After realizing the coincidence of it all my host dad and I decided to merge them both and make a meal to celebrate the day. I would make us quesadillas and cheer to Cinco de Mayo and he would grace the table with lots of Danish beer and celebrate liberation. Living with a host means compromises! and compromises can be fun and unexpected and cultural. We sat over the table and talked about WWII and Latin America. Soon we drifted into talking about our lives, and by the last wedge of our quesadillas we were sitting in the couch, sipping on Carlsberg and sharing to each other our profound stories, our goals, and I even told him some of the things I´m afraid of. This one dinner is everything I wanted from this Study Abroad experience: Getting immersed and immersing myself.That´s what Denmark does to you; dinner is not to be taken lightly. I was so induced into the experience I even forgot to take pictures of the finished product. There will only be the corrupted sanctity of the snapchat screen shots to commemorate it.
I always write about how funny I find it that Danes have little to no clue about Latin America so when Cinco de Mayo rolled around I found myself in a specially hard challenge because, particularly on this day, Americans have little to no clue about Latin America either. But I gathered all my spices and put my hips in tune and headed in for the kill. I had it all planed out, I was going to ambush my host and ask him if he knew what May 5th was and then surprise him when he didnt know the correct answer. But his answer surprised me: In Denmark, May 5th marks the day that the German forces surrendered in WWII, which is marked by public memorial ceremonies for fallen members of the Danish resistance, and by demonstrations of the left-wing, both in memory of the communist resistance fighters and also carrying slogans of peace and solidarity linking the struggle in the past with new ones today. Woah... where did that come from. And how singularly ironic. May 5th (or Cinco de Mayo for those blessed with bilingual tongues) in the U.S is not just about margaritas and tequila shots if you must know, it commemorates the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War, which has evolved into a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations. Usually in my household we take it as an excuse to make Mexican food. Just about now it had hit me that I was in a completely different culture enjoying completely different traditions. I find it real interesting.
After realizing the coincidence of it all my host dad and I decided to merge them both and make a meal to celebrate the day. I would make us quesadillas and cheer to Cinco de Mayo and he would grace the table with lots of Danish beer and celebrate liberation. Living with a host means compromises! and compromises can be fun and unexpected and cultural. We sat over the table and talked about WWII and Latin America. Soon we drifted into talking about our lives, and by the last wedge of our quesadillas we were sitting in the couch, sipping on Carlsberg and sharing to each other our profound stories, our goals, and I even told him some of the things I´m afraid of. This one dinner is everything I wanted from this Study Abroad experience: Getting immersed and immersing myself.That´s what Denmark does to you; dinner is not to be taken lightly. I was so induced into the experience I even forgot to take pictures of the finished product. There will only be the corrupted sanctity of the snapchat screen shots to commemorate it.
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If you ever come to Denmark (you should) you will soon realize that it is not a very big country. Copenhagen in itself is even smaller: just when you grasp the identity of one neighborhood you have already crossed into the next. However, I am always astounded at how many new things about the city I discover everyday. For Easter I journeyed all the way north to visit my cute Host Grandparents, and after my second travel break to London I took my bike north to stumble into very cute towns. This had me craving exploring Denmark, traveling, and cuteness more and more and more and more. When my Host came up with the idea of going to Helsingør´s Castle I said yes to the dress and became real excited. It was very cute that we had planned to go to the castle together and woke up early to catch the train to take us to Helsingør. It was such a swift ride. The big double-decked trained cut through scenery worth a thousand postcards. Along the coast, overlooking the sway of the ocean, into the forest, through beautifully positioned houses and under the shine of the sun. I would stick my head on the glass window and sigh at the sweeps of Danish landscape that would rush before me. Everything moved so