Thursday April 29, 2010

We started our day with a walking trip around Rudkøbing.  We got to see the German headquarters during World War II, a local art gallery, one of the oldest streets in the town, and the old square.  There is a joke that it is the largest square in Denmark because if you stand in the middle, on one side of the square is a sign that says "Scandinavia" and on the opposite corner is a sign that says "Washington". 

From there we took the ferry to Ærø and got to see and learn a little about the town of Marstal.  We went to visit the solar power plant (Marstal FJernvarme A.M.B.A.).  The total area covered by the solar panels is 18,365 square meters.  At present it is the largest in the world.  The solar collector system covers about 30% of Marstal's heating requirements for approximately 1,450 customers.  Each year Marstal saves a consumption of approximately 820,000 liters of oil.  This equals 2,200 tons of CO2 annually.  Window cleaning is not necessary because the panels are cleaned by the rain.  When the panels become too hot it is necessary to cover them with a white paste so that the water does not boil over. 

We also visited the art gallery of Rita Lund where we were able to relax in the garden and enjoy some coffee and strawberry cake.  From there we moved on to the Søfartsmuseum (Maritime Museum).  The museum is home to approximately 250 ship models, which tell about the history of seafaring from its origins in sailing boats to today's modern coaster fleet.  We also got to see the wheelhouse and skippers saloon from a Marstalcoaster.  The museum also houses many pictures by the well known marine painter Carl Rasmussen.

The day ended with giving a small presentation to and eating with the members of the Marstal Rotary Club. 

-Krystal-

The Danish Court System

We spent Tuesday in Svendborg learing about the Danish Court System.  We began our day at the Svendborg Courthouse where we were educated on the structure and function of the court system by a judge and prosecutor.  The Danish court system consists of 3 levels the city courts, appeals courts and supreme court.  We also learned that the role of the prosector is to remain neutral and to determine what happened then to recommend a sentence as low as possible approriate to the severity of the crime.  The goal of the defense and prosecuting attorney is to ensure that justice is served...not necessarily to win the case. 

While at  the courthouse we toured the cells in which prisoners are held while they await trial.  We also observed a trial.  Within 30 minutes a petty theft suspect, who had been apprehended on Monday, was tried, convicted, sentenced and taken to prison.  What an efficient system! 

Following our visit to the courthouse we traveled to the Svendborg police station.  There we talked to police officers, the prosecutor and a defense attorney about crime in Denmark.  We were all interested to learn that police officers do not always carry guns and that private citizens are not permitted to carry pepper spray.  We visited a holding cell and the fingerprinting/mug shot room and looked at a surviellance monitor and a two way mirror. 

We ended our day with a visit to a hgih security, closed prison.  The goal of the prison is to make life as normal as possible for the prisoners.  Women and men are kept in the same prison and dating is not prohibited.  Additionally, women are allowed to keep their children in the prison with them if they receive permission from the court, until the child is 3 years old.  Prisoners have access to the outdoors from each of their rooms from 7am to 9pm and cook their own meals.  There are no bars on the windows or barbed wire to keep the prisoners contained.  There is a wall and while the system is vastly different from what we are used to it seem to work in Denmark. 

Vocational Day in Rudkøbing

It is an absolutely gorgeous day in Rudkøbing today! It's amazing to see the change in the seasons in just two short weeks. It's also hard to believe that we're at the half way point of our GSE exchange!

I had the opportunity to tour the collections of the Langelands Museum. Their office in the town houses artifacts not on display at the Cold War Museum, as well as their archeological, historical and natural history specimens. The current focus of the Langelands Museum is to expand the exhibits at the Cold War Museum, and they have just recently obtained a fairly extensive collection World War II and Cold War artifacts from Germany. I learned that as a country, Germany is still hesitant to talk about and display artifacts from World War II and the Cold War, so this was a great find for the Langelands Museum. I also got to see their cooling chamber, where they freeze all incoming collections before they are housed in storage. They do this to kill any bugs, mold or creepy crawlies that could infest other pieces in their museum. 

