5 STRANGE FACTS ABOUT DENMARK PART 3

Hej Everyone!

I know, that the upcoming posts were supposed to be about my apartment stories, however I think you are not that much interested in those.. Are you? Let me know! Today though, I have for you 5 Strange Facts about Denmark part 3. I know you love these series! Write a comment below and share your thoughts of Denmark too!:)

5 Strange Facts About Denmark Part 1
5 Strange Facts About Denmark Part 2

As always, a little disclaimer - these facts are not as strange to me as they were before. Those are the things that surprised me about Denmark and might surprise you! I am not writing these posts to offend Danes or show my huge love to them. These are just the things that I observed over 5 years in Denmark :)

1. Rich Students

In Poland (where I come from) students going to universities, in order to pay their rent and/or their expenses, they need to have a part time job. Unless you have rich parents of course! There are also some schools that you need to pay for. The people who did not get into public universities, are often enrolled into these private ones and they need to pay there money for each semester. Well, in Denmark all students are receiving their monthly pay from the government and trust me, they can afford to live well and party for that, without having to find any job! ;)

2. Black Prams

When my mother came to visit me here in Denmark she told me about this and I started noticing that. In my country there is plenty of colorful baby prams / strollers ! The bluest or the yellowest - the better. In Denmark though EVERY stroller is BLACK! When I said about that on my polish website, people commented that it is because, there is not that much sun here, therefore black brings a bit of warmth into the pram and the baby. Is that true, or is it just fashion? :) You let me know!:)

3. The Teacher May Be Your Friend!

I was so surprised when I came here and all the teachers wanted me to speak to them by name! Does not really matter if the teacher is young or older. They don't really like to be called mr. mrs. or Professor. Sometimes they can even sit down in a friday bar with you and have a beer together! It was a huge challenge for me because I come from a country where the power relation is kind of big and you talk to everyone calling them Mr., Mrs. or Professor and you keep a distance!

4. Clean Up After Your Dog (REALLY!)

When you see signs with "Clean up after your dog" you don't really pay attention to that, do you? At least I know me, and all my friends. However when they say so in Denmark, DO IT. Otherwise you will have people looking at you like killers or screaming from the window to clean the poop up! #neighbourpolice

5. Naked People Around Me!

One day I decided to go to the swimming pool here in Denmark, and what? And I was shocked! I had no idea that being naked is not a big issue here at all. In Poland everyone hide themselves in locker-rooms, or behind the towels, because you can't even see a knee of a child! (joke, or not..  but you know what I mean) Here nobody cares. Young and older women are going around with EVERYTHING on the view, either in the public changing-rooms or in the shower area. After a couple of times, I stopped caring as well, but until now it's a pretty strange view to me:)

Well, I hope you liked all of the observations and I am not the only one noticing them! Let me know what you think about it and if you have anything else that really surprised you?:) I am waiting for your comments!:)

Aleks

Why I needed to move out?

Hi everyone!

Long time no see - but, I needed to move out. In this post I am going to tell you, why I needed to do that. I am planning on making at least 3 blog posts about apartments in Aalborg and my experience with it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

(Read my experience on living in camp house and dormitory by clicking here)

(My first real apartment in Denmark and what should you be aware of when looking for one)

The 1st Reason

Not looking at the picture of my table with cosmetics, wardrobe and some boxes ready to pack, you can notice in the up-left corner, a really strange spot close to the window. Well, that's actually the first reason why we needed to move out. Me and my boyfriend started coughing, our eyes were all red and stinging, and very often we had running nose and a migraine. Why? Well, because we had MOLD in our apartment. We went to the doctor and he told us, all the symptoms are because of that, and it might be very dangerous for the future. (More about that issue in the next post - I know you like the short readings:) What agency was it, why we had mold and what to do in that case)

The 2nd Reason

Well, we had a dog in our apartment (as some other tenants..) even though we were not allowed to have one. Therefore after 3 years (haha) we got a letter that we need to get rid of the dog (SAY WHAT?) Hahha, never! I have seen that some of the Danes in the building did that (no idea where they put the animal), but we love our dog too much - then we knew it's the time to move out. 

Did you have any experiences with mold or animals? let me know!!:)

The next blog posts:

• Mold in the apartment - what to do?
• What are the costs of living in the center? (I get this question A LOT!)
• House tour (Some pictures of my old place)

Any other requests? Let me know!!

Follow me on facebook to be updated!