fast on the land while the quiet blue sky remained unmoved like a sanctuary. I was already smiling. When we arrived at the station in Helsingør I was smiling even more. It was very charming: When at first I thought about Helsingør and its castle I was imagining this typical medieval town with like a castle and then nothing else but a prairie reaching onto it. Wrong! Helsingør is on the north eastern corner of Zealand and was definitely founded by royals. The town seems just about 50 feet away from Sweden on the other side of the Oresund stretch so that the whole area is one nice sight. I learned that back in the 13th century when the Danes thrived and ravaged pretty much the whole entirety of Scandinavia, all foreign ships passing through the strait had to pay a toll at Helsingør to get their cargo taxed to the Danish Crown. Woah, how relevant of a place I suddenly found myself on. The nice breeze of a harbor city, and the lavish vibes of the crown made the town such a nice walk and such a nice experience! And there was no prairie, in fact, instead there was a nice arrangement of the most charming medieval street center making me want to give Denmark one big kiss in the mouth. Danish Nationalism at its best. They love their flag, they love their country, I love them. But wait, there is more. The new Danish Maritime Museum designed by starchitect spectaular Bjarke Ingels was also here to my surprise; as well as a modern culture center, a library, and the master of Danish architecture himself´s, Jørn Utzon´s, Kingo Houses. What a dream. My host dad, host brother, and I smiled real big that the day was so blue and so perfect. The cold winter days were long behind me now. In its place Denmark had left a pleasant drift that complemented so well the shining rays of the sun. We had one goal, which was to see the castle, but when we got off the station, Helsingor was making it really really had to keep our path on track. The city was decorated so particularly wonderfully. You can see them above, the danish flag strings covered the whole entirety of the center, from one side of the street to the other. They blew about as the wind pranced down the street, and shone brightly when they were caught on the sun. It was a sight. I was forced to detour. Then you sorta cross over to the harbor area of the town and into the castle. You can see my host dad and host brother above by the culture center and the Danish Maritime Museum. The museum was interesting because besides housing model ships, paintings, photographs, and related artifacts illustrating Danish trade, sailor life, and some wars, it is also built underground! What ends up happening is that the museum feels like a ship´s deck, which I thought was real smart because context is everything. And talking about context, it is really beautiful. The docked water front, the shipping history, the waves of the water, and the clear blue in the sky make Helsingør such a nice day trip. Here are more pics of the harbor, check it: Okay, enough about the town, I´ve already side tracked too much (not my fault). What takes the cake off coming to Helsingør is the Castle! And it´s not just any old castle, Kronborg, dates back to the 1420s and was transformed from a fortress to a unique Renaissance castle by King Frederick II. But it´s not just another royal castle via Renaissance magnificence, it is the setting of William Shakespeare´s more than famous tragedy Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Boom! Oh, how nice it felt to be.... and not to be... here. Not to my surprise at all, the castle is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has played a significant role in the history of this part of northern Europe, because of its strategic position between the North Sea and the Baltic. Other examples like the castle exist elsewhere in Europe; however, Kronborg is of special significance by virtue of its location, which has an exceptional value in strategic, commercial, and symbolic terms. Even better than I saw at full splendor with the clounds, the blue sky, the clear water, and the sun all in our favor. It is built to impress and to assert Danish control over ships passing through. It definitely controlled my cravings. We even went to the Casemates, the under chambers of the castle which were creepy and weird, and dark. I walked them only imagining what sort of medieval people must have walked by them on the daily. History is alive, and so am I. Hail Denmark. At the end of the trip my host brother got the brilliant idea of getting ice cream, which felt so right and so perfect. We stopped by the most delicious home made ice cream shop in the whole word, sat on a bench, and savored it all. It was so nice to be part of the family. But it was even nicer to be in Denmark.