After lunch, I toured the countryside and visited a few of the local churches, including a Catholic Chapel. There are very few people in Denmark who practice Catholicim, so this was very special for me. Masses are at the chapel held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month. 

In the afternoon I visited the local archives, and see how the town's history is preserved in writing. I got the chance to see old church records from the 1800's as well as old photos and maps of the former railroad on Langelands. Tonight we'll present to the Rudkøbing Rotary Club, wish us luck!

Amanda Eckinger

Monday, April 26th

Today we had the opportunity to visit a former fortress during the Cold War that has been turned into a museum called Koldrigsmuseum Langelslandsfort.  The fortress was built in 1953 and contained very high tech equipment for it's time.  Today the grounds are  maintained by a group of Museum Friends and personal investors and include the command bunker, antiaircraft guns, two jet fighters and a submarine.  Many of the pieces on the grounds have been given as gifts by other countries.  The fortress was last used in 1993

After the museum we had the opportunity to visit an old manor house on the island that was purchased by someone in Copenhagen five years ago and is in the process of being renovated to how it looked when it was built.  Whenever possible original materials are being used and if they are not, new are made to match exactly what the old looked like.  By 2014 all renovations will be completed and the grounds will be opened as a luxury bed and breakfast.

- Megan Balmer

Sunday in Rudkøbing

Hello! The GSE Team is now in Rudkøbing on the island of Langelands.  We started out our program here in Rudkøbing on the golf course at the Langelands Country Club.  We got a few pointers at the driving range from the golf pro at the country club.  After we practiced driving, we got to play three or four holes of golf.  We had a lot of fun and some of us have found our new talent.  =)


After golfing, we went back to spend the afternoon with our host families.  Since Amanda´s host lives close to mine, she joined me and my host for a walk through the town of Rudkøbing.  Since most shops were closed, we could only window shop.  However, we did learn quite a bit about the town, including Hans Christian Ørsted-the person who discovered electromagnetism, is from the town.  There is a nice statue of him in town.  We also learned about how many artists have galleries in Rudkøbing as well as authors.  Below are pictures from the walk.

We then had a relaxing afternoon sitting in the sun on the deck and talking with my host. The weather has been nicer and we are glad to enjoy the sunshine! The town of Rudkøbing also has a very nice harbor, which helps provide brighter sunlight because of it reflecting from the water.


Melissa

Bye Bye Fredericia - Saturday

Today we packed up, did some shopping, caught up on some much needed sleep, and met for lunch in the town of Fredericia.  After saying farewell to our host families and all of the wonderful people who've helped us this week, we boarded a bus to Rudkoebing.  There was hardly any room for us on the bus because our luggage has grown!  We crossed many islands and saw beautiful waterways along the way.

We met our host families about 1 1/2 hours later at their rotary club, right by the water.  We found our new welcoming families because they were holding signs with our names on them :)

We each went our own separate way and discovered our new houses and met the rest of our families.  Most of us went to our new home, unpacked, had dinner, and went for a walk with our new host family.

I live far away from everyone, in a town near Svendborg.  I went into town with my host dad Egon for dinner at a beautiful restaurant and then walked around afterwards.  We went to the harbor and saw some amazing ships.  When we got back to the house, his wife Hannne came home from work and we all shared stories and got to know each other.

Heather

Legos & Billund- Friday

Today we traveled from Fredericia to Billund, where we started the day by learning all about the history of Legos.  Lego is a family owned company that sells about 120 million boxes per year, with very high sales right before Christmas. Ole Kirk Christiansen was a carpenter in Denmark who began making wooden toys in 1932, then began producing plastic toys in 1940.  The company got its name from the Danish words "leg godt," which means "play well".  In 1960 a fire destroyed the wood department so Lego decided to stick with plastic Legos. 

