This last week of mine took an unfortunate turn in the middle, and I cannot blame Karma or the universe for an injustice upon my righteous person. Everything bad that transpired was my fault, and I preempt this explanation with that distinction because I tend to think of myself as a victim of an unjustified design that has plagued me with bad fortune. Sometimes, I try to make my own luck, and it blows up in my face, like Wednesday.
Wednesdays are my favorite days here in Denmark because typically students do not have class and on few occasions, they have field studies for a few hours, but that doesn't happen often, at least for me. So, I am trying to enjoy my Wednesday off in the blustery cold of the Copenhagen streets, when after my quick lunch at McDonald's I see what appears to be an easy Find the Shell game on the street. Due to my boredom since my friends seemed busy, I decided to play, and within an instant, I was down a good chunk of cash, so I went to the ATM to get more because the people around it said if I just show it, I would get double the money because I found the shell after the money was gone. So, I did that, and then the guy took more of my money, and I argued to get it back, but I got ganged up on, and only after that a gentleman in a suit came up to me with a card explaining the futility of playing that game and that I wasn't getting my money back from them. So, naturally upset, I went to find the swindlers, but they picked up and left. In my distraught state, I walked around looking for an answer, and it took me to the police station. Unfortunately, they couldn't do anything for me, and I was left with tight pockets from here on in. Now, most people would ask why I decided to join in that game, knowing what a scam it could be. I had a moment of weakness, and I tried to do something out of the ordinary, and it blew up in my face. I was angry about it, but it was my money, so I got over it, and it gave me a point to write about in this blog.
The next day, I wanted to enjoy some night life with limited means, so I went to this pub beside the train station near DIS and enjoy Quiz Night. I went with a guy that I met during orientation week, and I was supposed to meet my buddy Doc Tom there, but he had a prior engagement that lasted too long (or so he says). Anyway, it was both our first times in there, so we looked around and tried to find a nice spot to chill, and we found some boothes in the back with shelves of books. Now, I was unsure what was stopping my friend from buying stuff, but I was just trying to keep my money in my wallet. Eventually, a guy came around and passed answer sheets and asked for the numbers of teams. We paid a small amount and waited for the 1st round of questions to start. We were sitting next to a group of guys and girls who were kinda young, and we got to know them a little bit. It was two Americans, two Spaniards, and a French woman, with a brief appearance by this Indian guy. They were all seemingly right out of college, and they were really fun to talk to. They seemed like nomadic individuals, people who travel a lot and don't really remain in one place for so long, and the Americans hadn't been back in America for years, so they were just as European as anyone. Between one of the three rounds, they had a raffle for alcohol, and this group of people won two bottles of wine and a pitcher of beer, and they were gracious enough to share their beer with me. That, coupled with the snide remarks from the Quiz Master, (there was a question about a recent skiing contest cancelled because of snow, and he said, "Cancelling a skiing competition for having too much snow is like cancelling a drinking contest for having too much alcohol."), made it a fun evening out at little cost.
The weekend was slow, but I did manage to have a hard lacrosse practice, (hard to me because I'm out of shape), and a home movies section with my host family, centering around vacations and the daughters' gymnastics competitions. Afterwards, we were able to watch one of my favorite movies, Pulp Fiction, and it's always nice to appreciate something and have it appreciated by people who don't have the same experience with it. I guess Tarantino translates all cultures.
Now, I have the outline of my Spring Break trip thought out, and am focusing on getting through to those 3 weeks of enjoyment. Until then, I can look forward to more work and more family time with some lacrosse sprinkled in in certain places. Before that though, I have to leave with a quote. This one comes from Horace Greeley, editor of the Jeffersonian and one of the founders of the Liberal Republican Party in the 19th century, "The darkest hour of any man's life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it." I have seen first hand how that is true.
