This past weekend I took a trip with my Holocaust and Genocide class to Hamburg, Germany. As a Jewish woman, I've always been interested in learning more about the Holocaust and I figured taking a class while abroad would be one of the best ways to do it. Before the trip, DIS sent us a detailed agenda for the two day trip to Hamburg. The main event on the agenda was a trip to the Neuengamme Concentration Camp. I had never been to a concentration camp, so I was particularly interested in seeing this. Day 1: Saturday February 18th Our trip to Hamburg started early. We met at the bus at 8:45 near DIS (which is a 30 minute commute for me). Once we got on the bus I immediately fell asleep and woke up when we got to the ferry. Taking the ferry was really cool, and it was much bigger than other ferries I have been on. We weren't on the ferry very long until we got to Germany. We were on the bus for about two more hours until we reached our first stop, the Bullenhuser Damm School. In April of 1945, twenty Jewish children, their four adult caretakers and six Russian POW's were killed at this location. These children had participated in medical experiments at the Neuengamme Concentration Camp and were taken to the school to be killed. This visit was incredibly sad to see and hard to listen to the stories at times. We visited the Rose Garden which serves as a memorial to the 2o children and 4 adult caretakers who were killed. We also went into the museum located partially in the basement where the murders occurred. While it was not easy to read more about what happened, I found it to be a valuable use of our time to see this site. Our next stop was the Hostel where we checked in and had time to rest before our group dinner at, Hamborger Veermaster. We had a traditional German meal consisting of mostly meat and a beer of course. I enjoy trying new things so I liked the meal a lot. It was nice to get to know my classmates better and our professor Torben. After dinner we split up and my friends and I walked around, stopped in a souvenir shop and headed back to the hostel. Day 2: Sunday February 19th
Our second (and last) day started with breakfast at the hostel. Our first stop was Nicolai Kirche, which was originally a church but now serves as a memorial to the destruction and deaths of WWII. Hamburg was heavily bombed in 1943, which killed over 46,000 Germans and took out most of the city. This building was one of the only things that was still standing after the bombings. Torben educated us on the area and the various parts of the memorial, then we took the glass elevator up to the viewing tower. This church tower is the 5th highest one in the world! Unfortunately there was a lot of scaffolding so we couldn't see much but we learned a lot about Hamburg and the war while we were there. Then we headed to brunch but before that Torben showed us his favorite Holocaust memorial, stumble stones. Stumble stones are stones in the ground outside of apartments or houses where people killed in the Holocaust once lived. They include their name, birth year, and information about where they were deported to and killed. These stones are very powerful because they may be small but they are powerful reminders to never forget what happened during the Holocaust. Our last stop on our trip was the Neuengamme Concentration Camp. We walked around most of the camp and then visited the two museums on site. This visit was by no means easy, hearing about what the SS did to the prisoners was heartbreaking and we were standing on the very grounds where it happened. My professor Torben told us that this was not a camp for Jews which was shocking to me because I thought all concentration camps were for Jews. This camp had mostly Soviets, Poles and Germans, and any Jews in the camp were shipped out in 1942 to Auschwitz. While walking around Torben showed us where the wooden barracks were, the crematorium, the bunker, where the bricks were built on the camp, and the railroad where prisoners were brought in. I found this visit extremely important. Hearing stories and reading about the Holocaust certainly gives you an idea of what it was like, but actually seeing the camp gave me an entirely new perspective. After a long visit at Neuengamme we headed to the bus to make our way back to Copenhagen. This trip made me take a step back and realize that studying abroad has so many benefits and being able to learn more about history in the place where it actually occurred is one of those benefits. While I have enjoyed the traveling I've done on my own, I also am very thankful that I'm on a program that offers such incredible experiences.