Then we went to Billund airport where we had a tour and learned some interesting facts.  Billund airport has 40 direct international routes and has a lot of chartered flights, roughly 35 percent.  Billund airport is marketing themselves with Legoland (theme park) and Lailand (water park) as a resort.  They also pump up ground water to cool the airport!  We also saw the special rooms for the Queen and other famous people when they come to the airport.  They even have a place for their dog to have fresh air outside!

the Queen's dogs outside area

Afterwords, we went to Legoland!  We learned more about the history of Legos with a timeline at the hotel.  Then we were able to explore!  We split up into groups and went on various rides.  We all went on one that was like the Kissing Tower at Hersheypark.  Most of us went on the Monorail and Train so that we could see everything around the park.  There were so many things made out of Legos there, including the Statue of Liberty, houses, boats, airplanes, farms, and much more.  We also had ice cream (even though it was freezing and raining out) and it was delicious!!

                                               Heather & Amanda

We then got ready for our farewell dinner.  All of our host families and people who helped out throughout the week were there to celebrate with us and say goodbye.  They gave us books about Fredericia so that we can take them home and share them with our families and friends!

                                 Megan & family                                  Heather & family

<3 Heather

Thursday April 22, 2010

In the morning we visited a Danish military base where we learned a little bit about the Danish military.  It is structured much like ours is with four different branches, the Army, Navy, Airforce, and the Civilian Unit (which as far as I understand is like our Coast Guard).  Much of the setup mimics the U.S.  However it was noted that basic traning for all branches only last for four months, and that all military personnel are part of a labor union.  But perhaps the most shocking difference is that when we entered the base there was no security.  We were free to go in and just drive around.  We did't need to show any type of ID or have the vehicle searched.

We had free time in the afternoon, which some spent shopping and others spent time relaxing.  Warren and I went with my host family to the Island of Fyn where they have their summer house.  While touring around the city of Bogense we had the privilage of running into Karsten Leth.  Karsten is considered the godfather of all the rotary clubs in Lithuania.  He worked for 12 years to establish the varous rotary clubs there.  Although he lived in Denmark he would often be in Lithuania for 6 to 8 months each year.  Warren and I both felt privilated to meet him and hope to see him at the district conference in Lithuania.

The evening ended with Dinner at my host family's summer house, Warren's host also joined us.  The meal was delicious.  Perhaps my favorite part was the pork wraped in bacon that was cooked on the grill.  Below is a picture of there summer home.  It is a typical summer house (vacation home) in Denmark. 

-Krystal Smeak

Today was our second vocational day. Some had the opportunity to visit the local tourist bureau to discuss the areas efforts to promote itself as a destination for weekend getaways. The tourist bureau is situated in an old jail with offices in jail cells. Another one of the group visited Energi.dk to learn about the infrastructure and trading of Danish electricity. Two members of our group visited a school for the blind and I visited a school for social workers and nursing assistants, a senior center and a nursing home.   
The Social and Sundhedsskolen school in Espjerg prepares students for careers in medical assisting, social work and child care.  I was able to observe the students taking their practical exams and talked with several of the staff regarding the curriculum for each of the programs.  Interestingly, the medical assistants complete 6 months of didactic education at the school followed by one year of clinical education where the instructors are supervisory nursing staff and not educators employee by the school.  

Following my visit to the school I headed back to Fredericia to a senior center.  The senior center made me look forward to being a senior citizen!  I saw the exercise class, cooking class, gardening area and visited with some wonderful ladies in the ceramics room.   There I learned that the senior center is a great place to go to take up a new hobby or just social with other retirees.  The cost to join the senior center is about $15 annually and covers any activity a person wishes to participate in. 

After an excellent visit to the senior center, which by the way is staffed almost entirely be volunteers, I was off to a nursing home to visit the Parkinson's and dementia section.  To my surprise, there is no mechanism by which to keep patients in the area except for the diligent staff.  This nursing home is an old building that was recently renovated and the combination of old brick building with modern steel beams and a roof made completely out of glass is extraordinary.  Combined with it's panoramic views of the sea this nursing home provides a fantastic environment for its residents.  

