“Free Citybikes lure thieves”

For our Current Trends and News Media class, we are having a Newsroom Simulation and writing articles as if we are journalists. This idea really didn’t’ excite me at first because I still haven’t completely mastered journalistic writing. Anyway, each person gets assigned to a group with a broad topic and then goes on to pick a beat that caters to his/her interest. For example, I chose Copenhagen for Free; some others chose human trafficking/prostitution in Denmark (wow even though a really interesting topic, I can’t imagine how difficult it will be interviewing people…) and I know my friend is going to write about street musicians. Now the trick is to gather all information, interviews and turn in the article in a day, take a photograph AND write it with a partner- a simulation of what happens in real life. I’m so glad that Julie and I worked on it together : )

Our beat is on the free city bikes offered in Copenhagen. Yes, The City of Copenhagen places 2,000 city bikes and 110 city-bike racks around the city from mid-April through November. All you have to do is deposit 20 DKK (around $4US) coin and receive it in return of the bike when you are done with the ride. But there is a city-bike zone limit. The problem that Julie and I wanted to address was their theft rates and maintenance issues. We asked a local resident and he said that the bikes are not treated decently and often get stolen. But some DIS students said that it’s nearly impossible to steal these bikes. They are heavy, obnoxious, visible (bright colors), slow… BUT gets the work done. We contacted the city-bike provider who claims that he wasn’t in the office and would call me back, but never received a response. Well, at least he told me that people make 10-15 daily reports during the summertime if they see people riding on those bikes outside the city-zone limit!

Unfortunately I don’t even know how to ride a bike- but for those who do know… I’m sure it will be worth a try! Plus I hear they are quite popular : )

ps- I didn’t take the picture shown above… time crunch =.=

Bucket List

My host family and I visited a very good friend of theirs yesterday for dinner. I tried gin tonic and ruby port (produced from Portugual, hence the name Port) with the family for the first time. Ruby port is usually consumed as a dessert wine, but it was a little too sweet and strong for me. They were teasing how my host sister coldn’t drink since she’s in charge of driving us home :p Danish homes are always so “hygge” (which is coziness in Danish). Why are their houses so cute? I absolutely loved the enlarged maps on their wall because I envision myself travelling everywhere in the world! Hmm… that map idea goes on my things-to-include-in-future home list (hehe- I’m shopping to collect good ideas) So where do they put their stuff? Everything seems more simple; there’s less clutter and crap around or perhaps they are just good at hiding things and putting them away. Anyway, I must remember to take a picture of my host family’s house and post it in this blog later.

I thought Americans were obsessed with candles when I first came to the US (The Chinese think they are waste of of money- at least my mom thinks so), but no the Danes love them so much more that it’s a part of their everyday life.  But now I understand the Americans use candles more specifically during the holidays. My host mom lights ten of those small candles every night (even in the bathrooms!) I think such atmosphere is quite romantic, but it’s considered cozy here. The flickering of the light would make you feel a little drowsy… Anyway, I can imagine the candle industry being very successful here. This coziness idea is definitely something I’d like to bring with me when I return to the states.

In continuation from my last blog entry… I’ve created a bucket list!

Must visit before I leave:

• The town of Christiana (a.k.a freetown Christiana, which calls itself an autonomous neighborhood residing 850 people)
• The Royal library (a.k.a The Black Diamond)
• IKEA
• The town of Ribe with my host family (oldest town in Denmark)
• Museums (National Museum, Museum of Copenhagen, Danish Jewish Museum)

Self-assessment

In two days I will have been in Denmark for two months, which is quite unbelievable. What?… I’m half way done already? No!!!! (echo) Anyway, I just wanted to take the time now to assess my experiences so far and see how and what I can change to make the best out of rest of my stay (wow that rhymed). Rather than complaining, it is much easier to change myself.