P.S. I figured I'd give you a bonus with an additional quote, due to the title of this blog, "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Candles: A Castner's Worst Enemy
I find this blog to be a necessity, to log my thoughts in some sort of form other than...my thoughts. They aren't very reliable. I have a journal, but it's never the first thing that comes to mind. Since I seem to be at my computer a great deal lately (which I am trying to rectify, seeing as I am in an exciting city, but these recent snow storms have made it difficult), my experiences for the week have been less exciting than usual, but the memories still need to be saved.
First, I wanna express some differences between the U.S. and Denmark that I had yet to mention a priori, but need to be discussed based on the sheer comedy behind them:
1) McDonald's has the nicest collection of food for the cheapest people on the planet, known as the Dollar Menu. In Denmark, they do not use the dollar, so thus the name does not apply (like how Quarter Pounders are not called that due to the use of the Metric System (thanks Pulp Fiction)). They do however need a name for the menu, so they call it Coinoffer, meaning that you can pay for the items with a single coin. (Cheapest is 10 dkk, which is almost equivalent to $2, so the Coinoffer is a rip-off)
2) Starbucks is the typical franchise that manages to pop up everywhere a person turns. In this town, that role is taken up by 7-11's. In downtown Copenhagen, you can find two 7-11's on almost every street, and kids buy booze and chill in front of the separate stores with their friends. It's the common place to go, because its affordable and the food is decent. I've heard some kids say they will not go in there because they think it is like selling out, but you know what, I'll be a sell out if I can get 2 pastries and a beverage for 25 dkk. (That's cheap ladies and gentlemen)
3) In America, teenagers are anxious to turn 16 and drive, while they have to wait til they are 21 to drink and purchase alcohol. I know this isn't unique to Denmark, but here, the kids can go into bars and drink at 16 and purchase at 18, but they cannot drive until passing a series of expensive driving tests after their 18th b-day. The unique part is the price of these cars, (I saw ones over 400,000 dkk), and how impractical they are for young people. A new bike is the equivalent of a new car.
Various other things could be mentioned (the lack of small talk amongst strangers, the hair and clothing styles, etc.), but those are common.
As for the business of the week, I was concerned with writing my first paper due in DIS, which I didn't start until Sunday anyway, but that's neither here nor there. My fourth class finally started at the Copenhagen Business School, (although it took us a few metro trips to find the right building on the right campus), which is taught by a brilliant Indian man, and full of not-so-bright students. (He kept mentioning how the schedule was formatted around the kids from DIS, and those students not from DIS kept asking us, what's DIS? Am I a part of DIS? It never occurred to them that if they didn't know what it was, they probably weren't a part of it. It's remarkable)
I was pretty boring this week, mainly going to class and eating around the city, nothing spectacular about that. Simba and I have story-swapped a few times on Skype where I mention the relative normality of Denmark and he mentions the crazy customs of Japan (selling of used female underwear, the Autistic donut-shop owner who thinks people who can't speak Japanese are dumb, the anti-gaijin Japanese people who roam around in white vans to express their dislike toward the white man, etc.). You never realize the true friends until they are gone or you are put in a situation that disrupts the routine crafted by certain individuals where constant contact isn't an option.
The most interesting day turned out to be V-day, or Bitter, Lonely Single's Day, depending on your relationship status. Saturday was the beginning of Copenhagen Lacrosse practices for newcomers, beautifully titled "Rookie Day". Basically, it ended up being a bunch of 30-year-olds in a small gym teaching basics to younger guys who have never played before. I was able to secure equipment in this sort-of sketchy basement. My pads and gear looked like it was developed in the 80's, but it is free, so I cannot complain. We played around for a few hours, and they were decent enough gentlemen. (Also, a lot of them were a great deal older than me, so even in my current physical state, I am still more athletically-inclined) Later on that evening, I was treated to a meal by my host grandparents, who speak minimal English, so I felt like a real tourist. However, my immediate host family was able to accommodate me and translate. (Although, the grandmother did attempt to communicate in English, the father had to look to someone else to explain himself; he even gave me an extra fifth glass of wine after the four previous which I did not want, but I could not stop him) The embarrassing part of the evening came at dessert, where I was being passed an ice cream dish, and I took it above a burning candle. After a few moments, I noticed a rotten smell and looked down at my hand, only to see the hair on the backside singed off, so obviously I know how to make an impression.