The other day I found everything that I had ever been looking for since stepping foot in Copenhagen: food, friends, and good weather. It was the Grand Opening for Copenhagen Street Food! Besides weird hot dogs and perhaps shwarma, the concept of street food has not been explored in Copenhagen quite fully. Where is the delicious grilled cheese food truck in Miami's artwalk, or the Korean taco truck I would eat lunch from in D.C, no ice cream truck delivering refreshing shredded ice and popsicles like I had in El Salvador all the time, or the bubble tea truck I would tirelessly stalk in Miami, in Pittsburgh seeing the Thai food truck right at the bottom of the steps into my apartment was normal, and sometimes I dream about the french fries truck me and the summer interns would check for everyday at lunch time. And let's not even go that far, in Miami there are street side windows to cafes so that street food really becomes that. Copenhagen is catching up, one baby step at a time. The minute I heard about this event I messaged my friends and pretty much dropped everything I had to do to head to the location! The position that New Nordic cuisine has as number one in the world has transformed Danish food tendencies and Copenhagen as the gastronomic capital of the planet. Finding a good restaurant here is hardly a difficult task. Everyone asks about the 'have you tried this?' or the 'have you tried that?' and being that I'm poor and the least picky I resort to the inexpensive shwarma, falafels, and home-cooked meals. But when I read about street food coming to Copenhagen featuring (wait for it) a Cuban Food Truck (!!!!!!!) I had to forget all about the kroners and get my spice on! The place was in an old market in Christianshvn, next to the Science Center and masterfully placed so that it overlooks the harbor and the beautiful Nyhvn that everyone knows Copenhagen for. This big warehouse had been transformed into a center of interesting international street food. There is much to say about how cute it was, and from a sustainable architecture standpoint they also hit my very very soft spot. Some of the places were in actual trucks, decorated to outmost cuteness in a hip and cool way. Other establishments were retrofitted shipping containers: cut up, transformed, and morphed into cool kitchens and street food amazingness. Some years back I had done a project in one of my architecture studios about the architecture of the shipping container and I had actively researched the pop-up movement which has taken the container so far and so outside it's box. Now-a-days everything can be made into a container and a container can be made into anything. I'm not sure if it's the aesthetic of utilitarian turned cool, or the fact that one can see something else change purposes in cool creative ways, but I dig the containers. We got there and there was live music, a lot of excitable conversations, many places to sit, and the overall wonder of street food in Copenhagen. Sure, it wasn't so cheap as in the end, we were still in Copenhagen, but the effort was commendable. There was a heat in effect to 'Noma,' the restaurant here in Copenhagen proclaimed number one in the world, which was just around the corner from the event. At Noma all the food is foraged and made gourmet by the most talented chefs in the world. Some of that sentiment was pursued in Copenhagen Street Food as there have surged initiatives in Denmark to bring food to the streets. It was a creative atmosphere at worst and as soon as we felt the nice breeze and saw the sunset pour in we put two and two together, bought food, and sat on the harbor edge dangling our feet above the water. How wonderful. We gave in to a cheap tomato soup to satisfy the vegetarians in the group, and low and behold it was delicious. Sitting outside was full of so many good vibes I just couldn't help but smile smile and smile. The waves were moving up and down and the sunset setting a sensual view to the city. Everyone was cuddled up against each other, under a blanket and sharing a beer. Even a little beer bath tub drifted by full with a bunch of dudes having a good time (um what?). When we found an open spot by the bonfire we sat around the flames feeling cozy. But I couldn't leave without trying the Cuban food, you thought wrong. I made a line with my friend Chase and ordered. the lady was everything I miss about Miami: sassy, colorful, and on her feet. She smiled at me when I told her I was from Miami and gave us a big plate of rice with all the love and coolness she is representing. Yum yum in my tum tum. I felt so nice and so in tune. We were ready to leave and call it a day when BOOM we bumped into a party whose beats I just couldn't possibly had just passed by. It was at some warehouse; a make-shift DJ had set up camp with a beautiful laser set and beats to kill a whole entire body and soul. She was truly fantastic, and when a band started playing sultry dance songs I was even more into it. I danced, I laughed, I wanted it more. When I was ready to call it quits she played my new favorite mix in the entire planet featuring 'This Charming Man' by the Smiths. There is nothing more perfect than This Charming Man on any type of day to make you feel good, nothing better than Morresey, or the underground scene it explores, or nothing more perfect than the lyric work. But then this DJ showed me wrong:
