Not much stuff worth noting has been going on lately. Don't worry, there are still plenty more cultural experiences to be had. However, lately I've been doing lots of school work in preparation for midterms. At least the school work is interesting though. Right now, I'm taking a break from writing a research paper about the 2006 Lebanon War. I already wrote a paper comparing business strategies and have to write another one about Danish culture. I'm going to discuss why Danes are so happy based on a 60 minutes video called "Those happy Danes." I also have an oral midterm for Danish, and midterms in my Russia Class, Holocaust and Genocide and I already had a quasi midterm for Doing Business in the EU. To prepare for my Danish oral, I'm having dinner with a friend and his Danish roommate.
Once I finish all this stuff, I go on my three week fall break. Then, I'll have lots to write about. As I mentioned I'm going to London, Brussels and Russia. I've also decided to go to Zurich and Milan for my other week. Tom's dad lives just outside of Zurich, so we'll chill there for a few days. I also have family and friends in Milan. So, it should be a fun week. I got kind of ripped off on flights because I'm leaving Milan on Easter weekend and Zurich has no budget airlines. I think it's because Switzerland still isn't in the EU, so the air treaties do not apply to them.
After spring break things will get really exciting. Spring in Denmark! Tivoli, the Copenhagen Coney Island equivalent, and Lego Land will open. Some other cool outdoor activities will start to be available, such as an authentic Danish village.
So my point is, I still have many cultural elements to experience.
One cultural experience I did have this past weekend was going to Christania. It is a self governing part of Copenhagen, with lots of anarchists. They still benefit from lots of elements of being in Denmark. On the other hand, they also break the law a lot and Danish police can't do much about it. Apparently it is illegal to walk up to someone and ask for drugs, so undercover cops can't do anything there. They have someone in a ski mask keeping watch outside of the neighborhood, so they are ready if there if a police raid. Despite my description of drug peddling and prominence of ski masks, it is a pretty cool safe place.
The neighborhood was really cool. There was cool grafitti and run down buildings. There were also little shops and stands. My friend said it might be what a third world country is like. I expected it to be a lot weirder, but it still had many elements of normal society. There was a bar, a few restaurants, etc. Upon leaving, there was a sign saying "now entering the EU." Unfortunately, they don't allow pictures there, so I don't have any.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Field study and short study tour
I just got back from my short study tour to western Denmark. It was organized by my International Business and Economics program(IBE). The idea was to give us some cultural experiences and have us see some Danish businesses. We have an assignment to compare the business strategies of the companies we encountered. I had a great time, learned a lot and met some cool people. However, I could have learned much more and one of the main things I learned was what subjects I have absolutely no interest in.
Our program is around 70 people, so we were divided into three groups. One group got to go to go to Vestas and they wouldn't let me change groups. It became more unfortunate because I was extremely disinterested in the companies I saw. However, the way all these companies do business is probably similar to Vestas, even though their end goal is different, so I probably still got a sense of it. From the three presentations, I am now aware I do not want to go into marketing or business. I am so glad that I am an economics major and nothing else. My Doing Business in the EU class is technically a business class, but it covers a lot of institutions which is why I am interested in it. When looking at Denmark, I was thinking of broadening my horizons by taking some business or marketing classes, but I am so glad I did not. I was talking to some of the other guys on the program about it who have more of a focus on business and they said they like it because it is practical and all case studies. Now I am aware that those case studies don't apply to my future. This also made me realize how lucky I am that I have so many opportunities from my education, so I probably won't have to do the stuff I did not like from these business visits.
On Wednesday, we visited the first business, a large shipping company stationed in Copenhagen. I will not name the businesses by name, since I will not be all that positive. It was interesting to see their strategy of developing expanding markets and dealing with supply issues. The presentation was about two hours and got really repetitive after a point. One thing the speaker repeatedly stressed was the corporate responsibility of the program. My favorite part of the presentation was when a student raised her hand and asked a very specific question of how come the company preached corporate responsibility yet works so closely with certain sketchy oil companies. All the speaker could do was say he was not aware of the specific situation but when he worked in Vietnam, they did not do business with countries with unethical business practices.
After that presentation, a friend and I walked around the harbor. What I find very interesting about the Danish harbor is that from the shore you can see smoke stacks across the water. I find it interesting that none of the harbor attempts to look beautiful, but I guess the harbor wasn't developed so tourists could see how pretty the water is.
On Thursday we left for western Denmark. We took the bus three hours and then took a ferry for 45 minutes. I learned this weekend that Denmark has 406 islands, and of course, Copenhagen is an island. The bus drove onto the ferry and then we got up and went onto the ferry. It was pretty cool.
