Is there anything more Danish than the Danes?

Stupid question one might think, but after reading an article for my Scandinavian Identities class I started to think it might not be. It featured a poem by Benny Andersen entitled Skabssvenskere or "Closet Swedes":

"I there anything so Danish as a potato? The potato comes from South America. Is there anything so Danish as the Dannebrog itself? It fell from heaven a long time ago in Estonia and brings to mind the flag of the Swiss. Does anything ring more truly Danish than the music of a German making diligent use of Swedish folk tunes? Pay attention now, for now it gets trickier: Is there anything more Danish than the Danes? The descendants of the Danes, a group of people in Sweden, invaded our country some time in the year 300-and-smoothing, while the original Danes, the Heruli, being inferior in number, were driven away by the cruel Swedish Danes and forced to roam the Europe of old, homeless, for hundreds of years, until a few thousand of these aboriginal Danes eventually succeeded in reaching Sweden, there to settle under the dubious name of Swedes. Here's the question once again; think carefully before you answer: Is there anything more Danish than the Danes? The correct answer is: Yes! The Swedes! They are the real, authentic Danes. Like the Jews in the desert, they are forever drawn toward the Promised Land that flows with beer and bacon, but which for seventeen hundred years has been occupied. By whom? By the Swedes! By us!"


I have really enjoyed the reading for this class so far, and who know I might even be inclined to actually do the reading every week! What a concept. It is easy as a North American to believe that no matter what you call them, the countries in Northern Europe are all the same - peaceable, small and cute. However, as I have learned already, their peoples, history, and culture could not be more different. Additionally, I have learned that terms like "Northern European," "Scandinavian," "Baltic," and "Nordic" all include different countries and have different meanings. Danes often think of themselves as being both Scandinavian and Nordic; however, they usually don't think of themselves as European let alone Northern European.

This is a very intriguing concept for a non-European because we tend to look at a map and automatically think "Well of course they are European, what else would they be?"

I do believe I am going to like this class! Vi ses.

Some Nordic Flags - Bergen, Norway

Are you ready for some (American) Football?!

During the godawful hours of the morning? I think not. However, at 3:25 am I found myself awake and unable to sleep so I pulled on a sweater and creeped into the common room to watch the final 10 minutes of the game. Although I have a certain amount of despise for both teams, Steelers because they stole Super Bowl XL from the Seahawks and the Packers well just because, I was happy to see Ben "Worthlessberger" leave the field empty handed... though I must say those Pittsburgh boys did give the Packs a run for their money near the end.

It was a pity though that the Swedish channel I was watching the game on did not show the commercials, so I will have to rely on youtube to catch me up on what I missed. Because as everyone knows the commercials are the best thing about the Super Bowl. When I told a roommate of mine about this phenomena she replied with an apt "Sam, you come from a strange culture" and I have found that is true in many ways.

But I think one of the most interesting things about watching those last minutes of the game was the fact there were a handful of Danes up too watching the game. One of my favorite things about my place is that from the comfort of our couch I can see into about 75% of the other kitchens and common rooms in Tietgen, it provides some very entertaining "people watching" opportunities. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that at least five other kitchens had the game on. And further more one of the cinemas in the city was showing the game as a double feature along The Fighter (good film by the way everyone should see!).

It is a weird feeling being an American, having your culture present all over the world - whether you like it or not.

Lazy Sunday

Well lazy in the sense that I have not taken a shower or actually left my place at all today, but on the other hand very productive because I made this beautiful new blog. I have decided that I need to start blogging more about my experience here, not only because I want to keep people back home informed about my life but also because I want to start writing more.

As some of you might have read in the last post (don't blame you if you didn't because it was super long) I have decided that after I graduate from UCLA I want to apply to either a journalism or editing/publishing program. So in order to prepare myself for that endeavor I think I need to starting writing more often... and not just essays about Irish terrorists and danish cinematic history (papers I wrote last semester). In addition to blogging more often I have also contacted the University Post - the English newspaper for Københavns Universitet, my current University - and inquired about the possibility of me contributing to their paper and perhaps even becoming a photographer.

