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.
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