Jeremy's Project in Denmark

A Fine Farewell to Denmark

2008-05-11T15:32:00.000-07:00

There is much to tell.

First, the project. It went really well. We had our presentation in a beautiful room within an old Danish general store at the museum. People asked tough but good questions at the end. When it was over, we went out with our sponsors to a cafe in the town nearby. The weather was perfect which only made me feel even more awesome about everything being over. We left the museum with an outline of a scaled-down prototype teambuilding game for businesses. We had tested the setup on a couple of occasions and gotten a very positive response to it. The game makes good use of the history that the museum contains as well as the location-based information delivery technology that they have. The game combines the virtual experience of being guided with a live map showing where you and the other teams are, with the physical experience of recreating aspects of Danish life 200 years ago. The people at the museum were beaming with joy at what we had done and felt they could not thank us enough. Although I must say that there continuous praise and enthusiasm for our project was more than enough thanks.

Now I will give a brief-ish account of the time spent after our project was over and then I will tell you where I am now. On the eve of our project completion there was much anticipation of making celebration. Two other groups from WPI had presented their projects that day and were also totally finished. Just before going out with those people, however, I decided to give a call over to one of my good friends in Denmark: Stig. He told me that he and his friends were going to play football (soccer) and have a barbeque in the park. I could not resist. Twenty minutes later I was there. I felt bad having ditched the other group but as I would discover later, they would have little success at finding fun.

The next day, everyone else finished giving their presentations. I went with Peter back to the Open Air Museum to say goodbye to all the nice people there and to see the grounds one more time. Two sheep had been born just 2 days earlier and so we saw them as well. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to be at the museum again. It was also a little sad to say goodbye to everyone. It really is amazing how quickly the term went by. That evening, we all went out to dinner with Peder Petersen, the program director, and Mogens our orientation leader. It was of course a great time. After that, I walked with Prof. Pedersen, two other students, P.C. to a scenic part of the city. Even though it was 9 o'clock, it was still quite light out.

I woke up on Wednesday with a hurried feeling. My flight was not until 1 am the next morning but that only gave me maybe 14 hours to do all the things I had neglected to do in Denmark. The biggest of these was to go to Sweden. With the city of Malmö just a 35 minute train ride away it was sort of incredible that I had not been yet. In fact my friend Nolan hadn't been there either and so we went together. When we were at the last train stop before Malmö, a woman got on the train and sat next to us. She heard us speaking and asked us where we were from. We talked for a bit. When we got off the train she asked us what our plans were and we told here that we had no plans. She offered to take us around the city. However, as we embarked on our exploration of the city, we started to notice that everywhere we went something strange happened. At the money exchange booth the lady behind the desk was talking excitedly with our tour guide. When we got on the bus, our friend told the bus driver that we were her friends and asked how much would it cost for us to ride the bus. The driver said we could ride for free. From our friend's conversation and these other clues we discovered that she is one of the most famous people in Sweden.

We followed her to the theater where she was to perform the final night of a musical. Though it was sold out she said she could get us tickets. And why not, she played the lead role. She then took us to the Turning Torso, a freaky looking building near the water. We got ice cream at an Italian place and then sat in a skate park and watched the people.

Nolan and I eventually left that part of the city and wished our new friend a good performance. We walked the streets of Malmö and enjoyed the glorious weather. When we returned to Copenhagen, the time was about 6 pm. We were the only ones left besides our advisor and his wife. They invited us over to help finish their food. Stig came by to visit one more time and ate with us. I finished packing, watched a football match on tv, said goodbye to my Turkish friends at the pizza place across the street, and then waited at the bus stop. Stig was there as well and we had a nice chat before I left.

I am going skip telling you about the bus ride where I was the only one on the bus, the train ride, the other train ride, and the plane ride with all the Turkish people who stayed up all night congregating and conversing in different parts of the cabin. I woke up to a light tap on the shoulder. "Affedersiniz.....(turkish, turkish, turkish)....". I guessed that she wanted me to return my chair from the reclined position. I was right. I looked out the window and watched the plane fall slowly toward the ground as the Sun rose above it. For the first time in years I was on a plane where one walked from it on to the ground rather than directly into the terminal. So for a few moments I stood next to the plane and turned around, taking in the sunrise in İstanbul. It was comfort and joy. I met up with my dearest friend Pınar, and we went out for breakfast by the sea.