Things that I need to change:

• Spend more time with my host family – I think my host family is a little more formal and shy compared to some of the other families. Don’t get me wrong; they are very friendly, but sometimes the Danish conversations at dinner and the Danish television they watch shuts me down. I space out and get discouraged at the lack of immersion. However, I do realize that I’ve been hiding in my room after dinner, missing family dinners such as attending academic related activities/seminars and spending the weekends at my good friend’s house (mainly for class projects). So I am at fault as well. Here’s the plan.  (1) I can bring my computer downstairs, work on whatever I need to while the family watches TV and still be able to bond with them. (2) Watch and help my host mom with cooking. She usually likes to do it all, but I can still be there and ask questions about cooking.
• Ask questions- I love all of my courses, but for some reason have been fearful of particpating during class- by that, I mean asking and answering questions (volutnarily). Well, there is a reason for that- I feel a little intimidated at my International Law class for example because I’m a novice and therefore not confident about the subject matter. Anyway, my goal is to talk at least once for every class. This should be very doable.
• Live in the present- Too many times, I’ve spaced out thinking about travel plans (hostels, flights, packing), summer internship, connecting with friends at home, housing, student employment, course planning for the fall, stuff after graduation and  ahhhh– you see what I mean? I just want to live in the present and be. So wake up Joy. Be happy, don’t worry.

It’s not to late to change…

While in London

Wow I realized haven’t been blogging for 2 weeks now! Too much has happened… it was midterms then we had our week-long study tour to London!

For more photos, click here.

The Tower Bridge in London under beautiful weather!

So while in London, I fell in love… with the city! I felt like I was at home. Hong Kong resembles London in so many ways- the street names like Victoria, Salisbury, Aberdeen- the traffic, the underground subway- a.k.a “tube”.  (Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997) The weather was also warmer too and I can actually feel the sun and see the blue sky?! Hallelujah, I’m in a place where everyone speaks English : ) I had to seriously pinch myself and remind me that I’m in London and that I don’t need to say things in Danish anymore. I can’t even count how many times I thought to myself, “I can live here.” Life in in London is exciting, lively and just fascinating. If I studied abroad here, I would have gone broke! Not that I spent a lot of money on shopping or food this week, but that’s a possibility…

The first day in London was quite overwhelming. Advertisements flooded all over the place- musicals, public service ads, announcements. The tour guide on the bus tells us to look right, left, right, left… like I’m about to have spasms. It’s hard to focus on what exactly to look at. That’s what happens when you are in a different country. EVERYTHING is interesting and trying to absorb everything you see is honestly quite exhausting… but fun of course.

Things that we saw in/near London:

• Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey
• Trafalager Square, Picadilly Circus
• Green Park, Hyde Park
• Tower of London (Crown jewels, The Queen’s 530+ karat diamond on her scepter)
• Stonehenge (wow-ed me.. can you imagine people moving a 40 ton rock for 240+miles without wheels?) It was weird that military training was going on around that area.
• The cute city of Bath (the 2,000 year-old Roman Baths, where Jane Austen used to live)

Things that we did in London:

• Went to Harrods (huge department store!) The food section was flooded with chocolates.yummmm Oh the royalties shop at Harvey Nichols by the way.
• Went to the infamous 9 3/4 Platform from Harry Potter at Kings Cross Station. (It moved though because of construction, but we got a pic!)
• Attempted to climb the lions at Trafalager Square, but failed. It’s much harder than you think!
• Went on the London Eye (the largest ferris wheel in Europe) and saw London from a bird’s view. The compartment can probably fit more than 30 people.
• Conducted an interview regarding public relations and journalism at a company called Edelman.
• Had tea and ate famous buns at Sally
• Saw Billy Elliot the Musical!
• Visited The Daily Telegraph.
• Ate yummy group lunches/dinners organized by our program tour leader Megan.
• Mastered the tube system because we used it pretty much like five times a day. Confusing at first plus a lot of the trains are either delayed or cancelled. But we got around just fine ^^ 

So as you can see, we did so much in the past five days and pretty much covered all the main attraction sites. But it’s not somewhere you will get tired of easily. London, I will come back one day!

In front of the Tower of London (where the Crown Jewels are located)

In front of St. Paul's Cathedral

Stonehenge

PUSH! In front of Harry Potter's 9 3/4 Platform at Kings Cross Station

Ahh too much to say and the blog… I’ll make sure to post a link to all the pictures soon.