After a 15 minute drive from the ferry, we arrived at our second company. This company was located in the middle of nowhere and manufactured refrigerator and gas parts. Like the last presentation, the first hour was very interesting and then it dragged on. After an introduction, they took us to the areas where the technicians worked and the assembly lines. It was cool seeing all the phases of production. But, our group was too big, so it was hard to see what our guide was saying about production. This got me thinking that even though I don't want to work for a company like this, they are essential for a flourishing society because of the products they develop. Then we had lunch, which consisted of some interesting sandwiches. Danes seem to not be able to get enough mayo. I ate more mayo on this trip than I probably have in the last year of my life. After lunch, we had about 2 hours of the company telling us all the different ways we could work for them. Despite my lack of interest in business, I was not the only one who had zero interest in this. Even the hardcore business students said they would never work for them. What was interesting was many people did not like the company, not because what they did was uninteresting, but because they treated their employees well for lower pay, rather that firing them all the time. The shipping company made lots of layoffs, while this company chose to have better trained, happy employees, as opposed to a more flexible labor force.
After that company we went to a battlefield where Germany defeated Denmark in 1864. A common theme of the trip: the activity looks really exciting and is not. The battlefield looked cool. We spent two hours there and the tour guide told us fairly obvious facts, like he pointed out that they didn't have photographs in 1864. Really?? We also watched two extremely boring movies. One was basically just a map lighting up a bunch of times and the other was a few pictures and some guy writing a letter. The field trip felt straight out of 8th grade. One of my classmates was into battles, so he said he found it cool.
Then we checked into the hostel. The list for picking hostel rooms started in the front of the bus and moved to the back. I was initially annoyed because there were all these rooms that had one space in them by the time the list got back to my friends. But, it worked out great because I ended up making new friends in my random room. I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post, but I basically hang out with foreigners and people from my kollegium, so it was cool to branch out a little.
That night, I went to dinner with some other people and the tour leaders. It was a nice experience and we got to sit on couches. This was my first sit down meal that wasn't paid for by DIS. Here's why: it cost me $28 for a hamburger covered in mayo, fries and a glass of wine. That is not even expensive for eating out at Denmark. That was probably the best deal possible. As you can imagine, I ate a frozen pizza for lunch the second night.
The next day, we went to a shoe company. This presentation was different from the others because it was more of a marketing approach. Like the other companies, I was initially interested in their strategy and then it became a lot of repetition from a marketing approach. Although I was miserable during this presentation, I am now more aware marketing is not for me. I have limited experience with it, but the idea of getting someone to buy a product they might not really want isn't for me. Of course, marketing is also out there so people can make the best choices, but trying to manipulate people like that is not up my alley. We also saw the offices where they developed their shoes, which was cool. Afterwards, they provided us with a buffet. It was the best food I had in Denmark.
After that company visit, we to a Viking museum in Ribe. Sounds awesome, right? Our group was too big for me to hear the tour guide and the museum was fairly unspectacular. One note: don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to explore other parts of the country and the opportunity to see different businesses. However, from my travel and academic experiences, I expect to be interested and engaged by my surroundings, so it is a little frustrating when I'm not.
Anyway, the tour guide was very long-winded and also showed us around the town. It was unfortunate because it was freezing, so it was hard to be patient while he spoke. It was interesting hearing about the history of the town and the changes it underwent during the Reformation.
Today, we went to a modern art and Danish design museum. It's funny, I was happy to finally not have a boring tour guide, but I really want someone to explain Danish design and modern art to me. I guess I will have to research it a little on my own to understand it.
We took a different route home today and did not take the ferry. When I got home, I had an email waiting for me from U Penn. They accepted me to take a summer class this summer. I was fairly certain I would get in, but if I did not, it would have complicated me graduating on time. From being abroad so long, I'm a little behind on some classes I need for my major. So, it is a huge relief to know I'll get all the classes I need.
Our program is around 70 people, so we were divided into three groups. One group got to go to go to Vestas and they wouldn't let me change groups. It became more unfortunate because I was extremely disinterested in the companies I saw. However, the way all these companies do business is probably similar to Vestas, even though their end goal is different, so I probably still got a sense of it. From the three presentations, I am now aware I do not want to go into marketing or business. I am so glad that I am an economics major and nothing else. My Doing Business in the EU class is technically a business class, but it covers a lot of institutions which is why I am interested in it. When looking at Denmark, I was thinking of broadening my horizons by taking some business or marketing classes, but I am so glad I did not. I was talking to some of the other guys on the program about it who have more of a focus on business and they said they like it because it is practical and all case studies. Now I am aware that those case studies don't apply to my future. This also made me realize how lucky I am that I have so many opportunities from my education, so I probably won't have to do the stuff I did not like from these business visits.