Later in the afternoon Pınar and I found ourselves on the other side of the city and decided to take a creative way back home. We took the Sea Boat. It was magical to see İstanbul from the water. I took a few pictures. As it turns out we only got most of the way home before getting lost. It was expected to happen at some point. However, we were able to get a cab for the last part of the trip.

Being back in Turkey, I still remember my life in Denmark very clearly. As exciting and relaxing as life is here, I still miss playing football in the park with my friends and eating the most amazing pastries the world has ever known. I miss the train rides to the museum and the exchange of smiles at its front desk each morning. My relationship with Denmark has only begun, and I will certainly return many times. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to do project work abraod. It was such a valuable experience and I cannot wait to get back home and tell all my friends about it. Most of all I cannot wait to someday return. But for now, my adventure continues in İstanbul.

Springtime in Copenhagen

2008-04-21T03:23:00.000-07:00

Spring has sort of arrived in Copenhagen. There are still chilly moments at night and cool breezes in the shade, but all in all things are pretty nice around here. I did not come here for the weather, but now that it is finally really nice, I have been taking full advantage of it. This past week, I have been playing soccer about as often as my legs can take it. Also, last Sunday I rode a bike to Brøndby Stadium to see a football match. My week has been enhanced by meeting and getting to know some Danes here in Copenhagen. We go out to watch soccer matches and play soccer. The scarf I am wearing is for Brøndby. I must say it is a little awkward trying to take a self-picture while riding a bike. Anyway, this is all fun and games. Now for a word about my project. (which is in its own way fun and games too)

The latest news about our project is that our sponsor took a two week vacation and we just met with him yesterday. He basically loved what we had done with the project while he was gone. So that was really great news. This next week will be our busiest yet as we are scrambling to get as much done with the project as we can. At this point, we have basically satisfied the project's requirements. With only seven weeks, there was no way to go from scratch to full implementation, but we are trying to get as close to that as possible. This week, we finished writing the script for the story that takes the program participants around the museum on a kind of treasure hunt. We also tested the routes for distance and time so that we don't go over our set limits.

One nice thing about our project is how excited different groups of people are about it. Our sponsor loves it because it is an innovative thing to have at an open air museum. The people who create the location-based information technology for the project love it because it is great PR for them. The activities and education people at the museum really like it because they will soon have yet another exciting program to offer its customers. Most of all, we like our project because we get to work at this incredibly unique place. What better way to get a feel for the Danish past and its culture than to be at a Danish life-sized open air museum five days a week. Also, our project is mostly fun. We have had to design a teambuilding game, seek out new ideas, and test them. I included a picture here of us resting after walking around the museum a lot. We were trying to determine which building should be used in the activity we are developing.

I also put a picture here of the baby sheep. They have been one measure of the passage of time here as they continue to grow from cuteness into adulthood.

A Friend and a Birthday

2008-04-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last week was a bit different than all of the others. As I mentioned before, my friend Pınar came to visit. My project work continued as usual, but in the afternoons, I went around Copenhagen with her and re-explored much of the city.

First I took her to the museum where I work. We saw the week-old sheep.

And visited some old buildings

Said hello to the goats

Caught a nice view from the Round Tower

Rode a boat

Visited the grave of Niels Bohr

Played soccer at the park nearby

Went for plenty of walks around town

Other than that, the only real news this week is that it was my birthday. On the eve of my birthday, there was a Turkish/Danish art festival sort of thing called The Triangle Project. Actually it had been going all week but this was the last day. Pınar and I went to one of the artsy events which was a discussion and show-and-tell by artists and musicians both local and from far away. After that we walked around for a while and then went to the last Triangle Project event for Copenhagen. It was an after-work party of sorts in the lobby/bar of a really cool hotel. Of course the place was decorated in a very artsy way. I met some nice people at this gathering, one of whom I will be joining next weekend to go to a soccer match. Anyway, we had a little birthday celebration there. It was a very cozy atmosphere and a memorable time.

A full week

2008-04-07T18:31:00.001-07:00

My project partners and I were busy with our project this past week, but of course that didn't prevent us from exploring the city more. Peter and I went to a gigantic cemetary that contains the graves of Soren Kirkegaard, Hans Christian Andersen, and Niels Bohr. While we were there it was sunny, it rained, and it hailed and then repeated that sequence. The cemetary itself is more like a park. It is vast but not overcrowded, and some of the grave sites are just beautiful. I included here a picture of Hans Christian Andersen's resting place.

