Dan(e)mark and the City of København

Hey hey (or hello in Danish & Swedish),

Enough people finally complained about the lack of pictures that I decided to go picture crazy on this post. Eventually, I will explain each picture...but first, the customary analysis of my trip and the City of København. I am sure that I cannot accurately capture all of my adventure but I will try... feel free to ask questions.

København is an absolutely stunning city, built on trade and the power of the old Danish Empire (which once owned Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland). The city still has many remnants of this wealth as the royal markets and shipyard buildings dot the coastline. The Royal Family (one of my favorite parts of both Denmark and Sweden) has 3 palaces in the city itself and nearly every building that can has a tall tower or a statue. They are literally everywhere... a phenomenon that I discovered after my 20th or so picture of a statue of a person that I had never heard of before. One of the most beautiful (and picturesque) parts of the city is Nyhavn, the multicolored houses built along a canal in the picture below. The main street, Strøget, though the old town is a long, winding street where you can find any store imaginable, plenty of street vendors, and some of Denmark's most historic landmarks. What I loved the most about the walk was that you truly got a feel for Danish culture on just one short walk. The Danes are fun-loving, boisterous, and proud... with a eye towards the sea and to the modernization of Europe. Kobenhavn is a great reflection of its inhabitants.

One thing that I will say about København was that it had a much younger "feel" to it than Stockholm or Geneva. There is a healthy student population, a younger general population, and a large, self-proclaimed hippie population in the area known as Christiania. Businesses seemed to stay open later and there was a large number of people out at night. Another convenient (and some would argue "nice") aspect of Scandinavia was that everyone spoke English. This made ordering food, buying tickets, and purchasing souvenirs easy. However, most signs and posters were in Danish... a language that doesn't look intimidating (unless you don't speak a lick of it). At least when in Geneva, I can read signs and understand menus even if their is a language barrier.

Denmark brought about another new experience for me: staying in a hostel. Although we had trouble at first when trying to locate our hostel, the experience was a very positive one. The hostel, located just north of town, was aimed at traveling students with large rooms, public common areas, and beer and wine on tap at all hours of the day. Although we spent very little time there, the location was excellent and I slept well (always a good thing). The owners of the hostel were also helpful when trying to locate cheap restaurants or things to see.

The first picture is of the symbol of København, the Little Mermaid. In actuality, the statue is very small, touristy, and probably not worth the effort... but you know me, I HAD to see it. So, in all its grandeur....

Being the huge soccer (football) fan that I am, I wanted to go to a real soccer game during my time in Scandinavia. As fate would have it, FC København, one of the best teams in Denmark played at home during one of our nights in the city. The stadium was packed, the atmosphere electric, and the smell of hot dogs (another phenomenon yet to be discusses) was in the air. The home side came away with a 3-0 victory... which made the trip to the stadium that much better.

This picture is me in front of one of the canals of the city. This one is located by the national museum and the Christianborg Palace. This took place, I believe, after a huge breakfast buffet at a local cafe.

Nyhavn: one of the most recognizable landmarks of København. Situated along a canal, the multicolored houses and restaurants are very popular with tourists.

This picture was taken in front of the City Hall on Radhuspladsen. It also shows just one of the many towers of the København skyline.

The skyline of central København from the Rundetårn (Round Tower) near Strøget. You can see the red-roofed houses, green-tinted monuments, and the abundance of towers in the city. The one on the far left is the one that belongs to the City Hall.

This (in my head) is what I pictured Danish houses to look like. On the train ride into København, the small towns and fishing villages all had building of this exact color scheme... very pretty. I think one of the easiest and best ways to understand a culture is through its food. This is great for me because I LOVE TO EAT! Now, on to the food...

Hot dogs were everywhere in Scandinavia, especially in København. This is a frank with all of the works... spicy mustard, sweet mustard, regular yellow mustard, (European) ketchup, remoulade (mayonnaise with chopped sweet pickles), fried onions, and raw onions. There was literally more sauce than 'dog.' Simply delicious.

This is hot chocolate and a 'danish.' The only problem with that, is that I was served by a Dane... so this, is not a 'Danish.' That is a mistake you only make once (thankfully I didn't...my friend did). It was a wonderful pastry nonetheless.

This was my splurge of the trip... an authentic Danish/Københavner meal. A Carlsberg (in the background).... "probably the best beer in the world." Probably not. Danish rye bread (thick, dense, tasty) with butter. A fried fillet of fish topped with remoulade, pickled herring (under the onions and capers), roast beef with sweet pickled relish, curried chicken salad with bacon, fried pork with red cabbage, smoked salmon, brie, and grapes. There are not enough words to describe this meal (minus the herring) except for delicious.

