First spring feelings in Haderslev

Fastelavnfest...

We gather at the Polish and Czech residence before we leave for the biggest costume party UC Syd has once a year! Vampires, hippie people, a nurse, a gymnast, a star, a mouse, a ladybird, a Chinese, Amy Winehouses and Lady Gaga… entre the room all dressed up. We have some wine and little snacks to get in to the mood an around 10.00 p.m. we leave for the party. Before you go in you get a ‘welcoming gift’, a little shot of Fisk (fish). That would seal the deal! So we got on to the dancefloor and got the party started, danced all night long.. around 01.00 a.m. the party finished in the big dancehall but we went on partying at the Fridaycafé. At the café there was no table or chair safe for the dancing skills of the Erasmus students, the party went on until the early hours and we danced ourselves into our bed completely tired but very satisfied!

Belgium and Hungary are proud to introduce…

Every Wednesday we meet with all the people from Erasmus downstairs at the Fridaycafé. This week Belgium and Hungary had to introduce themselves. Belgium started of with a little quiz and tested to knowledge of the others Erasmus’ers! How good did they know Belgium and our habits. Afterwards, we drank some Belgian beer and had a taste of real Belgian Chocolate! After all that drinking and thinking it was time to stretch those legs, Viki from Hungary showed us how we could dance a typical Hungarian folk dance! It was really nice!
Everybody had a great time, once you get on the dancefloor you don’t get of the dancefloor and the party went on … for the whole evening! Well done Belgium, well done Hungary!

What did Ine liked the most...

I liked the visit to the little mermaid the most! On that day it was so cold en horrible weather. The little mermaid is near the ocean. So the wind was even stronger! Everybody was freezing. We all crawled under or had and scarf.
When we found the little mermaid it was a kind of a magical atmosphere. We saw the froozen ocean covered with snow, the little mermaid surrounded with snow and a big view. Everbody wanted a picture with the little mermaid. So we all went down and smiled for the picture. We ware lucky, because the little mermaid soon moves to China for an exhibition!

What did Loes liked the most…

I liked our little trip to Christiania with one other Begian girl, the Spanish and Polish girls! We got there in the city centre of Christiania and didn’t see anything that looked real hippie style. Would this really be it? Maria took on here “filthy boots” and asked a lady ‘if this was it?’ ‘No no no’, she said ‘it’s just to the left and then on the right… maybe a 5minute walk’! So we walked and walked and finally saw the first paintings on the wall! We got true the gate and walked past the first shops, hmmmm but still it was very silent. A bit further we heard some noises a lot of people were standing outside having a drink or a smoke and we walk through the little crowd, all eyes on us. Slowly and silent we passed the people, I kind of felt this little tensity hanging around us, … but it was an amazing feeling to be there at once! To be uncertain and feel also very enthusiastic about the way they live their life, about the atmosphere hanging around the place!! It was the most unforgettable memory I collected on my trip to CPH!
Next to Christiania I also liked the children’s museum whitch was also very nice and exciting. Kids/children could do and learn so much about other cultures (Turkish, sailors, old school system, …) just while they were experimenting/playing!! All the right materials, framing and cultural things were there… not to look at but to be played with!
Well done National Museum.