February 14: three in one day

February 14, 2010 is a special day this year. Not only is it Valentine’s Day in western cultures, Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar, but also Fastelvan in Denmark. Think of it as a combination of Halloween where children dress up in costumes and piñata where people try to knock the cat out of the barrel (no worries, they don’t actually put cat in the barrel anymore ^^) The concept is also similar to Mardi Gras before Lent!  
Saturday (Feb. 13)
New Year’s Eve. A friend, who is an intern at the DIS IT office, invited some of us to his apartment for dinner! I was super duper excited. We made dumplings from scratch- like rolling the dough and all, making the dumpling skin. I’ve never done that before and really sucked at not being efficient. Being a perfectionist did not help either. But I treasure the hours of talking, eating delicious food and laughing— reminiscencing Chinese New Year during childhood… It was a blissful evening. Thank you all- this meant a lot to me because it proves that I haven’t forgotten my Chinese roots.

Before

After

 
 
Sunday (Feb. 14)
New Year’s Day. Happy Year of the Tiger. We were going to eat out at a Chinese restaurant to celebrate Chinese New Year, but decided that was too expensive and cooked instead. Lily’s host family is out vacationing at the Canary Islands, so we took over the kitchen! I feel more at ease cooking with my peers. Ariel brought spring roll and dumplings to fry, while we chopped up vegetables to make fried rice. I’m pretty sure that our rice was totally untraditional. We stir fried garlic with rice, then put soy sauce, egg and mixed vegetables…? Haha does that even sound right? Mom was laughing at me when I told her about it. Oh what adventures : )  

Being able to celebrate Chinese New Year is truly a blessing since I haven’t been able to do in the past seven years. And sometimes I’m afraid that I might lose sight of what this week-long holiday means- the emphasis on family gatherings, the red packets known as “hong bao” that the married gives to the unmarried and the symbols of all the foods eaten that will bring good luck. This is quite the sentimental time of the year for me since I’ve always wanted to return to China during that time of the year, but unfortunately that has always conflicted with school.  

Being abroad will help anyone realize the importance of family, which is something that is often taken for granted.

 When at home for some reason, it’s almost natural in a way to be mean to our family because we know that they will forgive and love us unconditionally. Going abroad requires (well… you start to develop) emotional independence- which is faith that you will be loved and missed, even though such emotional support is intangible.

Danish bath

I went to the Danish so-called “bad,” which means bath! For only 80 Kroners ($16 US), we were about to receive sauna, foot bath and facial treatment. Haha why am I not surprised that our group was all females? At first I was feeling hesitant toward going into a sauna- not that I haven’t been to one before, but I wouldn’t be too excited if I suddenly suffocated and couldn’t breath. But anyway, it turned out to be my favorite session for the night. The lady in charge told us that entering the sauna were to be divided in three stages and each time she poured three kinds of essential oils into a bucket of water, which will be vaporized in the sauna. All I can say is that it was a lot of hard work for the lady because she’d pour the water+essential oil into the sauna heater, then start whipping a towel in the air to let the essential oils sink in our bodies. The sudden whiff heat is heartwarming and sort of like a “poof poof” feeling : )

Three stages (each with different essential oils to rejuvenate the body):

1. Detox
2. Relax
3. Refresh 

We walked in then out of the sauna three times (each time 12 min) and helped pour a bucket of ice water on each other. That sensation is both shocking and amazing- shocked by such sudden body freeze/temperature change and amazed by how good it felt afterwards. And of course it’s always better to pour the ice water on other people and see how they react : )

It was really cool seeing each of us react after breathing the essential oils at each step. Everyone looked as if they were about to fall over during the “relax” stage because we were all..well- relaxed. But energetic at the ”refresh” stage. Sauna’s definitely the best during winter times.    

Facial treatment was fun too since we had time to chat and relax! The atmosphere was indeed ”hygge” (“cozy” in Danish) with all the candles around.  The paste (looks like clay or mud) that we were given was brown at first, but it turned green after it hardened and dried. I must say that washing the paste off was actually quite painful- maybe left it on a little too long. My face was so red from the sauna and the clay mask! But at least I have a very clean face ^^ Going to the “bad” was a wonderful experience because I absolutely loved the detour from the tourist attraction sites.

