Ode to Odense and Goodbye to Denmark

The day began with the rushing of hotel check out and preparing for our overnight stay with our host families. We enjoyed a 2 hour scenic tour or quick nap by bus before arriving to Odense. This name is pronounced completely different than it looks (ooddnnsa). I still have to think about it before I say it. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark and is the homeplace of famous author, Hans Christian Andersen. We arrived to Sct. Hans Skole (school) and were happily greeted by the principal, Lars Eriksen. He briefly told us about the school and the pictures below will clearly depict the differences between the US and Danish educational systems.

This is the popular teacher's lounge where teachers spend their free time during duty free lunch/recess. It intrigued me that the students can be unsupervised during those times. Instead of someone making their coffee, a machine does it for them (located in the corner).




Just like our middle and high school students in the states, these students also take life skills classes. Obviously, I missed those cooking classes since I NEVER touch the stove!






The science classrooms left some of us worried since chemicals were exposed and not locked in cabinets. I was also amazed that students start learning chemistry in seventh grade. My dad would be teaching a different age group in Denmark.






Some of us visited a fourth grade classroom and since this was the last day of school, things appeared a little crazy. The teacher told us she would be moving up to 8th grade next year since most primary teachers usually switch grade level or subject area each year. The students go to school 200 days a year. If you pay close attention to the homework board, the students learn English starting in grade 3 along with Danish. Our 9th grade tour guide has already learned 5 languages!






This school has a dentist office to provide dental health for all students FREE of charge. All health care and education costs are paid by the government. The students are not expected to even pay for field trips outside of school.
We enjoyed a custom Danish meal to conclude our visit at the school pork, pickled heron, red cabbage, new potatoes, and the usual rye bread. For dessert, we enjoyed fresh strawberries and soft ice cream. We were very shocked that a selection of Danish beer was also served!

Our host families came after lunch and I was thrilled to meet Anne Lisbet and Svend Erik Larsen. Svend had contacted me prior to my visit via email, so I wasn't as anxious as some who had spoken with their host families at all. As soon as I entered the library to collect my backpack, since they told us to pack "light", I knew who they were as soon as we exchanged our friendly glances. As were approaching downtown of Odense, I realized that the gift I had brought was left at the library. So within 10 minutes, I had already made an impression of being the most forgetful person. I wanted to share the Our State magazine with the Larsens along with giving them their piece of Jugtown pottery to tell them more about North Carolina. I told the couple that I just wanted to see ordinary life in Denmark so we just spent the afternoon walking down the main streets of Odense. I actually enjoyed a cup of coffee (I am not a big fan of coffee) and a chocolate pastry---I already dread getting back on the scales after this trip! I learned that Svend is an avid coffee drink, just like most Europeans, by having at least eight cups per day, so one wouldn't hurt me.

I loved the atmosphere of Odense even after the hours of thunderstorms, unexpected rain, and the usual cold win (reminded me of Boone weather). It was a good thing that I had become accustomed to stay out of the way of cyclists since Odense is known as the City of Cycles. I was enticed with the statues found all around the town that represented HC Andersen's stories.

Remarkably, we ended up Hans Christian's house, where he spent the majority of his childhood. I stood in the small empty space where this young author was inspired to write many of his unforgettable tales that children around the world would read over and over again. I walked through the garden where he became inspired to write one of my favorite stories, "The Snow Queen."

We were able to drive through the beautiful countryside of Odense that I had initially imagined of Europe with green open fields, windmills, and small cottages. Svend and Anne Lisbet took me to the castle where HC Andersen was inspired to write "The Happy Family." It was much different than the typical castles of Denmark. The castle was found at the end of a gravel road and the public was prohibited to advance across a certain point. It was so peaceful here...



We drove to a town 30 minutes outside of Odense to Tommerup, the house of Svend Erik and Lisbet of 20 years. It was obvious they had worked extremely hard to make their "house a home." Their gardens were inviting and colorful. The greenhouse produced all the vegetables that would sit on their table. I immediately felt right at home and wish I could have stayed longer than just two days with them.