5 Strange Facts About Denmark part 2

Hej everyone!!

Some time ago I wrote a post called "5 strange facts about Denmark part 1" ( <- Read it there) and lots of you loved it! Even Denmark.dk shared this post on their facebook page!:) I knew right away, the continuation of that post will be needed :)

Again - Some of these facts may be normal to you, however those are the things that surprised me personally, if there are others that surprised YOU, don't forget to share them with me here :)

1. The danish accent + written and spoken form of the language

The one thing that stayed in my mind was one situation where my danish friend asked me if I knew the danish man : Andersen and I replied .. NO. Why? Because in polish we say his name directely as it is written, together with 'D' and 'R', so when she asked me about him I had no idea, who is she talking about!

The same is with other words that I am trying to learn in this video down below (another written form and spoken one, as you can hear:) )

 

2. There is more pigs than people!

You can of course interpret this however you want to, I am just saying.. :) There is around 5 mln people and over 13 mln pigs!:)

3. The tax is in avarage 49%

Of course there are some exceptions, as for the students - 8 % , but whenever you reach the earnings over some kind of limit you pay much more… and most of us do reach that and it feels so bad to pay half of your money to the state.. :( (And yes, I know what we are getting for that - education, health insurance etc, but the thought you need to pay so much is just depressing! :) )

4. Equality of men and women

I know, everything is great - women can go to work,  drink as much alcohol as men and nobody's judging, perfect - I agree, but there are some things that are just making me upset, as for example men walking first through the door, not letting the woman first… GRHHH I hate that! I still feel that a woman is a lady!!! :)))) and it is not acceptable in Poland when a man goes first, he is then treated as he was raised in a "bad" manner.

Another surprising thing is that you can see a lot of women working in a job that in Poland for example is considered only for men :) As in building construction or painting the houses:)

Also the one thing, I was told in the first year of my education in Denmark though my teacher - The head of the family in Denmark is the woman - not the man as in any other countries :) For example most men doing shopping or taking care of children when mother is coming back to work after the pregnancy :)

Can you also guess the toiltes are common is some buildings? Both for men and woman - even at my school :) In Poland - not acceptable hahhah :)  I am used to this one, but I still find that as quite interesting fact :)

5. Renting the apartments

First of all - almost everyone does that. In Poland its mostly students who rent, and directly after finishing their studies, they are getting a loan and trying to buy something. Denmark, among other northern countries are leading in the statistics of renting apartments in Europe.

Second of all, when you rent the apartment you come in to the totally empty one. You just see white walls and just a kitchen ( sometimes you even need to get your own fridge.. ) and what is the most funny is that you need to pay a deposit for that empty space, that is equal to 3 times the price of your monthly rent :) So speaking more straight - most of the times the deposit for these empty apartments is minimum 10. 000 KR (min. 1.000 Euro) of course depending on the price of the rent, in my case it was always 15. 000 for two rooms. Imagine bigger apartments and bigger rents :)

( I will write something more about renting apartments in Denmark,since it was highly requested:) Ask questions if you have any)

That are just some of the things that really surprised me and are creating Denmark as it is:) I am not judging here - those are just funny/surprising/strange/interesting facts to me:) Share yours if you found any!:)

All the best for the New Year!!

Aleksandra

Punished for entrepreneurial spirit?!

Hej everyone!

Some time ago I was watching a polish movie based on facts called "Układ Zamknięty" and I must say - I loved it, not only because of the story but also because of the danish details that were included in it.

Just to explain it shortly, the movie  was about 3 young men who opened a business in Poland, that after a short time was bringing benefits to the company itself and polish economy. Of course as it is, some representatives did not believe so easily in the fast success of these three businessmen, so they were all the time trying to do anything just to put them in jail. Finally they succeeded in it, even though men were not guilty, they spent 3 months in a jail, lost all of their money and company's equipment, one of them lost child because of harsh actions of police, one of the man's daughter stopped talking, and finally the youngest businessman was raped in a jail (what is actually very common in polish jails..)

In the end turned out, that the men even though are not guilty lost their business and in compensation from the state received only 20 000 DKK (2 500 euro) PLUS the men who put them in jail and were trying to make privately owned money on it (and we are talking here about public prosecutors) are still working in a public sector in Poland(!) That is just amazingly (if that word exist) pathetic! 