I have gotten my travel plans almost completed for my Spring Break, which I am saving up for at the moment. In this city, that means I must temper my activities some to achieve maximum satisfaction, so do not expect me to be engaging in disorderly drunken conduct on a nightly basis, I'm too cheap for that.
Last order of business, the quote. Seeing as how fire was my natural enemy this week, I will put in a quote about that. This one comes from the all-knowing Prince Gautama Siddhartha, or Buddha as he is more commonly known: "Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."
(As a side note, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine last night, and she had gotten grounded because she called her father an asshole because he was calling her dumb for wanting to procrastinate. Obviously, she escalated the situation, so she was seemingly out of control. To further my point, she randomly messages me on Facebook and tells me that she sent me a picture of her boobs to my cell phone, which I do not have on me at the moment, but my folks have access to. My friends sure know how to make an impression too.)
First, I wanna express some differences between the U.S. and Denmark that I had yet to mention a priori, but need to be discussed based on the sheer comedy behind them:
1) McDonald's has the nicest collection of food for the cheapest people on the planet, known as the Dollar Menu. In Denmark, they do not use the dollar, so thus the name does not apply (like how Quarter Pounders are not called that due to the use of the Metric System (thanks Pulp Fiction)). They do however need a name for the menu, so they call it Coinoffer, meaning that you can pay for the items with a single coin. (Cheapest is 10 dkk, which is almost equivalent to $2, so the Coinoffer is a rip-off)
2) Starbucks is the typical franchise that manages to pop up everywhere a person turns. In this town, that role is taken up by 7-11's. In downtown Copenhagen, you can find two 7-11's on almost every street, and kids buy booze and chill in front of the separate stores with their friends. It's the common place to go, because its affordable and the food is decent. I've heard some kids say they will not go in there because they think it is like selling out, but you know what, I'll be a sell out if I can get 2 pastries and a beverage for 25 dkk. (That's cheap ladies and gentlemen)
3) In America, teenagers are anxious to turn 16 and drive, while they have to wait til they are 21 to drink and purchase alcohol. I know this isn't unique to Denmark, but here, the kids can go into bars and drink at 16 and purchase at 18, but they cannot drive until passing a series of expensive driving tests after their 18th b-day. The unique part is the price of these cars, (I saw ones over 400,000 dkk), and how impractical they are for young people. A new bike is the equivalent of a new car.
Various other things could be mentioned (the lack of small talk amongst strangers, the hair and clothing styles, etc.), but those are common.
As for the business of the week, I was concerned with writing my first paper due in DIS, which I didn't start until Sunday anyway, but that's neither here nor there. My fourth class finally started at the Copenhagen Business School, (although it took us a few metro trips to find the right building on the right campus), which is taught by a brilliant Indian man, and full of not-so-bright students. (He kept mentioning how the schedule was formatted around the kids from DIS, and those students not from DIS kept asking us, what's DIS? Am I a part of DIS? It never occurred to them that if they didn't know what it was, they probably weren't a part of it. It's remarkable)
I was pretty boring this week, mainly going to class and eating around the city, nothing spectacular about that. Simba and I have story-swapped a few times on Skype where I mention the relative normality of Denmark and he mentions the crazy customs of Japan (selling of used female underwear, the Autistic donut-shop owner who thinks people who can't speak Japanese are dumb, the anti-gaijin Japanese people who roam around in white vans to express their dislike toward the white man, etc.). You never realize the true friends until they are gone or you are put in a situation that disrupts the routine crafted by certain individuals where constant contact isn't an option.