April 20, 2010 - A snowy day in Denmark!

We started our day at Danish Oil and Natural Gas (DONG), one of Northern Europe's leading energy companies. Denmark has strong reputation for their focus and innovation in renewable energy, and the vision of DONG is to provide reliable energy without CO2 emissions. They have aggressive goals to for the upcoming years to lower their own CO2 emissions, and are looking to fuel their own power plants with unconventional sources. DONG has developed methods to use straw to create biofuels, and and now looking to trash (that's right!) as the next source for biofuel. It was very interesting to  hear about the business culture in Denmark, and  some of the challenges of being an international company. So what the next big innovation in alternative energy? new developments in solar power, tidal energy, fission energy, and electric car power (having the ability to harness the energy you create when driving electric cars so that power companies would buy that energy back).

After lunch at DONG, we headed to Koldinghus, a castle built in the 13th century. The snow began to fall (we felt like we were back home in February!) After we learned about the history of the castle, we could tour the othe exhibit areas, including medieval church art, and a collection of fine Danish silver. You could also trek up the162-step circular staircase to the top of the Giant's Tower for a great view of the city.

We returned to Fredericia and had a bit of time to relax before we gave our presentation to the Rotary Club. Despite some technical difficulties, the presentation went smoothly, and we had some engaging discussion with the club members. We were lucky enough to meet the Mayor of Fredericia, who happens to be the youngest mayor in the country! We then boarded a bus for a tour of the town's plant for several new industrial parks, and was great to see so many growth opportunities planned for the city. - Amanda Eckinger

April 19th, 2010

Today we started off by visiting the local community sports facility.  It is the oldest facility of its type in all of Denmark.  There are four separate open courts or gyms, weight rooms, a 50 meter pool with a divider to make it two 25 meter pools, a full size bowling alley, a separate area for Duck Pin Bowling, a boxing area and much much more.  The facility is right beside the stadium of the local soccer team, who after winning their game on Sunday is now #2 in their league and may move up to the next playing level.

Close the sports center is an area where a miniature version of Fredericia is being built.  Each winter some of the elderly people in the city build 5 to 10 new buildings.  The 'city' is an exact 25% percent ratio of the real city as it was back when it was first built.  During the summer months the area is open for families and children to walk around.

After we left the sports facility we received a guided tour of historical sights throughout the city such as the White Water Tower (which we climbed to see views of the entire city), the French Reformed Church, the Jewish burial ground and the statue of the Unknown Solider that stands in front of the Queen's gate among many others.

After having dinner with our host families, the women in the group as well as the wives of the host families were treated to a 'wellness' night that included a laughter seminar or class as well as enjoying the sauna at the spa facility in the sports center.

Megan Balmer

Monday April 19, 2010

FIC - Federicia Idraetscenter (Sports Center)
We started the day at the FIC(Sportscenter) with a tour and explanation by Torben Pederson, one of the administrators.It began in 1969 with one gym and a pool was added in 1976.  Approximately 1 million people go through the doors each year. 93% of all Danes belong to a Club of some sort. On the tour, we saw:
Gym - ther are several which can be set up for several purposes depending  upon the activity - badminton, basketball, team handball, large group activities, etc.
Fitness studio - pingpong, aerobic/dance classes
Bowling Centers - both ten pin and duckpin(our terminology) lanes.  At the time there were many "seniors" coming in to bowl (Of course the ladies thought it was perfect for me!!!).
Badminton courts -
Kindergarten Center is located on the site - it was filled with kids from 3 to 6 yrs running and playing.
Mini-town - On site they have built a miniature town of Fredericia as it looked in the 1860's.  It is built to perfect scale (1:24) and are exact replicas of each building and feature.  Looking down on it from the hill top, we could see the whole town complete with the walls and ramparts of the fortress all around it.  The streets are perfectly laid out.  They make each brick and roof tile individually and many of the building are complete with thatched roofs.  The building looked to be about 2-3 feet high and a person could walk through the streets.
Youth Hostel
Football (soccer) Stadium - beautiful facility. Their team plays in the 2nd level (semi-pro)
Golf Course
Conference rooms
Restaurant/cafe - privately operated