1 Comment
Every students study abroad life is different, and it is also very different from my typical week at IU. Just to give you a little bit of an idea of what my weeks in Copenhagen look like I'll walk you through it! Monday 7:00: Good morning! Monday's start bright and early (at least early for me) so that I can make it to my first class at 8:30. I wake up, eat breakfast at my RC and start my commute to DIS. This commute includes a 10 minute walk to the Svanmollen train station in Osterbro (see below map), then I hop on either the A,B,C, or E train to the Norreport station then walk around 8 minutes to DIS. The majority of Danes bike, and I've definitely thought about getting a bike but I really enjoy my morning commute. I love walking, listening to music, and it's the perfect amount of time. Eventually I end up at DIS for my first class which is my core course, Competing Narratives: Modern European History. 9:50: Once my first class ends I head to a coffee shop to eat lunch, do homework, plan trips etc. Some of my favorite coffee shops near DIS are The Living Room, Next Door Cafe, Cafe Paludan, Big Apple and The Coffee Industry. When I'm not sitting in a coffee shop during my break, I'm usually walking around either shopping or exploring the city. 13:15-17:45: Starting at 13:15 I have three classes in a row. I start with Holocaust and Genocide, then head to Activism, and I end with Strategic Planning for Leaders. This is definitely that hardest part of my week to get through because three classes in a row can be tough! 17:50: After a long day I meet up with my friend Olivia to begin our commute home to Osterbro. Once I get home I typically cook dinner in the common kitchen and eat with the people on my floor. After dinner I do homework, facetime with family or friends back home, or hang out with my friends on my floor. Tuesday
10:00: I am so thankful for Tuesday's because I get to sleep in! I only have one class on Tuesday's, Leadership Across Cultures and it starts at 14:50 so I have the morning to explore the city or hang out at my RC. I like to head into the city before my class to walk around or meet up with friends for lunch/coffee etc. I start my commute into the city and then around 14:45 I make my way over to my only class on Tuesday's: Leadership Across Cultures. This class is three hours long so I'm happy it is my only class that day! Once the day ends I'll head home, cook dinner and depending on how I'm feeling I might go out with friends on my floor. Wednesday Wednesday's are very different than a regular school day because they are reserved for field studies. Field studies are basically field trips with any one of my five classes around Copenhagen. I've only had one field study so far that went to the Red Cross, I liked it a lot. The days that I haven't had field studies I've spent exploring. This past week I walked from my RC into the city which is about a 50 minute walk and met up with my friend at Sankt Peders Bageri for cinnamon rolls then went to Rosenborg Castle. Wednesday's are definitely one of my favorite days of the week because it takes me away from my routine and allows me to see the city either with my classes or on my own. Thursday ~Thursday's are exactly the same as Monday's so I wake up early, have 4 classes, experience a good coffee shop and usually eat dinner at home~ 20:00: The only different thing about Thursday's is that if I'm feeling up to it I'll head into the city with some of my friends on my floor to go out. It's definitely a commitment to go out at night because we take the bus which takes about 30 minutes. Sometimes I just end up staying in my RC and hanging out in the common room. Friday Hello Friday! By the end of the week I am so happy to be able to sleep in and have the day completely free to do anything. Friday's can usually go one of two ways: exploring or traveling. Traveling: when I leave Copenhagen on Friday my routine consists of packing a small weekend bag and heading to the Norreport station where I buy another train ticket and hop on the metro to the airport. Getting to the Copenhagen airport is so easy and for that I am beyond thankful. Exploring: exploring on Friday's could mean visiting a castle, trying a new restaurant, walking around and enjoying the beauty of Copenhagen etc. So there you have it! This is what my weeks at DIS usually look like, the main thing I try to do each week is explore and see something new. I'll keep you updated on what I find next :) Ahh core course week. You're probably asking yourself, what is core course week? Welllllll...at DIS every student takes one core course along with other elective courses. So core course week is one week devoted to your core course, which also includes a short study tour to another city. My core courses study tour went to Southern Jutland and Northern Germany. But before we got there we spent two days in Copenhagen. Core course week was five days long so my class did a lot of different activities! Some of my favorite parts of core course week were...