The most interesting day turned out to be V-day, or Bitter, Lonely Single's Day, depending on your relationship status. Saturday was the beginning of Copenhagen Lacrosse practices for newcomers, beautifully titled "Rookie Day". Basically, it ended up being a bunch of 30-year-olds in a small gym teaching basics to younger guys who have never played before. I was able to secure equipment in this sort-of sketchy basement. My pads and gear looked like it was developed in the 80's, but it is free, so I cannot complain. We played around for a few hours, and they were decent enough gentlemen. (Also, a lot of them were a great deal older than me, so even in my current physical state, I am still more athletically-inclined) Later on that evening, I was treated to a meal by my host grandparents, who speak minimal English, so I felt like a real tourist. However, my immediate host family was able to accommodate me and translate. (Although, the grandmother did attempt to communicate in English, the father had to look to someone else to explain himself; he even gave me an extra fifth glass of wine after the four previous which I did not want, but I could not stop him) The embarrassing part of the evening came at dessert, where I was being passed an ice cream dish, and I took it above a burning candle. After a few moments, I noticed a rotten smell and looked down at my hand, only to see the hair on the backside singed off, so obviously I know how to make an impression.
I have gotten my travel plans almost completed for my Spring Break, which I am saving up for at the moment. In this city, that means I must temper my activities some to achieve maximum satisfaction, so do not expect me to be engaging in disorderly drunken conduct on a nightly basis, I'm too cheap for that.
Last order of business, the quote. Seeing as how fire was my natural enemy this week, I will put in a quote about that. This one comes from the all-knowing Prince Gautama Siddhartha, or Buddha as he is more commonly known: "Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds."
(As a side note, I had a conversation with a good friend of mine last night, and she had gotten grounded because she called her father an asshole because he was calling her dumb for wanting to procrastinate. Obviously, she escalated the situation, so she was seemingly out of control. To further my point, she randomly messages me on Facebook and tells me that she sent me a picture of her boobs to my cell phone, which I do not have on me at the moment, but my folks have access to. My friends sure know how to make an impression too.)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Not All Study Tours are Equivalent in Fun
Greetings my friendly neighborhood readers! It has been an extremely long week with much to discuss. First off the bat, what a Superbowl! I wish it woulda been played a little better from my side, but hey, I will always take a victory. Big Ben has now established himself as a great in this game, and I couldn't be prouder of the Pittsburgh fans and the support they gave not only at the game itself, but at the parade downtown. I wish I coulda been there, but at least I was able to party all night and enjoy it without too much trouble (The only trouble was in the prices of drinks/food. One thing I miss: cheap refreshments)
Before that good news, I was gifted with another present: Our fraternity, Sigma Chi, had a grand showing for Spring Rush and initially came out with 12 yes's to the bids we gave out. Now, I was able to listen in on the meeting to determine who we would give those illustrious bids to, but I was not able to vote. However, I agree with the stance, mostly, that was taken on the candidates and I am happy it worked out. Now, in the last week, that number has been whittled down to 10, but it still gives us enough to get our house back and to be reinstalled as an active chapter, so there is no complaint from me. Sunday was one of the best days I've ever had, and it really got me energized and focused for the rest of the week.
We move from the high end to the lowest portions of the week. After that glorious game that went into the wee hours of the Danish morning, I got some bad news (for me) from that special person I reference constantly in this blog told me that she found another guy, which is ok since that was part of our arrangement, but still kind of shocking, especially since I was only out of the country for about 2 weeks. I was angry then because of no sleep and booze, but I eventually realized the truth behind it, and I apologized. I am still somewhat disappointed, but you can not dwell on things like this, so I am not.
The other terrible thing came on Tuesday, when I went out with my other fraternity brother to celebrate the evolution of our Theta Chapter despite our absence. However, the night of revelry was interrupted when my brother's wallet was swiped under our noses and lost because the guy who stole it knew what he was doing. That put a damper on things, no doubt, and I felt kinda bad because it was my idea to go out, but sometimes, things are out of your hands and you have to accept it when you had little control, like I had. You can't help feeling bad for my brother though, it was not what we intended for a fun evening. Not a great start for the rest of the week, mind you.