It's May, it's day and it's wonderful. Pretty much everywhere else in the world except in the U.S May 1st is a huge global celebration for Labor and Worker Rights. As the International Worker's Day, this day in Denmark is apparently a big deal. Politicallty, on May 1st the anarchists, communists, and marxists come out to play on the celebrations so that the extremist parts of the political spectrum can have a platform to have their voices heard. But in reality, May Day is just another excuse Danes have to enjoy a day without work and party/drink in the city’s largest public park. Like the Danes need more time to do that (shockers!). Everyone kept saying that on May Day we HAD to go to the park with drinks and some good vibes. It was the thing to do. How was it different than any other day in the history of Denmark I still didn't understand. But boy oh boy Copenhagen showed me how... May 1st is traditionally a day when the crowds gather in Fælledparken, pretty close to my school through a short bike ride. The political parties give speeches, the labor unions are represented and everyone gets stone drunk in the afternoon. Basically, my dream. The only thing better than daydrinking, is daydrinking for a political vision. Sure the stump speeches by mainstream as well as fringe political parties are allowed throughout the afternoon, but when the politics get old, live music, beer vendors, and hot dog wagons came to take over. But I quickly learned that the event is so much more than having the most enjoyable time with your friends under the sun. For decades, workers, students and dedicated socialists have gathered in Fælledparken to listen to the speeches, wave red flags and earnestly discuss the state of worker's rights. It was basically just a message to end capitalism, not let it run our lives. That is something I can get behind. Since I wanted to have the full experience the Danish way I tagged along with my Danish friend and we went to the Anti-Fascist Action march. Besides the interesting and awesome punk youth activists that were in the march, there was an overall vibe of revolution that I never in a million years thought I was going to find in Denmark. We hear about a happy country where everyone prances around windmills and smiles into the perfect sunsets at the end of the day. Pretty much I had joined a march that was very controversial and politically charged, things are not as perfect as they seem, even here there are people fighting for important issues. But at the same time everything was rather peaceful so it was cute that they categorized themselves as extreme. The main issues was not only Anti-Fascism and Worker's Rights, the activists goal was to show up to the Prime Minister's speech with whistles and interrupt her speech. Over the last couple years, these activist have felt that some of the measures that have been passed by the Prime Minister have been leaving behind workers rights and welcoming corporate support. In this way the activist felt cheated that the minister they had elected is perhaps doing measures that contradict her position as a Social Democrat. The slogan they would scream would be 'Social Democracy, class betrayal' as they marched down the streets of Copenhagen. For me, it was interesting to see how youth activism can become important in the discourse of politics in Denmark. I don't know much of the political climate in Denmark but being a part of the whistling and the march gave me insights into their political parties and ideologies. While the minister was speaking and all the activists were whistling you truly could hear nothing. There were a lot of tensions, some fights almost break out, smoke bombs were lit, but not thrown, a lot of banners, many people screaming, there was a lot of media coverage of the event, and there was a lot of emotions being charged. All while the Prime Minister spoke. What an experience, and I was in the middle of it all! As soon as the speech ended the rest of the day was quite literally the exact opposite of that. I found it funny that as quickly as the Danes could get politically active and passionate they also waste no time in claiming a spot of open grass and get down with their friends for an enjoyable day under the sun. I think perhaps all of Copenhagen was at this park on May 1st, there were people everywhere and anywhere. You have work, class, or any other adult responsibilities that require you to not be at this park on May 1st? Throw them to the wind and get your butt to the park, no shame no fun. That was the mantra. I found my group of friends from the cafe I work at and we gathered for quirky shenanigans under the sun, story telling, and laughter. From 10AM to 5PM I experienced everything that Copenhagen melts my heart for. The great company was definitely worth it, with the vibes of the people around us as a contagious inspiration to have a good time. Everyone had brought their blankets to the park. Other people had even brought bbqs, which made it all smell fantastic. Others had boom boxes and speakers. There was wine and crackers for the fancy souls, and there was also beers and hot dogs for the fun at heart. Everyone was here, everyone was excited, everyone was enjoying it. Check us being hip and happening: At some point some guys we knew had come and brought their instruments. They played funky vintage jazz beats that got me all excited. We were all drinking Cider which I can't understand why isn't it massproduced and sold in America already. It's so delicious and makes you feel so fun. Out of nowhere an wild orange donkey appear, just like a pokemon. Music, sun, a colorful donkey, warm weather and friends. Suddenly I realized just why I don't wanna leave Denmark!
