Thursday, March 29, 2007
Had breakfast at Starbucks. I got an apple cinnamon muffin. We met Erica at the University. Really cool building with statues of the ex professors. We went and looked at three churches Peterskirche, Franziskanerkirche and Karlskirche. Very neat stained glass. Altars with pics of saints. THey all had a place where you can light a candle in rememberance of someone. We had lunch at a random cafe. We also walked around the Hofburg, the winter palace of the Hapsburgs. The trams run on wires and rails here. There is also an underground train. It was pretty cold and misty out today. We spent the afternoon in the Art History Museum (Kunst Histoire Museum). So cool. Even just the building was amazing with high fancy ceilings and comfy couches in the middle of the galleries to sit down in. Lots of paintings by famous artists Rubens, Velazquez, Titian, Raphael, Rembrant, Vermeer, Van Eyck etc. Good review of the Western Art History class I took. I kept recognizing painters names. There were paintings of people made up of fruits, and objects by Archimboldo the same painter we saw in the Louvre in Paris who did men symbolic of the 4 seasons that Mom sent a postcard home to Al about. It was an amazing collection but got a bit overwhelming after a while. Lots of huge paintings. Lots of portraits of people. Amazing facial expressions. Some pictures of flowers or still lifes. There were a couple of fish markets or animals from the hunt that were not so nice. Most of it was oil painting. Some themes kept coming up like madonna and child and judith and holephernes. There was also an ivory carving collection that we looked at. Very intricate and beautiful. We went into a hotel that had these cool old fashioned elevators that only fit one have no door and continually keep moving. We had dinner at this american stye diner that Erica recommended. I had a chicken sandwich and we all got rootbeer floats.
Had breakfast at Starbucks. I got an apple cinnamon muffin. We met Erica at the University. Really cool building with statues of the ex professors. We went and looked at three churches Peterskirche, Franziskanerkirche and Karlskirche. Very neat stained glass. Altars with pics of saints. They all had a place where you can light a candle in remembrance of someone. We had lunch at a random cafe. We also walked around the Hofburg, a palace. We didn't go in but it was impressive looking. The trams run on wires and rails here. There is also an underground train. It was pretty cold and misty out today. We spent the afternoon in the Art History Museum. So cool. Lots of paintings by famous artists Rubens, Velazquez, Titian, Raphael, Rembrant, Vermeer, Van Eyck etc. Good review of the Western Art History class I took. I kept recognizing painters names. There were paintings of people made up of fruits, and objects by the same painter (Archimboldo) we saw in Paris who did paintings of men representing the 4 seasons. It was an amazing collection but got a bit overwhelming after a while. Lots of huge paintings. Lots of portraits of people. Amazing facial expressions. Some pictures of flowers or still lifes. There were a couple of fish markets or animals from the hunt that were not so nice. Most of it was oil painting. Some themes kept coming up like madonna and child and judith and holephernes. Many of the paintings were HUGE! There were great comfy benches to sit down on in the middle though which made it nice. There was also an ivory carving collection that we looked at. Very intricate and beautiful. We went into a hotel that had these cool old fashioned elevators that only fit one have no door and continually keep moving. We had dinner at this american style diner that Erica recommended. I had a chicken sandwich and we all got rootbeer floats.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
vienna day 1 (tues-wed march 27-28)
Left the main station in copenhagen yesterday at 330. It was fun looking out the window and seeing Denmark. I'm reading My Sister's Keeper. Good book. We listened to a comedian on Elizabeths ipod. The train drove right onto a ferry. CRAZY! We had to get off. Amazing view of the shore of Denmark. TONS of neat windmills spinning around like crazy generating lots of clean energy. changed trains in Hamburg. We were in a car with sort of couches (three seated cushioned benches. Neither of us slept that well on the night on the train. Got into Vienna at 9AM. Erica, Elizabeth's friend, met us there. We went to the hostel and checked in. The room is nice. Kind of a room off of a shared bathroom and kitchen but our door locks. Erica had to go to class so she gave us a map and an idea of what to go and look at.
We had to take the metro into the center of Vienna. We had food at Nordsee. I had a baguette slice with a cream spread and salmon
We went to Albertina art museum saw another version of a piece in the Louisiana Museum of Art of a man who is sort of falling apart. It was supposed to represent Germany after WWI trying to be masculine but not. Lots of other fairly modern watercolors and studies for paintings. Some of them were upside down. Very cool painting of a hawk falling from the sky with lots of texture and action in the blue paint. We also saw some very nice watercolors of daily life painted by Peter Fendi. Lots of children doing stuff and families. We walked around in this part of the museum that was almost like a palace. chandeliers. Drawings by Michaelangelo. Finally we went to and exhibit called the Invention of simplicity. There were fancy chairs, tea sets, glasses with paintings of fish and butterflies on them, paintings of mountain scenes, some paintings of Copenhagen from Frederiksburg Slot.
We also walked around in St. Stephans Cathedral. Gorgeous stained glass very high ceilings.
There were stars in the sidewalk commemorating famous Austrians showing all the history wrapped up in the city.
We walked by a buch of gorgeous theatre buildings, the Rathus, and the Parliament. Lots of white and cream buildings here. Not much brick nor wooden buildings. Strange to hear German spoken everywhere.
Met up with Erica and Lauren (her friend). We went to a cafe and I had this really yummy pastry with a whole apricot inside and pastry around it with a crumbly sugar topping. Very yummy. I also tried a taste of Schnitzl (friend dough) and a taste potato egg omlettey type thing. They had interesting looking coffee with foamy milk on top but I'm not a huge fan of coffee so I didn't try it.
We played cards in the cafe for a while. The waiter was nice and offered to take our pic and wanted to know what we were playing. The cafe was a bit smoky but it was ok. Typical I guess.
We had to take the metro into the center of Vienna. We had food at Nordsee. I had a baguette slice with a cream spread and salmon
We went to Albertina art museum saw another version of a piece in the Louisiana Museum of Art of a man who is sort of falling apart. It was supposed to represent Germany after WWI trying to be masculine but not. Lots of other fairly modern watercolors and studies for paintings. Some of them were upside down. Very cool painting of a hawk falling from the sky with lots of texture and action in the blue paint. We also saw some very nice watercolors of daily life painted by Peter Fendi. Lots of children doing stuff and families. We walked around in this part of the museum that was almost like a palace. chandeliers. Drawings by Michaelangelo. Finally we went to and exhibit called the Invention of simplicity. There were fancy chairs, tea sets, glasses with paintings of fish and butterflies on them, paintings of mountain scenes, some paintings of Copenhagen from Frederiksburg Slot.
We also walked around in St. Stephans Cathedral. Gorgeous stained glass very high ceilings.
There were stars in the sidewalk commemorating famous Austrians showing all the history wrapped up in the city.
We walked by a buch of gorgeous theatre buildings, the Rathus, and the Parliament. Lots of white and cream buildings here. Not much brick nor wooden buildings. Strange to hear German spoken everywhere.
Met up with Erica and Lauren (her friend). We went to a cafe and I had this really yummy pastry with a whole apricot inside and pastry around it with a crumbly sugar topping. Very yummy. I also tried a taste of Schnitzl (friend dough) and a taste potato egg omlettey type thing. They had interesting looking coffee with foamy milk on top but I'm not a huge fan of coffee so I didn't try it.
We played cards in the cafe for a while. The waiter was nice and offered to take our pic and wanted to know what we were playing. The cafe was a bit smoky but it was ok. Typical I guess.
Monday, March 26, 2007
weekend back in copenhagen
Saturday I had breakfast with my host family. I went out for a run around the 5 lakes. Coots (a type of bird) have really funny feet.
On the way home I stopped at an open house in a greenhouse. There were neat cacti, roses, etc. Lots of people were there looking around. They had posters up about gardening tips and the plants but they were in danish.
I went back home.
Later that afternoon I went to Frederiksberg Have because it was such a gorgeous day. I read Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve. I took a bunch of pictures. I sat by a playground and was watching the children and their parents. There were fun colored wooden structures you can climb up on and sit on top of. There was a tire swing. The parents were very sweet with their children and fooling around having fun also. I stopped in a store called Fotex on my way back. It's a store with all sorts of general stuff like a KMart or Ames used to be like. Not as big as a Walmart.
Saturday night I went to Elizabeth's and watched 10 Things I Hate About You with her Ditte and Kira (her host sisters Ditte is 12 and Kira is 21).
On Sunday I went for a run to Elizabeth's host families house just to see if I could figure it out and I can. It's not that far or complicated.
I instant messaged with Megan, Lauren, Laura, and Christine who are all doing well.
I went into see a Music History museum with all sorts of funky looking old instruments. Two were like guitars but were very strange blobby shapes.
I walked around the outside the the Round Tower (an old brick round building used by one of the kings to drive horses up to do military surveillance with a great view from the top).
There was a band playing english rock music from the back of a truck that I stopped to listen to for a little while. I walked around in Orsteds Parken which has a pond and gorgeous crocuses and flowers already coming up. A ton of people were there enjoying the sun and beautiful weather.
Elizabeth came over for dinner. We had beef, salad (with strawberries uh oh Mom fruit in the salad but I loved it) and potatoes. Elizabeth and I downloaded Grey's Anatomy from the Internet and watched the last two shows.
Today I went for a run way out Godthabsvej towards Tinjberg. There was a really pretty pond that I ran around. I finish the book Last Chance Saloon which is really good but fluffy chic lit. I borrowed it from Elizabeth who took it out from the library. I actually kept taking it to read when I woke up early in the morning in London and then got sucked in and had to finish it.
I went into DIS to print some info off for my travels tomorrow. Elizabeth and I went to the library to look at books but I didn't get any. They have a pretty decent American section as well as an even better British and Australian general English area in the library. We stopped at Roberts Coffee so Elizabeth could get iced coffee.