Everything else was centered on the business tours that we took from Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday, we went to a power cable company, NKT, and received a presentation that actually made cables seem more interesting than you would think. Luckily, they fed us, so it wasn't really a wash, and showed us a historical exhibit of all their products manufactured over the last century (cleaning supplies, switches, cables, etc.). I mean, not the most exhilarating company, but still worthwhile.
From Thursday to Saturday, we were on a road trip to gain valuable business knowledge and to immerse ourselves in parts of the Danish culture we wouldn't normally be treated to since it’s really outside of Copenhagen. Thursday, we went to a nice luncheon/presentation from the people at ECCO Shoes, which is small and seemingly unprepared to compete on a grand scale around the world, but they make comfortable shoes (seemingly for an older generation, at least in the U.S.). They are big in the golf world, acting as sponsors for guys like Aaron Baddeley and Fred Couples (the most impressive thing in the whole presentation). Afterwards, we were given the tour of the developmental offices and saw the many models of shoes in the works for ECCO (I know, I'm trying to hype this up as best as I can, and it's probably not working). Before we went to an ECCO store in town, we were given a pass to get 25% off for the day on any merchandise, which got us excited, but didn't really mean much cause the prices were still outrageous. Also, the town is littered with huge statues of ECCO shoes, especially this big one on a hilltop outside ECCO headquarters (Imagine if the statues at Stonehenge had feet and needed shoes). Thus concluded the first section of the Short Study Tour.
After that, we went to our first group hostel, where we split up into groups of 3 (for the girls) and 4 (for the guys). I was left with 3 chill guys, and we divvied up the space, which wasn't as bad as the picture of a hostel I painted for myself (4 pull-out beds, two small bathrooms). Anyway, after that, we went to a group dinner, where we ate hamburgers that they gussied up to make look fancy, when in reality, it was just a hamburger with some vegetables. I paid for my own drink, which was called a Firetruck, a mixture of red soda and Jager, which was excellent, but kind of expensive (almost 10 dollars!). Following that, we went to a bar called Why Not Bob (I had to go), and most of us stayed to have some drinks and hang out. I left to wander back to the hostel on my own, which was supposed to be a 20 minute walk that was extended to 35 because I got a little lost (Also, I found out that the way I worded my goodbye made the people at my table think I was going outside to smoke weed. So, I really know how to build a reputation accidentally). Eventually, I got back and went to sleep.
Friday started way too early (but despite the gripes of some of my roommates, I thought it was a decent experience in the hostel). We had breakfast (I watched a guy in the kitchen chew one of the people out in our group for stealing water, which was hilarious because its bottled water), and then we set off for Arla foods, a huge dairy producer in Denmark and a good deal around the world. Again, we listened to an interesting presentation on dairy products (once again, exaggerating), and then we took a minimal tour of the facilities. We saw cheese production (and smelled it), while a lot of us almost gagged from the emissions of the pungent cheese. A half-mile later, we were able to sample some of their more popular cheeses, which I have to admit, I wasn't too keen on sampling the product after being somewhat repulsed by the smell. The cultural immersion part kicked in when we departed Arla and went to Kolding, to explore the city and Koldinghus, the local castle built by old Danish kings. Our tour director there was so funny because he was 80-years old and basically hitting on the girls in our group (I wish he could just follow me around and give me tours of everything). Then, we went off on our own, and we saw sites from the top of the castle to the bottom dungeon (It was kinda sketchy, but disappointing because it had no torture devices and was situated right next to a children’s playroom, which I find odd). After that, we went bowling near where are second hostel was, but it was lame cause we only paid for an hour and got timed out during the second game. We left and headed to our hostel, which ended up being a lot nicer than the first one. We met some other study tour groups who were out at their own study tours. The common theme? The other business groups was way better because they got more food comped, they would get to wake up later, they were going to a handball match as part of their cultural experience, and the kicker, they got to go to Lego, where they received packages of Legos to play with during their meeting. We were so jealous since, in almost every way, theirs was better. The hostel, with all its positives, was out in the middle of nowhere, so after dinner and another ludicrous presentation from the guy who heads the tourist department of the region we were in, Velje, we were given booze to compensate for the lack of nightlife. (I found out later that some of our people did catch a bus to civilization and went to a bar where a kind Danish bartender gave them 2 bottles of alcohol on the house because he took pity on them for being poor exchange students. That shit never happens to me).
