Bobcats in Denmark

A lovely few days of traveling and resting for our big trip home tomorrow. 🌳🌙☔️❤️ Thank you to our wonderful host families and GC staff who made this trip possible! 💐

🚴🏼🚊Did you know? Danish citizens rely on public transportation daily for commuting and leisure. Danish businesses also depend on a well-functioning transport system for efficient goods transport, enabling them to compete globally. Denmark holds a railway network of 2,667 km, with 81% managed by Rail Net Denmark. This network ensures even the remote areas are well-connected. Each day, 2,700 train departures keep the country moving. Denmark also has over 130 commercial ports, ranging from large international terminals to small local ones. On average, Danes travel 39 km daily, spending around 56 minutes on transport. Public transportation is crucial for both urban and rural areas, catering to diverse needs and opportunities.

Additionally, Denmark is known for its extensive cycling infrastructure. In Copenhagen, 49% of people commute to work or school by bike. The country has over 12,000 km of cycle paths, making it one of the most bike-friendly places in the world. Public transportation and cycling contribute significantly to Denmark’s sustainability goals, reducing carbon emissions and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Efficient and reliable transport is an essential towards Denmark’s commitment to green living and economic growth. Source:https://www.trm.dk/media/yihmk0uv/facts-and-figures-netversion.pdf

This one’s for the plant lovers ~ Our cameras are full of the most unique wildflowers, plants and trees we’ve ever seen. You don’t walk far without finding natural beauty everywhere! 🪷🌼🌷

Over the past two weeks, we’ve fully embraced the Danish concept of “hygge,” focusing on comfort and simple pleasures. Hygge is all about taking time away from the daily rush to enjoy the good things in life, often in the company of family and friends, but it can also be enjoyed alone.

We’ve spent cozy evenings indoors, playing board games and chatting over coffee or tea or as I’ve personally enjoyed the sweet danish strawberries🍓!

This practice of slowing down and savoring life’s small moments has brought a sense of peace and contentment. Hygge is all about appreciating what we have and finding warmth in our surroundings.

In Denmark, this culture of comfort and trust is deeply ingrained. People trust their neighbors, passersby, and authorities, creating a supportive and happy society. Reflecting on our past two weeks, we’ve found joy in simplicity and comfort, embodying the true spirit of Hygee.

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Good food and good company! What more could you ask for?

Today, we visited Blach Communication, a public relations firm in Aarhus. We had the opportunity to talk to the founder of Blach, Helle Blach Peterson, and Marie-Louise Arnfast from Kontekst Kommunication. We learned many different PR techniques and strategies, enhancing our understanding of effective media communication. The team went over many different examples and stories to help us further grasp the concepts. For example, the Svane Køkkenet case, introduced us to the promotional aspects of PR, which ironically, taught us to not be too “promotional.” We also met with Lars Møller and Jesper Heldgaard from Gambia Media Support. that do volunteer work It Gambia to train and develop journalism training! It was fascinating to see how they create compelling narratives and keep people informed. Meeting the team and hearing their creative ideas was inspiring. They gave us tips on how to improve our own storytelling skills and communicate more effectively. This visit was not only fun but also really educational. We now have a better understanding of how professional PR works and will be utilizing our new skills in the future!

Side note: They also gave us some cherries which were absolutely delicious! Fruit here is so much better!😋

Today, we visited the incredible ARoS Aarhus Art Museum! It was one of the most interactive and unique museums I have ever been to, from mirror rooms and light illusions to beautiful paintings and fascinating sculptures. The architecture alone was worth the visit, with its iconic rainbow outstretch showcasing breathtaking views of Aarhus (pictured in slides 3 and 4).

The second slide features Ron Mueck’s stunning piece, “Boy.” Mueck has been creating hyper-realistic, large-scale sculptures for the past 30 years, each one astonishingly detailed and never life-sized. His monumental work “Boy 1999” has captivated audiences since it first appeared at ARoS in 2004. The life like features and emotion in his work blew some of us away… and scared a couple too!

