From the Bronx to the World

Half Way Done, Half Way Home

I’ve been in Denmark now for close to 2 months now and just- wow. With almost two months left until my departure, the pressure is definitely on to keep enjoying my experiences and make the most of everyday and connection I can.

My goals coming into the semester were to challenge myself to be the as receptive as possible to cultural differences and embrace the changes that might accompany my transition. And I believe I’ve been successful. Classes definitely helped me explore in the first half of the semester. In my Virtual Worlds and Social Media course, my group and I have started a Facebook Group coined ‘HiddenHagen’ where we explore parts of the city that may not typically show up in Google searches, and I will be dedicating a blog post to that. Dim-sum restaurants, community spaces, Thai supermarkets, and beauty supply stores are some of the few things that Denmark has a pretty decent presence of.

During my travel week, I stayed in Denmark and enjoyed a Stormzy concert, biking around (when its not rush hour lol), and taking the time to get ahead on school work and prepare for midterms and mid semester evaluations/exams. Later this month, I will be traveling to Belgium with my Core Course and my family will be visiting Denmark, so I am very excited.

In some ways abroad has been everything I hoped for it to be, and has even proved to be even more than I knew that it could be. My classes are some of the most thought provoking and enlightening settings I’ve been in throughout my undergrad. They challenge me to find ways to contextualise the lessons in regards to my everyday life and observations. One example is my Health Economics and Health Policy in Europe class where we compare the healthcare system of Denmark, to other EU countries, the US, and healthcare systems outside those realms because of a classmate from Morocco. By creating scenarios where the similarities and stark differences between systems are apparent, I’ve started to consider ways I can be more mindful about healthcare policies and practices as I prepare to begin adulting.

All in all, I am so at peace and very happy I chose to study abroad in Denmark with DIS.

Two months in and two more to go, I’ll be leaving my new home before I know it but I also know I WILL be back. I’m ready to see what the rest of my time has in store for me.

Core Course Week- Part 2: Denmark

As promised, this post will be dedicated to the end of my Core Course Week.

After leaving Malmo Wednesday morning, my class and I drove an hour back to Denmark for lunch and a scheduled tour at ARKEN Museum for Moderne Kunst which is in Ishøj, a town near Copenhagen. We met with a project worker at Arken Education, and she gave us context to the pieces we were seeing as we , and took us on a guided tour at the special exhibit “Young Danish Art – Forecasting the Future”. We walked through collections that were aimed at redefining our understanding and approaches to creating and curating art. After our guided tour of some of the in this collection, we were allowed to explore the rest of the museum which had a Picasso exhibit housing about 10 of his pieces.

(The middle picture in the second row is me and a Picasso!)

On Thursday, my class and I headed to a virtual reality workspace that was located in the meatpacking district called KHORA VR. At KHORA, we tested out numerous simulations ranging from educational campaigns of fireworks to corporate storytelling uses – such as on boarding and workplace training. We also got the opportunity in groups to brainstorm campaign ideas of our own and explain to the rest of the class how it would look like and who our target audiences would be respectively.

After our lunch break, we regrouped at DIS to speak with Jonas Harild a digital editor and analyst who oversees campaigns and fundraising from WWF DK an international environmental organisation (this being the branch in Denmark). He shed light on campaign styles that the organisation deemed effective as well as the necessity and value in knowing your audience. This sit down was insightful and also reaffirmed the use of Facebook as a multimedia and multifaceted platform especially in the context of Denmark and organisations’ quest for mass mobilisation.

Lastly, on Friday we visited DR (Danish Broadcasting Corporation), Denmark’s oldest and largest electronic media enterprise. Founded almost 100 years ago, DR is a founding member of the European Broadcasting Union, and functions as a public funded radio, television, and online platform. Having already visited DR as a field study for my Podcast production course, I was interested in seeing what new perspective I could gain about the strategy and success of a large scale public service sector. I learned that every Danish citizen automatically pays for DR with their taxes, thus every Danish citizen has access to it. There is also an important focus on youth programming so as to incorporate DR into the lives of their viewers and establish their credibility.

After this, my core course wrapped up the week making Danish pastry called flødeboller (a chocolate covered marshmallow/egg whites/ cream treat) at Social Foodies! It was a very cute and fun experience, with light pop music playing as we prepared our treats to our liking. ( I used coconut and a lot of it !!!)