We woke up Saturday to a hostel breakfast and a useless day of touring since our main purpose for being on the study tour was to gather business knowledge from two companies, count em two, and we did that in the first two days. The third day was just extra to see some more of Denmark we would not typically get to explore, so we graciously went to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, to go on a walking tour of the town and visit museums (As a side benefit, we saw one duck rape another one, but it was kind of early in the day to fully appreciate). As part of the walking tour, we saw the sites, we saw HC Andersen park and the church he used to frequent (there were bones in the basement, which was awesome). After the tour, we had the option to go into the HC Andersen museum, go off on our own, or go ice-skating. Four/fifths of us decided on the museum, which was nice and quaint, and full of interesting things, like HC's hat, his ink pot and pen, and even a lock of his hair (I think we should clone him and Kierkegaard and make a buddy comedy fit for the 21st century, but that’s just me spinning my wheels). We eventually found our way over to lunch, which was quaint, but I was stuck across from one of the most annoying girls I have ever met. She was really talkative, and she used like a lot (I don't like to badmouth my generation, but the inability to express ideas verbally without inserting at least 7 likes into a sentence pisses me off). There was a moment where we were talking about the last museum we were going to, and she said the guys from the other business group didn't like it, but they were frat guys from Gettysburg (reference!), and I said of course, they have no culture. She responded by saying they do have culture, not knowing I was joking, so I decided to continue and say they were uncultured. Then, she very snidely replies that she knows them better than I do, she went to high school with them, and she knows they have culture. I swear it took almost every ounce of me to keep from smacking the girl or retorting back, but I'm a gentleman. We went to the last modern art museum, full of exhibits like lamp-making rooms and completely dark rooms with nothing in them (I know, really boring). We went back to the bus after being subjected to that, and headed back to Copenhagen, where, like every travelling day we had over the previous 4, was riffed with in climate weather.
Thus ends the fantastic journey of the Short Study Tour. I gave it a 6.5 out of 10 on the funness scale, but I learned that some of the people in my class are not bad people, and that a trip like that can restore some faith in people (although not a lot). The excitement of that trip will have to last a while, because nothing is really going to go on until the Spring Break, besides maybe lacrosse and various nights out and what not. I plan on keeping my loyal readers posted however. Time for the quote: This comes from an American novelist Alexander Jablokov (I know, doesn't sound very American). He once said, "The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards." That really takes form with me everyday, seeing as how everyone is annoying to me at some point in time.
Anyway, I look forward to the next three months, and I look forward to coming back wiser (sorta) and happier (to an extent). I miss everyone a lot, and by the way, 6 Super Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!!! Best team in the land!
Before that good news, I was gifted with another present: Our fraternity, Sigma Chi, had a grand showing for Spring Rush and initially came out with 12 yes's to the bids we gave out. Now, I was able to listen in on the meeting to determine who we would give those illustrious bids to, but I was not able to vote. However, I agree with the stance, mostly, that was taken on the candidates and I am happy it worked out. Now, in the last week, that number has been whittled down to 10, but it still gives us enough to get our house back and to be reinstalled as an active chapter, so there is no complaint from me. Sunday was one of the best days I've ever had, and it really got me energized and focused for the rest of the week.