On Wednesday my program had this opportunity where you can sign up to visit a Gymnasium (The Danish equivalent to a highschool) and sort of take part in a class discussion panel where the Danish students can get a change to ask 'American' students their perspectives on different issues. I thought that signing up would've been a nice way to both learn about the Danish education system but also discuss some burning issues within the Danish context. I was a little excited about it so when I saw they had a session about 'Hispanics in the U.S' I signed up. Given that the Danes have no actual clue about Hispanics anywhere, let alone in the U.S, I thought it would've been interesting to get to talk about my experience migrating into the U.S as a Hispanic and some of the challenges I (and other Latinos) face. Sometimes I think its cute they think Latin America is such an exotic place. And while our hips don't lie, no we don't wear bowls of fruits on our heads. In the end though, I was a little disappointed about the experience. Here is the run do of why:
First, I wasn't disappointed about the Danish students I met. I was assigned this charming group of young girls (I just turned 22, they were 18. I thought they were babies!!) who were engaging, cool, and had really interesting questions for me. I kept joking around to them that their high school seemed the least like a high school. Most of them were literally just hanging out in the sun< it was difficult for me to understand that people were getting educated here. The Danish system is so different. Mainly its like okay here is a reading go think about it outside and then come back and we will talk about it. Coming from the Florida education system out of all places this seemed wrong wrong wrong. I had to wear a uniform in public school, classes ran back to back to back and god forbid you were in the hallway without a pass... In Denmark people go to school to hang out. How foreign is that. I was more disappointed at the other 'American' students who had decided to volunteer to be part of the session. Besides the organizer, the other 3 students who had decided to volunteer to talk about Hispanics in the U.S were from the mid-west and white. I really have no problem with people's race whatsoever, at first I even found it very comedic that that very set up right there represented a large extent of what the situation of Hispanics in the U.S is like. Then, when they asked us why we had decided to come to this session in the introduction I of course said that some of the subjects discussed are personal to me and my history. The other students pretty much said 'We are here because there are a lot of Hispanics in the college we go to school to.' In what way does that make you entitled to speak about the experience of Hispanics in the U.S I'm still trying to figure out. They could've been Hispanic Studies majors, or have studied Spanish extensively in college, even perhaps lived in a Latin American country for an important period of their life, had lived in a Latin neighborhood in the U.S, or had a Latin best friend, liked Shakira, read Gabriel Garcia Marquez, danced professional salsa.... anything else more substantial! No, they knew the Hispanic experience because they went to a college with a large amount of 'Hispanic people.' I found that a little disturbing. And sadly it didn't end there... I was grasping on the hope that once coming back as a class to discuss what we had talked about in groups there was going to be a good discussion about what the situation of Hispanics in the U.S is. Most of it was okay and the insights were a good starting point, a vast part of it was just not okay. The professor of the class had some great sources to lead the class and it seemed to me that the Danish students had read a nice background as to how complex the Hispanic plight in the U.S is. Mostly, they had read Samuel Huntington's 'The Hispanic Challenge' and watched documentaries like 'Un Dia Sin Mexicanos' (A Day Without Mexicans) which are great starting points. I don't mean to say that my American peers had no place in the topic, since I think it is a matter than affects many Americans, nor do I think they are horrible people who bash Latinos. What I mean to say is that a constructive discussion about Hispanics in the U.S (or any other racial issue) involves a type of open conversation that delves deeply into cultural issues, not into how many Hispanics you think you see that go to your college (who are pretty much a small percentage of the demographics that exist). However, here are my criticisms of both my experience and those readings in particular: 1. 'The Hispanic Challenge,' while good at starting a thought-provoking debate about the impact of Hispanic immigration to the U.S, has a thesis that is oversimplified and sometimes deeply flawed. For me, his article is a classic example of how immigrant bashing and ethnic prejudice have become increasingly mainstreamed by the liberal press. It tells of an argument where Hispanic immigrants are destroying the foundations of U.S. culture as we know it (since when is the Hispanic immigration issue something from a science fiction novel?) and claims that Hispanics in the U.S refuse to learn English for the convenience of living in large Latin American communities. What's more, he paints an image of Mexican immigrants literally inundating the United States with their overwhelming numbers. And in the subject of language his fear that Spanish will overtake English in the United States is also exaggerated and insubstantial. While some of the points he brings out are critical to any foreign policy debates, one must be careful to conclude facts from what seem points of views. His 'evidence' comes from interviews of one industry official, I'm not sure if he knows what sound is. I can tell you right now that Hispanics in the U.S did not come with the purpose of changing the very foundation of America. The vast majority of them will learn English, incorporate into society, and even provide key services that makes the U.S go round and round. Undermining the benefits that immigrants have given to the U.S is wiping and undermining the Hispanic experience and history. 