danish – GW Blogs from Abroad

Homesickness: A How-To

AdminMarch 25, 2015December 14, 2018

I'm a bit more than halfway through my semester here in Denmark, and I feel as though I have adjusted fairly well to my home here in the city. Though I do miss my friends, family and boyfriend back in the United States, I am not hit with frequent pangs of full-on homesickness like I was at the beginning of my time abroad. There are some big differences between missing home and being homesick -- the homesick feeling is definitely much more intense and depressing. Sometimes it becomes all you can think about.

I experienced the brunt of my homesick feelings in the first quarter of my time in Copenhagen, but as time passed and I began to experience new and exciting things, those feelings faded into the background. For anyone interested in studying abroad in the future, or just being away from home for a long time, there are a few things that you can do to help cope with your homesickness.

Get out of the house. Any time you're feeling down, the urge to stay indoors and cuddle up with Netflix is usually strong. Resist the urge. The more you force yourself to go out, the more you set yourself up to have positive experiences in your new environment -- whether that means seeing a neat exhibit at a local museum, meeting a new friend in your host country, or just getting to take in some sunshine. The more positive experiences you have abroad, the better you'll begin to feel, and the less time you'll have to dwell on your homesickness.

Find some pals. Going abroad can be a very alienating experience. It moves you away from your friends and family -- and from the familiarity of your home university or hometown. But, luckily, going abroad sets up a good opportunity to make some new friends. All abroad students already have something in common with one another -- talk to people, learn more about them and where they're from, and try to form some connections. Building a good support group abroad is important.

Don't hang on your phone. Or your tablet, or your laptop, or any other electronic device. Step away. Put it down. The more you make yourself completely available at all times to your friends and family back home, the less you make yourself available to the opportunities and people who surround you while abroad. If you talk constantly to your parents, friends, or boyfriend, you won't be paying attention as well to the world around you. Also, the more you keep in frequent touch with people, the more you will miss them. It may seem counter-intutitve to what your homesick heart is telling you, but the best thing that you can do for homesickness is to spend some time away from your electronics and from the influence of the folks back home.

Fastelavn! Fastelavn!

AdminMarch 15, 2015December 14, 2018

By Ashlyn

I celebrated my first Danish holiday last week! Fastelavn, celebrated the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, is the Danish version of Carnival - or Fat Tuesday, or Pancake Day, or whatever else you're used to calling the holiday before the Lenten season begins.

Danish Fastelavn is similar in some ways to Halloween in America. Children (and adults) dress up in costumes to celebrate. One of the day's events is to hit a big barrel that is tied up in a tree. The barrel is very sturdy and wooden rods are used to hit it. Inside the barrel is a huge amount of Danish candy. Children take turns whacking it until the barrel is smashed open and all the candy flies out. Toffee, caramels, gummies, and black licorice are usually among the candies inside. (Chocolate candy is not as popular here as it is in America!)

Another tradition is fastelavnsboller - pastries that are specifically eaten on this holiday. The buns are filled with cream or custard, baked, and then drizzled with a warm chocolate topping. They can be found at bakeries around the city, but the home-baked fastelavnsboller are definitely more delicious!

The history of Fastelavn isn't quite as sweet and sugary as what's celebrated today, though. The origins of the barrel-hitting game come from an event called "hit the cat out of the barrel." A live black cat was sealed into the barrel and the barrel was struck until the cat leapt out -- then the cat was chased through town and beaten to death. Gruesome, yes, but the whole ordeal was meant to ward off bad luck and evil spirits.

Another interesting tradition is the "fastelavnsris," which is a bundle of sticks given to children before the Fastelavn celebration. The children use the sticks to "flog" their parents (gently) on the morning of Fastelavn, and are then rewarded with fastelavnsboller. This tradition is said to originate from the practice of flogging children on Good Friday to remind them of Jesus' trials before death. Today fastelavnsris are sold in grocery stores and are usually strung with candy and jingle bells and other fun treats.

Want to celebrate Fastelavn at home? The following is the recipe for fastelavnsboller. These sweet treats take a bit of time to prepare, but the results are worth it!

Fastelavnsboller

For the Dough:

25 g yeast
1.25 dl whole milk
1 egg
50 g sugar
1 tsp. salt
175 g soft butter
450 g flour
A pinch of cardamom

For the Custard:

3 egg yolks
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
2 tsp corn starch
2 dl whole milk

Directions:

Whip the yolks, sugar, vanilla or vanilla sugar, and corn starch in a bowl to begin the custard. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it boils and then pour the heated milk into the bowl, whipping all the while. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and allow it to boil for one to two minutes, beating continuously. Allow the custard to cool completely.

To begin the dough, warm the milk until room temperature. Dissolve the yeast into the milk. Add the egg, sugar, salt, butter, flower, and cardamom. Mix the ingredients and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is 1 centimeter thick. Slice the dough into squares 3 by 3 inches large, then put a small spoonful of cooled custard in the center of each. Fold the corners in like a dumpling and press the dough together with your fingers to seal it. Flip the buns over and place them on a lined baking sheet, giving enough room for them to expand.

Bake the buns in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, glaze with melted chocolate and then enjoy.