Saturday was our big reunion/fieldtrip. Even though we (the people here from WPI) all live near each other, we don't necessarily see each other that often. So there was scheduled a big field trip so that we could all get together again. It was led by Mogens who was our Danish instructor and guide during orientation week. It was a treat to hang out with him again. We went to Roskilde to see a cathedral and the viking museum. It was neat to think about the Danish history in these places. One thing that we are missing in the United States is an old history. To think that were were standing before the coffins of kings and queens long passed and in the harbour of an old viking stronghold.

We went for lunch at a place called Viking Pizza. Actually Peter and I had brought our own lunch. The weather was nice so we sat outside. For lunch we had packed open sandwiches consisting of tomato, cucumber, and two types of cheese on some bakery-baked bread. It was really really good. We did a lot of walking afterward and felt reasonably tired at the end of the day. I recall almost everyone staying in that Saturday evening and going to bed early.

Sunday, a bunch of us went to an FC Kobenhavn soccer match at nearby Parken stadium. FCK lost 0-2, but I thought it was still an awesome game.

A bunch of people in the group here have become major fans of FCK and were of course disappointed with the outcome of Sunday's game.

So that was that. The most exciting thing for me this week is that my dear friend, Pınar, and her mom came to Copenhagen on Monday from İstanbul to visit. So this week will be a healthy mix of my project and visiting with them. Happily, their visit coincides with my birthday which is on Thursday, so we are starting to think of how to celebrate that. I like my birthday not so much because of anything to do with me but for the excuse to gather all my friends together and laugh and have fun. I will certainly let you know how all that goes.

A bit more about my project, my life in kbh

2008-03-31T04:04:00.000-07:00

I thought I would talk for a bit about my project.

First I will describe further the place where my project partners and I work. From previous entries, you know that I work at a museum called Frilandsmuseet or "The Open Air Museum". This is a place where families, school children, and senior citizens go to see what parts of Denmark looked like in the last couple of centuries. So the museum consists of original houses, farms, and other constructions all spread out over 86 acres with gardens, animals, and ponds in between.

There are many cool things about this museum, not the least of which is free admission. But another cool thing is that they hold special events for children during the holidays. Last week, we were around during the Easter events. I include here a picture of the children and their parents making decorative cut-outs. In a nearby room there were people dressed up in garb from the Danish 1800s and they were cooking food from a recipe book that looked really old. Everywhere there were children and their parents walking around. Especially popular were the geese that waddled in the dooryard and the stilts for everyone to try. I had not tried walking on stilts for maybe 15 years and gave it a go. I guess I did ok, but it took a while to get the hang of.

Back to my project. This museum has a program that was developed a couple years ago called Mulighedernes Land (Land of Possibilities). Basically it is a virtual role playing game that uses the museum grounds as the playing field. Participants choose which character they want to be and then they use a gps-equipped cell phone that gives them location-specific information. Where they go determines what happens in the story. Based on the story development, the group makes decisions about where to go next. The goal is for a the character to 'make it in life' in the 19th century. This program is for children of roughly all ages. Actually some adults have tried it and liked it, but it was really designed for the kids.

Anyway....

Our project is to create a teambuilding program for businesses that uses the gps technology. The museum's goal is to expand its use of the gps cellphone technology and to bring in some more money by attracting a wider audience to the museum. Shown right is our sponsor showing us how the gps cell phones work. If my partners look less than enthused, it is because it was a candid shot. We really like going around the museum and learning about everything. Most of all we like it when our sponsor comes to visit. His name is Klaus and he very excited and energetic.

I hope you can get an idea of what our project is like from what I have told you. If you have any questions or whatever just make it a comment to this post and I will get around to responding. I will leave you this time with something that I saw the other day. From these pictures you cannot hear the music being played in the streets or smell the bread being baked in a shop nearby, but you can imagine. It all brightened my mood a bit.