I came back to the house and watched some TV. I watched Beverly Hills and some of Dawson's Creek on TV.
We had herring for dinner (fried in butter with mustard on top). It was really good because a friend of Ida and Jens had caught a lot and gave it to them. We had potatoes and broccoli, red pepper and tomato salad with it.
On the way home I stopped at an open house in a greenhouse. There were neat cacti, roses, etc. Lots of people were there looking around. They had posters up about gardening tips and the plants but they were in danish.
I went back home.
Later that afternoon I went to Frederiksberg Have because it was such a gorgeous day. I read Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve. I took a bunch of pictures. I sat by a playground and was watching the children and their parents. There were fun colored wooden structures you can climb up on and sit on top of. There was a tire swing. The parents were very sweet with their children and fooling around having fun also. I stopped in a store called Fotex on my way back. It's a store with all sorts of general stuff like a KMart or Ames used to be like. Not as big as a Walmart.
Saturday night I went to Elizabeth's and watched 10 Things I Hate About You with her Ditte and Kira (her host sisters Ditte is 12 and Kira is 21).
On Sunday I went for a run to Elizabeth's host families house just to see if I could figure it out and I can. It's not that far or complicated.
I instant messaged with Megan, Lauren, Laura, and Christine who are all doing well.
I went into see a Music History museum with all sorts of funky looking old instruments. Two were like guitars but were very strange blobby shapes.
I walked around the outside the the Round Tower (an old brick round building used by one of the kings to drive horses up to do military surveillance with a great view from the top).
There was a band playing english rock music from the back of a truck that I stopped to listen to for a little while. I walked around in Orsteds Parken which has a pond and gorgeous crocuses and flowers already coming up. A ton of people were there enjoying the sun and beautiful weather.
Elizabeth came over for dinner. We had beef, salad (with strawberries uh oh Mom fruit in the salad but I loved it) and potatoes. Elizabeth and I downloaded Grey's Anatomy from the Internet and watched the last two shows.
Today I went for a run way out Godthabsvej towards Tinjberg. There was a really pretty pond that I ran around. I finish the book Last Chance Saloon which is really good but fluffy chic lit. I borrowed it from Elizabeth who took it out from the library. I actually kept taking it to read when I woke up early in the morning in London and then got sucked in and had to finish it.
I went into DIS to print some info off for my travels tomorrow. Elizabeth and I went to the library to look at books but I didn't get any. They have a pretty decent American section as well as an even better British and Australian general English area in the library. We stopped at Roberts Coffee so Elizabeth could get iced coffee.
I came back to the house and watched some TV. I watched Beverly Hills and some of Dawson's Creek on TV.
We had herring for dinner (fried in butter with mustard on top). It was really good because a friend of Ida and Jens had caught a lot and gave it to them. We had potatoes and broccoli, red pepper and tomato salad with it.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
london friday
Breakfast in the hotel.
We had an academic wrap up meeting where we all sang and meditated at first. They we broke into pairs and discussed what we've seen this week. We then got into groups to plan what we are going to do presentations about once we get back. My group is doing inclusion and how schools include children with special needs in the mainstream. All of the special schools seem to have connections to other schools in the area and the two schools do activities together. Students who are at a high enough level are sent to classes at the mainstream school. If students make enough progress then they can test out of the special school. Overall the idea seems to be that it's better for the students with special needs to get the individualized attention and to be in a smaller more comfortable environment. One teacher was saying that at first parents fight having their child go to a special school because of the stigma but then once the child is there and doing so much better the parent switches to feeling guilty that they didn't send their child there sooner.
Jan talked about the National Curriculum and how the attempt was to deal with the social stratification and diversity of the british society. If everyone is learning the same thing then eventually the hope is that every one will gain the social capital they need to succeed. Despite this no one likes the National Curriculum and all the teachers wanted to work to adapt it to reflect the interests of the students. Jan also talked about all these different factors to take into account when comparing cultures.
We had lunch at Carluccio's on St. Christophers Place (a very upscale area with boutiquey shops like Godiva and fancy clothes stores). Lunch was spinach and cheese ravioli and icecream in some sort of nutmegy tasting sauce.
We got on the bus and got the airport. We were there really early so we walked around. I got Cadbury Easter eggs for my host family. Elizabeth got a dark brown leather purse.
Oh a few things I forgot about London: everyone is in a huge rush, you walk and drive on the left, the streets say Look Left or Look Right, the tube announcer says "Mind the Gap" becuase the gap between the platform and the train, there is so much diversity, it's a HUGE fairly overwhelming city, british english is harder to understand than the english that many Danes speak, lunch=dinner and dinner=tea.
We had an academic wrap up meeting where we all sang and meditated at first. They we broke into pairs and discussed what we've seen this week. We then got into groups to plan what we are going to do presentations about once we get back. My group is doing inclusion and how schools include children with special needs in the mainstream. All of the special schools seem to have connections to other schools in the area and the two schools do activities together. Students who are at a high enough level are sent to classes at the mainstream school. If students make enough progress then they can test out of the special school. Overall the idea seems to be that it's better for the students with special needs to get the individualized attention and to be in a smaller more comfortable environment. One teacher was saying that at first parents fight having their child go to a special school because of the stigma but then once the child is there and doing so much better the parent switches to feeling guilty that they didn't send their child there sooner.
Jan talked about the National Curriculum and how the attempt was to deal with the social stratification and diversity of the british society. If everyone is learning the same thing then eventually the hope is that every one will gain the social capital they need to succeed. Despite this no one likes the National Curriculum and all the teachers wanted to work to adapt it to reflect the interests of the students. Jan also talked about all these different factors to take into account when comparing cultures.
We had lunch at Carluccio's on St. Christophers Place (a very upscale area with boutiquey shops like Godiva and fancy clothes stores). Lunch was spinach and cheese ravioli and icecream in some sort of nutmegy tasting sauce.
We got on the bus and got the airport. We were there really early so we walked around. I got Cadbury Easter eggs for my host family. Elizabeth got a dark brown leather purse.
Oh a few things I forgot about London: everyone is in a huge rush, you walk and drive on the left, the streets say Look Left or Look Right, the tube announcer says "Mind the Gap" becuase the gap between the platform and the train, there is so much diversity, it's a HUGE fairly overwhelming city, british english is harder to understand than the english that many Danes speak, lunch=dinner and dinner=tea.
london thursday
Breakfast at the hotel.
I went to Sunrise School. Very hippy montessori type of school. We sang some songs about being yourself and the world all being one family. Some songs they sing are in other languages. We went from singing into meditation. One boy had to be sent out because he was being disruptive. After meditation the woman told this story about a friend of hers who got into a car crash but they though of their happy place and a happy time of their life. The friend ended up being OK. The children were all coming up with practical solutions to what the friend could have done (braked, sped up etc.) the woman got annoyed at them and said they were missing the point of the story. She then read them about Jason and the Golden fleece. After that was snack time and time outside. There are 5-11 year olds all mixed together in one class with one teacher in this school. The all learn french and the national curriculum (that everyone we talked to absolutely hates!), The kids seemed pretty wild and rambunctious in contrast to the alleged tone of the school. All the children were very friendly and eager to talk with us. The school was fairly run down and had a very lived in homey look.
After that school visit I went over to walk around Notting Hill and Hyde Park. The park is gorgeous. Lots of huge gorgeous swans. We saw these three girls all dressed up racing on their scooters and arguing about whether one of them started too soon.
We had an amasing tea the Orangery at Kensington Palace. Really flavorful tea with milk and sugar. They brought us cucumber sandwiches, raisin scones with homemade butter and jam, and a vanilla cake with lemon frosting. We were making fun of one person because they claimed not to be a picky eater but they didn't like cucumber, raisins or the lemon frosting.
After tea we voyaged to Paddington Station to take a picture with the statue of Paddington Bear. Some girls were sitting in the way so we had to politely ask them to move. We went on to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. They have a cart half stuck into the wall. We all took pics of us pushing it.
We had dinner at a Thai restaurant on Trafalger Square. It wasn't that good. They brought us an omlet, pork curry, chicken and asparagus in a spicy sauce, rice, and orange slices.
Elizabeth and I went looking in a souvenier shop after that and then walked back to the hotel.
I went to Sunrise School. Very hippy montessori type of school. We sang some songs about being yourself and the world all being one family. Some songs they sing are in other languages. We went from singing into meditation. One boy had to be sent out because he was being disruptive. After meditation the woman told this story about a friend of hers who got into a car crash but they though of their happy place and a happy time of their life. The friend ended up being OK. The children were all coming up with practical solutions to what the friend could have done (braked, sped up etc.) the woman got annoyed at them and said they were missing the point of the story. She then read them about Jason and the Golden fleece. After that was snack time and time outside. There are 5-11 year olds all mixed together in one class with one teacher in this school. The all learn french and the national curriculum (that everyone we talked to absolutely hates!), The kids seemed pretty wild and rambunctious in contrast to the alleged tone of the school. All the children were very friendly and eager to talk with us. The school was fairly run down and had a very lived in homey look.
After that school visit I went over to walk around Notting Hill and Hyde Park. The park is gorgeous. Lots of huge gorgeous swans. We saw these three girls all dressed up racing on their scooters and arguing about whether one of them started too soon.
We had an amasing tea the Orangery at Kensington Palace. Really flavorful tea with milk and sugar. They brought us cucumber sandwiches, raisin scones with homemade butter and jam, and a vanilla cake with lemon frosting. We were making fun of one person because they claimed not to be a picky eater but they didn't like cucumber, raisins or the lemon frosting.
After tea we voyaged to Paddington Station to take a picture with the statue of Paddington Bear. Some girls were sitting in the way so we had to politely ask them to move. We went on to Kings Cross Station to see Platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter. They have a cart half stuck into the wall. We all took pics of us pushing it.