Copenhagen Synagogue On the first day of core course week my class visited the Copenhagen Synagogue, which is only about a five minute walk from DIS. We met and talked to the Chief Rabbi, Jair Melchor. Talking with Rabbi Melchor was particularly interesting to me because I am the product of a Jewish father and a non Jewish mother, but I was raised Jewish. Rabbi Melchor brought up a story about a Bishop whose ancestor on her mothers side was Jewish so technically she was Jewish. Being the daughter of a non Jew, Rabbi Melchor said he could technically not consider me Jewish because of Jewish law but he knows that I am Jewish because I was raised Jewish. Talking to Rabbi Melchor about my personal religious identity was rather interesting to me. At the end of the visit we saw the Synagogue, and the ark and torah's within it which were all beautiful. Sønderborg Slot Our first visit on our short study tour was Sønderborg Slot, a castle that is also a museum in the town of Sønderborg. We heard from the museum director, Carsten who then took us on a tour of the museum. We learned a lot about the war of 1864 which was fought between Denmark and Prussia/Austria over the land that is now northern Germany. Unfortunately Denmark lost the war, but Carsten told us that there was physically no way that Denmark could've won. The museum featured a lot of cool things including paintings, statues, clothing worn during the war etc. The museum was not only about the war of 1864 but the history of Denmark as well. Frøslev Internment Camp On Friday morning we woke up early to get ready for the long day ahead. The first stop on our visit was the Frøslev Internment Camp. When I saw this on the agenda I thought that we were visiting a concentration camp, but I found out that Frøslev was very different. It was built to avoid sending Danes to Germany concentration camps. Most of the people who were sent to Frøslev were communists, prisoners, or members of the Danish resistance. However, there were over 1,000 people sent from Frøslev to German concentration camps during the war. The living conditions at Frøslev were much nicer than that of a German camp. The food and living conditions were much nicer than a typical concentration camp. While walking around the museum I noticed some interesting things. The picture below of the chess board has pieces made out of chewed bread by members of the camp. Also the beds seemed relatively nice because they included actual mattresses to sleep on. Overall, visiting this internment camp was difficult but definitely worth while. New Friends :) The last highlight of core course week was getting closer with the members of my class. Together we spent hours on the bus, ate meals, stayed in the hostel, and saw museums! Basically we spent a lot of time with each other but it helped us get very close. I met people from towns all across the United States and got to hear about lots of different college experiences. I am looking forward to spending more time with my classmates on the long study tour! How do you conquer Paris in 36 hours? The answer is simple, you don't. I knew this going into my second weekend trip so my friend Nicole and I tried our hardest to jam pack a lot of stuff into the 36 hours we had to sight see in Paris. After dropping our bags off the first thing we did was head for the Eiffel Tower. We decided to figure out the Paris metro system in order to save time walking there. After walking out of the metro station we looked up to see that the Eiffel Tower was right in front of us, and it was huge! I've only ever seen the Eiffel Tower in movies and pictures so I had no idea how big it was. Nicole and I took lots of pictures, ate a crepe nearby, and then headed for the Arc De Triomphe. On our way there we came across Champs-Elysees which is a famous street in Paris lined with stores from Zara to Louis Vuitton. We walked up Champs-Elysees on the way to the Arc and also popped into Laduree for some macarons. Unfortunately it started raining when we got to the Arc so we weren't there for long before we headed to dinner. We met up with Nicole's friend Leah who lives in Paris for dinner and she took us to her favorite restaurant to take guests. It was called Le Refuge de Fondus, we had to climb over our table to sit down, but the fondue was great and the wine was served out of large baby bottles. It was definitely a fun experience! Day two started early because we were determined to fit in at least four or five sights into our day. Our first stop was Notre Dame and on the way we quickly got breakfast (croissants of course). The line for Notre Dame was short so we decided to go in, it was breathtaking! The inside and the outside were absolutely beautiful. Next we walked over to The Louvre, to my surprise students get in for free so that was sweet! We only lasted about an hour because we had so much on our schedule but we managed to find the Mona Lisa. I knew that there was no way we were going to make it through even half of the Louvre because it's huge (782,910 square feet to be exact)! We stopped for a quick lunch and then our next stop was the Palais Garnier which is the Opera House in Paris. This was also beautiful, I know I've said that about everything but Paris as a city is unreal, even in the rain. Our last stop of the day was the Musee d'Orsay, where we came across pieces done by Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and more! It was very cool to see the pieces that I remember learning about in my art classes as a kid. I also loved seeing Degas' "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years" because it is one my favorite pieces. After seeing four Paris landmarks Nicole and I were exhausted so we headed back to where we were staying to take a break. We ended our time in Paris in the Jewish Quarter with falafel sandwiches. I know what you're thinking, why would you get falafel in Paris?!? Because it's unreal that's why! After 23,877 steps and a whole lot of pictures Nicole and I were ready to relax. After seeing Paris I can most certainly agree with Audrey Hepburn when she says...
