Friday, 24th May
I didn't have the time to realize to be in Denmark that after having had dinner we went out to meet all the others. While I was waiting for some Italian friends, I started to know and to talk with each guy I met in Stengårdsvej and I felt surprised because they all know each other so well. Suddenly the group started to increase in number until we reached all the Italian guys living in the “ghetto”, then we moved to...the McDonald!!! (Exactly, to the McDonald) and it was funny to spend the evening with so many people that (most of them) I've never seen before in a McDonald
Saturday, 25th May
What a funny weather here in Denmark! A little bit crazy! It’s 6 p.m. and the sun, come out of the clouds only fifteen minutes ago, has already started burning my porcelain skin. It’s my second day here, actually the first entire one and I really feel home. The Danish family who I’ve been hosted has welcomed me with a discreet and sweet warmth. I can understand from their cares that this experience is as important for them as it is for me. This morning, a windy and raining one, waiting me on the table of the kitchen, there was a delicious and huge breakfast: they have also bought for me what my host sister know I like to have. What to say? Very kind. But when I thought everything was perfect, well, I got abruptly into the Iron Age (a park in which you have to pretend to be in that Time), becoming something between a wet chick, thanks to the adorable rain, and smoke meet, thanks to the ancient fire. My lovely Nordic sister was, anyway, ready to save me with a happy family afternoon: a fast shopping and then all four together on the sea bank having one of the hugest chocolate ice-cream I’ve ever had. Little things make a day perfect: so has been today with the chat just ended with my host sister and mum in the small front yard.
Now I’m ready for a hot shower into a black bathroom with warm floor (I love it) and then barbecue evening with some other friends.
Sunday, 26th May
On Sunday there was the family trip! It was a sunny day and my hosts wanted to take me and other italian students by the sea: the West Coast. We woke up early and we started our tour at 10 a.m. First, we visited a bunker near the coast; it was built in the Second World War and now the visitors can watch the leavings like bombs, hardwares and a lot of explosive. It's strange see that in a funny and beautiful place there is also a memory of the greatest war! We watched also a video which explain why the bunker was build and how it was used.
After a small walk in this building, we were ready to go by the sea! The beach was very big and there was so much wind that our hair didn't let us see. We walk on the shore for a long time, testing sometimes the cold water. The landscape was really swell and the sight got lost in the sea's infinity. Our attention was focus only on the nature with its sounds, colors and smells. The sand cherished feet and the wind stroked skin. Everything was perfect, also the weather!
He finished our trip having a pic-nic in the middle of lawn: we eat and had fun together.
I think it was a beautiful way to spend our Sunday in Denmark!
Monday, 27th May
7.30 we get up and we took the bus to the school. The weather was a little bit cold, but sweet and lovely . We arrived at the school very early and we began to meet a lot of other people: A lot of Danish children, but also the Danish guys that I met in Italy, with the other friends of mine. First of all, tour in the school: we found so many difference between the two school: we were so surprised to see a swimming-pool and a great music classroom into a public school! Then tour in the Esbjerg a bit boring because of the papers that we had to complete, but very funny because I saw some places not so different from Cremona, and very interesting because of the new things that I discovered. In the last part of the morning we went in the art museum, but I must say that I didn't like it so much. Finally I ate my packed lunches and I come back to the house. Shower, a small talk with the family and we get ready for the dinner: A lot of meat and so many sauces that I couldn't imagine, because of this I prayed the Lord to give me more power to finish all my huge meal. At the end of the day… big party with a lot of guys from Denmark and Italy: we shared music, song, ways of dancing... We taught each other different words and we came back a bit tired but happy.
Tuesday, 28th May
Tuesday morning we met at school with the Danish students to work on our project, because we had to finish it. At 12 o'clock, we decided to go to the store center and there we had lunch, then we visited the shops. In the afternoon we returned to school and we played football 'till 5 p.m. And then we came home to get us ready for dinner: a nice day spent with friends!!!
Wednesday, 29th May
After the last activity in Esbjerg, we left the Fish Museum and we headed toward the medieval town of Ribe. Upon arrival we were immediately received by the rain that accompanied us for the rest of the afternoon. The visit of the city began with the ascent of one of the towers of the cathedral in Ribe, the view from the top was very suggestive: the houses all situated close to the narrow streets surrounded by endless green fields. A very quiet town. For dinner we all decided to cook and then eat, after 5 days, the real Italian food. The dish was definitely the most cooked pasta with various sauces some of them out and others less. It was very fun to have apartments in which chill out and stayed all together for the rest of the evening.