We had dinner at a Thai restaurant on Trafalger Square. It wasn't that good. They brought us an omlet, pork curry, chicken and asparagus in a spicy sauce, rice, and orange slices.
Elizabeth and I went looking in a souvenier shop after that and then walked back to the hotel.
London wednesday
I had breakfast at the hotel.
I went to the Lindon Bennett School. It's a special school only for children with moderate to severe special needs. We got to sit in on the end of a music lesson. Pretty impressive voices. We then went to snack. The children had to ask for what they wanted to eat. Some children couldn't really talk so they put the velco words on a board with velcro strips to communicate instead. One girl talked really quietly until they told her to get out her "big voice" from her pocket. She did it and then could speak perfectly fine. Amazing way of dealing with it. We then went on a tour of the faciltiy. They have a light room (white walls, disco ball, colored moving lights, etc), and a dark room, there is a sensory garden with different textures underfoot and plants like lavendar that smell when you brush against them. The garden also had a little pool of water. Newts lived in the pool and were tryign to get to wetlands nearby and that type of newt was endangered so they had to stop construction. Now that area of the school is called Newt Way. It was sad there was an area with plaques for the students who had died. Soon each class is going to be doing a little skit that has to do with the garden. Basically moving around to music and singing. We got to see a couple of them and it was so cute. There was a big emphasis on getting the children to do stuff and be to be self sufficient. The children have to go up to the counter and ask for food for lunch. Staff really reacts to anything the children do to encourage them to be expressive. There is a small pool. This is used to help the children who cannot move by themselves get to move a little because the water takes there weight. One girl was in a wheelchair but now she can move around fairly well. Impressive progress.
After that school we went to Brick Lane. I saw a woman from Smith there randomly. It was such a strange coincidence! Brick Lane is OK lots of restaurants. Very diverse almost all people of middle eastern/eastern european descent.
Went with Elizabeth and Pwin to Westminster Abbey. It was so amazing. Huge really high vaulted ceilings. Amazing stained glass. Some of the stained glass was destroyed in bombings during the World Wars. In the Abbey there is an area called poets corner where they have plaques commemorating all the famous british writers (Shakespeare, Chaucer, Kipling, James, etc etc.) Lots of tombs with royalty (Mary Queen of Scots). Amazing colorful flags with different symbols on them.
That night Elizabeth and I had fish and chips (you have to when you're in London). We went to see Avenue Q. Such a hilarious show. The music is amazing. It's all about life after college basically. The songs are The internet is for porn, we're all a little bit racist, my life sucks. The actors wear puppets on their hands but you can still see them. I was really impressed with how they could sing, move their body and have the puppet gesturing and opening its mouth as well.
I went to the Lindon Bennett School. It's a special school only for children with moderate to severe special needs. We got to sit in on the end of a music lesson. Pretty impressive voices. We then went to snack. The children had to ask for what they wanted to eat. Some children couldn't really talk so they put the velco words on a board with velcro strips to communicate instead. One girl talked really quietly until they told her to get out her "big voice" from her pocket. She did it and then could speak perfectly fine. Amazing way of dealing with it. We then went on a tour of the faciltiy. They have a light room (white walls, disco ball, colored moving lights, etc), and a dark room, there is a sensory garden with different textures underfoot and plants like lavendar that smell when you brush against them. The garden also had a little pool of water. Newts lived in the pool and were tryign to get to wetlands nearby and that type of newt was endangered so they had to stop construction. Now that area of the school is called Newt Way. It was sad there was an area with plaques for the students who had died. Soon each class is going to be doing a little skit that has to do with the garden. Basically moving around to music and singing. We got to see a couple of them and it was so cute. There was a big emphasis on getting the children to do stuff and be to be self sufficient. The children have to go up to the counter and ask for food for lunch. Staff really reacts to anything the children do to encourage them to be expressive. There is a small pool. This is used to help the children who cannot move by themselves get to move a little because the water takes there weight. One girl was in a wheelchair but now she can move around fairly well. Impressive progress.
After that school we went to Brick Lane. I saw a woman from Smith there randomly. It was such a strange coincidence! Brick Lane is OK lots of restaurants. Very diverse almost all people of middle eastern/eastern european descent.
Went with Elizabeth and Pwin to Westminster Abbey. It was so amazing. Huge really high vaulted ceilings. Amazing stained glass. Some of the stained glass was destroyed in bombings during the World Wars. In the Abbey there is an area called poets corner where they have plaques commemorating all the famous british writers (Shakespeare, Chaucer, Kipling, James, etc etc.) Lots of tombs with royalty (Mary Queen of Scots). Amazing colorful flags with different symbols on them.
That night Elizabeth and I had fish and chips (you have to when you're in London). We went to see Avenue Q. Such a hilarious show. The music is amazing. It's all about life after college basically. The songs are The internet is for porn, we're all a little bit racist, my life sucks. The actors wear puppets on their hands but you can still see them. I was really impressed with how they could sing, move their body and have the puppet gesturing and opening its mouth as well.
tuesday london
We had breakfast at the hotel again.
I went to Sure Start Kilburn Priory for an academic visit with a small group of DIS students (there were 5 groups of about 10 each). It's a preschool as well as a community resource. The area is pretty impoverished. There was a great deal of light and color and care taken with the space. There were African American heroes posters up on the wall to promote diversity (but we're in London why African America ones?). In the classrooms there were pics of what the children had done and things were labelled. There were numbers and the alphabet up on the wall. Much more academic in feel than my site in Denmark. Sure Start offers programs for parents about breast feeding, nutrrition, etc. There are also just social events for them to talk. There is a specific group for Somali immigrants. To transition to the next school teachers from there come to Sure Start and the children go there to visit so it's not as strange.
After that I went to Camden Market which is a lot like Quincy Market. It is all open air and there are little booths where you can buy stuff. It seemed to be mainly asian/middle eastern stuff. There were lots of gorgeous scarves and wall hangings for sale as well as bags. I was talking with two DIS people who went to Concord Academy and we were arguing about the map of Concord and trying to figure out where I lived.
I went to the Children's Museum after that. It sounded better than it was. Basically it was toys throughout from the last few decades behind glass cases. It was interesting to see the write ups they had about inspiration, superheros, toys that move, creativity, etc.
Went to look around in Harrods which is a HUGE really expensive fancy department store. The dresses and clothes there were amazing.
dinner with Elizabeth, Ashley and Pwin (a woman from Burma) to a Morracan restaurant. I had a falafel wrap. Unfortunately you are allowed to smoke special types of pipes in the restaurant.
After dinner we went with all of DIS to see WICKED! It was such an amazing musical. We decided that the woman playing Elphaba in particular was great. There is this amazing scene at the end of the first act where she is suspended in air with light just on her and it looks like she's flying.
I went to Sure Start Kilburn Priory for an academic visit with a small group of DIS students (there were 5 groups of about 10 each). It's a preschool as well as a community resource. The area is pretty impoverished. There was a great deal of light and color and care taken with the space. There were African American heroes posters up on the wall to promote diversity (but we're in London why African America ones?). In the classrooms there were pics of what the children had done and things were labelled. There were numbers and the alphabet up on the wall. Much more academic in feel than my site in Denmark. Sure Start offers programs for parents about breast feeding, nutrrition, etc. There are also just social events for them to talk. There is a specific group for Somali immigrants. To transition to the next school teachers from there come to Sure Start and the children go there to visit so it's not as strange.
After that I went to Camden Market which is a lot like Quincy Market. It is all open air and there are little booths where you can buy stuff. It seemed to be mainly asian/middle eastern stuff. There were lots of gorgeous scarves and wall hangings for sale as well as bags. I was talking with two DIS people who went to Concord Academy and we were arguing about the map of Concord and trying to figure out where I lived.
I went to the Children's Museum after that. It sounded better than it was. Basically it was toys throughout from the last few decades behind glass cases. It was interesting to see the write ups they had about inspiration, superheros, toys that move, creativity, etc.
Went to look around in Harrods which is a HUGE really expensive fancy department store. The dresses and clothes there were amazing.
dinner with Elizabeth, Ashley and Pwin (a woman from Burma) to a Morracan restaurant. I had a falafel wrap. Unfortunately you are allowed to smoke special types of pipes in the restaurant.
After dinner we went with all of DIS to see WICKED! It was such an amazing musical. We decided that the woman playing Elphaba in particular was great. There is this amazing scene at the end of the first act where she is suspended in air with light just on her and it looks like she's flying.
london monday
We had breakfast at the hotel (a huge selection of croissants, rolls, canned fruits, cottage cheese, regular cheese, yogurt, ham, eggs, beans, hash browns, juices, coffee, hot chocolate, etc etc.) It was served cafeteria style.
We all went together over to an institution called PPIMS. They talked to us for a while about what they do (basically help kids in a guidance couselor life skill support type of way). Some children come to PPIMS for academic classes, but mainly they run after school programs to help kids get job skills, communication skills, etc. We went to a school for children with moderate special needs that PPIMS supports called Bellvue. The children were doing a drumming workshop. The woman in charge showed us this really impressive book about a science lesson they had done abotu forces. She had asked them what they already knew and one child talked about the police in terms of a force. The other children just repeated back the word pretty much. The classes seemed to be very hands on and quick moving to keep the students attention. Teachers learn to be very adaptible.
In the afternoon I went to the Globe Theatre. It was really neat to see. It's not in the place it used to be becuase the original one burned down. Now the theatre is on the other side of the river. It looks very much like it would have at that time. The boards on the houses are held together by these pins and as the wood shrinks they actually become more stable. There are huge vertical cracks in the side of the theatre. The acoustics are amazing given that there is no sound system. There is artificial lighting. They do not use any scenery or added props on stage. The audience has to imagine. There is a large semi-circular area where people can pay much less just to stand up and listen. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are gentleman's rooms (private seating for the rich in balconies). The costume designer went to great trouble to make shoes appropriate for the time period but the actors were all slipping because the wood is finished in a different way so they had to add rubber soles. The wood is all marbled in these amazing maroon and orange colors that is correct for the original globe. The slats on the balconies on the highest level are much more rough hewn than the ones lower down.
