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! :)