Winter Solstice

Today, the 21^st of December, is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, which means that the sun will set at its farthest southern point and will slowly begin moving back to the north. To ancient observers, when the sun changed from setting in the south to setting in the north, it seemed to sit still, at its southern point, which is where we get the the word solstice. The winter solstice, in the Germanic world, used to be called Jul, which is now used as the word for Christmas. As I have already written, these two holidays were combined during the Christianization of Northern Europe. Nevertheless, Winter Solstice also means that today is the shortest day of the year. This morning, the sun rose at 8:38 AM, and this afternoon it will set at 3:38 PM, meaning we have less than seven hours of full daylight. This may seem depressing, but Winter Solstice also means that the days are finally going to get longer. By the time I leave Denmark in May, the sun will rise at 4:47 AM, and will set at 9:16 PM, meaning we will have more than 16 hours of day, which is double what we get right now. I am glad that it is going to get lighter outside, and cannot wait to see the sun again. For now however, I have become oddly accustomed to the idea that early mornings and late afternoons are supposed to be dark, and that all important outdoor activities must be completed by three.

Transportation: Bikes, Part Two

Sorry for the lack of posts these 1^st few weeks. It was midterms time here and Denmark, and consequently we have all been busy with papers and exams. In the end, we all survived, and we now have our two-week travel break. We are all free to travel Europe for two weeks, before returning to Copenhagen for the last part of the semester. I will be going to Russia the first week with a DIS sponsored optional study tour, and then I will be going to Seville, Spain on my own to explore. I wont have my computer in Russia, or perhaps Spain, so the blog is going to be pretty inactive for the next few weeks. Needless to say, I will be posting about my experiences in Russia and Spain just as soon as I can.

For the time being, however, I wanted to post a couple of YouTube videos of Copenhagen. The first is a travel video from 1953, showing what Copenhagen looked like fifty years ago. Some of it still looks similar today, while other things have changed quite a bit. Just a note on the video, it was made in the 1950’s and consequently is not subject to the same cultural sensitivity we are accustomed to today. Also, the narrator says Copenhagen very strangely.

The second video is about bikes in modern Copenhagen. They really do deliver the mail via bicycle, its wonderful.

I will be back in Denmark on the 14^th of November, so check back then for a barrage of new blog-posts.

Transportation: S-Trains

The main ‘subway’ system in Copenhagen is called the S-Tog (or S-Train) system, and is basically like the metro/light-rail/subway you would find in any other city. Although most of the trains run exclusively above-ground, they are the primary public mode of transportation used by everyday Danes and commuters. There is also an underground train system called the metro, but I will reserve discussion on that for a later post. There are seven different lines, each with a number and color, which run from the north, west, and south of Copenhagen into the city center.

While all of this is pretty standard for a modern European city, what I find most interesting is the culture of the trains, and the public transportation system in general. One of the first things I heard about the trains is that people don’t talk on them. I assumed they would be pretty quite, but once I got here, I found out it is really true. In Denver, the trains are pretty quite when there is no one on them. But when they are full, they can be pretty loud. Here, during the daytime, especially during the peak commuting hours, the trains are practically dead silent, even when they are packed with people. I will admit that sometimes, especially when some of the teens are on their way home from a night of drinking, it can be pretty loud. But I would have to say, in general, they are not. It is actually somewhat unsettling. I usually put on my iPod so that it doesn’t bother me. Its hard to describe the feeling really, but if you ever actually experience it, I think you will understand what I mean.

Some other interesting details...You can take a bike, and a dog, but it costs a little extra. It is also tolerated for you to be drinking on the trains. It is actually somewhat sad to see old men having a beer at ten in the morning, but no one seems to mind.

Here are some photos I have taken of the S-Trains, so you know how nice they are.

Transportation: Bikes

This blog entry is the first in my series on different means of transportation in Denmark. One of the first things I remember seeing when I arrived in Denmark was that there were a lot of people on bicycles. The more time I spent here, the more I noticed that bicycles are absolutely everywhere. There are more than four million bicycles in Denmark, which means on average 83% of Danes own a bicycle. In Denmark, 20% of commuters travel in bicycles, compared to less than one percent in the United States.

Apart from riding bicycles much more, Danes also seem to be more talented on bicycles than Americans are. They ride at high speeds, right next to cars, busses, and trucks, without helmets, and are often holding something in one of their hands. I have seen bicyclists holding flowers, smoking, talking on the phone, holding an umbrella, drinking coffee, and even carrying a painted canvas once, without any problem at all. It is really incredible.

They also have what are called “Christiania Bikes.” They are named after Christiania here in Copenhagen. You can read about it in my post here. They were first made for people in Christiania who wanted to transport materials to build houses from recycles materials. However, they are now very popular all over Copenhagen from transposing groceries, building materials, and even ones children. I am told that Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark, takes his two young children to kindergarten everyday in a Christiania Bike. Here is a Christiania Bike designed for transporting children.