On Wednesday, we visited the first business, a large shipping company stationed in Copenhagen. I will not name the businesses by name, since I will not be all that positive. It was interesting to see their strategy of developing expanding markets and dealing with supply issues. The presentation was about two hours and got really repetitive after a point. One thing the speaker repeatedly stressed was the corporate responsibility of the program. My favorite part of the presentation was when a student raised her hand and asked a very specific question of how come the company preached corporate responsibility yet works so closely with certain sketchy oil companies. All the speaker could do was say he was not aware of the specific situation but when he worked in Vietnam, they did not do business with countries with unethical business practices.
After that presentation, a friend and I walked around the harbor. What I find very interesting about the Danish harbor is that from the shore you can see smoke stacks across the water. I find it interesting that none of the harbor attempts to look beautiful, but I guess the harbor wasn't developed so tourists could see how pretty the water is.
On Thursday we left for western Denmark. We took the bus three hours and then took a ferry for 45 minutes. I learned this weekend that Denmark has 406 islands, and of course, Copenhagen is an island. The bus drove onto the ferry and then we got up and went onto the ferry. It was pretty cool.
After a 15 minute drive from the ferry, we arrived at our second company. This company was located in the middle of nowhere and manufactured refrigerator and gas parts. Like the last presentation, the first hour was very interesting and then it dragged on. After an introduction, they took us to the areas where the technicians worked and the assembly lines. It was cool seeing all the phases of production. But, our group was too big, so it was hard to see what our guide was saying about production. This got me thinking that even though I don't want to work for a company like this, they are essential for a flourishing society because of the products they develop. Then we had lunch, which consisted of some interesting sandwiches. Danes seem to not be able to get enough mayo. I ate more mayo on this trip than I probably have in the last year of my life. After lunch, we had about 2 hours of the company telling us all the different ways we could work for them. Despite my lack of interest in business, I was not the only one who had zero interest in this. Even the hardcore business students said they would never work for them. What was interesting was many people did not like the company, not because what they did was uninteresting, but because they treated their employees well for lower pay, rather that firing them all the time. The shipping company made lots of layoffs, while this company chose to have better trained, happy employees, as opposed to a more flexible labor force.
After that company we went to a battlefield where Germany defeated Denmark in 1864. A common theme of the trip: the activity looks really exciting and is not. The battlefield looked cool. We spent two hours there and the tour guide told us fairly obvious facts, like he pointed out that they didn't have photographs in 1864. Really?? We also watched two extremely boring movies. One was basically just a map lighting up a bunch of times and the other was a few pictures and some guy writing a letter. The field trip felt straight out of 8th grade. One of my classmates was into battles, so he said he found it cool.
Then we checked into the hostel. The list for picking hostel rooms started in the front of the bus and moved to the back. I was initially annoyed because there were all these rooms that had one space in them by the time the list got back to my friends. But, it worked out great because I ended up making new friends in my random room. I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post, but I basically hang out with foreigners and people from my kollegium, so it was cool to branch out a little.
That night, I went to dinner with some other people and the tour leaders. It was a nice experience and we got to sit on couches. This was my first sit down meal that wasn't paid for by DIS. Here's why: it cost me $28 for a hamburger covered in mayo, fries and a glass of wine. That is not even expensive for eating out at Denmark. That was probably the best deal possible. As you can imagine, I ate a frozen pizza for lunch the second night.
The next day, we went to a shoe company. This presentation was different from the others because it was more of a marketing approach. Like the other companies, I was initially interested in their strategy and then it became a lot of repetition from a marketing approach. Although I was miserable during this presentation, I am now more aware marketing is not for me. I have limited experience with it, but the idea of getting someone to buy a product they might not really want isn't for me. Of course, marketing is also out there so people can make the best choices, but trying to manipulate people like that is not up my alley. We also saw the offices where they developed their shoes, which was cool. Afterwards, they provided us with a buffet. It was the best food I had in Denmark.
After that company visit, we to a Viking museum in Ribe. Sounds awesome, right? Our group was too big for me to hear the tour guide and the museum was fairly unspectacular. One note: don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to explore other parts of the country and the opportunity to see different businesses. However, from my travel and academic experiences, I expect to be interested and engaged by my surroundings, so it is a little frustrating when I'm not.
Anyway, the tour guide was very long-winded and also showed us around the town. It was unfortunate because it was freezing, so it was hard to be patient while he spoke. It was interesting hearing about the history of the town and the changes it underwent during the Reformation.
Today, we went to a modern art and Danish design museum. It's funny, I was happy to finally not have a boring tour guide, but I really want someone to explain Danish design and modern art to me. I guess I will have to research it a little on my own to understand it.
We took a different route home today and did not take the ferry. When I got home, I had an email waiting for me from U Penn. They accepted me to take a summer class this summer. I was fairly certain I would get in, but if I did not, it would have complicated me graduating on time. From being abroad so long, I'm a little behind on some classes I need for my major. So, it is a huge relief to know I'll get all the classes I need.
