I have never been good with transitioning between lives, and the transition back to life in America is promising to be quite a jarring one. Right now, it feels a little like I’m a kid about to be picked up from summer camp, and I’m probably going to cry on the ride home. With less than four days left here, my days are full of lasts. Last Danish bagel, last coffee at Studenterhuset, last Black Diamond study session, last walk down Strøget….the list goes on and on. I’m trying not to think about it, but it’s certainly contributing to my overall bittersweet mood.
Not helping the whole missing Denmark before I’ve even left thing is the fact that I have a paper to write comparing the Danish and American education systems. Besides having free university, subsidized pre-k, and even student stipends Denmark also has folhøjskoles. The closest thing to them in America is a particularly educational summer camp. It’s all about shaping yourself individually as a citizen and developing a lifelong passion for learning. Yes, you might say liberal arts school is the same thing, but the American college experience, being as pricy as it is, serves the purpose of shaping students to achieve some degree of neoliberal success to a greater degree. All of this just reminds me of how much pressure America puts its young people under. It’s difficult to go back to that world knowing that hard work alone is no recipe for happiness.
Helsingør harbor, from the roof of Kronborg castle
What fish will they reel in next?
BUT, I did have a particularly wonderful last weekend in Denmark. I took a day trip up to Hamlet’s castle. That’s right, Eleanor went to Elsinore. Surrounded by the sea glistening on all sides, with jazz music drifting up from the harbor, fishermen lined up on the beach, reeling in herring and flounder, and a castle in the background- it was a fairy town. Hamlet’s castle, as might be expected, was a musty and dark place. No rococo glamour here. I took a guided tour of the underground vaults and chambers. They have this old statue of Holger Danske, a war hero who will one day wake up to save Denmark again. I think America could use something like that. We went deeper underground, to where the Danish soldiers slept during battle in the 16th century. No wonder the soldiers all got sick- it was cold, clammy, dark as anything, and there were bats. It was definitely the most interesting part of the experience- but wow, was the sunlight bright and spectacular when I stepped outside at last once again.
Holger Danske is waiting…
I am going to miss Denmark so much. Jeg skal savne Danmark meget. My host family is so wonderful and I’m going to miss them terribly. They’re coming to NYC in the fall, and I’m planning on taking a weekend, regardless of class, to go meet them. Still, I’ve gotten to know these people so well, and it’s strange to think I won’t see them everyday anymore or even be back in Denmark for years. I am so grateful for every moment I’ve had here, and everything this beautiful country has taught me. Bring it on, America.
Ever lovely yours,
Eleanor