I have never felt so welcomed in a home like this before in my life! Anne Lisbet went out of her way to make the most delicious Danish meals and Svend pulled out the American and European maps to share about our traveling experiences. We also shared pictures of our family and friends. Of course, I told more about North Carolina and it was interesting to hear more about ordinary life in Denmark. The couple had grown fond of showing hospitality to others since they have hosted foreign exchange students in the past. Their own son went to Colorado during his senior year of high school. This brought me back to the realization that the Larsens have traveled to more places than I have in the United States. They gave me the perfect give, a collection of 80 stories by Hans Christian Andersen! I can't wait to share these with my future niece/nephew along with my own students. Guess which story I will read first...The Happy Family of course!The next morning, the couple had to attend a family birthday party, so I spent the afternoon with the host family advisor, Sys. I enjoyed spending more time in Odense, including going to the HC Andersen Museum, the birthplace of the famous author. We entered a library that housed all versions of HC Andersen's fairy tales. They have been translated into 151 different languages! We found it ironic that we were greeted by ducklings since one his stories is "The Ugly Duckling" (which is based on the torments of his own life). The author hated having his picture taken because he considered himself to be unattractive.

We experienced two other popular places in Odense including the market and the Cathedral.


It also became interesting to see an Iranian protest in the square. I am not sure exactly what they were saying, but it lasted for at least an hour!
Our last night was spent together as we reflected on an incredible educational experience. This was the last time for our NC Teacher of the Year team to be together and I was excited to make new friends with other teachers from North Carolina.


Saying goodbye to my favorite things: soft ice and HC Andersen!

We returned safely to Newark AND North Carolina ON TIME! It took me several days to get readjusted to the unbearable heat and time change. Even though I could talk for hours about my wonderful experiences in Denmark, sometimes I am left speechless regarding how much it has changed me as a teacher and an individual. I look forward to encouraging my colleagues and students to see the world a little differently as we prepare ourselves to thrive in a global economy.

Special Thanks to:
The country of Denmark for welcoming us into your country, especially in your schools and businesses.

The Center for International Understanding for allowing teachers to have a greater appreciation of the world around them by traveling to unforgettable places.

Angie Bolin for planning every detail of this trip and ensuring we had meaningful learning opportunities. Even though you were not with us, we thought about you and your husband each day.

Lindsey Moulsky for remaining a fearless leader who made sure the "Raleigh folks" arrived to Denmark sooner or later. Also for the interesting evening in the King's Garden.

Bill Ferriter who always challenged us to think even more about our experiences and if "different was better?" Most of all, I am greatly appreciative of his willingness to take care of the Paris group who thought we would never get to Copenhagen and who fought for us to always find the silver lining.

Cindi Rigsbee, my roomie and BFF, who managed to stay an entire week with me (and my suitcase) in the smallest hotel room imaginable.

Anne Lisbet and Svend Erik for welcoming me into their home and showing me the true side of Denmark. I will never forget their thoughtfulness!

Dr. Peters, School Board, and Montgomery County Schools for providing the never-ending support this year during my TOY journey, and especially my participation in this program.

Janice Harless for granting me the use of the mini laptop for my technology ventures, it saved my back!

My Page Street family for your messages and eagerness to hear all about Denmark!

Mama, Beth, and Daddy for giving me the courage to go this far away from home. Thanks for your love and support everyday!

Will Muse, my devoted husband, for taking care of the dogs, buying me a new backpack, and for understanding why I am gone for an entire week. Also, for making me realize how awesome Skype can be thousands of miles away!

Curious in Copenhagen

I now understand the true size of Denmark's largest capital city after walking miles (approximately 12 miles) through Copenhagen. This day was designed specifically for our independent research to prepare for our teaching lesson. My initial idea of lessons revolved around making inferences about a culture using pictures and videos through technology. However, after spending hours in Copenhagen, I am sure this plan will change due to the numerous information I obtained today.