Thursday 30th May
There we are: København! Copenhagen! Today we spent the first afternoon in the capital city of Denmark: I couldn’t believe this to be the same country of Esbjerg and Ribe. Far from the peacefulness of the countryside, Copenhagen has caught me: colours, sounds, people and, especially, rocket-bicycles everywhere! From the 16th floor, where my room and classmates’ are, we could admire a breathtaking landscape: long and straight streets, lovely canals, bridges, coloured buildings, the most ancient theme park of Europe “Tivoli Gardens”.
Today we have understood how Copenhagen is like: a fast walk through the main streets of the center and an adorable, although windy, mini cruise on the canals let us admire the beauty of this city.
I can feel that everybody is so excited such as children in a toys and candies shop; but, if this is the city of Hans Christian Andersen, the fairy-tale city, why shouldn’t I be enthusiastic!?
Contesini, Di Marco, Grandini, Lamanna, Marchesi, Pietta, Serventi, classe 4A
New habits
It’s 7.00 a.m., I wake up. Why all this light? The sun has already risen. I go downstairs, but nobody is there. I have my first breakfast alone, here it seems normal to eat at different times in a family. No milk or biscuits, only cheese, weird bread and eggs. My stomach hurts, but I have to ride to school, even if it’s raining. I get lost three times: the city is all the same, with green fields everywhere. The day will surely be hard. But when I arrive at school, I find a surprise: this school is weird. I can see a swimming pool, I hear some music from a room that seems full of musical instruments, and why is everybody so relaxed? I’ve never seen a school like this: long and frequent breaks, little to study, no exams and moreover special rooms like the one with the kitchen, the one for the sewing and the carpentry. Practical subjects seem very important here.
After school I reach the city center, I find no local typical restaurants and I have to eat in a fast food: I’m surprised to find all this kebab, Chinese and also Italian restaurants. Everything else is too expensive. There are many shops but at 4.00 PM they are all closed and the streets begin to empty. I have to go home and take a shower: I have to be quick because dinner is ready at 6.00 PM. After the first glance I start being worried: I don’t trust the meat for its strange colours and smells. I then find out that it’s because of the spices, millions of spices and different tastes all together. My tongue and me are confused, but at least I eat a lot.
After dinner I decide to take a walk in the center, but nearly nobody is there: only few places are still open, but, being under 18, I cannot go inside and drink something. Someone talked about a party in a certain “ghetto”: I want to try. Strange ghetto: full of green and beautiful spaces, modern and big apartments and different from the rest of the city. There are a hundred people in a single house, they are dispensing kebab, someone is filming us, no alcohol because of the householder’s religion (Islam) but everybody is having fun. I am at home at 2.00 AM. I was expecting someone to be waiting for me, but here nobody seems to care: I am alone, but independent.
Giorgia Giroletti, Lorenzo Vezzini, Margherita Pozzi, Giorgia Bosco, Matteo Zanotto, Silvia Amendolara
The typical danish life
Every morning the sun rises at three o'clock a.m., a Dane wakes up and he knows that he has to run faster then the bus to get to school on time. Anyway, this is quite a problem, being his breakfast very large: on average, Danish people feed themselves with 2/3 slices of bread, milk with cereals, yogurt or cheese, and this is just their first meal.
After a trip by bus through ghettos, tundra and windmills he finally arrives at school. While the average Italian student is forced on his desk for at least 5 hours per day, the average Danish student is free to have a break of 30 minutes at nine o'clock to regain the energies he spent on a sweaty kitchen lesson. After music classes, chemistry labs and two others breaks, the tired Danish student can finally go home. A little lunch mainly based on cucumbers is all he needs to get ready for his hard afternoon. So he's ready to enter his natural habitat: the work place.