WE LOVE CPH

On Wednesday we left for Copenhagen, 27 females and 3 males. After a long trip on the bus and the train we arrived at the Danhostel in the city heart of Copenhagen. After unpacking our things we left to see the Round Tower. After a run upwards we enjoyed a wonderful view over the marvellous Copenhagen. After the Round Tower we walked true Stroget (the longest shopping street op Europe) until the Town Hall Square from there we left for a delicious meal at a Chinese Restaurant near the square. We enjoyed an amazing buffet with all sorts of pasta/rice, meat, vegetables, … Afterwards we just went back to the hostel for a ‘slaapmutsje’ en jumped into our beds around 11 P.M..
It was an early morning and at 8 A.M. we were all having some toast, cornflakes, tea or coffee to feel a bit more awake.
Totally prepared for the bad and windy weather outside we got on track. We walked to the Black Diamond (new library) and further on to the little mermaid. But on our way we saw Nyhavn (the new harbour), Amalienborg (Castle of the Queen, we would later on come back to this lovely “house”), the new opera house, the Viking museum, … until we had found the Litlle Mermaid herself! Because she’s near the ocean, makes the wind even worser, so everybody jumped up and down to get a quick photo with the (literally) little girl with fins. Of we go back to Amalienborg to visit the museum about the Royal Family (Denmark is very proud of his monarchy, and they should be it’s very beautiful). For those who were patient enough could wait and see the changing of the guards (this ceremony takes about a small three quarters). Then we had a two our break, were we enjoyed a lovely and fresh pasta salade! We meet again at Rosenborg Castle, the Castle of Christian IV! While we are walking towards the castle true their gardens we get covered by snow, by the time we arrive we were all little and tall snowmen/women. After a tour around in the castle we went to see the crown jewels, they were so gorgeous! Again we get a break before we gather to have meal at RizRaz a Mediterranean restaurant! There we enjoy a very southern and exotic (not for people who don’t appreciate spicy things, then you better stay away!) buffet! Still full of energy we go into the Copenhagen nightlife and try to find ourselves a cheap and nice bar (not easy to find at all)… but we luckily land in an Australian bar were a beer costs you only 12 DK (That wasn’t much at all)! We didn’t make it that late because the next morning we needed to go the National Museum! What I’m about to say is TRUE: free entrance + amazing exhibitions: Danish show how they have lived for the last 200 years, there is a very modern exhibition about the Rainforests in Venezuela and a lovely, fun and not to educated children’s museum! (Belgium, maybe you could really learn something about the Danes and their way of approaching curious people). We again were free to do what ever we liked to do… some off us went shopping, others visited the Carlsberg brewery or went to Christiana! But at 3.30 P.M. we were already back on the train, on our way back home! We got home, really tired, exhausted but very satisfied about the trip we had in Copenhagen! We admit: CPH, we love!!!

Caroline, Ine and Loes

Danish and Belgian stereotypes

I'm belgian because...
-I like chocolat
-I like fries
-I like beer
-I'm a hard worker
-I know a lot of languages
-I saw manneke Pis in real

They are Danish because...
-They are tall
-They are blond
-They have blue eyes
-They like red hotdogs
-They are closed
-They can't speak English

(Module 1: Comparative Studies)
(Module 3: Citizenship and Globalisation)

Walking on sunday

Shopping in Germany

On Saturday Caroline and Loes went shopping for grocery´s with the three Norwegian girls: Mette, Kari and Siv Hege to Germany, to Plensburg to be correct. There they have a big shopping centre were food and drinks are much cheaper then here in Scandinavia. (For Belgian-blog-readers, it’s a bit like Auchan in Lille/Rijsel)
No bigger paradise for us poor students on Erasmus. So we shopped and shopped and shopped for more then 3 hours. With a full loaded carriage packed with cheese, milk, cereal, meat, vegetables, fruit, yoghurt, cookies, candy and cans/bottles of soda we could satisfied but exhausted return our journey back home, to Groftholtvaenget.
P.S.: Special thanks to toyota, highway gasstation and to Mette, Kari and Siv Hege!

Talking about being independent

After paying a visit to Jette and calling up several internet operators we still had no solution for our internetless apartments. Jette told us she would work on it or that we could look for other possibilities. And so we did, we got in to town and searched for a reliable shop who could offer us internet.. that was TDC. The cheapest offer he could give us was a 6 month wireless connection from YouSee. Therefore we needed a cable connection so that will cost even more. But after lot’s of chitchatting we wondered how much will this all cost us… so the guy calculated it all out and it would be around 70 euro’s for 6 months for each person. That wasn’t that bad and even when he maid the bill it got even cheaper BUT it could take ten days before the YouSee-guy comes around to activate the router. But we didn’t give a damn as long we could have internet!
But know 6 days later we are still waiting for the YouSeeguy to come and activate the system… but still no sign of Pedro!

Visiting practise

On thursday we went to visit some Danish schools.