So what is happening in my life right now? Well I just finished having a delightful lunch featuring torskerogn, which is like a cod paté, and when you put it on some good old danish rugbrød (rye bread) with some mayo and lemon juice it makes for a really good meal. Once my torsk digests more I plan on going to my gym just five minutes away from where I live. For some strange reason I really love running on the treadmill there, in LA or Silverdale would not catch me dead on one of those things... perhaps I find Danish treadmills more agreeable, strange.

This next week marks the second round of classes. I am taking two history courses, the History of the European Union & Scandinavian Identities. The introductory classes last week were promising and I really like to professors so far. I just wish that my books would arrive already so I could actually start studying... I get the urge to learn when I have been on break for too long!

I might also try and make it over to the Danish Immigration Service to check up on the status of my application to extend my visa. My guess is that they have bigger problems than an American exchange student to worry about, but nonetheless I would like to get it taken care of asap. Until next time, vi ses!

The year that was 2010...

Well here I am about to sitting in my lovely Tietgen home one week into the new semester at the University of Copenhagen… this was certainly unexpected.

My original plans were to just stay in Copenhagen for 6 months and return to Los Angeles in January for winter quarter; however, at the end of October I decided to extend my stay in Denmark to the entire year. I have not fully grasped the concept that I am going to be in Denmark for another six months probably because only about 4-5 months ago if you asked me if I was going to stay my standard answer was “No. It is too expensive and I don’t want to be away from UCLA and my friends for a whole year… I would miss out on too much!” Boy has that changed.

One of my favorite things about my life is how quickly long expected plans change. For instance I thought I was going to the University of Washington for the longest time then that fateful letter from UCLA came in the mail and changed my life. I love thinking how surprised my 1-year-ago self would be if she knew what I was doing now: living in Copenhagen for an entire year, traveling Europe like a madwoman, making friends from all over the world, and dating an amazing guy… she would certainly be blown off her seat.

2010 was undoubtedly a life-changing year, the best one so far. I thought this statement would best be explained by a few highlights (featuring both big and small feats), and so in no particular order…

Omicron Pledge Class

1. PLEDGING KAPPA ALPHA PI: At the close of 2009 I was not enjoying life at UCLA. Since I was no longing on the women’s rowing team I had a great deal more time on my hands. Instead of going out and seizing new opportunities I decided to devote myself to school work, although this pledge got me on the Dean’s List it certainly did not make me a very happy person. With a new year and a new beginning I decided to pledge KAPi, as a new effort to meet people and get myself back into the UCLA community. Well many a sleepless night, days spent in business wear, handshakes, and journal entries later I was blessed with a tight knit community of great friends that are a large part of the reason I decided that UCLA was a place I wanted to stay.

2. GETTING A TATTOO: For the longest time I could never imagine myself with a tattoo. It was not only my fear of needles, which had slightly improved after being a human pin cushion when I was diagnosed with my seizure disorder, but also the fact that I often change my mind and never seem to have the same taste for more than a couple of years. However, after my friend Joana did her senior project on “How to decide on a Tattoo” a small seed had been planted in my mind… after much thought and sharpie ink used to test different ideas, I finally took the plunge. I went to Freak Chic with my friend Hannah and got a lovely scallop shell on the top of my right foot. The experience was liberating and very empowering. And not to worry I am still very much in love with almost 7 months later… in fact I just stopped writing to glance at it admiringly.