We walked along the Thames which is gorgeous-lots of neat bridges and boats to look at.
We went up in the London Eye-a sort of enclosed glass chamber that 25 people can fit into. It goes in a circle sort of like a ferris wheel, but moves very slowly (1/2 hour for the ride). The view is amazing. You can see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, up and down the Thames, and the London skyline. They take a picture of you at the top. There was a small snow storm going on while we were up there which made it harder to take pics and to see but also kind of neat.
That night we had dinner at Brown's in Covent Garden. We had a beef pot pie, mashed potatoes, and green beans. For dessert there was gingerbread in a molasses sauce. We talked about what we're doing after study tour and what we had seen that day.
We all went together over to an institution called PPIMS. They talked to us for a while about what they do (basically help kids in a guidance couselor life skill support type of way). Some children come to PPIMS for academic classes, but mainly they run after school programs to help kids get job skills, communication skills, etc. We went to a school for children with moderate special needs that PPIMS supports called Bellvue. The children were doing a drumming workshop. The woman in charge showed us this really impressive book about a science lesson they had done abotu forces. She had asked them what they already knew and one child talked about the police in terms of a force. The other children just repeated back the word pretty much. The classes seemed to be very hands on and quick moving to keep the students attention. Teachers learn to be very adaptible.
In the afternoon I went to the Globe Theatre. It was really neat to see. It's not in the place it used to be becuase the original one burned down. Now the theatre is on the other side of the river. It looks very much like it would have at that time. The boards on the houses are held together by these pins and as the wood shrinks they actually become more stable. There are huge vertical cracks in the side of the theatre. The acoustics are amazing given that there is no sound system. There is artificial lighting. They do not use any scenery or added props on stage. The audience has to imagine. There is a large semi-circular area where people can pay much less just to stand up and listen. On the opposite end of the spectrum there are gentleman's rooms (private seating for the rich in balconies). The costume designer went to great trouble to make shoes appropriate for the time period but the actors were all slipping because the wood is finished in a different way so they had to add rubber soles. The wood is all marbled in these amazing maroon and orange colors that is correct for the original globe. The slats on the balconies on the highest level are much more rough hewn than the ones lower down.
We walked along the Thames which is gorgeous-lots of neat bridges and boats to look at.
We went up in the London Eye-a sort of enclosed glass chamber that 25 people can fit into. It goes in a circle sort of like a ferris wheel, but moves very slowly (1/2 hour for the ride). The view is amazing. You can see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, up and down the Thames, and the London skyline. They take a picture of you at the top. There was a small snow storm going on while we were up there which made it harder to take pics and to see but also kind of neat.
That night we had dinner at Brown's in Covent Garden. We had a beef pot pie, mashed potatoes, and green beans. For dessert there was gingerbread in a molasses sauce. We talked about what we're doing after study tour and what we had seen that day.
london sunday
Woke up early and took the bus to the airport. The flight was OK. We flew Easy Jet and it was a bit like Southwest no added extra perks. Elizabeth and Ashley bought scratch cards where you can possibly win a prize.
When we got to London we got a charter bus and went to Masala Zone a really good Indian food restaurant. We had chicken in this spicy sauce, rice, cauliflower with seasonings, a bean sauce, sauteed cabbage, torilla chip, regular tortilla, and a cocunut milk and rice pudding. It was good but so flavorful and such a mix of flavors it was a bit overwhelming. We went right from the resaurant back onto the tour bus to go on a tour of London. Our tour guide had a sense of humor and she did a good job.
We saw basically all of the major sights in London. London is divided there is the City of London and there is Westminster with the Thames running in between. We drove by Hyde Park, the Tower of London, London Bridge, James Barry's house, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc etc. Much of London burned down in a fire in the late 1600s. Apparently women would jump off of London Bridge to commit suicide but they were wearing petticoats that acted as parachutes so they didn't get hurt at all. There is a "congestion fee" in London just to take a car into the city and then it's even more expensive to park. The taxi's are a very distinctive style. There's a financial area of London where a ton of people work and where all the banks are.
After the tour we went to the hotel and checked in. Dinner was on our own. We walked into SoHo (an asian influenced area of the city) and looked around. There is a cool gate with lots of lights. Ashley, Elizabeth and I ate at an Italian place (Bella Italia) and I had bruschetta.
We walked around a bit after dinner but basically we just went right back to the hotel.
When we got to London we got a charter bus and went to Masala Zone a really good Indian food restaurant. We had chicken in this spicy sauce, rice, cauliflower with seasonings, a bean sauce, sauteed cabbage, torilla chip, regular tortilla, and a cocunut milk and rice pudding. It was good but so flavorful and such a mix of flavors it was a bit overwhelming. We went right from the resaurant back onto the tour bus to go on a tour of London. Our tour guide had a sense of humor and she did a good job.
We saw basically all of the major sights in London. London is divided there is the City of London and there is Westminster with the Thames running in between. We drove by Hyde Park, the Tower of London, London Bridge, James Barry's house, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, etc etc. Much of London burned down in a fire in the late 1600s. Apparently women would jump off of London Bridge to commit suicide but they were wearing petticoats that acted as parachutes so they didn't get hurt at all. There is a "congestion fee" in London just to take a car into the city and then it's even more expensive to park. The taxi's are a very distinctive style. There's a financial area of London where a ton of people work and where all the banks are.
After the tour we went to the hotel and checked in. Dinner was on our own. We walked into SoHo (an asian influenced area of the city) and looked around. There is a cool gate with lots of lights. Ashley, Elizabeth and I ate at an Italian place (Bella Italia) and I had bruschetta.
We walked around a bit after dinner but basically we just went right back to the hotel.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Talked with Ida, Jens, and Karen. They were going over the market list for the party. They were able to borrow a car to pick up groceries. Karen gets to go and hear a talk about Global Warming by a famous researcher today for her physics class.
Went for a run down Jagtvej and Norrobrogade. Saw where Ungdomhuset used to be. Lots of flowers all piles up on the site. Gorgeous warm weather.
Went into classes. The bus was packed especially because a whole class all crowded onto an already pretty full bus. Turned in 3 papers. The computers and printers were all very busy because of all the papers and stuff due before break. Learned about WWII in 20th century euro. history. We learned about the discovery of America and how it changed Europe in Environmental History. In Danish we learned how to say I go ------ in order to and also talked in Danish abotu what we will do on travel break. Went over sports and music vocab.
Went for a run down Jagtvej and Norrobrogade. Saw where Ungdomhuset used to be. Lots of flowers all piles up on the site. Gorgeous warm weather.
Went into classes. The bus was packed especially because a whole class all crowded onto an already pretty full bus. Turned in 3 papers. The computers and printers were all very busy because of all the papers and stuff due before break. Learned about WWII in 20th century euro. history. We learned about the discovery of America and how it changed Europe in Environmental History. In Danish we learned how to say I go ------ in order to and also talked in Danish abotu what we will do on travel break. Went over sports and music vocab.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Got to Stenurten at 8. Got on a bus and went to a "forest" although there were houses all around and an indoor place to go and it was not dense trees at all.
There was a trampoline, a teepee, ropes strung between trees to balance on, tents to set up, home-made football (soccer) goals. One of the pedagogues dug a big hole put stones in lit a fire to heat up the stones, removed the ashes and had an oven. He cooked bread and sausages in there. Pretty neat.
Interesting to note that the children do cry fairly frequently. At first I thought the pedagogues just didn't notice, but they do and choose not to respond. The kid recovers within minutes by themselves probably faster than they would if they got attention. Still it goes against my nature not to go up and comfort a child. Also I kept trying to be "helpful" to the kids but the pedagogues seem to not approve of this. The kids are supposed to clean up for themselves and get their own clothes on and basically learn to be self sufficient. I tend to see someone stuggling and want to make it go faster so I go help them out. Not always best in the overall development.
The children were having fun playing soccer, jumping on the trampoline, various make believe stuff. Some children helped a pedagogue make a goal.
I was impressed how well the children entertained themselves given very few props and so much time.
I gave some girls piggy back rides, pushed some kids in a wheelbarrow, watched the fire being made. Overall a good day.
Went into DIS for choir. My turn to bring snacks. We are sounding really good. We had to sing louder and have more energy. We got up and had to walk around to the beat of the song while singing and that helped. Worked on dynamics. It is so helpful to be finally singing the actual Danish words to the song and not just dah dah dah. The words help us to find the notes and the melody.
It's interesting to hear them discussing food. They really go to great lengths to talk about exactly what is good and bad about the dish. It is a form of compliment not an insult to the cook however.
Talked with Ida Jens and Karen. The clutch on their car is broken and they need a car to get all the food for Jakobs thesis celebration party on Saturday. Drama trying to figure that out.
There was a trampoline, a teepee, ropes strung between trees to balance on, tents to set up, home-made football (soccer) goals. One of the pedagogues dug a big hole put stones in lit a fire to heat up the stones, removed the ashes and had an oven. He cooked bread and sausages in there. Pretty neat.
Interesting to note that the children do cry fairly frequently. At first I thought the pedagogues just didn't notice, but they do and choose not to respond. The kid recovers within minutes by themselves probably faster than they would if they got attention. Still it goes against my nature not to go up and comfort a child. Also I kept trying to be "helpful" to the kids but the pedagogues seem to not approve of this. The kids are supposed to clean up for themselves and get their own clothes on and basically learn to be self sufficient. I tend to see someone stuggling and want to make it go faster so I go help them out. Not always best in the overall development.
The children were having fun playing soccer, jumping on the trampoline, various make believe stuff. Some children helped a pedagogue make a goal.
I was impressed how well the children entertained themselves given very few props and so much time.