Overall, I valued my CCW experience as I got to explore more of Danish and Scandinavian culture and share real connections and memories with my classmates & professors. There was so much to take in but at least once a day, I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment where I could see how the content I was surrounded by could continue shape the world as we know it.

Core Course Week-Part 1: Malmo

Last week, my Core Course – New Media and Changing Communities (Section B) – participated in conversations regarding developing technologies and different forms of social media being used across a wide range of professional fields and industries to implement change. These conversations were complemented by practical applications and the chance to gain further insight on how communities can be supported, uplifted, and sometimes threatened via new media and new technology. We also learned bit more about the history and culture of Scandinavia communities like Malmo, where we stayed for the first three days.

So much content to cover so as a result, this blog post will be split into two parts. Part 1: Malmo; Part 2: Denmark.

After doing some research into the organisations listed in the itinerary for the core course week, I was excited to see what I would learn over the course of the week ahead. I was also really happy to get to see another European country, not too far from my current one. My class and I would be spending, Monday, Tuesday, and part of Wednesday in the city of Malmo, Sweden- which is about an hour outside of Copenhagen.

Media Evolution City is a workspace in Malmo that serves as a breeding ground for collaboration and innovation for small to medium sized businesses. This was the first stop of the week.The only comparison that could come to mind is WeWork but on a larger scale, as Media Evolution provided the space but also professional resources such as seminars and workshops for the occupants of both of their buildings. As a result, they have been able to create and maintain a solid community of people who are goal oriented, whilst creating solutions or ideas that are interdisciplinary. Furthermore, the very aesthetically pleasing premises promotes a positive work environment and culture simultaneously.

After Media Evolution City, my classmates, professors, and I, started our bike tour. Even though I am a semester bike student, I have yet to officially use my bike to commute in Denmark. This was definitely due to nerves and as the bike ride began those nerves started to kick in again. I was shaking and thought maybe I had forgotten how to ride a bike. With some encouragement from some of my friends in class, after the first five minutes the nerves had subsided. We took this bike tour to see modern parts of Malmo as well as more historical areas. For instance we biked past the Turning Torso, which is Scandinavia’s tallest landmark and is a residential neo-futurist skyscraper- and it’s only 51 floors! (Fun fact: Its designed by Santiago Calatrava who is also the architect behind the World Trade Center Hub, which was a pretty cool connection for me.)

And of course it wouldn’t be Scandinavia without some wind and rain occurring during our bike tour, so we were content with getting warm and resting a little before our dinner plans. We went to a taqueria for dinner and had time to get to know each other better outside of the traditional classroom setting- which was one of the most important and formative parts of the week, as we will be spending time together in Belgium during travel week 2.

On Tuesday, we visited Lund University’s Project Blue Health in Lund, Sweden where we heard about and got to test out some of the immersive simulations used for research with elderly people who may not be mobile or able to travel outdoors or to destinations of their preference. This academic visit was arguably one of my favourites, if not my favourite, as the speaker was very passionate about virtual reality usage within target communities and was very impressed with our questions and thoughts on the subject matter. Due to the weather, we cancelled our planned nature hike, and spent extra time on lunch and exploring Lund. We had a fika break ,which is like a Swedish version hygge, with more focus on coffee and pastries. That evening, I played bocce ball for the first time with my Core Course, and honestly competition really does bring out the best in some of us! We ate dinner, then we played and through that further connected with each other through the visa of sport which was unexpected but appreciated.

On Wednesday, we loaded our belongings back on to the bus in the morning and returned to Media Evolution City where we watched a presentation with the Head of Projects at Altinget, a political-neutral news platform based out of Denmark. With 22 newspapers total and 700-3000 subscribers per newspaper, they provide coverage on every political sector and are finding ways to encourage and maintain user-generated conversations and engagement while also incorporating robot journalism for data and statistics. Considering ways artificial intelligence could challenge the longevity of print news and ultimately affect the personable aspect of news reporting was extremely thought provoking.

Check out some snaps from Malmo below!

Hygge Me, Please!

The start of week three in Denmark wasn’t as gracious to me as the first two but despite the slight challenge that has presented itself , I’d like to think I’m still thriving. Over the course of the weekend, my phone dropped, completely destroying the LCD display, and rendering her (yes, my phone) out of commission for the time being. While I wait to find a phone replacement or repair establishment, I have had a bit more time to be in the present and figure out new lenses to look at my new home and understand it better.