Adventure at the U.S. Embassy

Yay I ”have” an internship for the summer and it’s with the U.S. Department of State. Tah-Dah Surprise… I haven’t told many people since it’s only a preliminary offer, but I figure I should share my experience at the embassy today. I’ll (hopefully) receive the official letter after an extensive security clearance. really realy extensive. In other words, I can’t be so sure : ( 

The problem is that I was supposed to receive the security clearance package and get fingerprinted somewhere at the local police or so and send everything collectively by tomorrow. Not happening. Well, being abroad makes that more complicated and the package was delayed, so I still haven’t received it. Anyway, I contaced someone from the U.S. Embassy here in Denmark and arranged an appointment to be fingerprinted today! That was a pretty interesting experience. Very serious, protected, efficient… NO electronic items whatsoever- phones are okay but needs to be turned off, kept at the security section and then claim it afterwards. The first guard even had me drink my water- I guess just in case it wasn’t poisonous or something. The second guard in the building also asked me to do the same, so I basically decided to drink the whole bottle. Proving it : ) I can’t believe I was nervous for no reason. I don’t think the embassy offers fingerprinting services (it’s not online either), so it seemed like a “private appointment.” The process only took 15 minutes. I wanted to strike up a conversation with the person helping me, but the atmosphere was too intense, so shutting up was a good idea.

Trying to find a way to mail the package out ASAP was stressful. Now looking back, the postal service lady and I must have had some miscommunication because I misunderstood her and was running around for two hours, trying to find the cheapeast and fastest method. Haha I went back to the postal office later and actually had the problem solved. I have no clue what happened in between. But the smallest things seem like huge problems during frustration. I love how I’m so aware of my emotions and how my body is responding to stress- like telling myself “this is not the end of the world, chill out”. Anyway, the bottomline is that:

At the end it all works out.

Busy piglet

Ahh my day was really packed today! Woke up at 6:30 a.m.
Usually Wednesdays are reserved for field studies and so there are no classes; for those who don’t have a field study- they have the day off ^^ But my International Law professor cancelled two classes a week ago due to travelling obligations and we are making it up today two classes in a row from 8:30-11:30 a.m.  Afterwards, my friend Ariel and I stopped by the oldest bakery/confectionary in Copenhagen, La Glace, and enjoyed pastries.  Yum! And then Lily and I talked about plans for travel break.

Inside the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR)

In the afternoon, our communications class took a field trip taking the metro to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). In comparison to the headquarters of TV2 in Odense, DR is 10x bigger! It is also very modern and new since they built a new building a year ago. Unfortunately our tour guides weren’t prepared since they received the assignment for touring us around 20 minutes prior to our arrival. The overall working environment seemed very chill; there were foosball and ping pong tables in the “youth section”. I thought it was interesting when our tour guide told us that there weren’t enough work tables- it’s calculated that way because there’s always someone off forvacation, those who work at home… (Wha–aat?) so basically people have to get there early to “fight over” a table.  I don’t really understand. The presentation on DR was quite interesting though; we learned about market segmentation, which means identifying groups of similar audiences based on things like age and sex.

Then I attended a Oceans and Their Importance in Mitigating Climate Change Seminar hosted by DIS. These seminars were initially created last semester in response to the UN Climate Change Conference in December. It’s enlightening and frightening to learn how much impact the rise in air temperature affects oceans. Indeed! Our world is 70% water so it’s only natural that we pay more attention to the relations between ocean, carbon dioxide, phytoplanktons and complex food web systems. Phytoplanktons actually play a very large role in the ecosystem.  Well, I can’t really elaborate since I’m not a bio major. Anyway, the bottom line is that climate change is 90% caused by human activity and that our biodiversity is in danger. This issue is only one out of many other concerns (messed up nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, limited natural resources…) We are facing a huge challenge, but the good news is that we have the technology needed to make changes for our future.           Got home at 9 p.m… I’m beat.

Some thoughts on itineraries for Travel Break (8 days):
Greece (Santorini, Athens), Italy (Rome, Venice), Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva)

– The Eurail systems seems like the best option for now since it’d be much cheaper than travelling by flight. There are quite a few options like getting a regional pass or selective pass (pick 3-5 countries and travel within a given amount of time). Getting a Eurail pass means unlimited rail travel between cities! I was really glad to read about some of the benefits offered too like free ferry crossing between Greece and Italy.

