Cold and Rainy

The weather reminds me of California at Christmas time, very chilly and wet. It has also started to get darker and darker earlier and earlier... i have resorted to using candles a lot to keep the mood in the room cheerful:)

Now that I have been in Denmark for 2 months I feel like I should touch upon some of the things that I have learned. There are so many slight differences between Danish and American culture that I am just starting to understand (or at least attempt to understand). For instance, in danish, there is no word for "please", or "excuse me"... the second of these words became noticeable instantly when people would brush, or occasionally shove, past me in a crowded area. My friends and I have been gathering together to discuss the Danish cultures and have touched upon a few things that deal with classes.

In the courses that I take, I am enrolled in an "area" of interest in which I take 5 classes, write one smaller 15 page topic study of my choice, a larger 40 page project with a partner, and an oral defense at the end of the semester... thats it, that is all I have to turn in. While these papers/projects are extremely intense, it is strange to not have basic hw or other such assignments. Classes do not hold such value as they do in the US, people tend to only attend the lectures that fit into their paper or topic study rather than attend them all for the sake of learning. While this can be frustrating for us americans, it is how things are done over here.

Don't get me wrong, I am loving my experience, the food, the travel, the friends... however everyone knows that I am a social butterfly, and another aspect that differs in Denmark is that of friendships. To the Danes, friendships start at birth and last a lifetime. People tend to stay where they were born, not deviating or moving from their original town. Therefore, friendships are never challenged and no one is forced to make new friends. As an international student, I have been forced to make friends (which I love!) and have found that all of my friends are other international students, not Danes. While the Danes that I have had the pleasure of interacting with are friendly, polite and all together wonderful, they are not willing or wanting a full fledged friendship due to that fact that international students come and go, making long-term friendships near impossible.

I think my study abroad experience, thus far, has been more about understanding cultural differences and learning about myself and those around me than it has been about the actual courses that I am taking. This, I say, is a good thing. Willamette tuition is paying for a wonderful experience and challenge that could not be had anywhere else. In any other country, I could take these courses, get hw, take normal tests, and receive a letter grade. But only in denmark (slash scandinavia in general) am I challenged with cultural differences that defy everything I thought to be normal.