hej venner (hi friends). 


I hope all of you had a weekend as jam-packed and adventure-filled as mine. However, in the event that you're weekend was not jam-packed nor adventure-filled, might I suggest to you some of my favorite go-to activities: a rousing game of Scrabble, a "Golden Girls" marathon, or perhaps tackling a new hook rug. 


Anywho, this weekend, all DIS students went on a short study tour somewhere in the area, primarily somewhere in Western Denmark. Students in the Communications & Mass Media program such as myself had the good fortune of touring Odense (which is unexpectedly pronounced "OON-suh"), Ebeltoft (the home of the European Film College), and Århus (the second largest city in the country ... In case you did not know, Copenhagen is the largest). 


Our program members congregated bright and early on Thursday morning, excitedly anticipating the voyage ahead. In my typical style, I was carrying three rather hefty bags and a hot cup of coffee (Note: In a miraculous form of adaptation, I have grown an extra arm so as to accommodate the immense loads that I tend to lug around), but I managed to arrive at the bus in a somewhat timely manner and before I knew it, we were off. Also before I knew it (despite aforementioned coffee, I went into a mild coma on the bus), we had arrived in Odense. 


Our group was split into two mini-groups, creatively named "Group A" & "Group B." Group B (myself included) made our first stop of the weekend at Skovdal & Skovdal Commercial Photography Agency. The owner Jakob Scovdal, an energetic man with immensely spiky hair, gave us a tour of the studio, which was incredible. I cannot even begin to describe the space and will therefore include a few photos of it in this post. Jakob explained to us a little about the art of food photography and the interesting Danish rules that go along with this art. For example, if a photograph of a plate of pickled fish is to be pictured on the package of said fish, then a disclaimer has to be made notifying consumers that the plate is not included in the package. I found this incredibly strange and have been wondering ever since why the U.S. does not enforce similar rules. However, I suppose it would be difficult to ensure that all Burger Kings alert consumers that "Real Meat is Not Included" in their Whopper. But I digress. The tour was great and learning of the many ways in which the technology behind commercial photography is perpetually growing and changing was fascinating. 

After this, we had a little free time (i.e., time to browse H&M, eat at a delectable little cafe called "Chinese Take-Out," and purchase a brand new mauve metallic umbrella) before going on a Hans Christian Andersen walking tour, as Odense is the place of his birth. The torrential downpour that occurred right before our tour began made for an interesting dynamic, but the afternoon prooved rather interesting nonetheless. We learned of the tragic life of Hans's mother and visited his childhood home and church, which was absolutely beautiful. We had more free time after this (i.e., nap time) before going to dinner at a precious little restaurant called Restaurant Grønttorve and a jazz concert by the Thomas Clausen Quintet. 

Here begins my recounting of Day 2. Group B went to Brandts Klædefabrik for a media workshop. A lovely gentleman who I believe was named Lars conducted a newsroom simulation for us and as a group, we were able to design, write, and produce our own newscast. I had never really had an interest in broadcast journalism previously, but working in a newsroom setting was quite fun and also quite informative. In fact, our entertainment news girls uncovered a gripping story about a Swedish moose who got stuck in a tree after becoming intoxicated off of fermented apples. For the juicy details of this fascinating story, please visit the following site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14842999. 

Also, feel free to check out our production here (there will be a small red box on right hand side that should pull up our video. My computer has some sort of virus and nothing on the website is in English ... hopefully you all will have an easier time navigating).


After channeling our inner Katie Courics, the group forged on towards Ebeltoft to visit the European Film College, a Danish Folkehøjskole ("folk high school"). The concept behind such schools is that the students truly live and breath their education, in whatever field it may be, for 8 months in a cooperative setting in which students and teachers live and work together. The school was beautiful and the area surrounding it looked not unlike Forks, Washington. In fact, I found myself anxiously anticipating the moment in which a surprisingly handsome wear-wolf and a creepy but strangely seductive vampire began fighting for my affections. Unfortunately, no such battles occurred but I did really enjoy our time spent at the European Film College. We were able to watch some films created by students for their 8 and 1/2 minute film projects, all of which were extremely well done. I felt quite at home when we were shown a western created by Danish students and also increidbly flattered that even overseas there is a strong appreciation for prairie-land, guns, and Walker Texas Ranger. To see some of these films, visit the school's website ... they are definitely worth checking out. http://www.europeanfilmcollege.com/Default.asp?Id=232

Friday evening, we had another lovely dinner and then went back to the hostel for some good, old-fashioned group bonding (Note: this means that my roommates and I were in bed by 11:30).


The next morning, the group partook in one of my personal favorite past times. I know what you are thinking but no, we did not play croquet nor did we go bull riding. Rather, we went ... PAINTBALLING. Totally groovy. I like to think I left everything I had on the field while running through the trenches bellowing Pat Benetar's "Love is a Battlefield" at the top of my lungs. And heartache to heartache we did stand. That is until our teacher, Niels, captured our flag after an intense game, forcing us into a much unwanted loss. All was remedied, however, when we were taken to one of two organic vineyards in the whole country of Denmark for a lovely wine tasting and then a beautiful inn on the water for a delicious lunch before heading to Århus for a visit to their incredible contemporary art museum. [Below are images from all of the activities mentioned in this paragraph, but I would like to briefly touch on a few of the exhibits we saw at the museum before wrapping up this tantalizing post.] 


One exhibit was called "The 9 Spaces" and was modeled after Dante's 9 circles of Hell. It was a multimedia exhibition that sprawled out over several dark rooms on the bottom floor of the museum, meant to leave the viewer to experience a sort of drowning feeling. Another interesting work was called "Beauty," which was merely mist in a dark room. The artist claimed that his works are not about intrinsic beauty but rather about the interaction viewers have with them, as this is where the true beauty lies. The entire top of the building holds another fascinating work called "Your Rainbow Panorama." It is an all-glass enclosed walkway that looks out over the entire city. The color of the glass changes as you move through it, incorporating all the colors of the rainbow and also making for an incredibly beautiful view. 

After this, we hopped back on the bus for a nice long ride back to Copenhagen, singing show tunes in chorus all the way home. All in all, it was a successful weekend (meaning I was only scolded for being late by an authority figure on one occasion) and I am looking very much forward to my next Danish adventures.


Farvel!


ord af dagen: "gruppe limning" = "group bonding" (i.e., we are young and heartache to heartache we most certainly stand)