We started our morning walking to the eastern part of the city in another area called Christianhaven. We explored Christiania (you tube video), which has been a so-called free town since 1971. There are around 1,000 people who live in this area, who have a very liberal view on laws, especially concerning the use of drugs. The town was founded by a group of hippies in the 1970's and the Danish Parliament legalized the city in 1989 and exempted these citizens from the heritage and environment conservation. The Christianans live in a "free zone" meaning there are no cars along with maintaining their own schools and ways of living. People may visit this area, but no photographs are allowed due to the government constraints. I felt somewhat uncomfortable walking through this "village", but it was very quiet during the early morning hours. It became an unforgettable learning experiences for these NC educators.

We briskly walked to our next stop in the heart of the city and probably the most famous tourist attraction in Denmark-The Little Mermaid Statue located in Langelinie Pier. Hans Christian Andersen wrote a fairy tale about her, while Disney created a movie about her, and she has become the most photographed statue in the world. HC Andersen published the story in 1837 about little mermaid who saves the life of a shipwrecked prince and sets off on a quest to win his love. The price she would pay is dear because she would have to sacrifice her voice and her beautiful mermaid tail in order to become human. If he decides to marry another, she would turn to sea foam and disappear forever. Her statue looks as if she is waiting and searching for her prince.

Another popular statue was the Gefion Fountain, which is the largest monument in Copenhagen. the goodess, Gefion, is the main figure of this "wishing well."

After these sightseeing endeavors, we ventured to the Danish Resistance Museum. This included artifacts that focused on the Danes' reaction to the Germans occupation during World War II. The resistance was created for the Danish to work secretly against the Nazi takeover. It is very similar to the concepts of the Underground Railroad or the American colonists' plan for revolution from Great Britain. Sonya, who teaches US History in Edenton, gave me the idea of using Lois Lowry's Newberry Award Winning novel, Number the Stars, with my fifth graders.

After Hitler's declaration to deport Danish Jews, many Danes offered support to find hiding places for the Jews. The Danes felt that the persecution of minorities was not acceptable in their culture, so they took immediate action against it. After walking through this museum, I left with somber emotions of how the world treated a race so terribly.

More information about Danish Resistance

We walked quickly to the Queen's Church to watch the changing of the guards, which occurred each day at noon. Prior to this event, we had enough time to view the beautiful St. Frederik's Church. The churches in this city are amazing!

This ceremony reminded me of the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington, DC. These soldiers reminded me of toy soldiers with their march and their bear fur hats.

Being in the Queen's Square encouraged me to learn more about the royalty in Denmark. After hearing bystanders talk about the Queen, it was obvious she was highly respected and admired. From my understanding, their monarchy is similar to Britain because the Queen has no official power (she does sign the Parliament Bills) in the government. It was recently voted that the first born of the royal family an be king or queen since the queen was the eldest of three sisters. The Royal Family can be found everywhere---post cards, magazines, books, and even huge billboards. I learned more in the gift shop about the royal family than anywhere else!

I guess we were so inspired by the royal family that we decided to take a tour of the Rosenborg Castle. This is a beautiful historic building that has some of the Denmark's greatest treasures, including the Crown Jewels and the Danish Crown Regalia. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the palace, but I was one again left speechless after entering each room full of history from hundreds of years ago. I did notice that the precious gem, amber, was used in chandeliers and jewelry by the kings and queens. Therefore, I purchased an amber charm for Beth as a Denmark keepsake.

By this time, we had been so busy we had forgotten to eat lunch and it was already 4:00. Instead of ruining our dinner, we decided to find the corner pastry shop. Denmark is known for their delicious sweets, so I would not have been experiencing culture without my delicious cinnamon roll.