So.. about the danish details in it? I loved the moment in the end of the movie, when one of the danish colleagues, participating earlier as a supplier of the needed equipment said to already poor and dreamless businessmen, offering them a job in Copenhagen : Your buisness will be conducted in Denmark, where people aren't punished for ideas and entrepreneurial spirit.

Looking at the fact that this movie was based on facts and this whole situation was just loud (?) in the media, I would not add anything else to this blog post. The sentence in the purple lines says it all.

Best,

Aleksandra

The trailer to the movie :

Rejsekort - Your travelling card

Hi everyone!

After talking to some students here in Aalborg, I noticed that some of them, did not know of existance of rejsekort. That is why I decided to inform you all about that.

What is it, for who and how much does it cost?
Rejsekort - Travelling card, is a card you can use when travelling in Denmark. The tickets are much cheaper than usual - the normal ticket in a bus costs 20kr, and  with your travelling card you pay only 9 or 12 - depending where you are and how much you travel. You can have your rejsekort totally for free, however  you need to pay an activation amount, can be 50 or 100kr , which you can later on use on your travelling. So if you are a student here and you know, there won't be classes in the uni every day, there is no point to buy a monthly ticket - because this alternative could be much cheaper.

The only thing that you need is your CPR number and danish account number so you can load up your card every time you need it. You can order it online (over here) and it will come to you within 1 week :)

If you are a tourist, you can also have it,then its called anonymous, but you need to pay for it 80kr.

When visiting other cities..
The great thing about it, is that you can use this card travelling in Aalborg and when you are lets say fly to Copenhagen, you can also use this card over there - from the airport to the centrum. For me its very convenient! I am lazy, and don't like buying a ticket every time I travel in another city, especially when its metro in Copenhagen and you don't quite have a time to buy a ticket, because the metro is going away in a half of minute.. :)

When travelling between the cities..
When you are travelling from Aalborg to Vodskov or Nibe for example, the card is still working and it's still cheaper. I was going last time from Aalborg to anoter city 25 km from here, without a card I paid around 50kr and with a card, only 28. However when you have a longer way to make, Aaloborg - Aarhus for example , then its not such a big difference, its actually better to buy a normal ticket then, unless you upgrade your card, but you need to pay more.

I hope you are now more or less informed. The website is also in english so I highly recommend reading more information about all of that before buying the card. http://www.rejsekort.dk

And remember - when you have a card already ITS CRUCIAL to check IN every time before a travel and check OUT when its over (by putting the card close to the blue point in the bus for example) If you don't do that, there will be money taken from your card. (I think it will be around 50kr)

Have a good journey!
Aleks

Halloween Party in UCN

Hej Guys!!

This post is mostly for people who are not in Aalborg yet, or those of you who are not updated with all the events happening in Aalborg;)

If you ask me, I don't go out so often as I used to in the beginning of my studies, but I am always happy to hear that all the newcomers have the opportunity to participate in so many events. As you all know, one week ago there was Halloween in America. Well, turned out it also came to Denmark, UCN more specifically.

I am leaving you all with some of the pictures from this event. Here you have the full album! CLICK!

And Remember - no matter what parties are there - studies should be the priority.. ! ;)

Remember to join next year! And look creepy!

Keep calm and warm in this terrible weather!:)

J-DAG - Christmas Beer back in town!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Why? Because there is a christmas beer released - today!

Every year in november it was always a huge surprise for me in Denmark, when I saw a fake snow, tracks bringing the beer to the town and lots of people with crazy hats on. If you haven't experienced that yet, you need to find out what's going on!

As you all know, Danes love beer. And a wine, and a rum, but.. let's come back to the beer. As we students all know Tuborg brand, in Christmas time, 1980, they came up with an advert of their regular beer, however their commercial became so popular that in 1981 they decided to release their special Christmas Beer on the market. Until today - the beer is so popular that even though they sell it only 6 weeks in a year, it remains the fourth most sold beer in Denmark.

Nevertheless, for me there is something more to the story. Danes love Christmas (remember my earlier posts about it? Christmas traditions or Christmas Market) so.. every opportunity there is to remind them of this celebration - they're gonna use it!:) Nowadays the tradition became so big, that they celebrate it every first friday of november, every year:) Then, people are walking around in a city, with a Christmasy - blue or red - hats on, and they are waiting for the release of a Christmas Beer in the pubs at 20:59 ! :) And.. there is even a fake snow! Well, it's actually a strange foam.. ;) The city is crazy that time, but well.. that's how they like to think of a coming winter, they just like to parteeeyy!!!

