Other students experience in Aalborg

If you want to read what other exchange students thought of Aalborg, I have posted links to some of my friends blogs here.

Ryan, from the US

Danish Universities

Study in Aalborg is quite different than at Swinburne Univeristy.

For a start I don't have the myriad of assessments in all my different topics throughout the semester. It is just one major one at the end.
All the classes or lectures are to help you get an understanding of your topic for your 'project' to allow you to write the best project you can. Aalborg University has a model called 'problem based learning'. So for example if you were an engineer you would be looking at a particular problem with bridge design and your whole semester would be geared towards finding a solution. Your lecturers don't know the answer, you have to find it yourself. It is not like psychology assessments at all, where the teachers already have the answers, and can tell you if you are right or wrong.
I am doing literature so my project is a major analysis of a text of my choice. Being given so much freedom in my study is exciting and scary! I can chose any book I want (as long as I can write 15,000 words on it), but what the hell do I choose!

It makes me wonder do Australian Universities go too easy on students? It seems they hold our hand through every assessment so that we get the best mark that we can. Here they just hold the door open and you have to walk through it yourself.
I think I am already a much better writer and critic for it already, but I think the australian school system has certainly instilled in me some need for constant feedback. I feel like Lisa Simpson, "Please rank me, grade me, I have been good and I am so, so smart!" The Danes are just expected to get on with it, and not expect so much hand holding from their teachers. I haven't decided which system is better.
Perhaps once I get a grade for a project I can say.

Nancy, that's in France not an old lady.

I spent the rest of my weekend in France in a city in the north east, called Nancy.
Historically Nancy is a very old fortress town. There are many old fortifications around the town, like this.

A big brick wall leads away from either side of this gate, and the only way to get from one side to the other is through the walkways beneath. Presumably in the Middle Ages there would be a gruff soldier standing there making sure you were some kind of spy. Just like customs at the airport.

There is also a really beautiful square. More beatiful than a lot of the ones in Paris in my opinion, it is a lot cleaner, and all the gold decoration seems to have survived the ages.

I wasn't just in Nancy to sightsee, I was mostly there to meet my boyfriend's family and partake of a lot of amazing french food!
I think I ate at least 7 different types of cheeses; two types of foie grae and about four differnt types of sausage! I also tried escargot as well. They were all delicious.
The escargot (snails) is usually served in their shells, or in little pots with a garlic and parsley (or other herbs) butter on top. The taste is much like mussels or pipis without some of the salt and less 'fishy' tasting.

On Sunday we drove out to one of the many old villages that dot the French countryside to visit my boyfriend's grandmother and eat more french food. She lived in a beautiful old farmhouse in the village that was home to about 400 people. Like all the villages it has a church, but at the moment it is without a priest which means that sadly it is starting to decay because there is nobody too look after it.


The village is called Pagny-la-Blanche-Côte which means "The white hillside." It is nestled into the side of a hill that was once a quarry for chalk.

I have to come back in the spring, because it was so beautiful.

Oh and meeting the family went well, in case you were wondering. I don't speak French, and they don't speak English, but you can communicate quite well with hand gestures!

A weekend in France? Oui Oui!

Australians have the belief that everything in Europe is very close. Whilst this is not strictly true, the plethora of cheap airlines makes it cheap to travel across Europe.

I flew EasyJet (Based in UK) from Copenhagen. For a budget airline the service was pretty good, about one or two points above Virgin Blue.

I was met by my French guide, who also happens to be my French boyfriend at the Airport. First we went to Pigelle to have a look at the Moulin Rouge.  This is probably not the only the red light district of Paris, but it is probably the biggest. There are heaps of neon lit brothels and restaurants trying to attract all the tourist that go to the Moulin Rouge. A show there costs about 90EURO which for that price I would expect Nicole Kidman to be singing and dancing there. Also it is all in French so those who don’t speak the language might not get much out of it.

What was more interesting was the Museum of Eroticism! Four floors of erotic art from around the world and throughout history. After I was done giggling at all the phalluses, it was actually very interesting to see how this universal act is represented around the world. Also it is a lot less expensive than most of the attractions in Pigelle.