In front of the FIC (Fitness Center)


Michael Soendarskev, Chairman of the Board of the federation of sports clubs then explained the organizational structure and funding of the facility and sports system. Most sports clubs in the area, regardless if they use this center or not, are members of the sports federation.  Other Clubs include BMX, sailing, shooting, etc.  It oversees the money management and coordinates the sports activities.  The Federicia Kommune owns and operates the facility with tax $$.  The federation pays rent to use the faciloity.  Some money is also raised by soliciting companies in the area.  The idea is to provide a place for seniors to come and be active, to keep youth off the streets and to encourage people to be healthy.
There are also private fitness centers in the area like we have at home.

After a wonderful lunch at the restaurant/cafe where we got to order off the menu(very exciting), we started on our guided tour of Federicia, especially the part inside the ramparts.  Our guide was a retired military officer who was intimate with the details of the history of the town.  He gave us a brief overview of the struggles with Sweden and Germany from 1618- mid 1800's.  In 1917 the area was made a national monument and 80% of it is still there.  We saw:
2 powder magazines, Trimtatis church (1689), Denmark Bastian(July 6, 1849 victory over the Germans), Statue of the Unknown Soldier, Jewish cemetery, and Saint Michael's Church.

Statue of Unknown Soldier - "Brave Good Soldier"

St. Michaelis Kirke (Church)

In the evening, all the ladies on the team went to a 30 min class on the positive power of laughter (like they need help with that !), then on to the Spa treatment with their host Moms at the FIC.
  

Welcome to Fredericia

Hej! We have all made it to Fredericia safely last night! We all had individual activities with our host families yesterday and today.  My new host family is wonderful.  Johannes is an electrical engineer and Else is a laughter coach.  Their house is beautiful and they have been very welcoming. 

Last night we went to a restaurant that overlooked the harbor area.  It was really great and the food was delicious. But before that, they took me to an area that Hans Christen Andersen wrote a fairytale at.  It was very peaceful and it was easy to see how he could write such a creative story using this beautiful place as an inspiration.  Here is a picture of me and Johannes in front of the hut that Hans Christen Andersen wrote in. 

Today, Else and Johannes took me to an island that is special to them because it is where their family is from.  The island is called Fanø and the only way to access the island is through the ferry.  They showed me all parts of the island including German bunkers, the beach, the family houses, family members, and the shops.  On the beach we found some amber pieces!

Being on this island with my host family, made me realize how much the Danish value their family and where their family is from.  I also noticed this in Tønder, but really noticed it more when Johannes and Else were very passionate about the island, telling me this is where their children first learned how to ride their bikes or go on their first shopping trip without their parents.  I could tell this held a special place in their hearts, and was very grateful that I got to experience this island with them.  Here is a picture of me and Else in front of one of the family houses.

Here are some other pictures of the beach and the German bunkers from WW II.

I am learning so much about the Danish culture, business culture, and much much more.  I am trying to take it on all in and am so grateful for how welcoming everyone has been!  If you would like to see more pictures, I have posted many on my twitter. twitter.com/misslilstar324

-melissa

After a leisurly morning, Jesper took Krystal and Warren on a tour.  We first went to Ravning Bridge.  Built in 979 AD it was 800m long, 5m wide, and took 1800 poles of oak to build.  It is hard to believe they could build a structure so straight and sturdy with crude tools, that parts of it remain to this day.
We then went to Bindle Balle which dates to 1896.  It is a grocery store/museum showing how the store functioned back in early days.  it is filled with household items that would have been sold in times past.
Next on the tour was Toerskind Park.  This is an outdoor sculpture park showing the works of famous artist Robert Jacobsen.  His works are made of massive steel and wood balanced in intersting positions.
Finally we visited Jelling Stones and museum.  This is probably the most important site in Danish history because it signifies the establishment of christianity in Denmark and Denmark as a country.  There are huge burial mounds erected by Harold Bluetooth (Gorm's son) for King Gorm the Old and Queen Thyra.  The Jelling Stones stand alongside and can be touched by visitors.  They are thousands of years old.