I think after an exhausting day, most of us looked for something familiar from home. So what better place than the mall? The hometown girls (Cindi, RuthAnn, and myself) walked along the canal to find the mall less than a mile from our hotel. The mall wasn't much different from the ones found in the United States. We ate at an Italian restaurant with a buffet and we were served by a Lebanese waiter with Danish customs (not tipping at restaurants is expected in Denmark). That was a multicultural experience, say the least. We were all somewhat anxious about tomorrow since we would be spending the night with our host families in Odense.

Lesson Learned:

There is nothing better than a cinnamon roll after touring the entire city of Copenhagen.

Velkommen Ven Til Danmark!

Velkommen Ven Til Danmark! "Welcome to Denmark!"

My biggest challenge has been interpreting the Danish language since their alphabet consists of o's with slashes through them pronounced as a short u sound. There are the a's with dots on the top of the letter. It is interesting to hear Danes speak because they seem to talk straight from the bottom of the throat. I thought rolling my "r's" were difficult in Spanish, so I know there is is no way to even attempt to learn Danish. Even though the Danes have their own language, most of them are fluent in English. This might be due to the fact that the children in Denmark learn English early in school. Maybe an idea for the Americans to start with our students with other languages?

Our morning started early traveling to Riso, National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy. Our presenters, Stephanie Ropenus and Leif Sonderberg gave us background information of Denmark's conscientious efforts to conserve energy from the last sixty years. My father would have been excited to hear about Niels Bohr, the famous Danish scientist who was known as the father of nuclear energy. We concluded our visit to an open field to study the windmills.---a valuable source of energy for Denmark.













The windmill turbine extends to 40 meters-much larger than it looks in the sky!



We ate lunch and headed back to the Copenhagen Energy and Waterworks Place. This was an innovative science center for children to learn more about science through hands-on activities. The director of this incredible place was Jesper Steenberg, and some of us referred to him as Willy Wonka due his creativity and excitement for his area of expertise.




What better way to teach children about the importance of our septic/sewer systems than letting them actually go down into the sewer first by the toilet and see what lies below. We even had to put our hands in dark holes to pull out things that are not acceptable to throw down the toilet---interesting. Rats were among us via a web camera from a real sewer. Okay, yuck is right but we will always remember that lesson!


















After being in the "sewer" we climbed to the top of the roof where students experiment with solar power and hydrogen to produce energy.

After these learning experiences, we reflected as a group to really question if different was always better. We discussed how it was easy for the Danish to conserve energy together since they are a smaller country (5.6 million people) than the United States. However, we challenged ourselves to think of ways this could work for America.

Since this was my first full day in the city, I was anxious to explore Copenhagen. I honestly pictured this city to be much more quaint, similar to the movies I have seen where there are small shops with a few people on the streets. Wow, I was wrong! This was a New York City, just with cobblestone streets and 400-year old buildings. I spent the entire evening learning more about this city and just about the Danish people in general. Bill Ferriter, our education leader for this trip, served as our tour guide since he had been on this trip two years ago.

Pay attention to the speed limit sign---why doesn't it say mph? Remember the entire world uses the metric system while the US has customary measurement!






The train station---very similar to the New York Subway system, except much easier!







Hans Christian Andersen overlooks the heart of his hometown city. He is the world famous author who wrote The Ugly Duckling, The Matchbox Girl, and the Little Mermaid.











There is a bike lane on every street, another way the Danish sustain energy and stay skinny!












We climbed to the top of the Observatory to view the entire city. Peter the Great used to ride his horse up this round building. They have a bike race every year to remember this historical happening.

We had dinner along this beautiful canal, another
incredible experience.



















Tivoli is one of the world's oldest amusement parks. Walt Disney even visited here several times before Disneyland. You could hear kids screaming a mile away from the exciting rides.























Niels Bohr and the Martin Luther statues were photographed for Daddy and Will.
















Lesson Learned:
It takes me several minutes to convert DKK (Danish Kroner) to American money, so I hope that I am not spending too much money because everything is expensive here. I tried the soft ice (basically soft serve ice cream that tastes like fluffy icing) and it cost $4.00 or 22 DKK.