The next morning we started of our day by spending 30 minutes in line for the Eiffel Tower. It opens at 9am, but with the usual French efficiency it opened up around 9:30, perhaps 9:45. That said, I would suggest that you always go early if you can because there might not be as much of a line, but there will definitely be less people at the summit so you won't be as crowded up there.

It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the world, and tourists attract other things, such as pickpockets, touters and scammers. I kept all my valuables in the inside pocket of my jacket, so I didn’t have a problem; but whilst we were lining up to go to the Tower, we were constantly hassled by people selling miniature Eiffel Towers as souvenirs. I am not sure of the quality, but at 5 for one euro, they can’t be good. But only tourists buy souvenirs like that anyway, I am a traveller!

The Tower is an impressive structure up close and you get a really good view of the city. I think it is one of those things that you do because it is there, and now I can say I have been up the Eiffel Tower. But I wasn’t amazed by it.

Next we took the Metro to the two Arcs. The metro is the easiest way to get around, and also what gave me my most vivid impression of Parisians. At the entrance to the metro, there will often be beggars, some of them with disfigured limbs, and a lot of the time they don’t appear to be French. It seems like a lot of immigrants have to beg to get by. Often on the train there will be someone busking with an accordion or a violin.In Melbourne I never know whether or not it is appropriate to give to beggars and I am not sure here either. Everybody else ignores them, but they seem so much more pitiful than the homeless people in Australia. Perhaps Australia takes better care of its homeless population, I don't know.

We walked along the  Avenue Champs- Elysees to the Lourve where we spent most of the afternoon. The Lourve is HUGE! I could have spent two whole days examining the paintings in there. Because we only had a few hours we almost had to run past so many of the paintings just so we could take in all the highlights. This is the definite must see if you go to Paris. It contains so much of western history that even if you aren't into art, you will be able to find something to enjoy.

After the Louvre we went to Montmarte where one of my favourite movies is set; Amelie. Alas Montmartre isn't full of quiet and kooky young girls looking to fall in love, it is full of tourists, but it is beautiful anyway. We climbed the stairs and dodged through the buskers and scammers to go to the Sacre Cour. From there we watched the sunset across Paris and the lights on the Eiffel Tower.

After that it was time to go to the train station to catch the high speed train to Nancy.

My impression of Paris was quite mixed in the end. There are very beautiful parts of it, but it is bursting at the seams with people and their detrius; I think pollution and waste must be a major problem in Paris. In fact my throat was really sore from a day of breathing in so much cigarette smoke and pollution. And perhaps that is so overrun by tourists, it has lost a lot of its romantic allure for me.

Day trip to Aarhus

On Saturday my department organised a day trip to Aarhus for all the exchange students.
The students in the International Cultural Studies (ICS) mostly consists of North Americans, South Koreans, a couple of Germans and other eastern European countries and of course myself, the only antipodean.


Aarhus is the seconde largest city in Denmark, and is about one and a half hours by train south of Aalborg.
One of the main tourist destinations is The Old town which is a open air museum of old Danish Architecture where you can see different aspects of Danish life from from the Middle Ages onwards.

Two of my fellow exchange students enjoying some old-time fun

An old danish street.

Within this museum there was also a gallery with an exhibition of Danish and Greenlandic posters and Greenlandic art.

Aarhus is also bigger city than Aalborg so you can do a lot more shopping there - there are also all the big european brands; H&M, TopShop etc.

Wheels!

The best way to get around in Denmark cities is by bicycle. That is what everybody told me. So I went out and bought a second hand bike off a Belgian student. I paid 250kr which is quite a steal because the asking price for the average secondhand bike is about 600kr.

Isn't he a beauty! I think I am going to call it Caspian the wonder bike.

Other places you can look for cheap bikes are the Cykler huset bloghttp://cyclerhuset.blogspot.com/ Which I think is run by some enterprising danish student who worked out there is money to be made by buying the international students bikes cheap when they leave home and then selling them on to the next semesters intake. I see a business starting up for me back at Swinburne Uni.
Or, you could just steal one, international students are known for doing that. Because everybody has a bike, nobody really needs to steal one, so none of them are locked up. But don't do that, you would be a jerk and ruin these sweet trusting danish people for the rest of the world.