Re-learning table manners the Danish way

I was having dinner with my host sister last night and she managed to eat a Mexican wrap with a fork and knife. In fact very elegantly. I was mesmerized by her gracefulness! Usually my friends and I back in the U.S. would eat tortilla or anything like that with our hands because it’s easy- just pick it up and munch on it. Well, I felt embarassed about my poor table manners and so attempted to eat the Mexican wrap with a fork and knife, but clearly failed. Boy that was challenging! I mean food flew everywhere and I tried too hard to look pleasant. But come on I just wanted to pick up and eat! Isn’t the whole point of a wrap to eat the food all together? I finally gave up and picked up the wrap up for my second helping : )

I would say the biggest difference in Danish dining etiquette is that your hands are always visible when eating.  Their hands are always in place- It’s hard to describe but my host sister would scoop up the food using the knife onto the fork. But never would they cut something, put the knife down, switch to use the right hand to use the fork and leave the left hand on the lap- I guess that’s the American way.

The Chinese way? Haha we eat pretty informally like chewing with our mouths open, slurping (soup) and spitting bones out on the plate. But in a way that’s our unique way of eating and enjoying food. I think slurping out loud does make things taste better 10x. The emphasis on etiquette seems to be on how you use your chopsticks/bowl, on gestures and how you present yourself during a meal (vs. how you eat).

Short Study Tour

Us in front of the TV2 Headquarters in Odense

Each program in DIS includes a short study tour (2-3 days) and a long study tour (6-7 days). In my case, our Communications and Mass Media program went to Western Denmark to visit the European Film College and TV 2 (Danish television station) and explore a few cultural sites. I think travelling really helps increase learning 10x- it’s knowlege that you cannot gain simply from reading in class, but intellectual knowlege that’s less tangible. Travelling makes me become aware of my surroundings- the interaction between people, the sounds, smell- everything. I can easily describe my memories, but somehow experiencing them on your own is more valuable. I learned from my classmates- the questions they asked, the professionals we met and the acquaintances during our journey. Thanks to Julie, Lily, Veronica, Molly and Rachel’s friendship and company^^It has been a very rewarding experience  and I look forward to our week-long study tour in London at the end of this month! Now… the question is how can I get back to focusing and studying?!!

Walking around in Western Denmark, or anywhere besides Copenhagen really takes me back in time- the very narrow streets (I’m often impressed by our bus driver’s navigation skills with the large tour bus), cute houses, candlelights shining from homes. Minus the modern cars and I feel like I belong in the medieval times! Anyway, here are the highlights of our visits in the past three days:

Things experienced:

• Bread obsessed- they must be too good to be true
• Had traditional Kro Lunch (found in hostels) and tried Danish liver pate- loved it
• Tried Somersby Cider
• 1st experience staying at a hostel- clean and economical. Remember to bring your sheets and pillow case!
• Slipped many times due to ice
• Took “midnight” walks, breathed fresh air and appreciated serenity in Western Denmark
• No Internet/e-mail checking for three days- challenging but doable

Ebeltoft

1. Principal of the European Film College showed us some films that students had been working on- some animations, short stories and a music video. He explained that the storytelling process is multifaceted and comprises layers of knowlege. All of us would agree that the students’ works were professional and amazing.
2. For a split second, I was inspired me to become a film director!
3. Saw the screening of Twilight: New Moon at the college’s theater.

Odense (headquarters of TV2, Brandts Musuem)
I was amazed to learn that even though TV2’s revenues is completely dependent on advertising, commercials only occur between programs and never during one. That would be awesome if that was the case in the U.S.

1. Met the evening news anchor from TV 2 (he is very cute)
2. Met the anchor from a program called Station 2 (equivalent to crime show), a journalist tries to seek out stories of human interest and believes that every person has a voice. Sometimes she even interviews murderers to show their point of view in the story.

Kolding (Kolding hus-castle, Trapholt Art Museum)

1. The Trapholt Museum features a large collection of chairs. Denmark is famous for its furniture designs, especially chairs! It was really interesting to see the different shapes and functions a simple chair can provide. The museum also featured art made completely out of paper.

Me pondering over this piece of art...above me in the Trapholt Museum

 

Becoming a part of the chairs!

 

For more photos, click here.