smil

I just wanted to take a quick break in my day for a smil, smile, break. I promised pictures of the kids from my practicum site forever ago, and i finally got a chance to get some when I went back to visit this week. It was gorgeous outside, so Susan, Mikkel, and I took the three kids who were at school that day to the park.

The break in my day is related to the fact that I'm going on my biking trip to Bornholm this weekend! I'm pretty excited...I'm not entirely prepared, but I'm definitely looking forward to what this weekend has in store for me, despite the fact that my booty is absolutely certain to hurt by the end of the weekend. The weather's looking pretty nice, so there will without a doubt be beautiful pictures taken while I am there! We're ferrying overnight tonight, staying in a hostel Saturday night, and ferrying back overnight on Sunday night. I'll arrive back in København just in time for me to run back home to drop my things off and grab a super fast shower. It should be great, though.

Anyway...more on that Monday, for sure. Here are the beautiful children who will hopefully bring a smile to your face as they have mine. I also need to mention that this photo-op really made me grateful that my dad has allowed me to borrow his Nikon D40x for my trip; however, it's going to be a bit of a fight for me to give it back. Maybe while I'm recouperating on cash after the trip I'll work on saving up to finally buy my own.

Okay, so this isn't a kid...but we drove around past the airport after going to the park. Ot was SUCH a beautiful day, though, that I couldn't resist sharing that, too.

Snoezelhuset

Wow...it has been quite a week! With my "Children with Special Needs" course coming to a close, my love for adventuring and living the Danish life has come to bite me in the butt because I've been writing lots and lots of short papers this week (apparently the procrastination bug still bites in København). For the class, we had 8 short, 3-5 page papers. In all, it added up to 32 pages of writing! That's a lot for three weeks, and I still have one to finish, but I'm going to do that in the morning when I'm fresh...I mean, it's not due til 5pm tomorrow anyway!

So, here's a recap of the week since I became a blonde...

This is for Brittany: Monday, after the hair dying adventure, we had DIVINE tacos with nearly every topping imaginable for dinner. This was my first one:

Tuesday our class did some field study time, and we visited a Snoezelhuset (pronounced snoozlehoose), which is best described as a facility that provides a multi-sensory environment. Snoezelhusets provide a space for sensory integration and stimulation to individuals who have deficits or excesss in sensory stimulation. This particular Snoezelhuset has four rooms, each of which is meant to provide different types of sensory stimulation to its users. Marian, the Occupational Therapist (OT) who works at the Snoezelhuset, was clear in stating to our class that this facility is not Tivoli (an amusement park in København). Rather, it is an environment where they identify a problem for an individual and determine how they can provide the necessary sensory input. The idea of Snoezelhusets began in Amsterdam in the 1970s, which to me is no surprise with all the trippy & psychedelic features that are included in these rooms. After we heard about the facilities, we got to try out all four of the spaces and imagine what it would be like to have sensory integration issues that could hopefully be supported by the Snoezelhuset. It was very cool, and nothing like anything I had seen or experienced before. At the Meredith Autism Program we have had a couple girls who are pre-OT do basic studies, most notably involving a platform swing, but this facility was a complete extreme compared to that swing! Very cool!

Here are a couple pictures I shot at the Snoezelhuset. They really do not do the facilty justice, particularly since you can only use one sense to experience these rooms; however, they'll help to give you a bit of an idea.

The red room: This mattress has speakers in it, and this room had a very harsh, highly stimulating feeling, so the bass really made the bed vibrate! Very cool.

This is a giant waterbed which has speakers beneath the water. Therefore, vibrations from the music come through the bed, giving sensory input of both the vibrations and the water movement!

We got to test out the bed & relax a little! Sarah's on top of a huge mattress, used to give additional pressure to whoever is using the room.

The Ball Bath

The black room: When we were in here the overhead lights were off and only a black light was on. Everything glowed, so it was pretty cool!

After the visit to the Snoezelhuset, we were planning on going to Tivoli (ironic, huh?), but things didn't quite go as planned so we had lunch, did a bit of shopping (it's dangerous here, by the way), and decided that it was better that we weren't at Tivoli because it was POURING. So, Kayla and I headed back to our apartment and we both did a little work and took some nice naps in the gloomy afternoon. That night we fixed another DIVINE dinner and finished up some work before hitting the hay.

Inside City Hall, loving my Danish heritage!

Doesn't this look like great napping weather?

Dinner: Chicken breast on a bed of sauteed spinach topped with melted swiss and sauteed onions and mushrooms. YUM!

Wednesday most of us had our last days at our practicum sites. Because I was short on hours, I had to go back today, but I'm planning on going back before the next two weeks are up, mostly because I really love the place! After our days at our sites, (and after I walked back to DIS in a torrential rain storm with no hood...and got ghetto and dried my hair under a hand-dryer), we met up to go to Tivoli! Tivoli is one of the oldest amusement and entertainment parks in the world, and it is also home to the world's first rollercoaster--which we all rode!

Hey Tivoli, Hey!

Dinner was delicious...and we American girls got some Hidden Valley for our French Fries. Yum!

We got to ride the world's first Rutschebanen, Rollercoaster!

All 5 of us waiting at the "Rutschebanen"

The Meredith Girls

Looking regal in my flying shark!

Beautiful Tivoli

Downtown København by night.

So, tomorrow is the last day of class, which is very sad. I've really loved both my professors and the subject material. The danish school practices and ideals are absolutely fascinating to me, and it is definitely a subject I want to look into more in the future! Monday I begin my cross-cultural psychology class, which I'm also looking forward to, but I think it'll be very different from the hands-on learning I've been doing thus far.