2. The Mexican vs American dichotomy to describe Latin Americans in the U.S is sickening. It is not only detrimental for perpetuating the negative stereotypes of Mexicans in popular media but also does so little justice to the Hispanic experience that we may as well all be the same person and the rest blind. Hispanics in the U.S comprise so so so many nationalities and cultures, it's unfair to think that Mexicans can represent them all. I, for one, cannot relate to the plight of the Mexican. Lumping Cubans, Mexicans, South Americans, Dominican Republicans, Puerto Ricans, and other Spanish-speaking groups under ‘Hispanic’ is itself contestable. Although 2/3 of ‘Hispanics’ or Latinos in the U.S. are of Mexican origin, the remaining third includes at least 20 other national origin groups. Just as there is no such thing as a homogeneous ‘Anglo’ population, so is there no homogeneous ‘Hispanic’ one. Discussion in class turned from Hispanics to differential terms between Mexicans and Americans. Let's change that. 3. The issue of immigration in America is specially interesting to me since America is by definition a country that was founded by immigrants! To talk about what is 'American' is a complex a discourse as to talk about what is the Hispanic experience in the U.S. If you can't define what being an American is without the terms diversity and multiculturalism then the arguments of Hispanic communities is even stronger. 4. Hispanics do not come to the U.S because everything is better there and they hope one day to become millionaires. We don't have posters in our Latin American rooms with America looking like Disney World. The misconception of 'The American Dream,' while relevant to migration waves perhaps in the 20s, does little to describe the situation in Latin American countries today. The truth ends up being that Latinos come to the U.S because the U.S has, to a large extent, made the political and social situations in Latin American countries difficult for people to live there. Here is a shocker: the U.S hasn't always been a good neighbor.... To talk about illegal immigration on how great the opportunities in America are and how poor Latin American countries are is the wrong sort of discourse that has persistent in history. This analysis ignores how the U.S has treated Latin American countries and even ignores the U.S companies that are willing to hire these Hispanic immigrants in the first place. Instead of thinking that it is wrong that immigrants come here illegally, why don't we open the discussion as to why U.S companies hire these people in the first place or why have we allowed American imperialist and colonialism to keep infiltrating Latin American governments and community initiatives. Putting the blame on an already struggling group is not productive and is unjust at evaluating what has made it so that they come to the U.S. We don't sit there and think, gee it'd be great to live in the U.S and make money and leave my family let me cross the border illegally real quick. The plight of the Hispanic into the U.S is so much different than that. These are some of the things I wish we would have talked about. The experience was overall good because I met a great group of students and had a chance to get my voice heard and my situation understood. I do realize the lightheartedness of the events, but I do get carried away with these issues because they matter to me and to some of the people at home whom I love. Open, constructive discourse is in, the rest should be out. Last week in the city was 48 -TIMER, a two-day cultural festival in Nørrebro synonymous to hip, cool, and Copenhagen. For me it was more like a guide to what's cool about Copenhagen's Nørrebro neighborhood, good vibes, and music more than it was a festival. The festival consisted of almost 50 outdoor concerts and other events, including workshops, city walks and much more. So when I biked through the neighborhood on Friday afternoon everything seemed extra lively: a mini concert on this plaza, a boom box on this street corner, a band playing here, another playing elsewhere. It was neat. Usually when you walk toward Nørrebro there is a bridge that connects the old city center past the lakes where all sorts of handsome hipster people hang out on the street under the sun. Even at night I've biked over this bridge pretty extensively and there is always a group of hippies banging drums and making contagious beats. Nørrebro has even been my preferred place to party because everything is chill: cheap beers, lay back bars, artsy scenes, and the atmosphere hip. Since I've been here I've met the most interesting characters in Nørrebro, danced to great vibes, and enjoyed delicious cheap shwarma. It's a highly diverse neighborhood in the middle of homogeneous-everyone-is-blonde-and-white Denmark that pretty much screams 'Rene, here you belong.' Me and a Danish friend I made went to some concerts around the area with extra extra cheap beer and it was nice to see that Copenhagen has the alternative down. On Saturday there was an 'underwater concert' event at the local pool. Needless to say, me and my friends were extremely intrigued as to how, why and what this meant. I had gone to the beach the week before and the idea of a pool party sounded so appealing and so right.