Monday, February 11, 2008
beach, lax, life
As bro-like as the title sounds, that was my weekend. It was beach weather Saturday, 50 degrees in February. A buddy and I went out to the end of the C-line and caught the sunset. I struggled to get a good picture of the windmills off the coast line because they were so far away. But, I caught the clear water as it changed colors under the sun.
That night, two Americans and myself went out with ten Polish guys for my next door neighbor, Marcel's, birthday. It was a lot of fun. I don't usually like going out with groups that big, but it was great always having someone to talk to. It was also nice cause it was a great bunch of people. They speak great English and are very smart. Marcel and his twin brother go to Copenhagen Business School. They have an interesting world view in that they are very pro-market, so it is interesting talking to them about politics and policy. I bumped into Marcel at the grocery store the other day. He was looking for a toothbrush and I told him he should get an electric toothbrush. He called me a lazy American and said that Americans are too lazy to even manually brush their teeth.
Saturday night was also cool because since it was a nice night lots of people were out. When we were going in between bars, tons of people were out in the streets. One of my friends compared it to Bourbon Street today. Either way it was awesome and just a fun environment to be part of.
On Sunday, I played lacrosse with Kristian's team. Although I went to meet Danes, it ended up being mostly Canadians and the Dutch. Still international. It was great to play again and the guys are really fun. It's a little piece of home, but at the same time it is enhancing my cultural experience by exposing me to more people.
Today, I met with my community service adviser, Hugh. He told me that the guy running the homeless drop-in shelter is on vacation and will be back Monday and then I will be able to start. I am excited about that. We then got to discussing our short study tour. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I am going to Western Denmark with my business and economics program. There we would go site-seeing and meet with different companies. I was bummed because my group was not going to meet with Vestas(the windmill company). Hugh and his colleague proceeded to tell me all about other ways Denmark has sustainable energy. They burn their trash for energy. and whatever waste is still left that would pollute they use to make dry wall. Crazy, huh?
Another crazy fact I learned today is that to this day, defendants in Russia are kept in a cage while on trial.
My day was great except when I came back to make dinner, somewhat had stolen my uncooked chicken, tupper ware and all. I couldn't believe it. It's one thing when drunk people steal chips or something, but uncooked chicken! This was frustrating because I shared my mini-fridge with another student. Then I remembered I had my gym lock from Prague and it came with multiple keys, so I could put the lock on the fridge.
That is just one of the few problems with the kitchen. The kitchen is supposed to be in the true socialist spirit with kitchen duties and dues. However, it hasn't been organized, so no one takes out the trash and lots of people don't clean up their trash. Clearly it was naive of me to keep my fridge unlocked for so long. I was thinking of leaving more chicken out and doing something gross to it in hopes that the thief would steal it again, but I decided I am better off just learning from it and locking my fridge. I'll just put it down as one of the many rookie study abroad mistakes(like buying a Eurail pass). I hoped to have less of those this semester and so far I have.
One mistake I made last semester was over booking trips and then I have to cancel one. This semester, I am cautious booking trips. I also love Copenhagen so much and there is so much to do that I am less eager to travel. While I enjoyed Prague so much, I was clearly a tourist. I could never see myself living there. While in Copenhagen I actually feel like I am home. Not that I'm planning on running off to Copenhagen(at least not yet), but I feel at home here more than I have in any other European city.
Of course, I plan on taking advantage of this opportunity to travel in Europe, but I also have an opportunity in Copenhagen. Aside from my long spring break, I booked a trip in April to Dublin with a bunch of my friends. It was $110 round trip! I might go Stockholm with my friends too, but I haven't decided yet. I really want to go to Paris, but it may just have to wait. I was telling my family I feel weird having not been to Paris after being in Europe for so long, but if it doesn't work out, I'll definitely get there.
Tomorrow, I will do laundry for the first time(one advantage of over-packing) and catch up on school work. I want to be around my computer in case I get emails because it is the day for people to sign up for Birthright Israel, a free trip to Israel. I already went, but if you refer ten people you get to go again. I have 5 people definitely going and 11 people who said maybe. I emailed everyone again and said I'd be around for questions. Hopefully, I was a good salesman. Hard to believe giving away a free trip would be so hard. . .
Photos:
Most of them are from my day at the beach.I took one picture of my Kollegium and plan to take many more. I find the license plate one amusing because it has common Danish names, which, as you can see, are different from American names. I also included one of the graffiti that you can see from the train. That is a small sample of the massive amounts of graffiti along the train tracks.