I gave some girls piggy back rides, pushed some kids in a wheelbarrow, watched the fire being made. Overall a good day.
Went into DIS for choir. My turn to bring snacks. We are sounding really good. We had to sing louder and have more energy. We got up and had to walk around to the beat of the song while singing and that helped. Worked on dynamics. It is so helpful to be finally singing the actual Danish words to the song and not just dah dah dah. The words help us to find the notes and the melody.
It's interesting to hear them discussing food. They really go to great lengths to talk about exactly what is good and bad about the dish. It is a form of compliment not an insult to the cook however.
Talked with Ida Jens and Karen. The clutch on their car is broken and they need a car to get all the food for Jakobs thesis celebration party on Saturday. Drama trying to figure that out.
Went for a run around the lakes. Got passed by a couple guys going fast, but passed some other people.
Worked on papers some more. 5 page Enviro. History paper about the development of agriculture in early Europe, 5 page 20th Century European History paper about the social and political effects of the 2nd industrial revolution, and a 2 page Danish paper about culture that I chose to do about how the way the educational systems socialize students to be members of their culture. ie danish emphasizes the group mentality (jantelov) and will not allow any praising or accelerated classes whereas the US is much more individual based.
Went to see Viking stuff at the National Museet. Lots of arrows, interesting functionally shaped knives, spoons specially shaped, rain proof coats and fur coats etc.
Met Elizabeth at the main train station in Copenhagen. Exchanged moulah for London and Europe after. Elizabeth and I went walking around. We walked through Christianborg Castle. We stopped in the Black Diamond (the big Copenhagen library) it is very impressive lots of windows and very light. Not stuffy and dank like many libraries. It's right on the canal so there is an absolutely gorgeous water view. We also walked down Nyhaven (colorful harbor) with lots of colorful buildings, many restaurants, boats in the harbor. Many people lounging around enjoying the weather even though it was the middle of the work day in the week. Elizabeth and I then continued down Stroget looking in shops and got back to DIS.
Dinner with the Ida and Jens. Karen was babysitting. We had hamburgers, potatoes and veggies sauteed and a red cabbage, orange and apple salad. (Hmmph to mothers who won't put fruit in salad). We were talking about environmentalism and cars. I explained how we have hybrid cars. They are very expensive in Denmark so no one can really have one. Americans use their cars so much more than Danes seem to though. We discussed the merits of the clothesline and air drying clothes instead of using electricity to run the dryer.
There is no pressure for me to drink but I think they feel I am a bit strange for not wanting to.
I watched Charlotte Gray (an american WWII) movie online (Danish Radio (a danish TV station) has a website where you can watch stuff.
Worked on papers some more. 5 page Enviro. History paper about the development of agriculture in early Europe, 5 page 20th Century European History paper about the social and political effects of the 2nd industrial revolution, and a 2 page Danish paper about culture that I chose to do about how the way the educational systems socialize students to be members of their culture. ie danish emphasizes the group mentality (jantelov) and will not allow any praising or accelerated classes whereas the US is much more individual based.
Went to see Viking stuff at the National Museet. Lots of arrows, interesting functionally shaped knives, spoons specially shaped, rain proof coats and fur coats etc.
Met Elizabeth at the main train station in Copenhagen. Exchanged moulah for London and Europe after. Elizabeth and I went walking around. We walked through Christianborg Castle. We stopped in the Black Diamond (the big Copenhagen library) it is very impressive lots of windows and very light. Not stuffy and dank like many libraries. It's right on the canal so there is an absolutely gorgeous water view. We also walked down Nyhaven (colorful harbor) with lots of colorful buildings, many restaurants, boats in the harbor. Many people lounging around enjoying the weather even though it was the middle of the work day in the week. Elizabeth and I then continued down Stroget looking in shops and got back to DIS.
Dinner with the Ida and Jens. Karen was babysitting. We had hamburgers, potatoes and veggies sauteed and a red cabbage, orange and apple salad. (Hmmph to mothers who won't put fruit in salad). We were talking about environmentalism and cars. I explained how we have hybrid cars. They are very expensive in Denmark so no one can really have one. Americans use their cars so much more than Danes seem to though. We discussed the merits of the clothesline and air drying clothes instead of using electricity to run the dryer.
There is no pressure for me to drink but I think they feel I am a bit strange for not wanting to.
I watched Charlotte Gray (an american WWII) movie online (Danish Radio (a danish TV station) has a website where you can watch stuff.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
march 13th
Today Friday the 13th falls on a Tuesday another joke of Mr. Atlases.
McCurdy went to the Brown's baby shower. Apparently they are happy and the baby is cute.
I went on a run down HC Orstedsvej towards a garden but it wasn't a very large or exciting one so I kept going and ended up near Vestre Kirkegard and the Carlberg Brewery. Went back the way I came.
Went into class. We learned about the start of WWII and the appeasement of Hitler in 20th century European history. We learned about the Black Death and plagues in Environmental History. Black Death is not bubonic plague and was spread human to human not via fleas and rats.
In Danish we talked about what our group presentations about Danish culture will be about. My group is talking about family structure, friends, hygge, importance of sitting down, traditions, candles, sports clubs as social places etc. etc. Nina gossiped with us about the Royal family. The man married to the Queen (but he's a prince and not Danish) is very into good food and wine and has published cook books. A few years ago he was depressed and went of to France in a huff and said the Danish people don't appreciate him. Prince Henrik is very athletic and has run a marathon. Price Joachim is more formal and proper. Prince Joachim's ex-wife just got remarried last weekend. Now she is not a Princess anymore.
We had a quiz on vocab that was fine. No one could remember the words for doctor or dentist.
I came home. Watched Beverly Hills 90210 did some homework.
Elizabeth, Ashley and I are going to see a musical Avenue Q in London on a free night we have! I'm excited.
The days are so long now. Early sunrise and late sunset.
McCurdy went to the Brown's baby shower. Apparently they are happy and the baby is cute.
I went on a run down HC Orstedsvej towards a garden but it wasn't a very large or exciting one so I kept going and ended up near Vestre Kirkegard and the Carlberg Brewery. Went back the way I came.
Went into class. We learned about the start of WWII and the appeasement of Hitler in 20th century European history. We learned about the Black Death and plagues in Environmental History. Black Death is not bubonic plague and was spread human to human not via fleas and rats.
In Danish we talked about what our group presentations about Danish culture will be about. My group is talking about family structure, friends, hygge, importance of sitting down, traditions, candles, sports clubs as social places etc. etc. Nina gossiped with us about the Royal family. The man married to the Queen (but he's a prince and not Danish) is very into good food and wine and has published cook books. A few years ago he was depressed and went of to France in a huff and said the Danish people don't appreciate him. Prince Henrik is very athletic and has run a marathon. Price Joachim is more formal and proper. Prince Joachim's ex-wife just got remarried last weekend. Now she is not a Princess anymore.
We had a quiz on vocab that was fine. No one could remember the words for doctor or dentist.
I came home. Watched Beverly Hills 90210 did some homework.
Elizabeth, Ashley and I are going to see a musical Avenue Q in London on a free night we have! I'm excited.
The days are so long now. Early sunrise and late sunset.
march 12th
Went for a run (gorgeous weather) out on a path along the S-train RR tracks and then along a bikepath to Rolighedsvej and home. There was this garden that I wanted to go into but I couldn't figure out how.
Did some homework. Went into class. We watched a movie about this boy with a condition where you lose your eyesight and ability to move over the years. Very very sad. We also talked about our practicum sites. We did an activity where we all put a sticker on our forhead and someone else labelled us with some sort of disability. We then had to figure out what our disability was. We did an activity where we all held onto a scarf and held in up high and down low but we were all crowded in so it took lots of teamwork not to smack into each other.
Elizabeth and I walked around on Stroget during the time between classes. We went into H&M a clothing store.
In theory class we talked about ADHD the symptoms and how to intervene with children who have it. ADHD is currently on the rise of being diagnosed. Denmark doesn't see it as a developemental disorder like the USA but more of a social behavioral problem.
We had our London Study tour orientation. I'm so excited. We get to see the musical Wicked! We also do a bunch of school visits. We fly out Sunday morning. Elizabeth and I are sharing a room in London.
We had a chicken stew for dinner.
Did some homework. Went into class. We watched a movie about this boy with a condition where you lose your eyesight and ability to move over the years. Very very sad. We also talked about our practicum sites. We did an activity where we all put a sticker on our forhead and someone else labelled us with some sort of disability. We then had to figure out what our disability was. We did an activity where we all held onto a scarf and held in up high and down low but we were all crowded in so it took lots of teamwork not to smack into each other.
Elizabeth and I walked around on Stroget during the time between classes. We went into H&M a clothing store.
In theory class we talked about ADHD the symptoms and how to intervene with children who have it. ADHD is currently on the rise of being diagnosed. Denmark doesn't see it as a developemental disorder like the USA but more of a social behavioral problem.
We had our London Study tour orientation. I'm so excited. We get to see the musical Wicked! We also do a bunch of school visits. We fly out Sunday morning. Elizabeth and I are sharing a room in London.
We had a chicken stew for dinner.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
emily's bday march 11th
Did homework (readings and working on papers). Went into DIS to meet people to run but then they both couldn't make it. I went running out farther down 2A towards Christiansborg, the canals, the old wall st. building with a spinning roof etc. It was neat.
Talked with my host family. Karen was going to visit her father tonight and was telling me about the differences between 3 main bakery chains. We discussed the difference between jam, marmelade, and jelly.
Took the bus to Emily's house in Hvidore but you don't pronounce the h in danish. She showed us her room. It's in the basement of the house and a very cute room. Her host family (mom, dad, brother Soren and sister Fifi) had been working in the garden. Soren painted his bike golden.