And if you are wondering if the beer is really THAT different, well, for me it tastes more like a polish beer (called Strong in Poland, but we have it all year long) it is just stronger than the usual one, and a tuborg brand, sells it with a scent of liquorice and blackcurrant with a 5,6 % strength of alcohol. I personally really love it, however my boyfriend doesn't, so you need to try it for yourself, but remember - there are many brands that produce it nowadays, so you can find your own favourite!:)

But J-DAG? What the hell is that, you are thinking?:) Danish - english translation here :

Jul - Christmas, øl - beer, dag - day

There you go. That is why it is called J-dag - Christmas Brew day! :)

Hope you are going to have fun tonight in the city center! Check out Jomfru Ane Gade (if in Aalborg) no later than 20:59! Try the Danish Christmas Beer and tell me which one is your favourite! But remember - don't taste it before 21:00! Because you may lose your Christmas spirit.. ! ;)

Danish Study Trips

Hej everyone!

As you already know (if not here is the link) I am enrolled at Aalborg University. However that does not change the fact that these trips are organised only there. It's somewhat a danish way of studying here:)  Study trip, in simple words - you, your classmates and the teacher are going to different countries or cities to visit various companies that are relevant to your study programme:) What's so special about it? Well, possibility to visit a company and analyse how is it working on a daily basis,  meeting high level representatives, and the frequently asked questions - how does it look like with internships in there:)

I remember on my internship in UCN we organised study trip to Copenhagen, where 1st year students visited companies such as DFDS, Hilton Hotels or Kilroy Travel among many others. At the same time, other programmes at UCN were going to London, Dubai or Miami! (I actually really regret I didn't go to the trip to Dubai last year, my classmates said it was amazing!)

This year though, I joined the stream that I am following to go to the study trip to Copenhagen. Ohh, if you ask me - it was amazing! All the visits at the companies are free of charge, however we needed to pay for our own transportation, accommodation and food. I, of course looked for the cheapest and fastest way, so 2 weeks before the trip I booked two-way flight tickets for 400 kr (about 50euro) and the trip took me only 45 min one way :) My other friends went with the train and one of them paid only 180kr two ways, however the trip was 5h one way... As you can see - it's always easy to find cheap solutions, when you are looking for them:)

As always - a bit long blog post, but now I am just going to leave you with a video from that trip and list of some places my specialisation visited:) Enjoy watching and let me know if it is also popular in your countries to go to study trips ? :)

Some of the places we visited and I liked the most: The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Equality and monitoring department, The Danish Centre against Human Trafficking :)

5 Strange Facts About Denmark Part I

Hej guys!

Today I decided to write you about 5 things that still amaze me here in Denmark.. And trust me.. there is much more to it!

I hope I am not a weirdo, so please, let me know, these things surprise you as well! If you have any others, please add them in the comment section, I'll be sure to include them in a part II ;)

1. Danes and a red light. OMG!! How long can you stand and wait for this green light? I was in CPH last weekend, and you know.. Big city,more people, bigger mess. Well, I thought so. But NO ladies and gentlemen. Even though the road was close from one site, plenty of people stood there and waited for a green light to come across, even though there was no car or bicycle going..
I know it's a good and safe thing, but sometimes.. you need to break the rules, or.. ?

2. Put some clothes on! Remember the story about Denmark and the vikings? Well.. Here is one example of that.. Eventhough it may be so cold outside, that I am wearing winter jacket, some of the Danes put jeans and tshirt and are ready to go. Brrrr! Ahm, almost forgot - why some of them are going on the streets with a bare feets? Please tell me something about that...

3. Do you know "Please"? In a danish dictionary, there is no such a word as 'please'..

4. Babies in front of the houses. Imagine you have e.g. 2 months old baby. You are coming back from a long and a cold walk outside - the baby in a stroller. What do you do? Well I guess come home and warm yourself and your baby up. But NO! In Denmark, they leave their babies outside for a sleep. Remember I was telling you about the vikings? Well.. :)
Ps. I think its great, but looking at the fact that in Poland parents would not go out with their small babies for a long walk when its cold.. then it may be strange for me.

5. Are you this girl I met yesterday? Most of the Danes look alike..or are trying to do so.. E.g. Girls -
Blond, long hair
Black outfit - usually something baggy on top and skinny jeans
Sneakers - in most cases from New Balance
Really, really 'mini' make-up (foundation, pink cheeks, LOTS of mascara)

Disclaimer: I am not trying to offend the Danes : the facts may be strange - doesn't mean they're bad. This is how I see it, from immigrant eyes. ;)

Guys! That's it! I am very curious your opinion. What do you think of these? Did you also notice some of these facts?