That night, two Americans and myself went out with ten Polish guys for my next door neighbor, Marcel's, birthday. It was a lot of fun. I don't usually like going out with groups that big, but it was great always having someone to talk to. It was also nice cause it was a great bunch of people. They speak great English and are very smart. Marcel and his twin brother go to Copenhagen Business School. They have an interesting world view in that they are very pro-market, so it is interesting talking to them about politics and policy. I bumped into Marcel at the grocery store the other day. He was looking for a toothbrush and I told him he should get an electric toothbrush. He called me a lazy American and said that Americans are too lazy to even manually brush their teeth.
Saturday night was also cool because since it was a nice night lots of people were out. When we were going in between bars, tons of people were out in the streets. One of my friends compared it to Bourbon Street today. Either way it was awesome and just a fun environment to be part of.
On Sunday, I played lacrosse with Kristian's team. Although I went to meet Danes, it ended up being mostly Canadians and the Dutch. Still international. It was great to play again and the guys are really fun. It's a little piece of home, but at the same time it is enhancing my cultural experience by exposing me to more people.
Today, I met with my community service adviser, Hugh. He told me that the guy running the homeless drop-in shelter is on vacation and will be back Monday and then I will be able to start. I am excited about that. We then got to discussing our short study tour. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I am going to Western Denmark with my business and economics program. There we would go site-seeing and meet with different companies. I was bummed because my group was not going to meet with Vestas(the windmill company). Hugh and his colleague proceeded to tell me all about other ways Denmark has sustainable energy. They burn their trash for energy. and whatever waste is still left that would pollute they use to make dry wall. Crazy, huh?
Another crazy fact I learned today is that to this day, defendants in Russia are kept in a cage while on trial.
My day was great except when I came back to make dinner, somewhat had stolen my uncooked chicken, tupper ware and all. I couldn't believe it. It's one thing when drunk people steal chips or something, but uncooked chicken! This was frustrating because I shared my mini-fridge with another student. Then I remembered I had my gym lock from Prague and it came with multiple keys, so I could put the lock on the fridge.
That is just one of the few problems with the kitchen. The kitchen is supposed to be in the true socialist spirit with kitchen duties and dues. However, it hasn't been organized, so no one takes out the trash and lots of people don't clean up their trash. Clearly it was naive of me to keep my fridge unlocked for so long. I was thinking of leaving more chicken out and doing something gross to it in hopes that the thief would steal it again, but I decided I am better off just learning from it and locking my fridge. I'll just put it down as one of the many rookie study abroad mistakes(like buying a Eurail pass). I hoped to have less of those this semester and so far I have.
One mistake I made last semester was over booking trips and then I have to cancel one. This semester, I am cautious booking trips. I also love Copenhagen so much and there is so much to do that I am less eager to travel. While I enjoyed Prague so much, I was clearly a tourist. I could never see myself living there. While in Copenhagen I actually feel like I am home. Not that I'm planning on running off to Copenhagen(at least not yet), but I feel at home here more than I have in any other European city.
Of course, I plan on taking advantage of this opportunity to travel in Europe, but I also have an opportunity in Copenhagen. Aside from my long spring break, I booked a trip in April to Dublin with a bunch of my friends. It was $110 round trip! I might go Stockholm with my friends too, but I haven't decided yet. I really want to go to Paris, but it may just have to wait. I was telling my family I feel weird having not been to Paris after being in Europe for so long, but if it doesn't work out, I'll definitely get there.
Tomorrow, I will do laundry for the first time(one advantage of over-packing) and catch up on school work. I want to be around my computer in case I get emails because it is the day for people to sign up for Birthright Israel, a free trip to Israel. I already went, but if you refer ten people you get to go again. I have 5 people definitely going and 11 people who said maybe. I emailed everyone again and said I'd be around for questions. Hopefully, I was a good salesman. Hard to believe giving away a free trip would be so hard. . .
Photos:
Most of them are from my day at the beach.I took one picture of my Kollegium and plan to take many more. I find the license plate one amusing because it has common Danish names, which, as you can see, are different from American names. I also included one of the graffiti that you can see from the train. That is a small sample of the massive amounts of graffiti along the train tracks.
Friday, February 8, 2008
slide show
Check out the slide show to the right of your screen. If you click on the white box, captions will show up.
As of now, I think I'll put the old slide shows at the bottom of the blog and new ones on the right.
As of now, I think I'll put the old slide shows at the bottom of the blog and new ones on the right.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Photos, Superbowl, CBS,
You should notice I've now added photos to my blog. Once I get all the photo stuff on my computer working, I'll have a lot more good photos. And, since you all want to see that I have not gotten super fat in Denmark, many of them will have me in them. The big issue is that I don't have that much space on my computer. I'm getting an external hard drive soon and until then I'm figuring out how to store them online. As a result, lots of them are sideways and such. Once I get all this to work, hopefully within the next week, I'll put lots of pictures up so that everyone can enjoy them.
Now onto my life. .
