Wow, this is the blog post I've been dreading. Today has been extremely bittersweet. Before I get caught up in farewells, however, I’ll take some time to recount some of the experiences of the past few days.
After Wednesday's morning classes, we went into Aalborg, which is the city that we flew into a few days ago. It is kind of the hub of surrounding towns and where most of the school’s families go to get groceries, go shopping, etc. We split into groups of 6 or so and the Danish students led us on a walking tour.
After Wednesday's morning classes, we went into Aalborg, which is the city that we flew into a few days ago. It is kind of the hub of surrounding towns and where most of the school’s families go to get groceries, go shopping, etc. We split into groups of 6 or so and the Danish students led us on a walking tour.
While we made our way around, the Danish students looked perplexed by how impressed we were with the city. They find it really strange what we think is interesting enough to take a photo of (I guess it’s understandable - I have photos of all sorts of things, from bathroom signs to freezer sections of grocery stores), but I guess right now they have no frame of reference. Walking around Aalborg, the landmarks that I found to be so interesting and rich with history were just like wallpaper to them. They’d walked these streets many times and seen buildings much older than these, so they didn’t see them as being anything special. It makes sense when you consider their perspective, but I literally can’t wrap my head around the fact that a person could walk down the streets of Aalborg and find them unremarkable. I can’t help but wonder if they’ll really feel the same way about Calgary — is Chinook mall or the Calgary Tower really going to be photo-worthy to a Dane? That’s something that is so weird to think about.
Later that day, one of the boys’ mothers let us into the Aalborg zoo at closing time. To be honest, it wasn’t much different from the zoos I’ve seen in Canada, but it was still a really lovely way to spend the evening. By Thursday, I began to feel like there had been a significant shift in the tone of the trip. Rather than running from tourist destination to tourist destination desperate to take photos and document every cultural difference I noticed, it felt a bit more like I had settled into life with my host. We had inside jokes and a routine together, and we genuinely enjoyed spending time with mixed groups of Danish and Canadian students. Once we get past the initial differences of culture, it becomes clear that really we’re all just teenagers who enjoy running around an empty zoo and dancing without music. We’re all competitive yet terrible at bowling. We all fell asleep on the bus ride home and we all still find it funny to take snapchats of our sleeping friends.
Later that day, one of the boys’ mothers let us into the Aalborg zoo at closing time. To be honest, it wasn’t much different from the zoos I’ve seen in Canada, but it was still a really lovely way to spend the evening. By Thursday, I began to feel like there had been a significant shift in the tone of the trip. Rather than running from tourist destination to tourist destination desperate to take photos and document every cultural difference I noticed, it felt a bit more like I had settled into life with my host. We had inside jokes and a routine together, and we genuinely enjoyed spending time with mixed groups of Danish and Canadian students. Once we get past the initial differences of culture, it becomes clear that really we’re all just teenagers who enjoy running around an empty zoo and dancing without music. We’re all competitive yet terrible at bowling. We all fell asleep on the bus ride home and we all still find it funny to take snapchats of our sleeping friends.
Looking back, I am in awe of how lucky I’ve been to have had such an incredible past ten days. A family on the other side of the world from my own let me into their home and treated me with nothing but compassion. I made new friends and grew closer with old ones. I got a taste of what it’s like to be a student at Støvring Gymnasium, and I felt strangely as though I had a place within the class dynamic instead of just observing it from the outside. To be offered an inside perspective like that — to have such an intimate look at another culture — is something that not a lot of people get to experience.
On Friday night, all of the families met back at the school for a potluck dinner and going away party. As we sat down for a meal with our Danish friends for the last time, the sense of community was stronger than ever. It was heartbreaking knowing that these were our last few hours with this group of people, but I did my best to not let that taint the evening. Halfway through the meal, Hui Wen and I stood up to give a toast and thank the staff, students, and families of Støvring for their accommodation of us. We were a bit nervous and did our best to convey our gratitude, but really, I know I could have spoken for hours and not have accurately expressed how meaningful an experience they had provided.
After dinner, we followed up with an hour of dancing in the gym — a chaotic Danish social dance made up of students, teachers, and parents alike. Many of the Canadians were skeptical to say the least, but if we hadn’t yet learned the value of stepping outside of our comfort zones, that sweaty, laughter-filled hour certainly drove the point home. When it all came to a close a few hours later, the giddiness and exhaustion were stained with tears and tight hugs. It was a much tougher goodbye than any of us had anticipated.
Over my entire stay in Denmark, there was only one phrase of Danish that I found myself having the confidence to use. It could be said to a bus driver, waiter, tour guide, or even a student holding open the door in the hallway. Regardless, I find that upon leaving, it’s still the only thing I have left to say. To the staff that worked so hard to make this trip possible, to the families who decided it’d be a good idea to open their homes to a group of crazy Canadian teenagers, to the Danish students who let us follow them around like puppies for a week, and to my friends and family back in Canada that supported me along the way:
Tak. Tusind tak!
On Friday night, all of the families met back at the school for a potluck dinner and going away party. As we sat down for a meal with our Danish friends for the last time, the sense of community was stronger than ever. It was heartbreaking knowing that these were our last few hours with this group of people, but I did my best to not let that taint the evening. Halfway through the meal, Hui Wen and I stood up to give a toast and thank the staff, students, and families of Støvring for their accommodation of us. We were a bit nervous and did our best to convey our gratitude, but really, I know I could have spoken for hours and not have accurately expressed how meaningful an experience they had provided.
After dinner, we followed up with an hour of dancing in the gym — a chaotic Danish social dance made up of students, teachers, and parents alike. Many of the Canadians were skeptical to say the least, but if we hadn’t yet learned the value of stepping outside of our comfort zones, that sweaty, laughter-filled hour certainly drove the point home. When it all came to a close a few hours later, the giddiness and exhaustion were stained with tears and tight hugs. It was a much tougher goodbye than any of us had anticipated.
Over my entire stay in Denmark, there was only one phrase of Danish that I found myself having the confidence to use. It could be said to a bus driver, waiter, tour guide, or even a student holding open the door in the hallway. Regardless, I find that upon leaving, it’s still the only thing I have left to say. To the staff that worked so hard to make this trip possible, to the families who decided it’d be a good idea to open their homes to a group of crazy Canadian teenagers, to the Danish students who let us follow them around like puppies for a week, and to my friends and family back in Canada that supported me along the way:
Tak. Tusind tak!