Warren and Krystal

Last day in Tønder (Saturday)

Saturday morning we each had individual activities with our host families before we departed in the afternoon.  Inga and I went for a ride on her motor bike!  She made me put all of Chresten's gear on so that I would be safe!

Then we went over to Melissa's host families house and had brunch with them. 

We had fresh baked goodies(that were sweet), bread, cheese, eggs, pancakes, juice, and much more.  It was delicious!

Then I went back and packed my belongings and met some of the girls who came over before lunch. We said good-bye to our host families from Tonder around noon and got ready for lunch.  We walked to a pizza shop right on the main street in Tonder and enjoyed lunch!  It was nice to compare their pizza to our pizza back home (they're both delicious). 

Then some of us did some last minute shopping whíle others went back to relax before departing to Fredericia. 

At 2:30 we met Mogens, Johannes, and Jesper who joined us for some coffee and tea before loading us up to travel about an hour to Fredericia.

Megan and I rode together and I met her host family. Then I met my new host family, Joergen and Elin.  He is an optometrist, she is a nurse.  They are very nice.  We chatted for a while, I shared some pictures with them, and then we went over to Megan's host families house for dinner.  Dinner was delicious!  We had chicken, ribs, baked potatoes, salad, italian bread and homemade ice cream for dessert.

Heather

Friday April 16, 2010

Friday was another busy day for us.

We started off with a visit to the German School in Tonder. - Nordschleswig
The Director of the school explained the history of the Danish-German border including the vote in 1920, German occupation in 1940, and Danish control of all German property in 1945.  The Germans in Denmark had to start over in 1945 to re-establish their school system.  There are 15,000 people making up the German minority in Denmark, and 45,000 Danes living in Germany on the other side of the border.  30 years ago the division between Danes and Germans was very well defined and separate.  Now there is complete integration. Many groups from other nations visit this area and school in particular because it is a very successful example of positive cooperation and integration.
This German school is a private school, with 75% of the costs paid by Danish gov't, almost 24% paid by Germany and perhaps 1% paid by the parents of the students.  The school educates about 130 students in kndg thru 10th grades with 18 teachers, and an average of 15 students per class.  Their school year runs 200 days(40 weeks) from August till June.
The 8th grade class gave us an excellent ppt presentation IN ENGLISH that they had researched and developed explaining the school, the history of relations with Germans, and their educational program.  The school operates under the authority of the Danish Education Ministry and follows their regulations.  The students broke us up into groups and took us on a tour of their school speaking English the whole time.  We returned to the conference room and enjoyed coffee and bruschetta that the students had prepared for us.

Then it was on the Legumcluster and the adult school.  Schools like this in Denmark were developed following the principles of the philosopher Grundtvig.  The school provides an "informal/unformal" education - UD/DANNEISE.  The program is geared to helping you explore who you are and where you are going in life.  The school currently houses 51 students 18 yrs and older, taught in a variety of disciplines by 10 staff members. Typically when Danes finish Gymnasium after the 9th grade many take a break for a year before entering their next phase of education or work.  The 10th grade year is optional.  The school is funded about 25% with State funds and the rest is paid by the student.  It is an expensive program in which to participate.  Subjects being presented include Theology, Religion, Chinese, Music, Art, Voice, Journalism, Media, Psychology, Team Building and International Politics.  Degrees are not earned and grades are not given on student work.  There are students from all over the world there, many who have l;ittle or no resources.
We were treated to a fine lunch at the school and several students showed us around their campus.
We then took off for the city of RIBE to learn a bit about Danish History and see the Viking museum there.
A guided tour of the museum was provided complete with a "ride" on a Viking ship.  The Vikings did not wear helmets with horns on them as depicted in most of our literature and the Minnesota Football Team!!  Many artifacts unearthed over years give us a view of life in Viking times.  The museum guide led us on a tour of the city of Ribe where we saw very beautiful structures dating back thousands of years.