They were all really nice. We had white sweet bread rolls, a sort of tiramisu consistency cake with whipped cream, cake layers and chocolate meringue layer. We also had hot chocolate to drink. It was delicious. We sang danish songs. We talked about different languages, travel break, and other small talk. Her host family is really nice. Emily's host family doesn't seem as comfortable speaking danish as mine.
Emily, Elizabeth, Ashley and I all ended up on the same train both ways. We went for a walk with Emily's host families dog Molly. She was a black lab and so sweet. We were down by an inlet with a harbor. The weather was gorgeous and seeing the ocean was nice. There were tons of windmills around whipping around. It was pretty windy but 11 degrees C and sunny!
Came back and had dinner with my host family. Jakob was here to help plan a party he will have next week to celebrate finishing his thesis.
Talked with my host family. Karen was going to visit her father tonight and was telling me about the differences between 3 main bakery chains. We discussed the difference between jam, marmelade, and jelly.
Took the bus to Emily's house in Hvidore but you don't pronounce the h in danish. She showed us her room. It's in the basement of the house and a very cute room. Her host family (mom, dad, brother Soren and sister Fifi) had been working in the garden. Soren painted his bike golden.
They were all really nice. We had white sweet bread rolls, a sort of tiramisu consistency cake with whipped cream, cake layers and chocolate meringue layer. We also had hot chocolate to drink. It was delicious. We sang danish songs. We talked about different languages, travel break, and other small talk. Her host family is really nice. Emily's host family doesn't seem as comfortable speaking danish as mine.
Emily, Elizabeth, Ashley and I all ended up on the same train both ways. We went for a walk with Emily's host families dog Molly. She was a black lab and so sweet. We were down by an inlet with a harbor. The weather was gorgeous and seeing the ocean was nice. There were tons of windmills around whipping around. It was pretty windy but 11 degrees C and sunny!
Came back and had dinner with my host family. Jakob was here to help plan a party he will have next week to celebrate finishing his thesis.
March 10th
Worked on my papers for the two history classes and my paper for the special needs class. Read about ADHD for special needs and about interview techniques for practicum.
Went for a run with Ally and Jessie around the lakes and over to this cute park off of the last lake. We ran through a group of drunk danish guys about our age cheering for us. A bit dumb but they were not in our way and were being supportive not that obnoxious. GORGEOUS DAY warm and sunny! I ended up running home almost beating/keeping up with the bus making stops along the way. It's faster in Copenhagen to walk/bike than it is to have a car or take a bus. So many intersections. I don't like waiting for the little walking red man to turn green on the traffic light.
Had lunch on my own.
Karen had friends over to work on a physics lab. Ida was cleaning. Jens was relaxing. He had a nice trip last week in Norway.
Called home. Woke up Mom...oops. I was the first one to tell Dad happy birthday even though I'm in another country ha ha ha.
Did more homework in the afternoon.
Went to Elizabeth's for dinner. Elizabeth and I looked into where we want to go on our voyages around Europe. Her host sisters are really nice. We were talking about crazy teachers who go way off the topic that the class is supposed to be about with some student encouragement. This is random but they have brushes with maybe 10 inch handles that they use to clean up here and they don't get smelly and nasty like the brillos. Much nicer.
We watched Emma together.
Went for a run with Ally and Jessie around the lakes and over to this cute park off of the last lake. We ran through a group of drunk danish guys about our age cheering for us. A bit dumb but they were not in our way and were being supportive not that obnoxious. GORGEOUS DAY warm and sunny! I ended up running home almost beating/keeping up with the bus making stops along the way. It's faster in Copenhagen to walk/bike than it is to have a car or take a bus. So many intersections. I don't like waiting for the little walking red man to turn green on the traffic light.
Had lunch on my own.
Karen had friends over to work on a physics lab. Ida was cleaning. Jens was relaxing. He had a nice trip last week in Norway.
Called home. Woke up Mom...oops. I was the first one to tell Dad happy birthday even though I'm in another country ha ha ha.
Did more homework in the afternoon.
Went to Elizabeth's for dinner. Elizabeth and I looked into where we want to go on our voyages around Europe. Her host sisters are really nice. We were talking about crazy teachers who go way off the topic that the class is supposed to be about with some student encouragement. This is random but they have brushes with maybe 10 inch handles that they use to clean up here and they don't get smelly and nasty like the brillos. Much nicer.
We watched Emma together.
Friday, March 9, 2007
march 8 and 9
Yesterday I walked over to Stenurten and got there a little before 8AM. Some of the pedagogues were sick or on vacation so one of the pedagogues was calling around trying to get subs.
A girl immediately came up to me and wanted to play fooseball. I also was doing some coloring with girls both regular drawing and coloring book pages. The coloring pages were of Snow White and the 7 Dwarves. There are these 4 girls who keep wanted me to come and do this and won't leave me alone. It's flattering in a way but also kind of annoying.
There is a girl who I'm writing about for an observation paper for class who seems to have ADHD she is very wild and impulsive.
We had pea soup and bread for lunch. The soup made a mess. I was sitting with a bunch of kids and had trouble understanding them. They sing a song before they eat and say Vaersgo (Let's Go) sort of like saying grace. They must have all their soup before they can take more bread.
We had a really fun dance party where all the kids were going crazy dancing around. It was fun. It started out with one girl basically break dancing which was impressive a bunch of the girls know ballet.
After that I went home and did homework. We had a veal (wheel) stir fry for dinner.
Today I went for a run around the lakes. Nothing much exciting from that.
I went into class. We learned about the Great Depression and the time between the 2 World Wars in European history. We got back our short quizes I did OK but made a couple stupid mistakes but since there were only 10 questions that gave me a B+. Oh well. I got to rushing through the quiz and thinking it was so easy and not really paying attention. Silly me.
Had lunch with Elizabeth, Ashley, and Emily. They're all fine. Ashley and Emily were talking about a midterm test they had just taken.
In Environmental history we talked about the population decline in the Renaissance due to climate change and the black plague. We got back our quizzes again I made a couple dumb mistakes by not reading the question carefully and got a B+. I think I do better with short answer tests because its in my brain and I really know it but I second guess myself and don't look carefully and pay attention to detail on multiple choice. Again oh well.
I had a Danish Oral exam. It went really well. It was basically introducing yourself and talking about your family and what you are going to do this weekend.
I met wiht my group to do a presentation in english about an aspect of danish culture for danish class.
A girl immediately came up to me and wanted to play fooseball. I also was doing some coloring with girls both regular drawing and coloring book pages. The coloring pages were of Snow White and the 7 Dwarves. There are these 4 girls who keep wanted me to come and do this and won't leave me alone. It's flattering in a way but also kind of annoying.
There is a girl who I'm writing about for an observation paper for class who seems to have ADHD she is very wild and impulsive.
We had pea soup and bread for lunch. The soup made a mess. I was sitting with a bunch of kids and had trouble understanding them. They sing a song before they eat and say Vaersgo (Let's Go) sort of like saying grace. They must have all their soup before they can take more bread.
We had a really fun dance party where all the kids were going crazy dancing around. It was fun. It started out with one girl basically break dancing which was impressive a bunch of the girls know ballet.
After that I went home and did homework. We had a veal (wheel) stir fry for dinner.
Today I went for a run around the lakes. Nothing much exciting from that.
I went into class. We learned about the Great Depression and the time between the 2 World Wars in European history. We got back our short quizes I did OK but made a couple stupid mistakes but since there were only 10 questions that gave me a B+. Oh well. I got to rushing through the quiz and thinking it was so easy and not really paying attention. Silly me.
Had lunch with Elizabeth, Ashley, and Emily. They're all fine. Ashley and Emily were talking about a midterm test they had just taken.
In Environmental history we talked about the population decline in the Renaissance due to climate change and the black plague. We got back our quizzes again I made a couple dumb mistakes by not reading the question carefully and got a B+. I think I do better with short answer tests because its in my brain and I really know it but I second guess myself and don't look carefully and pay attention to detail on multiple choice. Again oh well.
I had a Danish Oral exam. It went really well. It was basically introducing yourself and talking about your family and what you are going to do this weekend.
I met wiht my group to do a presentation in english about an aspect of danish culture for danish class.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
roskilde! march 7th
Read some of The Lake House. It's a really good book about children who can fly.
Went for a run down Nordre and Sondre Fasanvej. It goes along a fairly developed area with shops.
Went into the main Copenhagen train station. Took the train to Roskilde. We went to a cathedral. It was built by Bishop Absalon. We had a great guide who was very enthusiastic about the place. There was an organist playing. Roskilde used to be the main capital and center of Copenhagen. There were some coffins of the Royal Family that we saw. The cathedral looks different than it used to apparently (fewer frescoes and no stained glass because of the reformation). There are many side rooms that were designed by different kings and thus have different styles. There was a king of Denmark during WW2 who surrendered to Germany but went out riding around the city as soon as he did to keep up the tradition and connect with the people. There was another king who became king at 15 and was schitzophrenic. The cathedral is still in use. The latest royalty don't want to be put up for display and thus are buried outside the cathedral in a graveyard. Sometimes the coffins must be fixed up. If the inner coffin has been damaged then they have to call the queen and ask her permission to open it up.
We also went to the Viking Museum. We saw a movie about the 5 ships they have reconstructed. There were 3 channels in the fjord that were meant to protect Roskilde. They had to drain the fjord and keep the wood in water and then slowly add glycen or something like that because it will keep the wood from deteriorating and rotting.
There were two major types of Viking boats: merchant ones and war ships. The merchant ones were wide and stable and smaller. The boats were very technically advanced and fast. The war ships were long and narrow and could move very fast. The merchant ships fit about 30 people and the war ships fit about 80. War ships could be rowed or sailed. The vikings explored all over. Mediterranean took about 2 weeks unless they got sidetracked. Greenland took about a week and England took 3 days. Different types of wood were used to build different parts of the boats due to the function of that part.
I did a bit of homework.