Tietgenkollegiet

3. STUDYING ABROAD IN DENMARK: In the 20 years of my life so far I have made many important and scary decisions that have undoubtedly shaped my life and the path it is on. There are a few I am particularly proud of, for example my decision to attend UCLA even though I knew zero people and had never been to Los Angeles before. Now my decision to study abroad in Copenhagen ranks highest among these milestones. I often find myself forgetting that I am half a world away from the country and states that I have called home for all my life; this can only mean that I truly feel at home here. The Danish culture, food, architecture, language, people, and coffee are just of the few things that I have fallen in love with. My accommodations could not be more perfect, my room in Tietgenkollegiet is very cozy with photos, postcards, posters, flags and football scarves covering the walls. Also I have taken to the Danish love of candles and burn them every chance I get; three pillar and four tea light candles, ceiling to floor windows and some small string lights make me forget that the daylight is scarce.

4. BECOMING A TOUR GUIDE: First of all it was a really big honor to even be considered for this job and get an interview considering the sheer size of the applicant pool. The group interview was unlike anything I have ever experienced, questions completely out of left field (maybe more like from the edge of the parking lot outside the left field gates) for instance “Squirrels or Sombreros?” Well squirrels of course! I was completely speechless when I saw my name amongst the others who got hired; I had to run back in a double check and even forgot to read the note talking about the paperwork. I really enjoy the job, and like I always say “I love a job where you get a round of applause at the end of the day.”

Kayaking in the fjords of Norway

1. Mazatlan, Mexico
2. Reykjavik, Iceland
3. Copenhagen, Denmark (lived!)
4. Berlin, Germany
5. Paris, France (3^rd time)
6. Malmø, Sweden
7. Stockholm, Sweden
8. Bergen, Norway
9. St. Petersburg, Russia
10. Moscow, Russia
11. Prague, Czech Republic
12. Vienna, Austria
13. Bratislava, Slovakia
14. Budapest, Hungary
15. Zurich, Switzerland
16. Vaduz, Liechtenstein
17. Salzburg, Austria

I tried to only go places that I have never been before, and expect for Paris I succeeded. This semester I will probably not be doing as much traveling but I do plan on making a trip to Ireland, England, and Poland… and perhaps some other pleasant surprises!

Standing in front of Saint Basils in Red Square - Moscow, Russia

6. TRIP TO RUSSIA: Never did I think I would get the opportunity to see the Kremlin or St. Basil’s cathedral in Red Square. On this trip organized by the university for exchange students I made life long friends from around the world (courtesy in part to the soviet night train and 5 bottles of vodka),  got to see Lenin while still drunk from the previous nights frivolities, and experience a side of Russia that few people get the chance to see.

7. FIGURING OUT WHAT I WANT TO DO AFTER UCLA: I love taking long road trips with my Dad because I feel like I always learn something important. So it was no surprise that when we drove from Zurich to Salzburg in our Citroën in November, I decided what career path I wanted to pursue. Prior to coming to Denmark I was still toying with the idea of law school; however, after much reflection I decided that I am not passionate or convinced enough to spend the time and money on a law degree. Subsequently, I discovered that I really enjoy editing my writing. My favorite part about writing an essay is when I print out the paper and sit down with a red pen and fine-tune it to perfection. So lately I have been looking into programs in both journalism and editing/publishing, so far everything seems to point to the East Coast… so very exciting!

Martin & I at Tivoli

8. FALLING IN LOVE FOR THE FIRST TIME: Anyone who hung out with me in the 6 months before I left for Denmark probably heard me mention at least once heard me half-heartedly jokingly say that “I am going to find my Danish lover in Denmark and never come back!” Well you know what they say about those self-fulfilling prophecies haha. Never have I been happier in my life, I truly feel that I have stumbled into something pretty amazing. Without going into all the juicy details, most of which are none of y’alls business, I will just say that I am starting to realize what those four letters really mean… he treats me like royalty and has in the matter of just three months become my closest friend. I feel so blessed to have found him and cannot imagine my life without min dansk kæreste.

Although we are already a month a five days into the New Year, I still felt it was important that I pay homage to the amazingness that was 2010. I have vowed that I am going to do a better job blogging this time around; I truly enjoy reflecting on my time here and keeping you all at home up to date.