On Sunday I explored Copenhagen with some of my friends. Pictures and interesting details to follow. Standard European walk: lots of castles, government buildings, monuments and water. A lot of it is interesting, but so much more interesting with pictures, so I will get back to that.
Sunday night, I stayed up until 4AM to watch the Superbowl with all my friends, Danes and American. The Danes were as into it as we were (well almost, there were a few die-hard American fans). We also had lots of burgers, beer and wings; food fit for fat Americans. A few hours later I had class all day. I somehow was very attentive.
On Tuesday, I voted near school with Democratics Abroad. It was cool because my absentee ballot didn't come in the mail and I still got to vote.
On Wednesday, a few of us went to a career fair at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). I did not go with the intent of looking for a job, but just wanted to see what was out there, see another part of Copenhagen and another Danish environment. The fair still proved interesting. A notable difference is that the Danes don't usually do summer internships. Instead, you just work throughout your studies and then they hire you afterwards. I think a Master's degree also has more power in Denmark because many of the jobs require that one be pursuing a Master's degree. Maybe the degree just isn't as strongly emphasized to college students in the US.
After a representative from Nordea Bank told us about the differences that I mentioned above, I spoke to two other representatives. One from an unnamed energy company(my blog is now linked to the DIS website) was not very smart. I asked him how he balanced selling oil and gas with developing sustainable energy. He found it very difficult to answer such a simple question. He discussed profit, but when I asked him about his long term goals, where he saw the company in 50 years, he could not even answer. My friends and I went in small groups, so I was with a few other students. We were curious about whether stumping the representative of a company is a good thing. Luckily, I don't want to work there anyway.
Now, I finally get to use a picture in describing something. Another representative I spoke to was from Vestas. From what I have read, Vestas is a great company. Their goal is to get wind power on par with oil and gas. Thus, they attempt to make a profit by putting up windmills. The picture is of off shore windmills in Denmark. They are usually off shore because people don't want loud windmills in their back yard. I think this is a great way to do business, profit being driven by a cause that helps the environment. In addition, I think wind power means less of an investment in shady foreign countries. They have summer internships, but not in Philadelphia where I have to be this summer to take classes. I'm definitely going to keep track of this business because they have rotating employment. For 2 years, an employee would spend 8 months in difference cities all over the world, working at different offices. I think one is supposed to be pursuing a Master's degree at the same time or something, but I'll research that when the time comes.
CBS is also a great resource. They have talks about business in developing countries. I may attend a few, because some of the topics look interesting. For example, one is about if businesses invested capital in a social and developmental perspective. They also have a bar that students attend, so it would be a good place to meet more Danes.
Afterwards, we went to see the Chinese New Year. It was really cool. They had some people dancing in costumes and then shot fireworks off a building.
Pretty cool, huh?
Today, I had class all day. In Holocaust and Genocide, we had a speaker about the Armenian genocide. It was really interesting when he discussed genocide denial for people's interests. Many reasonable minded politicians deny the Armenian genocide because of Turkey's power. He discussed how academia is a search for truth, while politicians have so many objectives. It seems like an obvious statement, but seeing it applied to genocide and coming from western politicians(not from Iran), puts a new spin on it.
Now onto my life. .
On Sunday I explored Copenhagen with some of my friends. Pictures and interesting details to follow. Standard European walk: lots of castles, government buildings, monuments and water. A lot of it is interesting, but so much more interesting with pictures, so I will get back to that.
Sunday night, I stayed up until 4AM to watch the Superbowl with all my friends, Danes and American. The Danes were as into it as we were (well almost, there were a few die-hard American fans). We also had lots of burgers, beer and wings; food fit for fat Americans. A few hours later I had class all day. I somehow was very attentive.
On Tuesday, I voted near school with Democratics Abroad. It was cool because my absentee ballot didn't come in the mail and I still got to vote.
On Wednesday, a few of us went to a career fair at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). I did not go with the intent of looking for a job, but just wanted to see what was out there, see another part of Copenhagen and another Danish environment. The fair still proved interesting. A notable difference is that the Danes don't usually do summer internships. Instead, you just work throughout your studies and then they hire you afterwards. I think a Master's degree also has more power in Denmark because many of the jobs require that one be pursuing a Master's degree. Maybe the degree just isn't as strongly emphasized to college students in the US.
After a representative from Nordea Bank told us about the differences that I mentioned above, I spoke to two other representatives. One from an unnamed energy company(my blog is now linked to the DIS website) was not very smart. I asked him how he balanced selling oil and gas with developing sustainable energy. He found it very difficult to answer such a simple question. He discussed profit, but when I asked him about his long term goals, where he saw the company in 50 years, he could not even answer. My friends and I went in small groups, so I was with a few other students. We were curious about whether stumping the representative of a company is a good thing. Luckily, I don't want to work there anyway.