Until wednsday then, cheers! Aleksandra

My career path

Hej Guys!

Long time no see. Sorry about that. Had so much on my head lately. 

I have some news for you all! As you all know I finished my experience with UCN in february 2013. From that time,until september I was working a bit, travelling a lot, and enjoying free time. However it all finished, and now I am super busy. 

I started my Master's degree in Aalborg University. I am studying Culture, Communication and Globalisation (Every time I say it, need to take a deep breath).

What can I say after one month there? Well, I am loving it! It is a lot different that in UCN I must say. So if you are planning on going there after UCN,  don't hestitate to ask me questions! :)

During the break - the view from the top. Usually I sit closer though..

After every month I have read so much that my head is just feeling bombared with all the information.. We have plenty of books, articles and research papers to read. And well, its not just reading.. you need to understand them.. And on master's level.. hmm it may be difficult sometimes. But - I manage it pretty well. (I hope so at least)

I must say, I am really happy that I took this one step higher and decided to take master's degree. And the saying "the more you know, "the more you know, the more you know you don't know" its very accurate here. 

Studying at home. Of course with sweets and a beer :) Don't judge!

And I know many people find practical experience more important than the theoretical one, hovewer nowadays, everyone has an AP or bachelor degree just like that, without really putting too much effort into it. (observing some of the people.. ) And more and more organisations are looking for the most skilled and qulified employees in the market. Having a master's degree is just this one step closer to gurantee yourself a bright future, especially for international students in Denmark. Therefore I really encourage you all to think more about that, because I know many students who have finished their education after 2 or 3 years here, and now are doing really nothing, and trust me - companies see that and if you have 1-2 years gap in your CV that may really affect the decision process of your employer..

Try to find your way to success, and maybe Master's degree will be very needed here, anyways what can I say is that I really recommend it! I hope you'll do that and you will all succeed in today's world market.

Well, thats just my opinion - if you have another one, please share it with us in the comments below :) 

Good luck with finding your way to success! :)

Aleksandra

Summer holidays 2013

Dear UCN'ers 

It's july and we have holidays! Yaaay :) I am really happy about taking some time off to relax, doing nothing and simply enjoying the life, since in september I start a new chapter in my life. And let's be honest - we all need some excitment and journey in the summer break, don't we? :)

One of the aspects I love about studying in Denmark is the fact that you get to know people from all over the world and you make significant friendship that may last through whole your life. I may proudly say that because of UCN I bounded with two amazing girls that I can simply call my best friends. 

Unfortuanately as you all know, we all have different paths and goals in our lifes and we choose different destinations. Lady L. is  from 1 year living happily in Copenhagen, studying master's degree and working as a sales assistant, and Lady D. left Denmark nearly 2 years ago and is having a crazy life working as a restaurant manager in one of the best restaurants in London.  (Ps. the girls finished AP degree in Service, hospitality and tourism management in UCN)

However if something is strong, it never gets apart and that is why we were planning from over a year to finally meet as all 3 Charlie's Angels.

Surprisingly enough, the tickets are not that expensive at all to Copenhagen or London, but since it was hard for Lady D. to take vacation we took off to her. I managed to book the two-way tickets for 800 kr to Gatwick airport (from there you may take the bus that is taking you to the center of London for 220kr two ways and they are driving every 20min to the airport) I found this offer on norwegian, hunt and you'll find a good holidays! The planes are flying from Aalborg airport almost everywhere:) Since I've been already in London sightseeing, this time was spent just for relax with my girls and of course shopping, BUT you can only take 10kg handbag with you, but on the way back you can buy a suitcase (that is very cheap in e.g. primark) and buy a ticket for it in norwegian for 80kr. Of course if you have friends all over the world, that's even better - you dont need to pay for a hostel or a hotel. So once again guys - integrate and use your connections all over the world - you have the perfect opportunity for it here:) 

Lunch in the park

Like always- having fun

Having fun.. again!

We've done some damage to our wallets.. shopping!

Ladies <3

My holidays with the girls were amazing! I just wish to see them soon again, either in Aalborg, either in Copenhagen, either in New York one day!:) I am leaving you with some pictures and let me know where you are going for these holidays and what destinations can you recommend to fly out from Aalborg?:)

Aleks:)

Sport for free - good for everyone!

