Western Denmark adventures.

Just got back from a trip to the grocery store to buy milk with Lennart.  It is still pretty grey here, but the weather is getting warmer. I'm gonna take this as a sign that winter will be over in maybe a week or so, tops.  

I can hear clinking and shuffling around in the kitchen, so dinner will be served soon, excuse me if this entry is more factual and less flowery.  From Thursday morning to last night (Saturday) I was on a tour with my Children in a Multicultural Context Class of various places around Denmark, Odense, Naestved, and other cute little places along the way.  It was really nice to hang out with the kids from my class and get to know everyone a little better, and also see some interesting school dynamics and giant parrots along the way.

This was during a tour of Vollsmose, an area considered the ghetto of Denmark. Multiculturalism is an issue that is exploding right now in the Danish world of education, politics, and the like.  In describing the student demographic of the multicultural Humlehave Skolen, the headmaster told us that there were children from, "all the wars that America has made."  And when we got to go into the classrooms and meet the children first hand, I talked to three girls from Iran, Iraq and Turkey. They were very sweet kids! But very shy about their English.  

This smiley face is painted on the playground at a large school called Rosengardskolen. The idea is that if a new child doesn't have someone to play with, they stand on the smile and other children that are appointed student leaders watch out to make sure these children are included.

A boy in one of the special needs classrooms that melted my heart. I couldn't help but be jealous of the facilities and materials at the disposal of the special needs and all other school programs, especially at the Rosengardskolen. There are large, open spaces in place of hallways, and a plethora of rooms and programs for children with special needs as small as ADHD. 

After touring the schools, we roamed free in the town of Odense, which is the second largest city in Denmark and the home of Hans Christian Anderson, writer of The Little Mermaid, Ugly Duckling, and many more children's stories.

In place of a well balanced lunch, the group I was with searched long and hard for the perfect pastry shop.

We found it. 

This was a delicious lunch indeed. I don't think I will forget it for as long as I live.

And then we arrived at the Tinderbox. We were given a short recap of a little mermaid, and then laid down in a room while shiny banners flecked light all over and noises of the waves crashing accompanied. If you closed your eyes, you were on the beach.

 And then we got to further our "field work," and played dress up, painted our version of the story, and got to be little kids for a bit.

After a long, hard day of playing dress up at the Tinderbox and other very grueling activities, we ventured to Naestved. The "dinner at a bowling alley," listed on the schedule frightened some of us.  

 Smoked salmon? Filet mignon? America has some catching up to do.

This was an adorable dog waiting outside for his owner in Naestved. I think I may have to devote an upcoming entry entirely to dogs, because they are everywhere. And they are adorable.

Visiting the Vordingborg castle.  All that remained was this tower, and the view from the top was wonderful. Unfortunately, I spent too much time taking pictures of moss that Joy called my attention to, and then my camera died.

But what beautiful moss it was!