. My group of coursemates found a bar in the cellar though and we all went down there to chat and get to know each other. We started off with a smallish group of about 20 and then more and more people came to join us as the night went on. I met a lot of people that I'd not met yet and we had some great conversations about different countries, what Egypt had been like over the summer and the varied experience of each member of the group. We even learned some Swedish, though I wouldn't know how to spell it. It was a fun night and I'm so excited to get to know everyone a bit better.

So much has happened this week that I can't fit it all into one blog post. But I'm sure you can see that I am currently getting to grips with meeting coursemates, finding various places and learning about the course. It's all been quite overwhelming but I hope to write again at the weekend when I've settled in a bit more. I'm just trying not to rush myself because as I'm finding it's all the little things that we take for granted that seem to be so complicated here, like getting a bus pass or a sim card, using a different style of toaster, working out how my shower works etc. It will all seem pretty normal soon but for now I will share my slightly embarrassing stories in the hope that we can learn some more about Danish culture together.

Tak!
 ('Thank you' in Danish)

Three Days To Go...

Only three days to go until I jet off to Denmark! My flight is at 10am on Monday morning and right now it doesn't feel very real. I'm feeling both terrified and calm at the moment. Terrified when I realise how little time there is to go and calm in the moments when I pretend that I'm not actually going anywhere.

It's taken me a while to sit down and write this post because I've been in a bit of a strange mood for the past few days, I sit down to write it and end up watching BBC iPlayer or recommended videos on YouTube instead. I think there's something quite daunting about writing the words 'Three Days To Go...' because it confirms that yes, this is going to happen. Also I keep crying at little things, like sentimental moments in 'Celebrity Masterchef' and silly things like that. But one thing that really made me weep this week is this video about an elderly man who entered a song competition with a song he wrote about his wife who'd passed away just a month earlier. I'd advise everyone to watch it because it really tells you to enjoy life to the full, but you'll probably need a whole box of tissues.

I've had a really busy time since my last post, which is probably why time is going so quickly. Last week I visited my grandparents in Bath for a couple of days which was lovely. Then I had a busy Bank Holiday weekend which involved the 21st birthday party of one my best friends, a family day trip to the beach and some time spent with my boyfriend. This week I have worked two long shifts, waitressing close to my house. To be honest I haven't had all that much time to pack or to even think about leaving next week.

Spending time with family and friends over the past week has been especially enjoyable as they have all offered so much support. My grandparents asked about the course and assured me that it will be an amazing experience. On Saturday night I was surrounded by some of oldest friends who I've grown up with and we had a wonderful time reminiscing about the gigs we used to go to and all the memories we've shared. My friends are all excited for me which means a lot but I'm going to miss them all. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun at Christmas though.

On Sunday I went on a day trip with my family to the beach, I woke up early despite having partied quite late the night before. Did my brother or sister get up? No. My sister did eventually but I had to wake my brother up. Despite the fact that I was quite annoyed at the time I think that I will miss my brother and his fluctuating moods. One minute he's all chirpy and speaks to me and the next he has his headphones in and you have to shout to get any kind of grunty reply. I spent most of the car journey feeling quite mixed up because we don't go on many family trips anymore and when we do the day starts off with someone being in a mood. The day got better and better though and we had a fantastic time.

We had lunch at a pub in the middle of the New Forest. Then we went to the beach and we all went swimming with my dog who jumped in and out of the waves. When we'd finished, we all got out, dried off and got into clean, dry clothes in bright sunshine and suddenly the heavens opened. We didn't have any anoraks so we all ended up standing underneath the picnic blanket which was waterproof on the bottom. It was a bit of a squash for the good five minutes and it must have looked and sounded quite funny because someone would always pull the blanket away from someone else so there was a lot of shrieking as the rain pelted down around us.

After we'd made it back to the car we drove a small distance and came face to face with a Castle and decided to get out and have a look around. It was only small but it was built in a striking Gothic style and you could see the sea from the garden. Although I sometimes get annoyed at my family's lack of organisation, it is moments of spontaneity like this which I love. We have gone on trips before and Dad has said 'hey, what's that?' or 'let's all get out and look at the view' and whilst my siblings and I may have moaned and groaned sometimes like the grumpy young people we are I know that we really do appreciate it. It's funny that I find myself doing the same when I'm out and about. I'm sure that I'll do this when I get to Aarhus, there's going to be so much to explore.

First things first though, I have to pack my bags, which is proving quite difficult. I found out last week when I looked up my University accommodation which is in Borglum Kollegiet, a private Halls complex, that I will not have a duvet or pillows when I get there. This meant that I then got very excited about the prospect of taking my duvet with me, and even began to think about substituting clothes and shoes for more suitcase space for my duvet. However, that would most likely mean that I have to wear my duvet to lectures next week. I'm even thinking of making some arm holes in my duvet to make it more practical. Surely it's better than going to lectures in my onesie?

This is acceptable outerwear right?

I have come to a compromise, I now have a vacuum storage bag for my duvet so I will have more space for clothes! So this blog will not turn into 'Ellie's Duvet Adventures in Aarhus', sorry guys. The next task is to decide which shoes to take and whether six pairs is really acceptable... I also need to work out how many photographs I can take and all the sentimental pieces. I need to do as much packing as I can this afternoon. Tomorrow I am going out with my best friends from home, we are hitting the town and so on Sunday my ability to pack could be severely affected. In my post-night-out state I will probably end up packing too many packets of painkillers and my duvet, fluffy blanket, hot water bottle etc. because I feel attached to them when in fact I won't need them. So, yes, I will pack more this afternoon to prevent that packing debacle.