Ida, Karen, and I drove to a Walmartish store that sells groceries, clothes, appliances etc. We also went to visit Jette (who is Ida's age) and Sarah (Karen's age). When Karen and Sarah were little they were neighbors and best friends. It was nice to meet them. Interestingly they didn't seem phased by having me there and didn't ask me any questions at all. I wasn't offended but I was very surprised that they didn't try to include me in the conversation more. They both spoke English. Oh well. I followed bits of the conversation. We stopped by Karen's gymnasium to pick up her bike with a flat tire. It was late so we got a pizza to have for dinner.
Went for a run down Nordre and Sondre Fasanvej. It goes along a fairly developed area with shops.
Went into the main Copenhagen train station. Took the train to Roskilde. We went to a cathedral. It was built by Bishop Absalon. We had a great guide who was very enthusiastic about the place. There was an organist playing. Roskilde used to be the main capital and center of Copenhagen. There were some coffins of the Royal Family that we saw. The cathedral looks different than it used to apparently (fewer frescoes and no stained glass because of the reformation). There are many side rooms that were designed by different kings and thus have different styles. There was a king of Denmark during WW2 who surrendered to Germany but went out riding around the city as soon as he did to keep up the tradition and connect with the people. There was another king who became king at 15 and was schitzophrenic. The cathedral is still in use. The latest royalty don't want to be put up for display and thus are buried outside the cathedral in a graveyard. Sometimes the coffins must be fixed up. If the inner coffin has been damaged then they have to call the queen and ask her permission to open it up.
We also went to the Viking Museum. We saw a movie about the 5 ships they have reconstructed. There were 3 channels in the fjord that were meant to protect Roskilde. They had to drain the fjord and keep the wood in water and then slowly add glycen or something like that because it will keep the wood from deteriorating and rotting.
There were two major types of Viking boats: merchant ones and war ships. The merchant ones were wide and stable and smaller. The boats were very technically advanced and fast. The war ships were long and narrow and could move very fast. The merchant ships fit about 30 people and the war ships fit about 80. War ships could be rowed or sailed. The vikings explored all over. Mediterranean took about 2 weeks unless they got sidetracked. Greenland took about a week and England took 3 days. Different types of wood were used to build different parts of the boats due to the function of that part.
I did a bit of homework.
Ida, Karen, and I drove to a Walmartish store that sells groceries, clothes, appliances etc. We also went to visit Jette (who is Ida's age) and Sarah (Karen's age). When Karen and Sarah were little they were neighbors and best friends. It was nice to meet them. Interestingly they didn't seem phased by having me there and didn't ask me any questions at all. I wasn't offended but I was very surprised that they didn't try to include me in the conversation more. They both spoke English. Oh well. I followed bits of the conversation. We stopped by Karen's gymnasium to pick up her bike with a flat tire. It was late so we got a pizza to have for dinner.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
march 6th
Went for a run around the lakes. There is so much junk in the lakes especially in the corners. Ick! Also on my run I noticed that you see a fair number of women in fur coats or stoles and men smoking pipes. Not the style in the US. The stupid pigeons won't move out of the and then when they do move they fly/hop so slowly that you practically have to stop or run into them. GRRR!
Went into DIS for class. The demographics of the people on the bus change depending on the time of day. I notice much more diversity and much younger people at the typical rush hour times. When I ride during the day it tends to be less diverse and more senior citizens riding. The volume of the bus and the amount of people talking to each other or on phones changes. Everyone has a cell phone it seems like and is talking on it quite a bit.
We talked about the Soviet Union and enforced urbanization. Peasants and people who disagreed with Stalin were killed. Ulimately the Soviet Union did become urbanized. Farms were consolidated to increase production. The country had no capital (ie money) to do anything with so they forced prisoners and civilians to work for basically nothing and therefore developed capital by stored labor in bridges and canals. We had a short answer quiz at the end which was very easy and I did well on I believe. It's one of those multiple choice simple ones that you can mess up easily becuase there are so few questions.
I had lunch with Emily. She's doing well. Everyone has a lot of work these two weeks because of midterms.
In Environmental history we talked about the massive deforestation of europe in the early middle ages and also about famine and crop failures leading to population decline. We had a short quiz much like the one in 20th century European history.
In danish we reviewed because we have an oral midterm on Friday. It was very useful.
I hung out at DIS reading a book called The Ice House, talking with friends and reading the paper online.
I had choir rehersal. It was really nice. The librarian came and taught us how to pronounce the words in the song we are singing. Its all about enjoying yourself and being free and happy because of the good weather and being outside.
Went into DIS for class. The demographics of the people on the bus change depending on the time of day. I notice much more diversity and much younger people at the typical rush hour times. When I ride during the day it tends to be less diverse and more senior citizens riding. The volume of the bus and the amount of people talking to each other or on phones changes. Everyone has a cell phone it seems like and is talking on it quite a bit.
We talked about the Soviet Union and enforced urbanization. Peasants and people who disagreed with Stalin were killed. Ulimately the Soviet Union did become urbanized. Farms were consolidated to increase production. The country had no capital (ie money) to do anything with so they forced prisoners and civilians to work for basically nothing and therefore developed capital by stored labor in bridges and canals. We had a short answer quiz at the end which was very easy and I did well on I believe. It's one of those multiple choice simple ones that you can mess up easily becuase there are so few questions.
I had lunch with Emily. She's doing well. Everyone has a lot of work these two weeks because of midterms.
In Environmental history we talked about the massive deforestation of europe in the early middle ages and also about famine and crop failures leading to population decline. We had a short quiz much like the one in 20th century European history.
In danish we reviewed because we have an oral midterm on Friday. It was very useful.
I hung out at DIS reading a book called The Ice House, talking with friends and reading the paper online.
I had choir rehersal. It was really nice. The librarian came and taught us how to pronounce the words in the song we are singing. Its all about enjoying yourself and being free and happy because of the good weather and being outside.
Monday, March 5, 2007
march 5th
Hi. Went to Elizabeth's host families house to pick up a evaluation of our time at the practicum and give her some dvds that the Millers sent me. Elizabeth is sick and didn't go to class. I got a tiny bit lost coming out the station near her house but then I figured it out.
Went into DIS for a meeting with Maja, the practicum EDC class professor. She was having talks with everyone about how the practicum experience is going. We discussed the evaluations that we and the pedagogues had to do about our time. Basically it's going well but I need to talk with the pedagogues more and set boundaries with the children. My communication and interaction with the children is super duper though.
I went for run around the "potato houses" rows of houses that are 3 floors high and built to house tons of people when urbanization and an influx of immigrants came to the city. I was also running around a botanical garden near Norreport.
I went back home had lunch and did homework.
Went into DIS for and EDC class about foster children. Here foster parents can't adopt. Children are removed from their families for less drastic measures than are required in the States.
We had a great discussion. We got feedback forms about a short answer test we had to do. I didn't use quotes because it said use your own words but then now he wanted us to cite and use quotes OOPS. He also seemed to be asking us to just summarize this law about SPED but then he's grading us on how we analyzed it and discussed what was good and bad. A bit of a miscommunication and expectations that were very confusing and extremely unclear. GRRR!
We watched a movie with Danish class called After the Wedding. It was good. Its about a man who is going to die. He brings the biological father of his daughter who has been in India doing great things back to his daughters wedding. The man who had been in India was coming to get the Danish man's money to fund a project. It ends up that the Danish man's wife and the guy who had been in India end up sort of falling in love again. The danish man dies. The daughter and the biological father who had been in India become close. The daughters husband cheats on her days after marrying her and she is very upset. Yet another movie about dysfunctional families. Oh goodness the silly Danes you'd think they could find another topic to write about.
Went into DIS for a meeting with Maja, the practicum EDC class professor. She was having talks with everyone about how the practicum experience is going. We discussed the evaluations that we and the pedagogues had to do about our time. Basically it's going well but I need to talk with the pedagogues more and set boundaries with the children. My communication and interaction with the children is super duper though.
I went for run around the "potato houses" rows of houses that are 3 floors high and built to house tons of people when urbanization and an influx of immigrants came to the city. I was also running around a botanical garden near Norreport.
I went back home had lunch and did homework.
Went into DIS for and EDC class about foster children. Here foster parents can't adopt. Children are removed from their families for less drastic measures than are required in the States.
We had a great discussion. We got feedback forms about a short answer test we had to do. I didn't use quotes because it said use your own words but then now he wanted us to cite and use quotes OOPS. He also seemed to be asking us to just summarize this law about SPED but then he's grading us on how we analyzed it and discussed what was good and bad. A bit of a miscommunication and expectations that were very confusing and extremely unclear. GRRR!
We watched a movie with Danish class called After the Wedding. It was good. Its about a man who is going to die. He brings the biological father of his daughter who has been in India doing great things back to his daughters wedding. The man who had been in India was coming to get the Danish man's money to fund a project. It ends up that the Danish man's wife and the guy who had been in India end up sort of falling in love again. The danish man dies. The daughter and the biological father who had been in India become close. The daughters husband cheats on her days after marrying her and she is very upset. Yet another movie about dysfunctional families. Oh goodness the silly Danes you'd think they could find another topic to write about.
Today was a fun but busy day.
I went for a run around Fredericksberg Have. The church bells on this really neat old church with a cool clock tower were ringing. Lots of birds were out and it was very warm and sunny which it almost never is here.
I went into Norreport Station to meet people going on a trip to Louisiana the museum of modern art. It is quite a ways outside the city in a much more rural area near the ocean. We went on a tour of the museum. I appreciated the artwork much more because the guide was able to tell us about what we were looking at. This gave it more meaning for me and made it more interesting. I hadn't heard of any of the artists there except for Warhol. There was a cool room with all windows looking out on the ocean and a diving board that went through the glass. They had a special exhibit by this woman who put on different make up and clothing and made herself look completely different in all these different photographs. The museum itself was OK but I really really loved the sculpture gardens and outside part. You can see the ocean. They have very interesting sculptures placed in creative places throughout these meandering paths. There was a pretty pond also with a slide and a neat play structure to walk around on and get different views.