 Back to Tonder!
After a short time to relax, our Team and host parents assembled at Hagges Pub for a farewell dinner and  Folk Festival.   Members of District 1460 GSE Committee were present as well several Rotary Club members.  Each August Tonder offers a Folk Festival which draws 20,000 people to the town.  Many famous artists come to play their music - i.e. Arlo Guthrie.  Pictures on the walls of the Pub depict musicians who have come to perform in the past.  They are very proud of their festival, and rightly so!  We received CDs of last year's performances.

Additionally, a video of the Black Sun phenomena and various bird species from the area was shown and we received a copy as a gift.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner of typical Danish fare, experienced a "drink" called "Gammel Dansk" and expressed our appreciation for everything that the Tonder Club had done to make the week so successful and enjoyable for us.

Warren

Thursday

On Thursday, we started our day by visiting a daycare and kindergarten school. Children typically attend daycare un. til they are 3 and then attend kindergarten from ages 3 - 6. One thing that was surprising to us was that the young children take their afternoon naps outside, no matter what the weather is like. If it's snowing or raining, they cover their carriages with a tarp, and in the summer with a bug net.

Next we made our way to the local nursing home. We were given a tour and an explanation of the care the elderly receive . We were surprised to learn that nurses actually receive lower salaries than teachers in Denmark.

After lunch, we went to Møgeltønder to see Schackenborg caste, the home of Prince Joachim and his wife, Princess Marie. Unfortunately the Prince was not home at the tíme; he was in Copenhagen celebrating the Queen's 70th birthday.

We then took a drive through the countryside visiting the Trøberg ruins, a Protestant Church and monastary, and the border between Denmark and Germany. We could stand in two countries at once!

The day ended with seeing "The Black Sun", an event where up to a million starlings visit the marshes in search of food and rest for the night. So many flock at once that they can actually black out the sun. The event can be seen every spring and autumn, and we were lucky enough to see them on the last possible day. Our guide estimated that there were about 13,000 to 16,000 starling birds out tonight. Despite the fact that we were freezing (temperature was about 45 degrees, but extremely windy), it was worth going to see.

 - Krystal Smeak

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Today everyone in the group had their first vocational day.  I had the opportunity to sit with the manager of the local daily newspaper in Tonder, learn it's history and a little bit about Danish media in general.  The newspaper called JydskeVestkysten, got its name when two newspapers joined together - Jydske & Vestkysten - on January 15th, 1991.  The newspaper has a circulation of 75,000, with 9 different local sections depending on where people live.  The paper is the 5th in all of Denmark for the number that subscribe.  Compared to the US, it is expensive to have the newspaper delivered to your home, costing $2 each day.  There are 33 different newspapers in Denmark, over 40 TV stations and 80 different radio stations

After talking to the manager, I joined a local reporter who I shadowed for the next few hours on the island of Romo.  He was interviewing two Park Rangers about a new project.  Near the beaches there are large grassy areas where numerous species of meadow birds live.  The grasses are now growing too tall for the birds.  The Rangers are building a fence around a large portion of the meadow and inside the fence they are going to place sheep that they hope will eat the tall grasses allowing the small birds to return.  The project is part of a larger initiative called EU 20000.

Next I followed the local photographer to another place on the island to take photographs for a story about the financial crisis and how it has affected island life.  We went to a development that was started by two men in Tonder, but then sold to a German developer.  The project went bankrupt halfway through the building phase, leaving only the concrete bases of the homes and some pipes sticking out of the ground.  For the same article, photos were also taken to show the different building styles that can be found on the island.

Tomorrow the group will be back together again for our next adventure that includes visiting the local castle.