We packed our swimming suits, got real excited, and headed to the pool. The minute we got there we were hooked. All lights were off and the only glimmering rays of fun were big floating light bulbs and the underside light of the pool. There was a DJ playing great beats and underwater speakers that made everything feel existential when plunging into the depths of the pool. It was wet, it was wild, it was cool. I felt a nice mix of being a fun kid and being a hip adult. The sauna was opened too where we experienced perhaps the most hilarious/interesting/relaxing sauna session ever. Overall, that night (and rest of the weekend) was a good time! One of the bad (and good) things about having come to Copenhagen in the Spring is that so far I've had the weather be a really relevant part of my experience. When I came here in January it was so cold and so windy that it made it feel like Denmark had shifted all the way toward the Artic. I remember one Field Study where I was so cold I was sure my toes were about to break off. Now I am writing to you all from a clear, sunny, and beautiful Copenhagen. It's so enchanting. Every single day as per the last couple of weeks I have physically struggled to go to class and be inside. Literally, everything is pretty: everyone looks extra hot (I drool every time I walk outside) all the flowers are blooming, everyone is nice, everyone goes outside. It's such an important part of the culture here. I love it.
But what has surprised me the most is just how much daylight has changed. Less than a month ago I would go home and it'd be dark by 6 sometimes. The sun wouldn't get up until 7:30 am. The days were short and the sunshine scarce. Yesterday I was sitting at home and it was a light outside; I couldn't understand why I felt so tired. I looked at the clock, it was 9 pm! The sky still glimmered with light, I had never experienced that. On the weekend when I go out on late nights of urban ravaging the sun feels like it starts rising at just about 3am or so. It makes me feel extra cool when I feel like I have stayed out all night into the morning. The tilt of the planet makes the days here so long and so worth it. I'm enchanted by that idea. For now until the middle of summer the days are only getting longer and longer and the sun is shining brighter and brighter. I'm into it. Easter in Copenhagen is a big deal! While the city can seem pretty quiet over the long holiday weekend, I cracked the secret as to where everyone went: many city dwellers take off to summerhouses in the country to enjoy their vacation with extended family members and plenty of food and drink. And that is exactly what I did! On Sunday My Host Dad scooped me and his son along and we made our way to my Host Grandparents house for my very own taste of Easter in Copenhagen.
Denmark holds a lengthy Easter holiday, with almost all stores as well as many restaurants closed most of the week through to Easter Monday. And, at the same time, Easter lunch, or ‘Påskefrokost’, is almost as big a deal to Danes as Christmas dinner and is celebrated as a large family gathering, with a traditional spread of warm dishes as well as cold cuts and open sandwiches. Its just the right type of craziness. This one time the Danes really showed me how to do brunch, I had to take notes. First me and my host family embarked on a 2 hour trip into the Danish countryside. We took a train and a bus to get to the most lovely sights in all of Denmark. Vast patches of green space and spring flowers welcomed Easter in fun and lovely colors. We passed lakes, charming town stations and the clouds drifting by in the sky. When we got to my host grandparents house I just remember sighting in relief as to just how cute their house was. It was decorated to the utmost perfection; a collection of items you wish every grandma would sit down and tell you stories about and charming interior design arrangements you can just tell and quirky cute old person put together. The place was open, sunny, full of narratives and good vibes. My host grandparents speak as much English as I speak Danish, which means nothing. Most of the time interacting with them involved honest smiles, hand gestures (my favorite was when she put both her hands on her heart to signify she liked something while I just nodded) and patience. They had a huge garden with all sorts of bird feeders and flowers. It was the most charming thing in the world. Despite the obvious language, racial, and age gap, my Host Grandparents made sure I felt as welcomed as the sunshine into their home. I sat there while my Host Dad caught up with his parents flipping through family albums and admiring the nice china that my host grandma seemed to have collected. As the sun started to shine harder so did our appetite. Suddenly we were all gathered around the table of plate after plate of food. There were meatballs, ham, a chicken spread, salad, pork, fish.... there was everything I have ever heard about Danish cuisine. Weeks before I had joked to my Host Dad that I had fallen in love with some meatballs that had been on the freezer that I ate in a moment of desperation. I came to find out that my Host Grandma had made them and sent them. Since that day I had bothered my Host Dad to take me to his parents house asap. So he did and I loved it. What is a Danish Brunch, you ask? It's everything that the American Brunch offers except more. And since I had been bragging my Host Grandparents went above the extra mile (or kilometer I guess) to show me what it was all about. Fist there was a sort of cupcake with a ham mix that was just so creamy and delicious. Then came the cold cut ham, a salad