Here are some more photos to show you just how many bikes there are. You see them everywhere.

Additionally, bike locks work differently here. When I first saw all the bikes, I thought that none of them were locked up. I soon learned that it is unnecessary to lock bikes to something; rather the lock just prevents the back wheel from moving, as there is a bar across it. This means that you can pick up a locked bike and carry it away, you just cannot ride it. Unfortunately, bike theft is a problem here, and every hour about eight bikes are stolen. However, if the bike had an approved bike lock on it, insurance will replace the bike for you. There is also a new program that is beginning to be implemented which allows you to have a location device on your bike, so that it can be located if it is stolen.

Fortunately, my bike has not been stolen, although it has already happened to a few DIS students. However, from what I have heard, this was due to the fact to not using the proper bike-locks. I ride my bike about three miles every day, to and from the train station. However, this is nothing compared to my host father, who rides more than 16 miles everyday to get to and from his job in a neighboring town.

Overall, bikes are a major part of life here in Copenhagen. Most of the major streets have bike lanes, as well as traffic lights for the bikes. Many of the traffic signals in Copenhagen are actually timed for bicyclists, not for cars, so that if a bicycle were to hit one green light, he would hit all of the others. If you are ever driving in Copenhagen, you have to know that bikes have the right of way, followed by pedestrians. And if you are ever walking in Copenhagen, you had better watch out, because the bikes really aren’t going to stop for you.

Looking Forward

This past week in Denmark has been fairly uneventful for me. It was the first ‘normal’ week I have had in Denmark, so far. I had no field trips around Copenhagen, nor did I travel anywhere. I suppose this means I am getting somewhat spoiled by DIS, and all of the wonderful things we get to do while I am here. I had a wonderful relaxing weekend at home in Hillerød with my host family, and I finally had the chance to get caught-up on all of my reading and homework.

For a week where I feel I didn’t get that much accomplished, I certainly spent a lot of time looking forward to that the rest of my semester will look like. It is going to be pretty busy for me and my classmates, and should give me some great material to put on my blog. Here is a brief overview of what I have planned so far. Next weekend, I am taking the train over the sound to Sweden to try to do some shopping. It is starting to get cold here in northern Europe, and I am in definite need of some warmer cloths, especially a winter coat. We are going to Sweden because the taxes are lower than in Denmark, and the exchange rate is about 35% better when compared to the American dollar. The city of Malmö, Sweden is located just over the Øresund (the part of the ocean separating the Danish Islands from the Swedish mainland), less than 20 miles from central Copenhagen. I need to make it to Sweden this early in the year, because the very next weekend I will be leaving for my week-long trip to Lithuania. I will be going with the same class that took me to Germany, and we are going to be exploring different ethnic identities in this post-Soviet EU country. Needless to say, it is going to be moderately cold, about 50°F. Believe it or not, the Capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, is only 500 miles from Copenhagen, the same distance between Denver and Wichita, KS. After I get back from Lithuania, I will be back in Denmark for another three weeks. After that, DIS gives us two weeks to travel on our own or in groups. For the first week, I am going on a DIS guided tour of Russia. We will visit St. Petersburg, Novgorod, and Moscow. Russia is going to be even colder that Lithuania, probably around 30°F. Part of our trip will be taking a night-train from St. Petersburg to Moscow, which will defiantly be an interesting experience. After I get back from Russia, I will be departing for some independent travel in Sevilla, Spain. I am going to be spending a week exploring the city on my own, and hopefully speaking Spanish the whole time. The weather in Seville is going to be geaorious, especially when compared to Russia. It should be around 65° while I am there, which sounds fantastic. Needless to say, I am looking forward to all of my travels, and can’t wait to tell you all about them when I return.

As for what I did this week, I don’t have too much to report. I made all of my travel plans for Sevilla, which is a relief to have out of the way. I also went to see the Pedro Almodóvar film, which was released recently here in Denmark. It is fortunate that I understood the Spanish dialogue, because the film was subtitled in Danish. I enjoyed the film quite a bit, and would encourage you to see it when it comes out in the states, which will probably be sometime next year. Otherwise, it was a restful week here in Denmark. I should have some more interesting posts for you in the next few days, I just have to get them ready with pictures.

Another interesting weekend in Denmark

I am still planning on filling you in on my day-trip to Roskilde last weekend, but for now I want to tell you about my trip to an accommodation center, where the Danish Government houses asylum seekers waiting to have their cases to become refugees accepted or rejected. It is located on the island of Amager (pronounces ama’ah, don’t ask me why) about one hour from central Copenhagen, by public transport. It houses families, as well as individuals, who have applied to the Danish government to be granted refugee status (as protected by the Geneva Conventions). Before that status is granted, they are considered asylum seekers, and are therefore not allowed to work for a salary. They are granted a small daily allowance to care for themselves, as well as housing, some education (mostly for children), as well as medical care if they are sick. The accommodation centers are funded by the Danish government, but are managed and staffed by the Danish Red Cross.