Dear UCN'ers,

Today a very short blog post with some pictures and inspiration for you. (hopefully:) )

Since spring is here, you can see much more people on the streets moving themselves - as I was mentioning before, Danes love it! (Here are my previous posts about sport in Denmark) With that being said, I decided to also move my two weak muscles from the chair and do something with myself! So over 3 weeks ago now, I started my trainings.

my evening run with our UCN in Lindholm in the back:)

Even though the fitness in Denmark is not expensive at all (100 -150kr/ month and you can train how much you want to at the gym) I decided to do it without any payments and enjoy the nature at the same time. I train every day at least 45 min/day - running, cykling, cardio (with our polish trainer Ewa Chodakowska - youtube link here) voleyball, yoga in the parks, walking, and sometimes gym - that you can find in some parks in Aalborg - totally for free! I love it about Denmark! You never know what can surprise you next!

UCN tshirt for running!

And what can I say - I love it - totally! And I just can't get my eyes from the results. I was always a slim girl, but never so fit! I can see my muscles and I totally love my body! Now sport is a huge part of my life and a day without a training is a wasted day for me.

Free gym at the park with UCN in the background

So if you feel like training - do it! There is nothing better and cheaper than that for a better, not-stressful mood! I even use my old UCN tshirts for that ;)

Free gym at the park

morning run

morning run

The park gyms that I know:

1. Skudehavnsvej / Ryesgade

2. Østre Anlæg Park

Do you know more parks that have these fitness opportunities in Aalborg? 

What other ways of sport for free can you suggest? :)

Write in the comments below, or in FB site!! :)

Aleks

 

Video Interview part I - UCN Student Job - Adrian

Dear UCN'ers!

Today, I have for you a little surprise. 

UCN Marketing Ambassadors came up with an idea to interview UCN Students regarding their student jobs, so you know how does it look more or less to find work here, even before you come to Denmark! 

Of course, please note that there are different people and different opinions about this subject, so that is why we will have interviews with many people, not just one. 

However on this episode, I would like you to meet Adrian, UCN Student who comes from Romania, has been working in London for one year and decided to come to UCN, Aalborg! Watching the video you will get to know, what tips does Adrian have for you to find job and what does he think about working with Danes. Adrian is a bartender in a bar called "The Wharf" which is situated on Borgergade 16, just in the city center of Aalborg:)

We had lots of stress, but also fun with Adrian filming the video, hope you will like it anyways! Please give us some credit for it, that was our first time in front of the camera! Also excuse the lighting, that's just the proof I was studying International Hospitality Management. :)

Let us know in the comments below,  what difficulties are you facing with finding work here and what do you think of Aalborg as a place for a student job? Maybe you can help in that way the new, potential UCN students.

Enjoy the video then and stay til the end for a small bonus!

Aleksandra

Carvinal International Parade

Dear UCN'ers

If you follow my facebook site you must know that yesterday I have been in the city center and I was watching a nice parade just on the Aalborg street. I am sure you also have seen some pictures there! :)

Remember my two posts that I wrote one year ago about huge Aalborg carneval? Here is the link to part one http://meyouucn.blogspot.dk/2012/04/carnival-2012-hello-everyone-do-you.html

This year the carneval has started already yesterday, but it's going to last almost all week, no worries, you can still experience this whole environment. Yesterday was just a 'welcoming party' for all the bands that have arrived to Aalborg! They were going through the streest, people went out to look at it all and everyone was simply enjoying  - you can see it in the video that I prepared for you all :)
In the evening, me and my friend went to get some fresh air close to the Fjord and the party apparentely moved there! So many people chilling by the water, so many dancing to the sunset, and the music played by the bands, just amazing!!

That's my favourite band! They are from Netherlands :)

Since today we have such a beautiful day, I will not stop you anymore, watch the video that I filmed yesterday, read some more about this year's Carnival Programme (it's also in english) and go, get a beer! When it's so warm in Aalborg, you can't stay home!

More pictures on Me you UCN  facebook site

UCN'ers!

Have you seen the battle? Have you seen today's concert? 

Do you have already your costumes ready for saturday?

Let me know in the comments below! :)

Aleks

Glædelig Jul, Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year Everyone!