Helloooo! So it's a Sunday night and I just returned from my first weekend trip to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm definitely happy that I went but being in another city also made me appreciate Copenhagen so much more. What I quickly realized about Stockholm in comparison to Copenhagen is that it's a much bigger city. We definitely walked a lot but also had to take the subway to get around. Overall there were a lot of cool things about Stockholm but here are some highlights of our trip...
Gamla Stan (Old Town) On Saturday we took a boat tour of the islands of Stockholm, which was really cool but a little chilly! After the boat tour we walked around "Gamla Stan" which is known as the "Old Town" of Stockholm. This area was so cute and looked like it was straight out of a movie. The cobblestone streets are only for walking and the buildings are so colorful. It was kind of like it's own small island in between the busy city part of Stockholm and the more suburban part. The streets were full of traditional Swedish restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes and more. We also stopped and had a late lunch which included traditional Swedish meatballs, which were the best meatballs I've ever had (sorry to be a foodie for a minute, but check out my abroad food Instagram for pictures of the meatballs @annieeatsabroad). Ice Bar-Stockholm We also took a trip to the Ice Bar in Stockholm. If you've never heard of an "Ice Bar" it's basically a bar made completely of ice (I know it sounds insane but yup, it's real)! The Ice Bar is kept at 19 degrees fahrenheit and they even serve drinks in glasses made of ice. They also give you a warm poncho sort of thing with gloves attached to stay warm inside the bar. If you go to Stockholm definitely take a trip to the Ice Bar, but don't expect to stay for long because you would freeze! VASA Museum Stockholm is home to the VASA Museum, which you've probably never heard of. Don't worry I had never heard of the VASA before I visited Stockholm either, but going to the museum was actually really cool! The VASA is a 17th century Swedish war ship that sank only 1,300 meters after it left. The ship is HUGE and in great condition. I was really shocked that they were able to recover the entire ship. I loved this museum for two reasons. First, it is very under the radar so it wasn't crowded and there weren't long lines. Secondly, there is so much history behind this ship, and as a bit of a history nerd I was really interested in learning all about the VASA. After my first trip I've become very excited to continue traveling throughout the semester. However, I'm also so happy to be back in Copenhagen! I'm beginning to learn why this is "the happiest place on earth." Hey there! So...I've officially been in Copenhagen for one full week as of today. Even though it's only been one week it feels like it's been forever! I've pretty much mastered public transportation and I've gotten to know a bunch of kids on my floor. Here are some updates on some of my favorite things from this past week...
Favorite Class: Holocaust & Genocide This past Thursday was my first day of school here in Copenhagen, yay! I had four classes starting at 8:30 in the morning and ending around 17:45 (5:45), I've started using a 24 hour clock because that's what they use in Denmark. I got to my first class, Modern European History, a little late because obviously I got lost. But it ended up being fine and I really enjoyed my first core class! Next I had a long break so I ventured over to a coffee near school shop called, "The Living Room" it was so cozy. After a little break I had my other 3 classes one of these being Holocaust and Genocide. I'm a little bit of a history nerd so when I saw this class I knew I needed to sign up. The first day reassured me that I made the right choice. My professor seems really cool and we take a trip to the Neungamme Concentration Camp in Hamburg, Germany. Taking this class is very important to me as a Jewish woman studying abroad in Europe (okay technically Scandinavia). I am extremely eager to see where this class takes me! Favorite Street: Strøget After my first day of classes on Thursday I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday to explore Copenhagen. Since I've only been here for a week you could say I'm still basically a tourist. Some of the places I've seen are, Nyhavn (area with really colorful buildings), Strøget (long shopping street), Torvehallerne (glass market) and more! So far Strøget is definitely my favorite street, it's so long and has all different kinds of shops and food, I tried a waffle on a stick, it was amazing. Favorite thing about going out: I'M LEGAL! On Saturday my floor had a party to get to know each other a little better. We played an interesting Danish drinking game that involved a soccer ball and laying on the floor, I honestly couldn't explain it. One of the biggest cultural differences I've noticed while in Copenhagen is the going out culture. Being from a Big 10 school I'm used to big parties like tailgates and the Little 500 but here drinking is much more relaxed (probably because the drinking age isn't 21). My RA's were telling us that a typical night Danes could start drinking around 9 or 10 and not get home until 5 or 6 in the morning?! To me this is crazy because at IU the bars close at 3 so staying out that late is unheard of! I also don't know if I'll be able to keep up with the Danes because I personally love to sleep. That's all for now, stay tuned for my next blog after my first weekend trip to Stockholm, Sweden! P.S. I started an abroad food instagram (annieeatsabroad) so feel free to follow me (I follow back and I'll throw you a like or two) Hey! I'm here, I've arrived in Copenhagen! Also whoa, I'm 4,079 miles away from home and it's all starting to become so real. After flying in from Rome I split up from Mom and Dad and was directed by DIS staff to wait for the bus to my new home, Tasingegade! After arriving I was greeted by one of my three SRA's (Social Residential Advisors) who gave me my room key and arrival folder, woo! I proceeded to unpack and get settled in my new room. Later that night I met the rest of the people on my floor at our first floor dinner, which made me really excited for the rest of the semester! My floor has about 50 people so it feels similar to my freshman year dorm, but it's better because everyone is coming from different schools and has a different story.