That is all I have for now. Look for another post soon about Stockholm. I am headed to Paris this weekend (and maybe Bern). Those should be up soon. Hope all is well back home.

Love & Honor,

Matt

The ICMH

One of the big reasons that I chose to study abroad with the Kent State Geneva-Semester program was the option of receiving an internship with an international organization during my time abroad. I am still unsure of what I want to do after graduation (which, in my eyes, is entirely too soon) and working in the international law community or for and NGO has always been something that I have been interested in. This chance sounded like the perfect opportunity for me to really see if this was a path that I wanted to pursue; and, even if it isn't, it provides me with a wonderful opportunity to gain valuable experience as an intern and to be exposed with a different side of the city of Geneva.

I was fortunate enough to receive and internship with International Center of Migration and Health. I say fortunate because as interns in Geneva, we are oftentimes competing with graduate or even doctoral students for these internships. The ICMH is an NGO who monitors, writes reports, and makes policy suggestions to international health organizations, most notably the World Health Organization. As a WHO collaborative center, we receive funding and other benefits (like access to research, international conferences and meetings, etc) which help the organization to operate and conduct research.

Anyone who knows me know how passionately I feel about the field of migration and the rights of migrants. So, this internship seems like a perfect fit for my interests. And, up to this point, it has truly been an adventure. Right now, I am helping to compile data, to interpret the data, and publish my findings in a report about the effect of migration on family members who are 'left behind:' including increased levels of violence, psychological and social effects, and lower success rates at school.

While the research has been great, I think that I have enjoyed the daily interaction with the people that I work with the most. The office in which I work brings another whole level to my meaning of diversity. Honestly, I am not entirely sure how many languages can be spoken by the 15 people who work with me. Last week, one of the women who works at the ICMH, Joyce, celebrated her birthday by bringing in a meal from her homeland, Congo. Apart from being absolutely fantastic food (a unique combination of African, Spanish, and French influences), it gave me the opportunity to look around the table and to contemplate how diverse our group truly was--or at least through the typical lens of diversity. The majority of us hold very similar outlooks and views on the world, another very important form of diversity.

Not including Joyce, we have nationals from Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, China, India, the Philippines, Venezuela, Cuba, the United States, and Spain. That meal, I heard about 7 or 8 languages spoken, realized that there were 5 or 6 different religions represented (from Islam to Judaism to Sikhism), and realized that I shared very little about my upbringing with many of these people. What a very strange, yet invigorating feeling.

And then, it hit me. This collection of people, no matter how odd it seems, comes together for a certain goal. It shows me that all religions, all peoples, and all nations can and DO come together for the betterment of our world. It shows that problems have truly become globalized and that we are all one population, no matter how diverse we may initially appear. And this, gives me great hope for out future. I would love to hear your (yes, you the readers) thoughts on this idea.

I leave in 3 hours to catch a train to Copenhagen. We have the upcoming week of school of (for traveling) and I am headed up to Scandinavia for awhile. I will be spending about 3 days in Copenhagen and 4 days in Stockholm. Wish me luck. I will write again in about a week. If you need me, I will check my email once or twice... hoffmamd@muohio.edu. I wish everyone back home all the best, especially those still effected by the windstorms and those without power.

Beat UC!

Love & Honor,

Matt

Montreux & Chateau de Chillon

Just up Lac Leman, about 45 minutes from Geneva sits the Chateau de Chillon, a medieval fortress used by the Counts of Savoy. The Chateau (as you can see in the photo) clings perilously to the side of a mountain and is built on an outcropping into the lake. It offers some of the most picturesque views of Switzerland, apart from being an affordable and interesting tourist destination. Wow, I sound like a travel guide. So, here is the real scoop on my trip to Montreax and the Chateau de Chillon:

Sarah, another student on the program with me, and I left about noon for the train station in Geneva called Gare Cornavin. We purchased round trip tickets for 50 CHF (about $50 USD) and jumped aboard the train. This all sounds like an easy enough process until you take a moment to realize that a) the ticket machines don't 100CHF bills, so we needed to get change; b) if you have never had to do Eurail before, it can be confusing...especially if you must switch trains in the middle and didn't know that ahead of time, and c) are afraid that you purchased the wrong ticket because you have never used said train before. (Yes, I know I sound like the 'typical American' traveler.)