My packing attempt so far

There's one last thing that I needed to talk about in this blog post. Last post I mentioned that the Wessex Scene, the newspaper and magazine for which I was Editor last year, had made it into the Top 8 Student Publications in the Country. Well, on Sunday I found out that we'd made it into the TOP 3 for the Ones To Watch Student Publication of the Year award!!!! It was a public vote, so I am extremely proud that we had a following big enough to get us into the final stage of the competition. We technically got our Publication of the Month award for May which is the month when I handed over, but the award covers the whole August 2012-August 2013 period so my efforts as Editor have been recognised. The news couldn't have come at a better time, I now feel fully assured that I am on the right path. Also despite the constant criticism and trolling I was doing the right thing with the publication, the whole time!

So I'll finish on that high note for now and post next week when I'm in Aarhus. It's the Aarhus Festival next week and I will be really busy with Introduction lectures and meeting my coursemates, so I'll have a lot to share with you.

Two Weeks To Go- Thoughts on Journalism

Two weeks today I will boarding a one-way flight to Aarhus, Denmark. I have a feeling that it'll be pretty emotional but only because I'll be stepping into the unknown and won't be taking everyone I love with me. However I am feeling a lot better about the prospect as I was added to the Erasmus Mundus Journalism 2013 group on Facebook last weekend. I have been chatting to my course-mates and learning more about them. The most exciting thing is that they come from so many different countries. I think there are only 4/5 British students amongst the group of 100. There are people from Brazil, Guatemala, the Caribbean, Egypt, Cameroon, Russia, Lithuania, China, the list goes on and on. I actually cannot believe that I have been selected for this programme and keep wondering if the organisers made a mistake. I mean, what an opportunity!

Yet just as I began to call my selection for the course into question, I was given some consolation in the form of a nomination for my former publication, the Wessex Scene, for the 'Ones To Watch' 'Student Publication of the Year'. I found out last weekend and it popped up on my iPhone just as I was making some toast for my brother and I. I got so excited that I burnt the toast!

I was Editor of the Wessex Scene last year, so from June 2012-June 2013 and the nomination is for the August 2012-August 2013 period, thus whilst I was in charge. This is a huge achievement firstly for myself, my deputy editor Jo and our editorial team but also for the new Editor Sam and his team which took over in June this year and secured a nomination for Student Publication of the Month in May during exams. The nomination is truly the result of a huge team effort and it is a huge honour to have been placed among the top 8 student publications in the country. Voting has now closed, I'm afraid so I should have blogged earlier really but I've spent the past week pestering all my friends on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to vote for us. We will find out next Sunday whether we have been placed in the Top 3.

My year as Editor was extremely tough and there were times when I really questioned whether it was worth it. But it really was, on so many levels, the experience taught me so much about journalism, student politics and about myself and I now have a real drive to make it as a journalist.

The Wessex Scene for whatever reason had fallen out of favour within Southampton University's Students' Union, with many students preferring our rival paper The Soton Tab, by the time that I took over. It took many months of hard graft: publicising our content online and on campus, redesigning, relaunching, re-establishing our goals, reworking our relationship with the Students' Union and learning from mistakes to get it to this point where it is now placed in the top student publications. The 'Ones To Watch' website features the best articles from student publications nationwide and has featured a lot of articles from the Scene over the past year, thus our content must have been of a high standard and of a national interest. Their Student Publication of the Year award is not something that we nominated ourselves for, we were selected. There is still much that can be improved with the Wessex Scene but I hope that we have put some strong foundations in place and put in a springboard from which the publication can reach new heights.

On the 'Ones To Watch' article about the 'Student Publication of the Year' the Wessex Scene was the only publication out of the eight nominated to receive negative comments. This trolling on social media and from our rival publication was our biggest problem last year. Not a day went past without us being slated for something. Obviously there were times when my judgment was rightfully called into question due to mistakes made by myself or members of my team but I always admitted wrongdoing when appropriate and stood up for myself and the team. One thing I really tried to encourage was that my editors give their writers good feedback so that we could assist them with their writing. This had two benefits, firstly we were able to ensure that all articles were of a consistently high quality and secondly the writers weren't fed to the wolves and could be proud of what they'd achieved. There were times when this did not happen but I am happy to say that in the majority of cases it did. I see no use in allowing a piece to be published which is badly written and will just attract the attention of internet trolls who show no mercy.

Trolling within the media must be a relatively new problem but it is a plague which threatens to poison a lot of very good work especially that of writers who are just starting out. But looking back over the past year I realise that though they tried to get me down and to poison my publication their comments have made me a stronger person and journalist and actually I face the future with a strength which I might not have acquired had my editorship been plain sailing. Also these comments have helped the Scene gain a lot of exposure and get a lot of people talking about us so in essence their attempts to bring us down have in fact done the opposite.

Also I realised today, that journalists have far more to worry about than anonymous comments written by a handful of bitter and twisted people, regardless of what these trolls might think. A good example is found in today's Guardian in Greenwald's article about the detention of his partner under anti-terrorism laws. Greenwald describes this as an act of 'intimidation' and 'bullying' linked to his writing about the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ. If this is true then it shows that anti terror laws can be manipulated in an attempt to silence the media. This in itself is scary, especially since it happened in our country. In my opinion, journalism is the pursuit of information and the relaying of this information to educate, inform and assist consumers in making decisions about their own lives and by extension shaping the core values of this country. British journalists should, as Greenwald states, be defiant against such acts and be emboldened in light of this incident to continue in their work.

I have a feeling that these opinions might change during the course of my MA course and I am very excited to find out what my course-mates think about journalism and why. I know that my views are heavily influenced by the culture in which I have grown up so it'll be interesting to see how different cultures have impacted on journalism from other countries.

Please comment about any of my ideas but once again I urge you not to be a troll. :)