Reflection

AdminMarch 5, 2015December 14, 2018

By Ashlyn

When you study abroad, you're asked to register your trip through the State Department. After registering, you begin to get emails regarding travel safety and security in your host country. These emails mostly end up in my trash folder, forgotten. Shortly after I arrived in Denmark I began to realize that it is a very safe and secure country. Crime is low here. The Danes are, for the most part, kind and friendly and trustworthy. Though I am living in the large city of Copenhagen, the streets are quiet and there is no constant sound of sirens and cars like there is in D.C. Copenhagen, and Denmark as a whole, is very peaceful.

That doesn't mean, though, that there is always peace here. Yesterday, shortly after I returned from my study tour in Sweden, news broke that there had been a shooting at a cafe in Østerbro, one of Copenhagen's neighborhoods. One man died and two were injured. The cafe was hosting a free speech debate and Lars Vilks, a Swedish man who has created cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, was in attendance.

Later in the night, at a synagogue in the center of town, another man was shot and killed. The man was working as a guard for a bar mitzvah. The suspect for both shootings was killed a few hours later by the police in a shootout.

We, as students, are being encouraged to stay safe but also to not allow these incidents to frighten us. "We encourage you to continue your lives in Copenhagen in the same way that you did before these events," reads an email from my program's director. But it is difficult to return to normal so quickly after something so terrible and unexpected happens. I don't feel scared -- I know that the attacks were targeted and that security is now high in the city. But I do feel sad. That acts of terror are possible even in a country as small and peaceful as Denmark is unsettling. Especially when those attacks are in response to the freedoms of speech and expression.

As a journalism student, I believe in the supreme power of freedom of speech. Over my travel break I had the pleasure of meeting with an editor of a newspaper in Malmø, whose name I will not reveal as a safety precaution. Her response to a student's question about freedom of speech was poignant. "We are a newspaper," she said. "To us, religions don't have rights. People have rights." She went on to say that she would not hesitate to print an "offensive" cartoon or article on the grounds that it might offend the wrong person.

We don't often think of these people - journalists, editors, cartoonists, etc. - as having dangerous jobs. To most, a journalist or cartoonist is just a person who sits at a desk and turns out content for others to read. But there are times when decisions must be made. Difficult decisions about whether writing, drawing, or publishing something is important enough to put lives and safety on the line. What price are you willing to pay for the freedom of speech? Or the freedom to worship the religion of your choice?

I still feel safe in Denmark. I still feel confident about my decision to study here. The Danes are so welcoming and kind - one month into my stay here, I already feel a part of the Danish community. I may be just an American student studying in Copenhagen for a short time, but for the next three months Denmark is my country as well. I still believe in the safety and peace that has comforted me since I landed here four weeks ago today.

My thoughts go out to the families of the victims. We are all thinking of you.

A Trip to the Store

AdminFebruary 2, 2015

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — My groceries from my first grocery trip - buttermilk included!

The Danish word of the day is karnemelk.

The definition of the word is buttermilk.

One hundred and five people (or somewhere close to that number) told me, before I left the United States to study abroad, that I was going to experience some sort of culture shock when I got there. That I was going to be confused and, inevitably, would do a lot of things to embarrass myself. “Don’t worry if you make a lot of social faux-pas during your first few weeks!” they all said. “It’s normal! Don’t get upset about it!”

Foolishly I thought that I could escape this issue by just being as observant as possible. Just follow the Danes, I thought to myself as I scurried about my first week in Copenhagen. I mimicked their walk, their talk, the way they ordered their coffee. I wore dark colors and attempted to copy that stereotypical, stoic Danish resting face that many wear as they go about their business. I learned a few Danish words like tak (thank you) and undskyld (sorry). I attempted to blend in as much as possible.

All was going according to plan until my first trip to the grocery store. I sauntered in, feeling sure of myself – then realized, with a sinking feeling, that I was about to be in for a challenge. Everything, and I mean everything, was in Danish. I don’t know what I was expecting. Shaking in my boots, I looked from one product to the other, attempting to figure out what boxes and cartons contained just by looking at the little pictures on the label. A picture of bread – flour, maybe? Meat with a pig on it – must be pork, right? The mysterious items that had no images on their packaging were ignored altogether.

Eventually I managed to sneak up behind some unsuspecting shopper who looked like they knew what they were doing. I followed at their heels, glancing at their purchases and putting similar items in my basket. I felt pretty confident that their choices of eggs, milk, bread and cheese would be good enough for me, at least for the first week. Can’t go wrong with some good Danish dairy products.

I went to the checkout counter, smiling as I told the woman behind the register “Hej!” She was firm-lipped, not even looking up from her work as she furiously scanned items. Small talk, as I would come to learn, is not very popular in Denmark. The woman then shot her head up and said a quick string of Danish words that I didn’t understand. “Excuse me?” I stammered, already flustered.

“135 krone,” she repeated slowly, staring at me. I laughed way too loud and handed her my food stipend card to swipe. Then I rushed out the door with my head down, groceries swinging from my side.

Later, putting my purchases away in the kitchen, I decided to sample some of the things I had bought. I made a sandwich and poured myself a glass of milk. As soon as I took a sip from the glass, though, I knew that something was wrong. The taste was extremely sour, as though the product was far past its expiration date. But on the top of the carton, the date provided was still half a week away.

Then I noticed – the label said “karnemelk.” A quick Google search and I found out I had bought a big old carton of Danish buttermilk Sighing, I choked down the rest of the glass. I wasn’t about to let 15 krone go to waste. Plus, according to a few of my teachers, the Danes often drink their buttermilk straight.

When in København, I suppose!