I traveled to the center with a reporter from New Times, himself an asylum seeker from Northern Africa, who introduced me and two of my class mates to several middle eastern asylum seekers who live at the center. We video-recorded some of the interviews, to eventually be uploaded to the New Times website, but several of the Iraqi asylum seekers were not comfortable being taped, due to the governments recent treatment of asylum seekers from Iraq. Many of these people left Iraq over ten years ago, because they were in danger of the Ba'ath government. However, now that there is a new government in Iraq, the Danish government believes that the asylum seekers no longer have a valid case to become refugees. Many of their cases have been denied, and the Iraqis are required to leave the country. Recently, a group of rejected asylum seekers took refuge in a church in Copenhagen, because they feared to return to their homes, and they were forcefully removed and deported by the police. The Danish government signed an agreement with the Iraqi government, which threatened the Iraqi’s with withholding aid if the asylum seekers were not taken back. According to the asylum seekers I met today, of the Iraqis who have already been deported, most of them were either arrested by the Iraqi government, or taken by terrorist groups. Their whereabouts are unknown, and they have not contacted their friends and families back in Denmark, where many of them have lived for the last ten years.

There is some frustration among the Danish people with their government’s treatment of asylum seekers, and foreigners in general. Since 2001, a right-of-center party has controlled the Danish parliament, with significant support from a conservative party, as well as from a far-right nationalist party, known as the Danish People’s Party. From what I have learned and read, this party is primarily focused on slowing, stopping, or even eliminating immigrants from Denmark, but run on a populist part platform that appeals to the poorer, less-educated, and generally those who are not familiar or comfortable with foreigners, because they do not have any contact with them. This party is especially hostile towards Muslims, and has recently proposed a ban on wearing a burka in Denmark. On of this party’s slogans is “Denmark for Danes.” They currently hold about 15% of the vote, which may seem small, but in a multi-party parliamentary system where there is a minority ruling coalition, they hold a lot of power. Because the governing coalition government does not hold a majority of votes, they must rely on other parties for support, and this has pushed many of the policies of Denmark to the right in recent years.

Overall, it was an interesting trip, and I met several interesting refugee-seekers, each with a story to tell. Many of them did not intend to end-up in Denmark, but were caught trying to travel to Sweden which has a much more liberal refugee-policy. Some of the have lived here for ten years, and are still waiting to have their cases heard by the Immigration board. I met a Kurdish man from Syria who, because of his ethnicity, does not have citizenship in any country, nor do his two children, both of whom were born in Denmark. I met a Palestinian-Christian many from Lebanon who fled religious persecution, and has several times attempted to take his life in his short time in Denmark. I also met several Iraqi’s both Arab and Kurdish, who fear to go back to their homes because of violence, and because Denmark is now their home, where they have friends and family. Most of them had no idea when their cases would be heard, and all they can do is wait for the final word, which decided whether or not they will be allowed to live in Denmark, or be deported.

I leave you with a link to a website I found several months ago, when researching my study abroad in Denmark. It is an open letter to the then President-Elect Barack Obama from Jacob Holdt and Rune Engelbreth Larsen, a Danish photographer and a writer and political commentator. They believe that because the world will be looking to Denmark in December for the climate change summit, attention should be drawn to some of the more fanatical elements of this party, which many are beginning to compare with the anti-Semitism that plagued in Europe seventy years ago.

Please follow this link to read the text, and to see the video.

My week in Denmark

I have now completed a very busy first week in Denmark, without having much time to share with you all what I was up to. I hope to be able to give you more regular updates in the future, now that I have settled into my routine. I have now started my classes, which are all very interesting. For my program core class we are working with asylum seekers in Denmark to produce a publication called New Times, which gives a voice to people who are often forgotten in Danish society.

I have also been busy exploring the city of Copenhagen. On Wednesday, I went on a scavenger hunt of the city with some classmates. I have also been exploring on my own. Central Copenhagen has a wealth of old buildings, many of which are within a short stroll from DIS.

I have seen Amalienborg Palace…

Rosenborg Palace…

The National Cathedral…

And Ørstedparken…

This Saturday my host family took me to Tivoli, which is an amusement park, with a variety of rides, as well as musical and other entertainment. We watched my host-brother ride the rides, while enjoying music and food.

Here are some photos of Tivoli.

On Sunday I visited the city of Roskilde, but I am going to reserve that for another post later.

I am enjoying my time in Denmark so far, and am looking forward to traveling in other parts of Europe. My first short trip is a few weekends, to the Danish-German border region.