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.