Okay, so, we arrived in Montreux and walked down to the lake. The town is absolutely beautiful. It had the feeling of a small resort town with shoppes, high-rise hotels, and cafes everywhere. We began the 30 minute walk down the coast to the Chateau, stopping to take pictures of the scenery, the local vineyards, and a random statue of Freddy Mercury (don't ask me why) on the water front. Eventually, we reached the Chateau. The following pictures will hopefully give you just a taste of the unique nature of the castle.

The Chateau has a really interesting history; namely, that is was never besieged which is why it is still in relatively good condition. Also, if you can see the crest in the second picture above, this crest (used by the Counts of Savoy) is the precursor to the Swiss flag. After the castle, we headed back to Montreux for dinner. The meal was enjoyable--and much less expensive than Geneva. However, our waitress, was not exactly friendly... okay, that was an euphemism. The views from the cafe were absolutely spectacular, which made up for the lack-luster service (see first picture in upper right corner).

We returned to the train station after dinner and tried to jump on the first train headed towards Geneva. Unfortunately, it was leaving right as well approached the platform. Apparently, the traveling gods were not smiling on us that day. We waited for the next train, which was not a direct train and stopped 4 or 5 times before Lausanne, and had to switch train before winding up in Geneva. The good news about missing the first train was that we were able to befriend a group of people from Malaysia (yeah Qiao!!!!). They were confused about the train system so we were able to help them get back to Geneva safely and hear about their travels around the world.

Back in Geneva, we headed to Old Town to get some ice cream... what a great ending to the day!

The next blog post will be about my internship with the ICMH and will hopefully be up in the next few days. Also, our first break week is coming up this Friday and I am headed to Copenhagen and Stockholm. I hope all is well back home.

Love & Honor,

Matt

Geneve=Diversity

Diverse. I am beginning to find this word more and more useful as I travel around Switzerland. However, I find that in Geneva, it is especially applicable. Geneva is unlike any other European city that I have ever been to--parts are modern, parts are old, parts are distinctly French-Swiss, parts are international. Geneva has shown me the value of not just coexistence but acceptance and the power of humanity working together for the common good.

Riding the bus 4 days a week to my internship at the edge of town has taught me a few things:. He is a little segment I like to call, Passing Time & Thoughts on My Hour Commute to Work. (Ok, so the title needs work.)

1) Geneva is the most diverse city on the planet. In a 20 minute bus ride I heard 7 different languages, saw people of every different ethnicity, and passed a synagogue, a Catholic Church, a LDS (Mormon) Church, and a mosque. The same bus ride has afforded me the opportunity to feel like a local Genevois. I have spoken French (rather poorly) with people around me and have been able to help a few tourists work the bus system. (Don't worry Dr. Z, I have been able to speak Spanish occasionally... we had a few Cubans who lived in the same complex that I am staying and I work with a man, Fidel, from Cuba at my internship.)

2) First impressions matter, so always dress to impress and remember to smile. Please and thank you go along way, in any language. You might be sitting next to the UN Ambassador from Nigeria. Oh wait, that already happened to me. He saw me reading an article for class about human rights violations in Darfur and he thought it would be an opportune moment to talk to me about his views on the United Nations and its role in ending the genocide in the area. What an absolutely engaging conversation! And I was glad to be on my A-game! He gave me his business card and told me to give him an email if I ever wanted to continue the discussion. I believe that I sat in shock for about 20 minutes after this conversation.

3) Public transportation is a fast, efficient, and environmentally friendly way to transport people and to get places. The TGP in Geneva has been so efficient, clean, and fairly affordable that I regret using my car so much back in the United States. The light rail system that was proposed between Dayton and Cincinnati now seems like such a good idea.

4) Getting lost is just as fun as being found. It is enjoyable to take a bus to a new part of Geneva and explore the surrounding area. Each neighborhood is distinctly different whether it is the wealthier districts of Grand & Petit Saconnex, the Old City, Carouge (the young, hip hang-out area) or the waterfront with its expensive stores and shops. My favorite place right now is the Parc de Bastions... right by the University de Geneve (surprise, right?).

5) American celebs and music are more popular in Europe than they are in the US. Le Matin Bleu, the free newspaper that I read on the bus everyday covers US celebrities more than any newspaper that I have seen back home. In addition, I have yet to hear a local listen to "pop music" that has not been in English. However, said newspaper has been a great way to stay on top of the local news and the occasional international story.

The next update (hopefully tomorrow) will be about my trip this weekend to Montreux and the Chateau de Chillon. That should be fun. Until then, au revoir.

Love & Honor,

Mathieu