We move from the high end to the lowest portions of the week. After that glorious game that went into the wee hours of the Danish morning, I got some bad news (for me) from that special person I reference constantly in this blog told me that she found another guy, which is ok since that was part of our arrangement, but still kind of shocking, especially since I was only out of the country for about 2 weeks. I was angry then because of no sleep and booze, but I eventually realized the truth behind it, and I apologized. I am still somewhat disappointed, but you can not dwell on things like this, so I am not.
The other terrible thing came on Tuesday, when I went out with my other fraternity brother to celebrate the evolution of our Theta Chapter despite our absence. However, the night of revelry was interrupted when my brother's wallet was swiped under our noses and lost because the guy who stole it knew what he was doing. That put a damper on things, no doubt, and I felt kinda bad because it was my idea to go out, but sometimes, things are out of your hands and you have to accept it when you had little control, like I had. You can't help feeling bad for my brother though, it was not what we intended for a fun evening. Not a great start for the rest of the week, mind you.
Everything else was centered on the business tours that we took from Wednesday to Saturday. Wednesday, we went to a power cable company, NKT, and received a presentation that actually made cables seem more interesting than you would think. Luckily, they fed us, so it wasn't really a wash, and showed us a historical exhibit of all their products manufactured over the last century (cleaning supplies, switches, cables, etc.). I mean, not the most exhilarating company, but still worthwhile.
From Thursday to Saturday, we were on a road trip to gain valuable business knowledge and to immerse ourselves in parts of the Danish culture we wouldn't normally be treated to since it’s really outside of Copenhagen. Thursday, we went to a nice luncheon/presentation from the people at ECCO Shoes, which is small and seemingly unprepared to compete on a grand scale around the world, but they make comfortable shoes (seemingly for an older generation, at least in the U.S.). They are big in the golf world, acting as sponsors for guys like Aaron Baddeley and Fred Couples (the most impressive thing in the whole presentation). Afterwards, we were given the tour of the developmental offices and saw the many models of shoes in the works for ECCO (I know, I'm trying to hype this up as best as I can, and it's probably not working). Before we went to an ECCO store in town, we were given a pass to get 25% off for the day on any merchandise, which got us excited, but didn't really mean much cause the prices were still outrageous. Also, the town is littered with huge statues of ECCO shoes, especially this big one on a hilltop outside ECCO headquarters (Imagine if the statues at Stonehenge had feet and needed shoes). Thus concluded the first section of the Short Study Tour.
After that, we went to our first group hostel, where we split up into groups of 3 (for the girls) and 4 (for the guys). I was left with 3 chill guys, and we divvied up the space, which wasn't as bad as the picture of a hostel I painted for myself (4 pull-out beds, two small bathrooms). Anyway, after that, we went to a group dinner, where we ate hamburgers that they gussied up to make look fancy, when in reality, it was just a hamburger with some vegetables. I paid for my own drink, which was called a Firetruck, a mixture of red soda and Jager, which was excellent, but kind of expensive (almost 10 dollars!). Following that, we went to a bar called Why Not Bob (I had to go), and most of us stayed to have some drinks and hang out. I left to wander back to the hostel on my own, which was supposed to be a 20 minute walk that was extended to 35 because I got a little lost (Also, I found out that the way I worded my goodbye made the people at my table think I was going outside to smoke weed. So, I really know how to build a reputation accidentally). Eventually, I got back and went to sleep.