Megan Balmer

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Today we were fortunate to have another sunny day for our visit to a dairy farm. The farm is in pristine condition and is owned by a family committed to animal welfare and educating visitor on the workings of their farm and agriculture in general. The farm consisted of 400 cows. The dairy operations are fully automated so the farm is able to operate with only 5 total employees. Danish farmers are prohibited from administering antibiotics to the cow prophylactically and use of hormones is also prohibited. There are standard dairy production farms and ecological ones. The ecological farms are required to grass feed the cows and may not use antibiotics even in cases of illness. We enjoyed coffee and tea with the farmer and his wife and heard from a retired veterinarian on the subject of animal welfare.
We left the farm and headed to a local college for a wonderful lunch followed by a tour of a local bank. Interestingly, we were not at the bank to learn about financial matters, but rather the view the bank's substantial art collection. Danish industry recognized that art in the workplace is conducive to a productive work environment. After viewing the fantastic artwork at the bank we drove a few miles across the border to Germany to visit the Emil Nolde museum. The museum contained three floors or extraordinary artwork. Following out tour of the museum we returned to Denmark for a culinary experience of a lifetime dining at the famous Stig's restaurant. We are very fortunate to have experienced what we did today and look forward to another eventful day tomorrow when each of us will participate in our first vocational day of the trip.

Touring Tonder

We had a BEAUTIFUL day in Tønder! We started the morning with a tour of the town and the town hall. While at the town hall, we had the opportunity to learn more about the structure of the national and local government. The town hall was recently restored to its original condition and was absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing this think that this building is about as old as the United States!

We then were able to tour Hydro, a major manufacturer of aluminum products used in air conditioning systems, primarily in cars. We looked so stylish in our steel toe boots, safety glasses, and neon yellow vests! The plant was imbeccably clean, and we had the chance to see the aluminum go from the billets (the "raw" aluminum alloy in large bullet like bricks) to the massive rolls of aluminum tubing.

We continued our tour of Tønder with a visit to the Water Tower, an old water resevoir converted into a museum and observation deck. What a view! We could see the entire town, with all of it's terra cotta roofs and old world brick buildings. We briefly visited the art museum (we'll be back there later in the week), but had the opportunity to see the work of famous Danish furniture maker, Hans Wengers. We then walked to Christ Church. The steeple of the church overlooks the town and was built high as a signal for the incoming sailors.  The inside of the church was absolutely breathtaking. I can understand why the town is so proud of it. The detailed woodcarved plaques and the massive pipe organ.

We had some free time to walk through the town and do some shopping. Some of us relaxed at the local cafe with a capuccino or chai latte, but we couldn't rest too long, we had a presentation to give for the local Rotary club! We were treated to an excellent meal of chicken, roasted potatoes, and various salads. We then gave our first presentation to the club about our lives in Central PA. It was a relief to get the first presentation done, just so we know what to expect in the future. - Amanda

tønder/rømø

Hello everybody! We made it to Denmark and we were greeted very nicely at the airport by people from our first host club! We went to the island of Rømø and had a great time on the beach and enjoying a wide array of different types of fish for lunch! We made our way back to the our first town of Tønder! We met our host families who are all very nice and welcoming. My host family is extremely nice and both are school teachers. It is very nice because they have two daughters who are very similar to me and my sister in both age and character. We went for a walk so I could see that tonder had both rural areas and town areas, almost like York. I enjoyed a very nice salmon and veggie dish prepared by Palle. I am learning a lot from the family about Danish culture and also about their travels abroad as well. I am excited to tour the town some more tomorrow!

http://tweetphoto.com/18027542 - our arrival pic in Denmark!

Melissa

Departure

Hello everyone!
We're at the Harrisburg airport getting ready to depart for our amazing 5 week journey! We will miss all of our family, friends, colleagues, and Rotary members! We'll keep you updated as much as possible!
Love,
Heather

http://twitter.com/heather795/status/11948974108