On Sunday we did an activity as a floor called the "get to know your neighborhood challenge." Personally I loved this because I know nothing about my neighborhood and I don't live directly in the city of Copenhagen. I live in a town called Østerbro which is about an hour long walk from the center of the city and a 30 minute train or bus commute, which is not bad at all! I've loved learning how to use the public transportation in Copenhagen because I've never actually lived in a city before! We were split into groups and given a list of tasks to do. My group discovered a bunch of great restaurants and coffee shops in our neighborhood and then learned how to take the train into the city from where we lived. It was a great way to learn about my new neighborhood! On Monday we started our orientation with DIS. We attended a great opening ceremony and heard a cool Danish band perform. Next we ventured over to the DIS class buildings to attend a transportation info session. This was amazing because I learned all about how to travel around Copenhagen using public transportation. A lot of danes bike around the city and I'm thinking about getting a bike, if you know me you know that I'm not the most coordinated person so wish me luck! Later I met up with my parents because it was their last day in Copenhagen. My Dad was dying to have Smørrebrød otherwise known as an "open-faced sandwich" which is a traditional Danish meal. My parents both loved there sandwiches, me...not so much. They did look beautifully put together though! I am someone who has wanted to study abroad for the longest time because it looks amazing and I've only heard great things about it. However, what most people don't tell you is that studying abroad is not at all easy. If it was easy than everyone would be doing it! Change is not always easy for me and studying abroad is a huge change. Adjusting to a new life in a new city that also speaks a different language is definitely challenging, and saying goodbye to my Mom and Dad was the most challenging thing I've had to do (yes, there were tears from all three of us). Thankfully I've had a lot of great friends to talk to about this adjustment because they have done it before, so I know that I'm not alone in this journey. The beginning of study abroad feels a lot like the beginning of freshman year, and although I didn't think this at the time going to IU is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know that studying abroad will be an unreal experience, and I can't wait to DIScover new things (see what I did there)! My very first stop on my study abroad journey was Rome, Italy. Now I understand that this is confusing considering that Copenhagen is where I'm studying so you may be asking, what is Annie doing in Rome? Well I'm in Rome on a trip with my parents before I arrive in Copenhagen because they won't be able to visit me during my four months abroad! In the past 4 days we have covered so much of Rome and we've been eating amazing food too. Some highlights of our trip so far have been...
After doing a lot of research on what to pack for four months abroad I came up with ten essential things to pack...
Everyone has a different reason for studying abroad. Mine came from a trip I took in the summer of 2015 to multiple countries around the Baltic Sea. This trip visited cities including St. Petersburg, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, Estonia, Copenhagen, Denmark and more! This trip was my first opportunity to experience traveling and I loved it. When we visited Copenhagen I was blown away. Not only was the city beautiful but Tivoli Gardens and Nyhavn were amazing, I knew that I wanted to go back. After this trip I realized that studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Why Copenhagen? I chose to study abroad in Copenhagen because I was in awe of the city after just one day! Some of the other reasons I decided to study in Copenhagen are...
One of my reasons for studying abroad in Copenhagen was the DIS program. After doing a lot of research on many different study abroad programs all over Europe I decided DIS had eveything I needed. Some of the reasons I chose DIS are...
Overall I am extremely excited to embark on my study abroad journey in Copenhagen, Denmark, otherwise known as the happiest city in the world! |
AuthorHi! My name is Annie and I am studying abroad for four months in Copenhagen, Denmark!
|