A facet of Danish life that I really enjoy is called hygge (pronounced hoo-gah). There is no direct translation in English but the best explanation is a feeling of “coziness”or a state of being comfortable. It speaks to a core value of Danish culture creating a good vibe ad taking it wherever you go. Hygge isn’t just one type of relaxation, it’s a curation of all the things and people that make you feel safe & warm. Everyone can have I/ do it so everyone does!

Hygge is a parent biking with their child down the street to spend time with them; it’s doing work in your favorite cafe with friends and warm beverages; it’s the Danish pastries my core course professors bring with tea and coffee to every class we’ve had so far. It’s the vegetarian and gluten free dinners my Residential Community shares every Monday. Everyone regardless of dietary restrictions can eat together, and get to know each other. Based on class schedule we are assigned a role of chef, prep, or clean up with people on different floors working to execute a recipe. Once the meal has been prepared, floor mates join us for dinner. Knowing that I have a place to go back to, where I can share meals with my neighbours and classmates is a constant reminder to me that I am living in Denmark and really enjoying it.

Hygge makes the darkness of winter in Denmark feel so much lighter. There are obviously things to stress about like time management, assignments, finding a balance and tempo that allows you to be efficient and effective, but with hygge in the conversation I can see why Danes are voted some of the happiest people in the world.

Copenhangin’

Now that I’ve had a little over a week to take in my neighborhood, new people, my classes and ways to get around- I can actually say I LOVE it here. So many parts of my transition were so fluid and felt so natural, I am just really grateful for the love and hospitality I’ve experienced.

For students who arrived within a certain time frame, DIS provided travel accommodations to their housing. Aware of my lack of Danish and Denmark landscape/town layout, I opted to arrive within this time frame to spare myself some stress. While waiting for the buses, I met a couple people who lived on my floor and in my housing. (I’ll take this moment to adamantly state that the DIS Housing Team REALLY knows how to group people… and it’s super impressive.) Between the wait, the bus ride, and figuring out a system so everyone could take their belongings up the stairs, I found people I could joke with and laugh with all semester. Living in an Residential Community (RC), made me comfortable with some DIS faces and especially my floormates. We live on the fifth floor and all have our own rooms so hanging out and spending time with each other has never felt forced which is very important to me.

Living on the historic Store Kongensgade definitely has its perks. The New Yorker in me sees it as the Financial District/ Wall Street energy everywhere in this neighborhood. It is a beautiful scenic environment to be in. From the fast paced rush hours to rambunctious night life and city scooters and bikers, I feel so immersed and ready to learn as much as any of the locals have been willing to give me. The area is relatively pricey but budgeting has been helping me keep track of what I am purchasing and where and why.

Classes have also made my introduction to Denmark all the more amazing. My professors are all really well-versed in their subject matter and their credentials and resumes are so impressive! Some have worked with the United Nations, some have done research on egg donation, and it genuinely excites me to be around such great minds. Some of the projects already have me stumped,but I am always ready for a challenge.

Waking up for 8:30 has been my biggest test so far, but with Denmark treating me as nice as it has been, I figure I can definitely train my body to get used to early morning hours.

Copenhagen, I’m Coming !

In less than two days I leave home for 4 months, and it still doesn’t feel real… As the number of days left until the beginning of a new semester become fewer and fewer, and more things find their way on to my to do list, I am actively beginning to realize the journey that will begin once I say goodbye to my family. In some ways, the journey has already started. Moving my belongings off campus and saying farewell to my housemates and classmates for the rest of the year in addition to sorting out passport, visa, and flight arrangements were all processes that required huge dedication and commitments of time- but I got through it. And now we’re here.

As self- proclaimed queen of the Boogie down, I remain grounded in my assertion that Denmark has never seen anything like me. On the other hand, I am mindful that I have never seen anything like Denmark and the challenges that that may pose both entice and excite me. (Note to Self: Growth can be an uncomfortable process!)

Being from the Bronx,NY greatly contributes to my core values, my fashion, my sense of humor, and how I handle stressful situations. And I’m bringing the hustle and high energy with me for my first trip to Europe. I’m taking up new things: I’ll bike, I’ll slow down and take my surroundings in, I’ll make new friends and memories.

The next few months will be filled with learning and unlearning , remaining open to change, and being patient with myself and others. This regular girl from the Bronx is about to embark on a life changing journey, and I’m happy you’re here for the ride. I’m anxious. I’m eager. I’m ready.

From the Bronx to Copenhagen with love,

Candice