Friday started way too early (but despite the gripes of some of my roommates, I thought it was a decent experience in the hostel). We had breakfast (I watched a guy in the kitchen chew one of the people out in our group for stealing water, which was hilarious because its bottled water), and then we set off for Arla foods, a huge dairy producer in Denmark and a good deal around the world. Again, we listened to an interesting presentation on dairy products (once again, exaggerating), and then we took a minimal tour of the facilities. We saw cheese production (and smelled it), while a lot of us almost gagged from the emissions of the pungent cheese. A half-mile later, we were able to sample some of their more popular cheeses, which I have to admit, I wasn't too keen on sampling the product after being somewhat repulsed by the smell. The cultural immersion part kicked in when we departed Arla and went to Kolding, to explore the city and Koldinghus, the local castle built by old Danish kings. Our tour director there was so funny because he was 80-years old and basically hitting on the girls in our group (I wish he could just follow me around and give me tours of everything). Then, we went off on our own, and we saw sites from the top of the castle to the bottom dungeon (It was kinda sketchy, but disappointing because it had no torture devices and was situated right next to a children’s playroom, which I find odd). After that, we went bowling near where are second hostel was, but it was lame cause we only paid for an hour and got timed out during the second game. We left and headed to our hostel, which ended up being a lot nicer than the first one. We met some other study tour groups who were out at their own study tours. The common theme? The other business groups was way better because they got more food comped, they would get to wake up later, they were going to a handball match as part of their cultural experience, and the kicker, they got to go to Lego, where they received packages of Legos to play with during their meeting. We were so jealous since, in almost every way, theirs was better. The hostel, with all its positives, was out in the middle of nowhere, so after dinner and another ludicrous presentation from the guy who heads the tourist department of the region we were in, Velje, we were given booze to compensate for the lack of nightlife. (I found out later that some of our people did catch a bus to civilization and went to a bar where a kind Danish bartender gave them 2 bottles of alcohol on the house because he took pity on them for being poor exchange students. That shit never happens to me).
We woke up Saturday to a hostel breakfast and a useless day of touring since our main purpose for being on the study tour was to gather business knowledge from two companies, count em two, and we did that in the first two days. The third day was just extra to see some more of Denmark we would not typically get to explore, so we graciously went to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, to go on a walking tour of the town and visit museums (As a side benefit, we saw one duck rape another one, but it was kind of early in the day to fully appreciate). As part of the walking tour, we saw the sites, we saw HC Andersen park and the church he used to frequent (there were bones in the basement, which was awesome). After the tour, we had the option to go into the HC Andersen museum, go off on our own, or go ice-skating. Four/fifths of us decided on the museum, which was nice and quaint, and full of interesting things, like HC's hat, his ink pot and pen, and even a lock of his hair (I think we should clone him and Kierkegaard and make a buddy comedy fit for the 21st century, but that’s just me spinning my wheels). We eventually found our way over to lunch, which was quaint, but I was stuck across from one of the most annoying girls I have ever met. She was really talkative, and she used like a lot (I don't like to badmouth my generation, but the inability to express ideas verbally without inserting at least 7 likes into a sentence pisses me off). There was a moment where we were talking about the last museum we were going to, and she said the guys from the other business group didn't like it, but they were frat guys from Gettysburg (reference!), and I said of course, they have no culture. She responded by saying they do have culture, not knowing I was joking, so I decided to continue and say they were uncultured. Then, she very snidely replies that she knows them better than I do, she went to high school with them, and she knows they have culture. I swear it took almost every ounce of me to keep from smacking the girl or retorting back, but I'm a gentleman. We went to the last modern art museum, full of exhibits like lamp-making rooms and completely dark rooms with nothing in them (I know, really boring). We went back to the bus after being subjected to that, and headed back to Copenhagen, where, like every travelling day we had over the previous 4, was riffed with in climate weather.
Thus ends the fantastic journey of the Short Study Tour. I gave it a 6.5 out of 10 on the funness scale, but I learned that some of the people in my class are not bad people, and that a trip like that can restore some faith in people (although not a lot). The excitement of that trip will have to last a while, because nothing is really going to go on until the Spring Break, besides maybe lacrosse and various nights out and what not. I plan on keeping my loyal readers posted however. Time for the quote: This comes from an American novelist Alexander Jablokov (I know, doesn't sound very American). He once said, "The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards." That really takes form with me everyday, seeing as how everyone is annoying to me at some point in time.
Anyway, I look forward to the next three months, and I look forward to coming back wiser (sorta) and happier (to an extent). I miss everyone a lot, and by the way, 6 Super Bowls for the Pittsburgh Steelers!!!!!!!! Best team in the land!
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