Every day, I drag myself out of bed in the darkness, eat breakfast and hop on the regional train into Copenhagen for classes. My core course is Positive Psychology, which is actually turning out to be my least favorite class, but we're going on some cool trips (hello, Scotland!), so overall it should be okay. In addition to that, I'm taking Human Trafficking in Europe, which is pretty fantastic so far; Danish Politics and Society, which I enjoy despite the fact that I'm not crazy about politics, mostly because the teacher is wonderful and it's helpful to have a basic working knowledge of the country I'm living in; Danish Language and Culture (difficult, but again, really nice teacher, and so, so useful); and Positive Psychology Practicum, which is a combination of learning about Positive Psychology and working at a practicum site...which means working with kids!
And, oh my god, I had my first visit to my practicum site today, and I am in love! I don't even know where to begin. I'm "working" (for lack of a better term) at Bordings Friskole in Copenhagen, a independent (read private) school for children from preschool to 9th class (grade), 18-19 students per class, with about 375 students total. Parental involvement is vital to the school's philosophy, as is cultivating the children's social skills (this is seen as one of the primary focuses of early childhood education). The school building itself is huge and old and beautiful. The interior is painted wonderful bright colors, full of artwork, really well maintained (it's in a great neighborhood). When I arrived, Jesper, my main contact person, gave me the grand tour which included a spectacular view of Copenhagen from what is a roof-top garden in the summertime.
And the children...the school is everything I could hope to and probably never will see in the States. The kids have so much freedom and take it on so well, even the youngest ones. As just one example of many, while the teacher was reading a story during lunch in the kindergarten classroom (which Danish children enter when they're 6), a boy spilled his milk and without prompting from the teacher, left the classroom, came back with paper towels, cleaned up his mess and went back to eating, all without any disruption to the rest of the class. During the 4 hours that I was at Bordings, I also got to see a group of 6-year-old girls baking a cake with a teacher's supervision, a wonderful Danish birthday celebration and lots of free play time, all while trying my best to interact with the children despite my nonexistent Danish. When two boys came up to me and introduced themselves in English, I knew I had to at least attempt to return the favor in Danish! I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, I'm pretty sure that my practicum visits will become one of the highlights of my week.
And finally, here's a quick run-down of some of the other things that I've been up to recently, aside from going to class and doing homework and falling in love with Danish culture more and more:
- Going to an Irish pub with some friends to watch the Denmark vs. Sweden handball game (Denmark won!)
- Seeing my first snowfall in Copenhagen
- Exploring Roskilde for a second time, including a tour of the beautiful Roskilde Cathedral
And because you've been so kind as to read my ramblings about Bordings, here are some picture of the Cathedral, significant in part because it is the burial place of many members of the Danish royal family
Despite all of the ornate decorations inside the church, this wooden angel was one of my favorite things about the entire place
The ceiling in the Chapel of the Magi
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