Caroline and Ine went to a kindergarten in Haderslev. We went to Bornehuset Sct. Georgs Garden. We went together with Siv Hege and Mette. 2 girls from Norway. We found the school pretty easy. First we saw the groups of little childeren. There were two groups with childeren from 0 until 3 years old. When we came in the groups the children were taking their breakfast and it was very cousy. There were three teachers for each group. The children slept outside in a babycarriage. Then we saw a playroom and than we walked to the groups with the oldest childeren. There were two groups with children from 3 until 6 years old. Each group has 25 children. The children have two or three teachers. The group looks very much like a house. The people are all very close and there is this kind of cousy atmosfere. It’s totaly different than a pre-school in Belgium. Here in Denmark the children can do whatever they want and play with whatever they want. If they want to play outside in the snow they can, if they want to play inside it’s also good. The teachers don’t give that many activities as in Belgium. Their filosophy is that the children learn more when they are playing. The children are welcome in the groups from 6.30 AM until 5.30 PM. The children and parents walk in and out the group whenever they want. The parents put the food of the children in the fridge and say goodbye to their child. The children can take their breakfast in the group when they are hungry. But when it’s lunchtime they eat all together in the group. The children don’t wear shoes in the group, they wear slippers. The children don’t understand English, but we had the profit that the Norwegian girls could translate the things that the children said to us. It was a very strange and shocking experience to be in a kindergarten in Haderslev. The difference with Belgium can’t be bigger!

Loes and Marie went to a Primary school. It was are first meeting with the schoolsystem here in Denmark and I was really surprised by the way they teach and work here. We visited a 1st grade class. You can compare it to the 1ste leerjaar in Belgium. We joined the dancing session. At first the two dancers gave a little introduction dance, the kids were all very excited and entertained. The next thing that was happening was doing all sorts of things with the children like hanging on to each other when they both lean backwards, the children had to move like a statue, … Marie, Kari (a Norwegian student) and I helped the children out with some moves. At first they liked it but after an hour they really got bored of it. They just didn’t do what they were asked to do, some just sat down,… But the two dancers just kept going even if it didn’t work anymore. Very strange. After two hours and a half it was time to play outside. When they came in back in class we got introduced to the children, they learned how to introduce themselves in English that was very sweet. Marie, Kari and I introduced ourselves in Danish, and the children thought it was really cool. Then every child had to write a card to a person who lives somewhere in Denmark. The children new what was expected of them to do. The atmosphere was so relaxed, so loose, kids could walk around,… They don’t have to call the teacher miss, they just say her first name. At the end of the class some children prepared to sing the song ‘Brother Jacob’ for us in Turkish, Polish,…
After the visit I was a bit confused.. It is so different then in Belgium. At first I couldn’t really find peace with it, but then after talking to my friends about I learned that you have to see it in his culture, in their way of living and being.
(Module 5: School Experience)

Voor de mama"s

Aan onze lieve mammies; Martine, Grietje en Sophie
wij missen jullie.
liefs

Denmark, first impression

Hello.

Flew from Brussels 7 o'clock in the morning to Copenhagen: We arrived here in Denmark around 9 o'clock. Then we still had a long journey ahead of us, train, bus and taxi Tina. Tina, is our Buddie (she's a local and she helps us out while we are staying here): She brought us to our appartement. Our adventure could continue packing things out, getting all settled and shopping for food. We were completly exhausted, so no exploring the city for that night. After a goodnightsleep we had breakfast together and left for the city. After a 30 minute walk ze finaly reached the centre of the city. The city centre is very charming.
All little shops, a small movie house and a lake were people were ice skating. But after walking so long, our feet got really cold. We really underrestimated the temperatures here but luckly there was the sun who kept us 'warm'.
Sunday was a bit of a lazy day. We didn't do anything except cleaning the appartement, decorating our rooms and making delicious spaghetti.
Happy and fullfilled ze got to bed because tomorow was our first day, our first day of our Erasmus Adventure... meeting the other students!

Meeting Denmark

Dear Pimpelmezen!
Cold greetings from Caroline, Ine and Loes!