The weather is starting to get cold. It's usually around 10-15C. It was 4C the other night when I was walking home and if you're coming from Hawaii, that's some pretty cold weather and not to mention it's only October...

Shopping got a lot easier over time and a lot cheaper. The cheapest grocery stores are probably Netto and Fakta. There's a Fakta near my apartment so I shop there for the basics like milk, eggs, bread, TP, sandwich meat, fruits and vegetables. However, Fakta doesn't have steaks or peanut butter or very many options so I also shop at Fotex which is more similar to an American grocery store. At least in variety and size. I get cheese there since Fakta doesn't have cheddar and the other non essential items. It's also a good idea to bring a reusable shopping bag from home or to bring an empty backpack when you go shopping. They charge you for grocery bags.

Living here for the last few months has really given me some new perspective. I think it has a lot to do with the sheer volume of exchange students that CBS has and not necessarily Denmark as a country and culture. You'll notice that there aren't very many Danish foods. The two I can think of are frikadeller(meatballs) and smørrebrød(a kind of open-faced sandwich). I have no idea what I'm bringing home for omiyage(gifts) because they really don't have unique candies or nonperishable food items. Anyway, you'll gain a lot of insight on what international kids think. Being from the United States is very interesting to see the US from the other end of the spectrum. It's also interesting seeing people group together based on their mother tongue. The Chinese stick together, the Spanish and Mexicans, the Australians, British, and Americans, the French and French-Canadians, etc. Back at UH I never really noticed the Chinese exchange students or Japanese exchange students form little clicks. It's very interesting seeing this because it gives you an idea of what people would act like in their home countries.

Reading news with a global perspective is also much more interesting and provokes a lot more thought. Before studying abroad I was very opinionated and took a lot of news seeing it from only one side. Now I actually think about what I'm reading and my opinions are a lot less firm.

The single most intriguing thing I've learned on my exchange is that Danish students don't pay for their higher education, actually, they get paid about $900 a month just for going to college. Due to Denmark's inadequacy of natural resources, they make a living with their intellect as their number one resource. Yes, taxes are high but imagine going to school for free and getting nearly all your cost of living expenses covered during that time. Imagine having a college education and no debt.

Holocaust memorial in Berlin. This is incredible and a must see if you get a chance to go to Berlin.

The entrance to Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany.

The Nobel Peace Prize building in Oslo.

The season change is beginning to show in Copenhagen.

The zoo in Copenhagen has lots to see and makes you feel like a kid again.

Whoops

Forgot to post this earlier.

9/25/11

Here are some cultural/social differences that I have begun to notice. There are lots of dad’s that walk around during work hours with their infant children. This is because many of them can get a leave from work when their child is born. Usually the mother takes off from work initially then the father takes the second half of the leave to allow for bonding time early in the child’s life. Danish couples live together relatively early in their relationships. My guess is housing is so expensive that it just makes sense. It seems that many Dane’s (well, my sample size is limited to the ones I’m grouped with) don’t like to procrastinate and stay very much on task.

As far as differences education wise, it’s very interesting to have classes with so many international students. The more classes that go by, the more evident the differences in learning style and academic strengths and weaknesses. I noticed that of the student presentations so far, the Americans have the best presentation skills hands down. I might also add that in my opinion many of my Shidler classmates are far better orators. I understand that for majority of my classmates here, English is not their first language and puts them at a disadvantage. However, as far as just their presence, aura as Dr. Shin would say, is not confident. Also, the way information is conveyed and the unprofessional/low quality powerpoint presentations make the US students shine even more.

I get the sense that non-US students are much more interactive in learning and gain a much deeper understanding of materials taught. Most international students grasp the bigger picture more easily and make connections more quickly than I do. Also in most classes that I’m taking there really aren’t any benchmarks for determining how you’re doing and if you really understand concepts and how they fit together. Professors lecture but don’t often pose questions unless someone asks specifically.