From supermarkets to restaurants, passing through gas stations, he earns his money, up to 800 €, working 5/6 hours, he can use to buy beers, cigarettes, candies and other cucumbers. The afternoon is already over, now he can come back to his den, where he takes a shower and gets ready for the last meal of the day, made of pasta or chicken (sometimes fast-food), but strictly at 6 p.m.. An exemplar of Danish guy always helps with the house works, by cooking, doing the washing-up, or tiding his room. Then, when the sun sets, at 11 p.m., he reaches his bed, maybe after going out with friends. The normal Danish night with friends needs the presence of alcohol and beer, and typical are some alcoholic drinks made of fruit and usually very sweet.
The day has finished, and the Danish person needs to relax and get ready for the next day, which may start with an hangover on Saturdays and Sundays.
Belloni, Beltrami, Bignami, Campelli, Cavalli, Contini, Stroppi, Turetta, classe 4A
Our Danish Experience
It's now a tradition for our school, Liceo Aselli, to have an exchange with Denmark. So this year we went to Esbjerg on the west coast, then we spent 4 days between Ribe and Copenhagen.Here we have some comments about this trip:
M: “ Being hosted for four days in a Danish family has helped me discover new qualities of myself. Even though I have always thought to be shy, I could easily make friends with new people. I really enjoyed getting over my habits and my limits.”
M: “It was a great trip that helped me make new experiences and new friends, not only with the Danish guys but also with the Italian students. I discovered beautiful places, strange food, different traditions and I'm sure I will never forget this school trip.”
J: “ This experience gave me the chance to discover a new country and a new culture. The families were all very welcoming. They treated us as their own children. It was nice making new friends and it got us, all students, closer. Visiting the school made me jealous; it seemed so much more interesting and interactive”
L: “It's been a nice vacation: I met a lot of new people and I have a lot of good memories. Almost all the Danish guys were friendly and easy-going. As a matter of fact a randez-vous of ten friends transformed in a party with nearly fifty people. Also being abroad with our class and spending time in different activities got us closer, making this experience one in a million.”
C: “This experience helped me to become less shy, to make new friends and to discover a new country and a new culture. I had a lot of fun and I'm sure that this school trip will be forever a beautiful memory.”
V: “ It was an amazing experience: I visited new cities, I met new friends, I improved my English and I enjoyed staying with my class during the trip in Denmark. Spending a few days in a foreign family has made me more independent and self-confident, so it helped me to become more mature.”
I: “It was great to be back in the family where I had been living for 3 and a half months... An exchange is more than a normal travel experience, in addition this time we were all together and it was very funny.”
Fusar Poli, Politi, Carrera, Iannacito, Roy, Lodigiani e Forzoni, classe 4C
For the first time we had the possibility of eating like Italian people: as a matter of fact in Ribe's hostel we tried to cook pasta with Danish ingredients but unfortunately the result has been a disaster!
What a fantastic group!
Thanks to the days spent together in Esbjerg, we became very close to people who live in a very different way from us.
The photo was taken in the Ghetto, the multi-ethnic neighbourhood, where families are very friendly and kind, as in a big community!
We have had a lot of fun over there!
Sunrise in Copenaghen.
The first sun rises on the top of the buildings along the main channel of the city center.
Everything is peaceful and quiet, we can only hear the noise of the seagulls and the first cars driven by people who start their job very early.
What a brilliant atmosphere!
Break on the road to Ribe.
We stopped on the beach to take a picture next to the “four white men”, four huge statues built in front of the north sea.
We think that we will always remember this fantastic moment.
Lucca, Gianluppi,Cigoli, Bottaioli, Zanetti e Petecchi, classe 4C
In the second part of our cultural exchange, after leaving Esbjerg, we have been in Ribe, a medieval city, and in Copenaghen. There are many differences between Italy and Denmark. First of all , the people: in Denmark there is a more open mentality, they don’t really care about troubles, like in Italy, where people are always sad. Places are always clean, even if they drop all the rubbish on the ground: as a matter of fact, homeless people pick up all the bottles and cans, because they get paid for it (1 kr. each piece). Another different habit is when you enter houses, Danish people always put off their shoes before going in. Everything seems beautiful in Denmark, even if the cost of life (for eating, the clothes, etc..) is higher than here, but they earn more money, because the state gives more assistance, and poor people are very rare.
In our opinion, Italy should take example from Denmark, because whit these little things, life would be better for everybody.
Cristina, Marco, Giulio , Francesca, Laura, Angelica, classe 4C