I was sitting with a student from Bejing China on the train. She was more amazed by the birds and nature of the area around the museum that I was.
The DIS movie this week was called Festen (The Celebration). It's about a man's 60th birthday party where his children reveal that he sexually molested them. Lots of family dysfunctionality and tension. One of the man's daughters is engaged to a black man and the others in the famiy act in very racist ways towards him.
I came home and had dinner with Ida and Karen. We had pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and fried in a pan. We also had peppers and parsnips sauteed, a broccoli, and tomato salad, and homemade rolls.
I went for a run around Fredericksberg Have. The church bells on this really neat old church with a cool clock tower were ringing. Lots of birds were out and it was very warm and sunny which it almost never is here.
I went into Norreport Station to meet people going on a trip to Louisiana the museum of modern art. It is quite a ways outside the city in a much more rural area near the ocean. We went on a tour of the museum. I appreciated the artwork much more because the guide was able to tell us about what we were looking at. This gave it more meaning for me and made it more interesting. I hadn't heard of any of the artists there except for Warhol. There was a cool room with all windows looking out on the ocean and a diving board that went through the glass. They had a special exhibit by this woman who put on different make up and clothing and made herself look completely different in all these different photographs. The museum itself was OK but I really really loved the sculpture gardens and outside part. You can see the ocean. They have very interesting sculptures placed in creative places throughout these meandering paths. There was a pretty pond also with a slide and a neat play structure to walk around on and get different views.
I was sitting with a student from Bejing China on the train. She was more amazed by the birds and nature of the area around the museum that I was.
The DIS movie this week was called Festen (The Celebration). It's about a man's 60th birthday party where his children reveal that he sexually molested them. Lots of family dysfunctionality and tension. One of the man's daughters is engaged to a black man and the others in the famiy act in very racist ways towards him.
I came home and had dinner with Ida and Karen. We had pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon and fried in a pan. We also had peppers and parsnips sauteed, a broccoli, and tomato salad, and homemade rolls.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
march 3rd
Hi. I did work on my midterm papers for Edc., enviro. history, and 20th century history and some reading for classes in the morning. Jens left to go to Norway. Karen was working at the bakery.
Ida's conference in Norway went well.
Ida, Karen, and I were talking about the youth house eviction. I didn't realize that people didn't actually live in the youth house it is just a place to go to practice music, do art, and hang out. Almost like the Emerson Umbrella in Concord it sounds like. Ida and Karen thought the whole situation had gotten way out of hand. There is a HS near the youth house that had been pretty badly vandalized for no good reason. The HS students in general are supportive of the people in the youth house. It sounds like the people who actually use the youth house don't want the violence but it is other people who are trying to "help" that have escalated everything.
I went into DIS to try to run with a friend but me must have mixed messages somehow. Oh well. There were a bunch of people peacefully protesting about the eviction from the youth house at Radhusplasen. There was music playing. On the way back home I stopped at Paradis because they were giving out free icecream. I got tiramisu and it was delicious. It was funny standing in line watching the children playing with free promotional balloons they were handing out. A couple in front of me kept kissing.
I went home and showered and then went back into the city to have dinner at a chinese restaurant with Emily, Ashley, and Elizabeth. I had a large spring roll with rice in a mushroom sauce. After that we watched Grey's Anatomy which was fun.
Ida's conference in Norway went well.
Ida, Karen, and I were talking about the youth house eviction. I didn't realize that people didn't actually live in the youth house it is just a place to go to practice music, do art, and hang out. Almost like the Emerson Umbrella in Concord it sounds like. Ida and Karen thought the whole situation had gotten way out of hand. There is a HS near the youth house that had been pretty badly vandalized for no good reason. The HS students in general are supportive of the people in the youth house. It sounds like the people who actually use the youth house don't want the violence but it is other people who are trying to "help" that have escalated everything.
I went into DIS to try to run with a friend but me must have mixed messages somehow. Oh well. There were a bunch of people peacefully protesting about the eviction from the youth house at Radhusplasen. There was music playing. On the way back home I stopped at Paradis because they were giving out free icecream. I got tiramisu and it was delicious. It was funny standing in line watching the children playing with free promotional balloons they were handing out. A couple in front of me kept kissing.
I went home and showered and then went back into the city to have dinner at a chinese restaurant with Emily, Ashley, and Elizabeth. I had a large spring roll with rice in a mushroom sauce. After that we watched Grey's Anatomy which was fun.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Friday march 2nd
Went for a run around the lakes. Ran fast around one of them. Could smell smoke probably left over from the riots yesterday.
Went into DIS for class. We learned about Marxism, communism, socialism, and uprisings and revolutions of the working class especially in Russia. We were given the assignment for the midterm which is about the effect of urbanization on history.
In Environmental history we learned about the mouldboard plow, dividing fields into three and using horses instead of oxen to do work with the use of the new coller that went around the horses chests instead of neck.
In Danish we talked about the violent revolts yesterday outside the youth house. Neither Peter Christiansen (my prof of history classes nor Nina my danish professor thought there was any good reason for the violence. The students were spoiled and felt to entitled and the situation got way out of hand in their opinions.
Danish class was fine. We learned the alphabet as well and how to say where you are from, country names and directions north east south west to describe where a town is. We brainstormed about topics for a presentation we have to do in english about Danish culture.
Elizabeth came home with me. We watched Bridget Jones' Diary II and made Mac and Cheese for dinner. Ida's still in Norway. Jens was at his mothers. Karen came home around 7 with friends and they cooked dinner.
Went into DIS for class. We learned about Marxism, communism, socialism, and uprisings and revolutions of the working class especially in Russia. We were given the assignment for the midterm which is about the effect of urbanization on history.
In Environmental history we learned about the mouldboard plow, dividing fields into three and using horses instead of oxen to do work with the use of the new coller that went around the horses chests instead of neck.
In Danish we talked about the violent revolts yesterday outside the youth house. Neither Peter Christiansen (my prof of history classes nor Nina my danish professor thought there was any good reason for the violence. The students were spoiled and felt to entitled and the situation got way out of hand in their opinions.
Danish class was fine. We learned the alphabet as well and how to say where you are from, country names and directions north east south west to describe where a town is. We brainstormed about topics for a presentation we have to do in english about Danish culture.
Elizabeth came home with me. We watched Bridget Jones' Diary II and made Mac and Cheese for dinner. Ida's still in Norway. Jens was at his mothers. Karen came home around 7 with friends and they cooked dinner.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday March 1st
Had breakfast with Karen and Jens. Did reading for 20th century european literature about communism and the russian revolution.
Went for a random run on the roads around where I live. It was nice and partly sunny and warm out.
Did some more homework.
Walked to Stenurten. Noticed the road I turn off of was blocked off by police. Turns out there is a house that people are squatting in. They were offered another house but didn't take it. The police went in on a raid today. There were apparently lots of fires and violence. I didn't see any of that just evidence of the road being shut down. There was a news helicopter overhead. All the students parents were called and the school was evacuated and closed a tiny bit early. Public transportation buses were not being allowed through that area. Pretty crazy.
My day at the daycare was awesome. I correctly identified one of the girls who has special needs. The pedagogues are going to be bringing in people to assess her and maybe get her more individualized help. She has behavioral/social problems. She won't take no for an answer and doesn't read people's facial expressions or body language well. She is the one who stole my mitten and went running around with it, keeps trying to pick me up, pulled on my hair all through lunch even though I repeatedly told her to stop. She also "cried" (there were no real tears) and was making a whole lot of noise because she had to share turns on the tetherball at recess.
The children did a lot of coloring in the lines in coloring book tracings today. There was a popular series of Snow White pics. No original drawing which made me sad.
It was one girls birthday so she a group went off for a party. She came back with a small danish flag (that is part of the tradition on b-days here).
Elizabeth was late coming in to Stenurten because of the drama with the squatters.
There was a PCD dinner of pizza. We also watched a movie about Turkish music. I'm not quite sure why other than that both the practicum professor and the intern are from Turkey. There seems to be a fairly substantian eastern european/middle eastern population here. Maybe I'm just not used to it because those aren't big immigrant groups in MA.
Went for a random run on the roads around where I live. It was nice and partly sunny and warm out.
Did some more homework.
Walked to Stenurten. Noticed the road I turn off of was blocked off by police. Turns out there is a house that people are squatting in. They were offered another house but didn't take it. The police went in on a raid today. There were apparently lots of fires and violence. I didn't see any of that just evidence of the road being shut down. There was a news helicopter overhead. All the students parents were called and the school was evacuated and closed a tiny bit early. Public transportation buses were not being allowed through that area. Pretty crazy.
My day at the daycare was awesome. I correctly identified one of the girls who has special needs. The pedagogues are going to be bringing in people to assess her and maybe get her more individualized help. She has behavioral/social problems. She won't take no for an answer and doesn't read people's facial expressions or body language well. She is the one who stole my mitten and went running around with it, keeps trying to pick me up, pulled on my hair all through lunch even though I repeatedly told her to stop. She also "cried" (there were no real tears) and was making a whole lot of noise because she had to share turns on the tetherball at recess.
The children did a lot of coloring in the lines in coloring book tracings today. There was a popular series of Snow White pics. No original drawing which made me sad.
It was one girls birthday so she a group went off for a party. She came back with a small danish flag (that is part of the tradition on b-days here).
Elizabeth was late coming in to Stenurten because of the drama with the squatters.
There was a PCD dinner of pizza. We also watched a movie about Turkish music. I'm not quite sure why other than that both the practicum professor and the intern are from Turkey. There seems to be a fairly substantian eastern european/middle eastern population here. Maybe I'm just not used to it because those aren't big immigrant groups in MA.
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