First day on the project

2008-03-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

Last week, my group partners and I took the train and then a bus to our project site at the Open Air Museum, Frilandsmuseet, north of Copenhagen. We met the man in charge of our project, Klaus, from the Danish National Museum IT department. After introductions, we went over the project for a while and then went for a tour of part of the museum outside. Then it started snowing. However, the snow flakes were not flakes at all but more like pellets. In fact they looked like those white moisture holding things that you see in store-bought soil. They eventually became normal flakes. Anyway, it was also really windy. I put a picture here of the view from where we waited for the bus to come get us. Such dreary weather would normally motivate one to just go home stay warm, but we had other plans.

Since discovering what I call the Turkish part of the city, I have not been able to resist going there almost every day for food at lunchtime. My group partners decided to come along and so the three of us had Turkish food for lunch. Specifically, I had Adana kebap (a spicy stick-less meat kebob on rice) which was so very very good. I think I was full for about 9 hours afterward.

I think I am getting used to living here in KBH. I feel comfortable getting around, buying food, learning Danish, and exploring. I feel less like a tourist and more like an inhabitant. Maybe it is because I have seen many other foreigners living here, or maybe I am just turning into a Copenhagener.

Arrival in Copenhagen: a friendly city

2008-03-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

I did not do the responsible thing and gather all my Denmark information before departing.
For spring break I had spent a very relaxing week in Turkey with a close friend. Distracted by the 70° sunny weather and the rich warm Turkish culture, I had not given too much thought to my upcoming trip to Denmark.

My flight was 2 hours and 45 minutes from Istanbul to Copenhagen. I gained an hour from the time zone change and felt great when I stepped off the plane. Inside the terminal, however, I realized that the next hour or two would be very difficult. I knew the address of the place I would be staying in Copenhagen, but I had forgotten to review the instructions for how to get there from the airport. I suddenly felt a rush of dread. I had never traveled around Boston without a friend or a distinct plan for how I would get from place to place. Copenhagen, apart from being significantly bigger than Boston, presented the obvious disadvantage of being completely unfamiliar.

I set my luggage down, took a deep breath, and spent a couple minutes just looking around. I noted the where the trains, buses, cabs, ATM, and information desk were. I went to the ATM and withdrew some cash. Then I went to the information desk and asked what was the best way to my address. It was suggested that I take the bus. I could tell about my adventures figuring out the bus system, but it is kind of a long story. Anyway, with some help I figured it out and eventually ended up at my apartment. Once inside I set my things down and plopped myself down in a comfy chair. I closed my eyes and relaxed.

When I saw the familiar faces of my friends from WPI, I felt great. It is hard to describe the feeling but I think it is easy to imagine. For some reason, not seeing friends for a while and then seeing them again in a new and foreign place is just enchanting. The moment had arrived. We all got a tour of the nearby area. There were already obvious differences between Copenhagen and any city in the States. For the city as large as it is and the nearby streets as large as they are, there was very little noise and very little traffic. Car traffic anyway. There are bicycles everywhere. They come in all shapes and sizes for every kind of person. There are the bikes with the baskets for the shoppers, baby seats for the mothers and fathers, wagon attachments for the toddlers, speedy bikes for the racers, old fashioned bikes for the old fashioned, and motor bikes for less physically active.

So hopefully you can get a picture of what the city is like here. It is clean, polite, quiet, and full of history. I have had almost a week to enjoy it and not have to focus on my project. Oh yeah my project. I will talk more about that later. This week has been orientation week. We attended Danish classes every morning this week and took tours of different parts of the city in the afternoon. As you can imagine it has been 'the life'. Wednesday, we went to the Danish Parliment and met with the environmental spokesperson of the Socialist Peoples' Party. She was awesome and very inspiring. She was saying how Denmark has a long way to go environmentally. Thinking about the USA made me want to cry. Friday, we went finished off the orientation week by going to dinner to a Turkish restaurant. The irony is, I was in Turkey last week. It was a nice meal and it was fun to exchange some Turkish words with the waiter. Oh also there was some belly dancing. No wonder the restaurant was so crowded.

The next day, we went to the site of our project to see it. It was closed, but still it was awesome to finally arrive at the place we had read so much about and seen in pictures. Our project is to develop a teambuilding program for businesses at the Open Air Museum (Frilandsmuseet) that incorporates the history of the museum and the use of gps-equipped cell phones. On Monday, we will go back to the museum in the morning to meet with the person in charge of the project. We are all looking forward to it. The museum is in a small town that is just lovely and fun to walk around in. So maybe we will do that if we have time later on (and it's not too cold).

More news soon.