I suppose most of you are in your home countries, am I right? That was always the case for me.. However this year I decided to stay here in Denmark. Why? Well, I have my last project to hand in on the 7th of January and I wanted to stay and focus just on that. Nevertheless, I also wanted to experience Danish Christmas spirit! :) 

Christmas Calendar Candle

Today I am going to introduce you a bit closer to the Danish Christmas Traditions ;) But in exchange I would like to know what are your Christmas Traditions in your home countries? :)

In Denmark christmas starts in the beginning of December, where the families are taking part in count-down to Christmas Eve, by partly lightening up every day the Christmas Calendar Candle.

In most homes Christmas starts with lightening Christmas tree candles, where the family dance around the Christmas tree. I know! Sounds funny right? They hold each others hands and walk around the tree, singing the Christmas Carols and hymns. We do not have this tradition, that is why it is surprising for me, but HEY! I would like to try that and I think it really connects the family together:)

Of course, there are also Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree, and the same as in Poland, they are distributed on the 24th of December. Just after the Christmas Dinner. And trust me - looking for Christmas gifts is just crazy in Denmark! It all starts up in the beginning of December when you meet mass of people with full bags of presents on the beautifully decorated with fir garlands and lights  Aalborg's streets.

You are probably thinking what is served for dinner? Well, I need to disappoint here some polish readers (where we have 12 traditional dishes) but in Denmark it is usually roast goose, duck or pork with sour-sweet  red cabbage and carmelised potatoes. This year I was eating it on the second Christmas Day at my friends house in Kongerslev (20 km away from Aalborg)

roast pork in crunchy crackling - love it! - It is often served in our School's canteen, you need to try it! :)

Ris a'la mande

 On the dessert, there is a tradition in Denmark to serve a delicious Christmas rice pudding, its cold with a warm cherry sauce. Yummy,  Really! Ris a'la mande is mixed with small pieces of almonds, however it is very popular to put the whole almond inside and the person who is going to find it is going to get a Christmas gift, usually marzipan package :)

Summing everything up, I had a very good Christmas Time spent together with my beloved man, my parents who came to visit and my favourite danish-polish couple of friends who are very close to me from the beginning of my journey in Denmark. Let me know how did you spent your holidays?! :) 

For me, Christmas is all about spending time with your family, what do we do then? Play the games!:)

Visiting my friends in Kongerslev (Jola, Klaus - everything was amazing.. :) )

Freedom of Speech

Hi everyone!

Hvordan har I det? (How is it going with all of you?)

Did you start to learn danish already? I need to read 3 books and then describe one of them on the exam, but trust me - the ones for the third module are really strange!

Now, really busy times for me - Internship and writing my internship report, then bachelor project. Therefore, you need to excuse me for my absence in here.

But I am actually always trying to post something on my facebook page, to keep you kind of updated. Look for Me you UCN Blog!

Now, returning to the subject. Last time when I was in Aalborg Library to borrow some books connected to the matter of my project, I came across a book called 'The worktrotter's guide to Denmark', written by Dagmar Fink. Mentioning that, I am a member of http://blogs.denmark.dk/ group, suddenely I recalled that I know this name already. Turned out, I have read some of her posts on this site and she is the author of a book I borrowed. What a coinsidence.

In her book she writes about values of  a Danish society. One of them is Freedom of Speech.

Well, personally I had many experiences with that in Denmark already. As I was writing earlier, I come from Poland.. well, a country where it is better to keep your mouth closed, writing nicely. That's just our cultural backround, our grandparents went through and we've got raised like that. So, My Danish friends : Do not be surprised when I am sad or mad at your open style of communicating and your sarcastic humor :)

I guess I am still not used to it (after living here 3 years) and I am taking everything personally, but we can not expect that the danish culture will adapt to us, right? It is just their nature and we should totally respect that and get used to it.

Even though we should adapt to the Danes' sarcasm, a huge conflict appeared between Danes and Muslims in 2005/2008 when Danes published in Jyllands Posten newspaper, cartoons, drawn by 12 proffessional cartoonists representing e.g. a Muhammed with a picture of a bomb in his turban.

http://hecklers.wordpress.com/2009/05/page/2/

Looking at the fact that here is many, trust me, MANY Muslims living here, I totally understand their indignation towards Danes. They pressed for apologies, but they haven't heared any. The conflict became big and they started to print out the cartoons both in Denmark and Muslim countries. The results of a war of nations,you can see here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrq76I1M3CM

As a curiousity, Muslims boycotted the danish goods, This was attributed to a decline in exports to the Middle East by approximately 50%,the cost to Danish businesses was around 134 million euros. (I showed a picture ona facebook page with  protesting muslims)

But looking at this in a closer, down to earth perspective - It is really rare to notice any venskab (friendships) between the danes and muslims in Aalborg streests. I also remember  that there were some cases where danes got killed after this situations.