Now, I finally get to use a picture in describing something. Another representative I spoke to was from Vestas. From what I have read, Vestas is a great company. Their goal is to get wind power on par with oil and gas. Thus, they attempt to make a profit by putting up windmills. The picture is of off shore windmills in Denmark. They are usually off shore because people don't want loud windmills in their back yard. I think this is a great way to do business, profit being driven by a cause that helps the environment. In addition, I think wind power means less of an investment in shady foreign countries. They have summer internships, but not in Philadelphia where I have to be this summer to take classes. I'm definitely going to keep track of this business because they have rotating employment. For 2 years, an employee would spend 8 months in difference cities all over the world, working at different offices. I think one is supposed to be pursuing a Master's degree at the same time or something, but I'll research that when the time comes.CBS is also a great resource. They have talks about business in developing countries. I may attend a few, because some of the topics look interesting. For example, one is about if businesses invested capital in a social and developmental perspective. They also have a bar that students attend, so it would be a good place to meet more Danes.
Afterwards, we went to see the Chinese New Year. It was really cool. They had some people dancing in costumes and then shot fireworks off a building.
Pretty cool, huh?Today, I had class all day. In Holocaust and Genocide, we had a speaker about the Armenian genocide. It was really interesting when he discussed genocide denial for people's interests. Many reasonable minded politicians deny the Armenian genocide because of Turkey's power. He discussed how academia is a search for truth, while politicians have so many objectives. It seems like an obvious statement, but seeing it applied to genocide and coming from western politicians(not from Iran), puts a new spin on it.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
End of the Week
Terrorism class was very interesting on Thursday. We discussed irrational psychology of terrorism, whether they are acting with a goal or just acting in the norm(react to violence with more violence). We watched some Hamas children TV, which was horrifying. They showed a Jewish man beating up a character that looked like Mickey Mouse and then some three-year old called and talked about killing the Jews. We also watched an Iranian children TV show where a Palestinian becomes a martyr. It was scary that these shows about the purpose in life being to die, kill as many people as possible and never surrender are like our Sesame Street or Ninja Turtles.
At the end of class we went outside and saw an anarchist rally. Our assignment was to compare their motives to the psychology we had discussed. The anarchists were protesting that their house was taken away by the town. I talked to one of them and she said they were peacefully protesting and meeting with the mayor, but if they don't get their house back they will riot. It was cool to hear about that first hand. It was also my second anarchist riot in Europe. When I was in Prague, Neo-Nazis were supposed to hold an illegal demonstration on Kristallnacht. I think a few showed up, but it was mostly anarchists and communists and lots of police in Swat gear.
My week has a weird feel to it. Since I only have class on Mondays and Thursdays, I have a case of the Sundays on Wednesday and Sunday. I'm not used to getting up as early, so I don't sleep as well. Then half of my days are Monday mornings, I'm groggy and trying to get through the week. That's for my business class and my Russia class. About halfway through Danish, it starts to feel like Friday, the week is almost over. Then I coast through my remaining two classes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my classes and don't feel like I'm suffering through the week. But, my mental outlook on days is different.
My week should adjust once I get my community service assignment. That is one frustrating thing I have found about doing short term community service(i.e. just one semester or a couple hours), is that you lose so much time just waiting for it to be organized. I am very eager to get involved with it though and it will be interesting.
Lacrosse once a week will also be added to my week soon. I was wearing my Haverford lacrosse sweatshirt at school and another student started talking to me about it. Turned out he was a perspective lacrosse player at Haverford and stayed with one of my friends. He went to Georgetown instead, but he told me about how he plays box lacrosse with Danes on Tuesday nights and I should come. I have my stick and they will provide me with equipment. He said it's not that far from me. Box lacrosse is a little similar to hockey in that it is more confined. I played in Prague and it was a great way to meet Czech people, so hopefully I'll meet more Danes. I am making a lot of foreign friends here, so it's not as important as it was in Prague, but the more people I meet the better the experience is. It' also good because I do miss lacrosse, but I really just wanna mess around with it once a week or so. Emily, I think your Kristian might be part of this lacrosse thing. I got in touch with him through Facebook about it.
I'm also going to a job fair at Copenhagen Business School(CBS) on Wednesday. I don't think I'll be looking for a job, but it'll be a cool way to see CBS, another part of town, and they have some clubs too, so maybe I'll find something. And, right after, the Chinese New Year dances and fireworks are going off. So, I will get to see that also.
The upcoming week also includes watching the Super Bowl. Some of my Danish friends are really into it and they are organizing a party. It's going to be a late night here because the game doesn't start here till about 1AM! Should make Monday even more fun.
Today, I'm probably going to explore some more neighborhoods of Copenhagen. Yesterday, I explored my town. It looked like the bad sides of Jersey with lots of factories. Then I followed one of the canals and found a cool park.