with every imaginable seed on it, and herring fish over bread. Then pork and meatballs and cheese and bread and then multiply by two. And of course, we had beers on the side because duh, this is Denmark. We ate, we laughed, and we enjoyed the food. After we sat around, drank coffee, and peaked into the garden where birds flew by. At the end of the lunch I told my grandparents that it was my birthday coming up and they got so excited. When we were leaving my host grandma grabbed me by the cheeks and said 'Happy Birthday!' in Danish. I said 'Tak' and got into the car on my way home with a smile on my face the size of all of Europe. Happy Easter Indeed! I've got this new found love for Copenhagen all over again so this time I decided to explore some of the places I had been neglecting for reasons of better weather and stupidity. As soon as the sun was shining bright and the breeze was blowing it didn't hesitate on me to think that I wanted to head to the beach. I have been pretty much craving the sand, the beach, and the caress of the water the moment I departed from Miami into the unknown. I texted a friend, packed fruits and decided to go to Amager Strand, a great coast beach very close to Copenhagen! I have a odd love for Amager, which is a neighborhood in the southern island off Copenhagen center, mostly because it is misunderstood. The area has a really bad reputation with the locals here, which is odd to me because the whole neighborhood is cheap, has great community annemities and its proximity to nature is desirable! Its reputation in the city comes from the fact that the area used to be the site for the sewage and landfill dump for the medieval city. Since then area has been stigmatized and now stands as an 'Edgeland' in the city. But over the years, the case has been so much different. I think that this beach might be my new favorite part of the city. It was calming, it was beautiful, it was sunny, it was windy, it was everything. When you reach the beach you can see windmills, the bridge over to Sweden, the clear rich color of the water, and many cool architecture features. Let's go back to the clear color of the water: you can really see why Copenhagen is known for one of the cleanest waters in the world, the ocean is so clear and so rich in color it makes you want to take your shoes off and splash the water no matter how freezing it is. You can rent a kayak, try blocarting, take a dip in the ocean, play a game of mini-golf, get a massage, have yourself a nice meal, watch the roller bladers, sit in the dunes, walk into the baths and piers.... the possibilities for discovery are endless! My favorite part is a bath structure called Kastrup Sea Baths. What Denmark lacks in a Mediterranean climate, it makes up for in hardy, sportif enthusiasm, as borne out by this pier structure for sea swimming that forms part of the park. It is a long pier that extends out from the beach into the Oresund, the narrow channel separating Denmark from Sweden. The pier docks with a sculptural, circular structure resembling a palisade. When you walk all the way to it it sort of starts looking like a sea shell too, so when you are in it you feel part of an infinite loop with beautiful chambers to sit and relax. Even more so, it encloses a section of the water that is protected by the curved embrace of a windbreak so that part of the ocean becomes part of the architectural design. Rising from 1.5m to 8m at its highest point, the timber screen shelters you from the wind and also catches the afternoon sun. Its a magical piece of architecture. We walked to it, sat under the sun, watched the brave plunge into the cold ocean and ate our oranges. Walking on the beach was really refreshing too, catching the gust of sand and the wind into our faces. I couldn't get over how nice the water looked and how good Easter weather had been lately! This time Copenhagen really answered me and showed me that a beach day is actually possible in these northern parts of the world. Spring truly exists here everyone, and so does the happiness in my heart.
Living with a host means all sorts of interesting cultural exchanges. The picture above is one of them; mainly that Denmark is a meaty place. After coming back from some fun travels I came home to my Host Dad in full-on Easter mode: waking up early, joking around, and inviting friends over to the house. It was nice to meet some of his friends and see that Danes can actually be social creatures despite their extremely true stereotype of them as cold and seclusive beings. My host asked me what I thought that he should make to eat and I told him that of course he should make pizza because that is such an American tradition (actually scratch that) it's a universal tradition that pizza makes time with friends 10000 times much better. So he did, he made pizza.... or more like a kilogram of meat and a side of bread. So infamous is this that the friends he had invited actually called it the "Jens's special," which is the name of my host dad.
They sat around drinking beers, playing FIFA on the play station and sharing laughs. It was nice to be a part of that. Mostly because this was, in some ways, the epitome of Danish culture. For one, they can't live without meat and that Nordic cuisine involves a general combo of meat-potato or meat-remolade or meat-meat. Also, they tend to be social in their inner circles, which is refreshing because their humor can be amusing and their interactions open and progressive. For last, they love the beer, alcohol is celebrated. I like that about them, that while sometimes unapproachable, they are down for more intimate exchanges and quality time. |