Another one of my favorite parts of the museum, was an interactive room that simulated a thunder storm. The room had water dripping from the ceiling, lightning and thunder effects, and an ominous ambiance. I felt like I transported to a different world.

Visiting ARoS was such a fun experience that I’ll never forget!

Say it with us: rødgrød med fløde!!
Our sweet host family was kind enough to make us this famous Danish dessert. While we can’t pronounce it well, they loved hearing us try!

The journalistic world is a bit sunnier at the Constructive Institute of Journalism! The Institute, located right on campus at Aarhus University, was created in response to all the negativity in the news. In 1883, Reuter stated that it was a journalist’s job to cover disasters and tragedies, which have comprised a huge amount of modern news. In fact, news viewership is declining worldwide as many people feel overwhelmed and discouraged. Additionally, 38% of Americans have admitted to selectively avoiding the news for the same reasons. However, around the same time as Reuter, Pulitzer encouraged his staff to shift their focus to factual coverage for the public good, which is what constructive journalism is based on. These stories are not necessarily fluff pieces, but they offer a feeling of hope or a solution to a societal problem. Many students agreed to bring this concept back to the States!

First stop of the day: DR Aarhus!!
We got to meet lots of cool people and go to lots of cool places at DR. Our first stop on the tour was the garage, where they keep news vans with built-in cameras for live reporting. This setup makes reporting outside of the house much easier!
A lot of the action in DR occurs in the news department. They run regional programming until 10, followed by national programming. One of their biggest concerns at the moment is the upcoming European Union election. These elections are not very popular in Denmark, so DR has a team of journalists who are working to make them more relatable for everyday Danes. They stressed the importance of staying unbiased and informative in their election coverage. Other stories of interest included international news and a look into the purchasing of illegal vapes in Germany and Sweden.
Radio is also an important component of DR. Aarhus houses P3 for younger adults, P4 for middle aged adults, and P5 for older adults. Their station format combines music with news to both entertain and inform. Their goal is to reach 9 out of 10 Danes through their radio shows.
We also got a special look at the sports department, which just finished covering the French Open. They are now preparing to send 50 journalists to the Paris Summer Olympics!
Our visit ended with a look at the investigative journalism department. These journalists confront people who may have wronged everyday Danes. They talked about the importance of fairness and building trust in their work.

Meet our new friends!!
We were lucky enough to catch up with two friends from Askov Højskole in Aarhus today, and they took us to the street food market. We also met a group of study abroad students from Harvard!

Hello! It’s Addison here! Yesterday, I moved in with my host family alongside Sairsha, and I would like to share a little bit about them and the experience so far!

We are staying with Jens and Pia Nielsen. They have 3 kids (not including us). They’re unbelievably proud of their children, and shared a lot about them with us. The oldest daughter has two kids (9 and 11) and is working in administration covering 3 or 4 schools. The middle daughter is currently expecting and works in custom clearance at the harbor. Their youngest daughter is in university studying engineering and medical technique. She spends 3 days studying tech and 2 days studying med. They also have two very cute cats, Nora and luffe.

Jens and Pia will be married 25 years next year. They enjoy traveling together, kayaking/paddle boating, and Jens loves to mountain bike as well as road race biking. Pia is a cook, which Sairsha and I LOVE. And Jens works at a company that focuses on environmental sustainability when it comes to energy consumption using technology like radiators. He works with people across the world each day.

Jens and Pia chose to let us into their home because they said they wanted to get perspective and learn about our culture from a young point of view. They said they believe they can get just as much out of it and we can, and they already have! They also just live to help.

They have relation with Mikkel, because Jens’s dad is married to Mikkel’s mom.

We are so happy to have gotten to meet them and are so very appreciative that they have let us stay in their homes. We love our new mom and dad!