Last weekend I went on a study tour with my positive psych class to Jutland. If I knew more Danish maybe I could comment on the differences in pronunciations but frankly, minus a word here or there, all of it goes right over my head anyway. So I didn't (and won't) even try. Instead I'll just tell you about what I did for 3 days in Jutland. First off, I should say that the purpose of a study tour with DIS is like going on a really long field trip in order to see what you're learning in the classroom in practice in the real world; there's also cultural outings mixed in there.
Day 1. Started off bright and early with 31 of us students loading into a bus and driving a few hours and across 2 giant bridges to our first destination: Esjberg, which is on the southwest coast of Jutland. In Esjberg we had Academic Visit #1 to an alternative education program for teenagers and young adults that focuses more on the holistic "building up" of each person than on any sort of measurable academics. Before leaving Esjberg we went to The Man Meets the Sea which is comprised of 4 (makes me wonder why it's not The Men Meet the Sea) giant, all-white statues of men sitting down. And it's built near the sea. After that we drove to nearby Ribe (the oldest town in Denmark), checked in to our hostel, toured the cathedral, and ate where we wanted for dinner. Two comments: 1. the hostel was much, much nicer than I expected (probably because my perception of hostel quality was tainted after my past Montreal experience) and 2. dinner in Ribe was great because my roommates on the trip and I ended up in a cute Italian restaurant where we were literally the only customers and the food was delicious and reasonably priced. Score.
Day 2. Up early (it was a trend of the weekend) and after an incredibly delicious breakfast at the hostel, we had a walking tour of the town of Ribe. Then we drove a few hours away to Aarhus (the second largest city in Denmark after Copenhagen). Academic Visit #2 took place at Aarhus University, were we learned about a program for university students to gain knowledge of self (focusing on personal strengths) and entrepreneurial skills and get help in starting their own businesses. For our afternoon in Aarhus we went to the ARoS Museum which is a museum with primarily modern art. It was by far my favorite part of the weekend even though it had nothing at all to do with positive psychology. The best exhibits for me were those with interactive art; I really liked how they incorporated multiple senses. In one of them you were in this black room that had one light shining on a wall of mist; the art happened when you walked through the mist and in to the rainbow the light created. Another one of my favorites was "the smoke room." Before entering this one you were warned that you wouldn't be able to see more than 1 meter in front of you and so to be really careful. With that warning in mind you step inside and are fully immersed in the color red (the room's filled with fog and has colored lights that create the affect); you walk to another part and are "in" the color green, then blue, and so on. Anyway, that's just two of the cool things I saw/experienced to give you an idea of it... After the museum we all went out to dinner in downtown Aarhus and were treated to the best salmon I've ever had followed by a very yummy apple tart dessert. And after that we all went to a concert by The Pigeon Detectives. Never heard of them in my life but, for those few hours, I went all out in pretending to be a big fan. This plan was helped by being right behind a group of Danish teenagers who were really into it.
Day 3: After staying out late the night before, we still had to wake up early. At least the hostel breakfast was yet again delicious and complete with freshly baked bread (I could've eaten an entire loaf by myself - it was so good). Then it was time for Academic Visit #3 and final, where we learned about a program that uses strengths building to teach and train young adults how to be successful in life and specifically in social entrepreneurship. The session itself was very thought-provoking and inspirational; one of those experiences that's hard to put into words exactly how it influences you. The one thing I can say about it is that I learned a new word (eldsjäl) - it's Swedish not Danish - which literally translates as "firesoul." After hearing the term "firesoul" it's just stuck with me and been at the back of my mind. There's something that resonates with me about the concept of being so passionate about something that you're described as having a soul on fire. I've been thinking about it a lot... To wrap up the study tour we went to a Danish cafe and had a traditional meal, complete with lots of different styles of herring. Then we headed back to Copenhagen.
One more thing unrelated to the study tour but pertaining to that weekend: the night we got back from our trip, the house next door to mine - which is a kollegium (dorm) for U. of Copenhagen students - was hosting a Fastelavn party (think Danish version of Halloween). The only requirement was to dress up. I made a costume out of what I had - which ended up being a toga out of a blanket. Other people at the party had gone all out, though - there was everything from a human-sized hotdog to a giant cockroach. And to keep in line with Fastelavn tradition, there was time dedicated to "hitting the cat out of the barrel." There's a barrel full of candy (think piñata) that you take turns hitting with a wooden stick; whoever breaks it is given a special crown. I don't know the story behind the whole cat/barrel thing but I do know that candy's involved and that makes everything OK.
The Pigeon Detectives...gotta look them up...
ReplyDelete