What do you all think about it? Did you experience when a Dane was rude to you or a bit too honest?

Did you hear earlier about this situation from 2005-2008? If yes, I would love to know what you all think about it.

Let me know in the comments below!

Aleksandra

Løb for Kræft 2012

Hi everyone!

 

How was your weekend? I guess you are all overwhelmed with parties and events happening in Aalborg these days? I remember when  I came here.. I was really looking forward to the weekends, when I could meet some of my friends and have a good time. Nowadays I feel, I am kind of grandma. Chilling on the weekends home in my sweatpants. Not too interesting, is it?

 

This weekend, I put my pyjamas away and on saturday afternoon, I joined some of my friends, taking part in the event 'Løb for kræft 2012'. In the other words, it is a running marathon that supports children with cancer in Aalborg hospital. The tickets were 150 DKK but the money were spent on a good cause, to support the fight with cancer by running, or simply walking 6km distance. You can check the website here for more information :)

 

 

As I was writing in the previous posts, Danes love sport. And they also love to help others. So now you can imagine why there was more than 500 people running in this marathon. I really think it was a great initiative to organise this kind of event. Oh, and I forgot to mention that before the running marathon, we danced all together to the loud music. After the marathon there were some koncerts and zumba classes for everyone. Perfect!

 

I am really happy I took part in this, eventhough I have terrible pain in my legs. - Why? Hahaha, because I did not prepare for 6 km run, it was my spontanous decision and I gave as much as I could, and I promised myself - I am not gonna stop, even when I will not have energy anymore. Guess what! And I didn't. I finished the marathon, being very proud of myself and after that I went to work for the whole night. That is why my body is exhausted! But, hey - I am trying to be a Viking.

 

While running, I took a picture with my phone (because I was checking my time anyways) of our school. It is in the back of a girl in green, but I thought it would be a great connection between the marathon. Maybe one day UCN Students culd make one? :)

Insight into Danish Culture - Viking habits

Hi guys!

As some of you already know from UCN Student Help Desk FB page together with my colleagues, we are running the office for UCN service, hospitality and tourism students in order to help them with integrating into danish culture much easier and faster. That is why we decided to open new blog page, only for them and all of the posts are going to be written by all of us in there. More information about that soon - but get ready!:)

But Me-You-UCN will be still written by me, don't worry :)

Anyways I hope you have had a really nice weekend, because I must say - I had, and that gave me an inspiration for this blog post.

All of the people from our office went out on saturday night, to spend some time outside the office. We had a really nice time together, drinking danish beer and having conversations about differences in our and in danish culture.

While we were drinking beer, my danish friend Rasmus was saying all the time "Skål" (read Skool) what in english simply means cheers. I think this is a very important word when you are trying to integrate with Danes, because they put a lot of interest into it. For example when they say 'skål' and you do not put your glass up - it is very rude. (Your glass needs to be filled!) Also when you are in Jomfru Ane Gade (read the post here) and people are going around with the glasses, yelling to you Skål, all the time, that means they are happy and you should just say it back and simply drink!

Why is it so important then? Well, as you know, Denmark is known from its viking culture, who in the Middle Ages raided most of the European countries. They are known from its big success and power. When you say it to the others, or others say it to you - it is a wish of a good health, fortune and an honest friendly connection.

Little curiousity - I asked Rasmus if they still keep their viking culture in their hearts, and he told me, that it just appears in sports - they fight til the very end and never give up. I guess, that is why, they are so good in it.

Anyways, coming back to the 'Skål', earlier this word, was also used as a greeting between the vikings. Nonetheless, after every battle they fighted, they were so tired, when coming back to their camps, they just dreamed of a relaxing drink and without too much words, they just raised their bowls (Yes, vikings drunk like a real men) and said SKÅL, til they get asleep and ready for the next battle. Nowadays it is used only as a Scandinavian toast of friendship and you just greet each other with a short 'Hej' (read Hi).

I must say - what impressed me about that, is that in eastern European contries we say 'cheers' ('na zdrowie') only when we drink alcohol, but here in Denmark they say it even when drinking tea.

So have a good life in Denmark, SKÅL to all of you!

Aleksandra