I also booked my flights for the second week of spring break. What an ordeal. So, I'm going with one or two of my fellow students here to meet Tom in Zurich. His dad lives there, so we'll have a place to stay. At some point, we'll take a train or bus to Milan. I'll fly back to Copenhagen from Milan. What was frustrating was that budget airlines don't fly to Zurich. And Copenhagen is also an obscure airport. There was still a reasonable fight there, but in24 hours it went up A LOT. It was still the cheapest flight, so I had to take it. Flying out of Brussels would have been equally as bad and would have involved a hostel. The cheap flight I saw from Milan had gone way up because of Easter weekend. So, I ended up getting a little screwed on flights. I booked a month and a half in advance, so that was a little frustrating. But, I worked and saved to come here, so there is no use to cry over spilled milk. One of my friends was freaking out and getting everyone to book in advance, so now I see why.
My spring break is three weeks and will be: London, Brussels, Zurich, Milan, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Very exciting. Unfortunately some of the most expensive cities in the world.
At the end of class we went outside and saw an anarchist rally. Our assignment was to compare their motives to the psychology we had discussed. The anarchists were protesting that their house was taken away by the town. I talked to one of them and she said they were peacefully protesting and meeting with the mayor, but if they don't get their house back they will riot. It was cool to hear about that first hand. It was also my second anarchist riot in Europe. When I was in Prague, Neo-Nazis were supposed to hold an illegal demonstration on Kristallnacht. I think a few showed up, but it was mostly anarchists and communists and lots of police in Swat gear.
My week has a weird feel to it. Since I only have class on Mondays and Thursdays, I have a case of the Sundays on Wednesday and Sunday. I'm not used to getting up as early, so I don't sleep as well. Then half of my days are Monday mornings, I'm groggy and trying to get through the week. That's for my business class and my Russia class. About halfway through Danish, it starts to feel like Friday, the week is almost over. Then I coast through my remaining two classes. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my classes and don't feel like I'm suffering through the week. But, my mental outlook on days is different.
My week should adjust once I get my community service assignment. That is one frustrating thing I have found about doing short term community service(i.e. just one semester or a couple hours), is that you lose so much time just waiting for it to be organized. I am very eager to get involved with it though and it will be interesting.
Lacrosse once a week will also be added to my week soon. I was wearing my Haverford lacrosse sweatshirt at school and another student started talking to me about it. Turned out he was a perspective lacrosse player at Haverford and stayed with one of my friends. He went to Georgetown instead, but he told me about how he plays box lacrosse with Danes on Tuesday nights and I should come. I have my stick and they will provide me with equipment. He said it's not that far from me. Box lacrosse is a little similar to hockey in that it is more confined. I played in Prague and it was a great way to meet Czech people, so hopefully I'll meet more Danes. I am making a lot of foreign friends here, so it's not as important as it was in Prague, but the more people I meet the better the experience is. It' also good because I do miss lacrosse, but I really just wanna mess around with it once a week or so. Emily, I think your Kristian might be part of this lacrosse thing. I got in touch with him through Facebook about it.
I'm also going to a job fair at Copenhagen Business School(CBS) on Wednesday. I don't think I'll be looking for a job, but it'll be a cool way to see CBS, another part of town, and they have some clubs too, so maybe I'll find something. And, right after, the Chinese New Year dances and fireworks are going off. So, I will get to see that also.
The upcoming week also includes watching the Super Bowl. Some of my Danish friends are really into it and they are organizing a party. It's going to be a late night here because the game doesn't start here till about 1AM! Should make Monday even more fun.
Today, I'm probably going to explore some more neighborhoods of Copenhagen. Yesterday, I explored my town. It looked like the bad sides of Jersey with lots of factories. Then I followed one of the canals and found a cool park.
I also booked my flights for the second week of spring break. What an ordeal. So, I'm going with one or two of my fellow students here to meet Tom in Zurich. His dad lives there, so we'll have a place to stay. At some point, we'll take a train or bus to Milan. I'll fly back to Copenhagen from Milan. What was frustrating was that budget airlines don't fly to Zurich. And Copenhagen is also an obscure airport. There was still a reasonable fight there, but in24 hours it went up A LOT. It was still the cheapest flight, so I had to take it. Flying out of Brussels would have been equally as bad and would have involved a hostel. The cheap flight I saw from Milan had gone way up because of Easter weekend. So, I ended up getting a little screwed on flights. I booked a month and a half in advance, so that was a little frustrating. But, I worked and saved to come here, so there is no use to cry over spilled milk. One of my friends was freaking out and getting everyone to book in advance, so now I see why.
My spring break is three weeks and will be: London, Brussels, Zurich, Milan, Moscow, St. Petersburg. Very exciting. Unfortunately some of the most expensive cities in the world.
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