Anyway, this weekend should be fun...except for the fact that Sarah, Allyson, and Brittany are heading back to the States...because my friend Tory from high school will be in København, so I'm going to spend the day wandering with him on Saturday. Then Sunday I'm going to meet John & Jenny, my relatives who live in Jyllinge, Denmark!

It's crazy that three weeks has nearly gone by, but I'm so happy that I chose to come here, and I'm definitely looking forward to more wonderful times!

elsker

Well, I must say that the study tour was a great success. I absolutely fell in elsker, love, with Denmark on this trip. Get ready...this is a long blog post, but our adventures were outstanding, and I was certain to include lots of pictures to keep it from being boring! Check it all out :)

Our first stop was to Marjatta, an institution/community/society for children and adults with disabilities, located in Tappernøje. This school is based on Steiner methodology, which insists that learning is not a static activity. Learning at this school is based on nurturing and learning through the heart, body, and mind. Children here are taught music, art, and basic subjects...and all teachers are required to work with these areas, too. They are taught that no one is perfect at any of these things, so they must all practice to do the best that they can. The methodology is really interesting, and the school was absolutely beautiful. We felt like we were in a bit of a wonderland!

The teachers' room

One of the classrooms

Look at the care and thought that went into teaching this class!

Some of the children's artwork in one of the classrooms

The music room.

A mural of Marjatta. The school was named for Marjatta, a finnish goddess, whose son from a virgin birth was born with a disability. In the story, she buried her son and then dug him up from the earth as a "rebirth". The school's philosophy is that the parents must grieve because their child is not who they thought he or she would be, but that the Marjatta school provides a place for rebirth, which will enrich the child's life. 

Most of the children enrolled in the Marjatta school live in the school's facilities. This is the kitchen in one of the living quarters for the children at Odense. Not too shabby, huh?

Everything there was absolutely magical! There were lots of colorful toys, ready for the children to use!

Yep, we were in Denmark!

Leaving Marjatta. What a beautiful piece of the world!

After leaving Marjatta, we headed straight for Odense. The first stop was to our Hostel, which we settled into Wednesday evening before going to dinner with our class. We were quite happily surprised by how nice this hostel was! The bathrooms were even nicer than ours at the apartment. We really couldn't complain--especially because breakfast featured Warm, freshly baked bread, lots of cheese, jams, and fresh veggies, and a cappuccino machine. These are all staples to the Danish breakfast. YUM!

Lovely Kayla lounging in our Hostel Room--Since we had a group of 5 (the 4 Meredith girls and Sarah, our friend from Whittier, CA), we had one of the largest rooms in the Hostel. 

We began Thursday morning with the amazing breakfast and then really with visits to schools for children with special needs. I didn't know when I signed up that my school was a center for children with autism! This school actually based its approach off of the TEACCH methodology, which was developed at UNC Chapel Hill. It was cool to see some of the work they did with the kids...and another location that used PECS/boardmaker!

 

The children each had their own desks (some had their own separate rooms) which were set up to best suit their learning needs. This child is easily distracted, so his desk faces the wall. 

 The PECS weekly schedule

Our next visit was to the Odense Kulturhus, which is a club/community center for youth and adults with disabilities. It provides opportunities, which would probably not be offered otherwise, for adults with disabilities to establish careers. Some are musicians, others are artists, and others do weaving and fabric work. It's pretty outstanding what these people can do. 

Inside the music studio

The art studio. Check out all these supplies!!!

We got to see one of the artists at work!

The textiles/weaving studio

 Some of the fabric pieces that were for sale. There happened to be a set of placemats that were some of my favorite colors. I'm excited to use them in my new apartment!

Our next, and probably most amazing part, of the study tour was our experience at Fyrtøjet, also known as The Tinderbox, which is a children's cultural center. The Tinderbox, which is named for one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved fairytales, is an interactive center where children are invited to live the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen. Well, since we are studying child development as well as the importance of play in danish schools and culture, we had the opportunity to dress up and play, too! 

part of the set in the theatre

playing dress up and getting my face painted

Kayla, my roomie in denmark, and me showing off our beloved (not costume) Meredith College jewels!

 our crew in for a group pic!

 after dressing up, we did some artwork!

 my AMAZING finished product...

Since Odense is so proud to be the home of Hans Christian Andersen, they of course have a museum to honor him. We got the chance to check it out after our fun time playing at The Tinderbox...it may have been a bit of a let-down after our super fun time playing dress-up, but we still got to learn a bit.

some ugly ducklings in the HCA museum

We concluded the night with some fun times at a local bar. We were clearly a hit there, because some of the bar regulars were chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A" and saluting us! 

The locals are very proud of their odense beer...as they should be!

Friday included more fun & cultural experiences, including a stop at Egeskov Castle in Kværndrup, Denmark. This castle is the home of Count Michael, his wife, and his young son. The castle has been in the family for 9 generations! It is absolutely stunning, as you can see here. 

The castle is surrounded by a moat and has a drawbridge that connects it to the beautiful castle grounds and oak forests. How very castle-y, huh?

 A quick peek from inside the castle

 The castle had an amazing outdoor area on the grounds, which included a treetop walking experience. We climbed up the rickety metal stairs, then walked on the rope bridges among the trees!

 Meredith girls essentially walking the plank--I'm pictured here with Kayla & Allyson

We finished the trip with a boat ride before leaving the island of Fyn

All in all, this study tour was a great success, and it is certainly something I will not forget about my time in Denmark. I've absolutely elsket, loved, København, but it was great to get out of the city and to explore more of this amazing world!