Now I just need to remember which side of the road I am supposed to ride on, and when this cold weather lets up, I will be biking it to uni!

Eyes wide shut remake in Aalborg?

Guess they get lonely on those cold winter nights

http://www.cphpost.dk/news/crime/155-crime/50648-prof-reprimanded-for-bizarre-campus-orgy.html

Snow!

I get like a little kid whenever I see snow, since is is such a novelty for someone that grew up in regional Victoria. Well obviously not THAT region of Victoria, another one. The weather forcast said that there would be no more snow this winter, so I was a bit disappointed that I missed it all. But we had a centimetre or so overnight and there is to be some more tonight.

My driveway

This is the path at the end of my street that leads to a soccer field and a playground with some picnic tables.

Aalborg Advice

Below is a list of tips I have made to help other Swinners who are going to Aalborg settle in easier and faster.

Packing:

•  If you are going in the first semester of the year it is winter in Aalborg so it is going to be very cold. You will need a warm jacket, scarves, gloves or mittens and warms socks. Think the very coldest days we get in Melbourne and then it is a bit colder than that! Also waterproof boots and gloves because if it snows it is going to be very wet!
• All those bulky winter clothes take up a lot of space in your luggage so use one of those vacuum bags. You can fit heaps more in that way. Just don't go over your luggage weight allowance.

Arrival in Aalborg

• When you first get here you will need a bus pass. It is the cheapest way to travel on the buses, and it lasts for a month. Bring one of your left over passport photos because you need one for your bus pass. Otherwise you will need to buy one here, and it is very expensive!
• http://cyclerhuset.blogspot.com/ A lot of Danskers get around by bicycle. There are bike lanes on nearly every road; so it is pretty safe.  If you are near the university, it is going to be the quickest way to get around. A good second hand one will probably be around 600knr

Uni Accomodation

• There is an accomodation office that can sort out a place to stay, for a price. This was the option I took so I don't know if renting privately is cheaper, but you run the risk of spending a lot of money on hostels (which there are not many cheap ones in Aalborg) until you find your accomodation.
• Most of the accomodation is furnished; you will have a bed, desk and wardrobe at a minimum. The university rent out pillows and blankets etc. but I don't reccomend it. A lot of the rooms will have stuff left behind by other occupants for you to use. Or you can go to an op shop and get it. I only needed sheets and they were 20kr each, whereas the university wanted 300kr. I will probably leave the sheets here for the next person to use. Aren't I nice!

Food.

• Firstly, it is not like Australia which is quite cheap. Food is expensive, so find the nearest Aldi, Fakta, Lidl or Fotex to shop at for all your basics.
• Take your lunch to campus. There aren't many other options for food at Aalborg Univeristy like there is at Swinburne. Each of the main buildings will have a canteen but it is really expensive.
• Coffee. Sadly coffee is not the same as it is in Melbourne. Espresso style coffee is very expensive compared to Melbourne prices. Just wanted to warn you, I am addicted and it has so far been hard for me to adjust!

I will add more as I find out more!

First week in Denmark.

After 23 hours on a plane and 4.5 hours on a train, I am in my new home for the next six months; Aalborg.


Aalborg is a very industrial town; there are signs of it everywhere. Big smoke stacks in factories; cheap housing for the workers and efficient public transport. I have made it sound like it a very ugly town, but is actually very pretty. There are lots of old houses in the CBD that have that Nordic charm about them, the all all brightly painted and nicely decorated.

 Of course the first thing that has struck me is the cold! In February, there is not much snow on the ground, but it is still slushy and icy so you have to be very careful where you walk. Gumboots are a fashion item and a necessity! It is very windy too. So that is probably within 3 days of arriving I got sick! I had a really bad cough and a little bit of an achy fever!
I went to the chemist, and because I can't speak danish very well, I just sort of coughed at the assistant, and hopped she caught my drift.

I arrived late on Sunday night, so I just stayed the night in a hostel and on Monday I went to the student house to register and pick up my key for my house. I met some of the other international students there as well. So far I am the only Australian - which made me feel a bit special!

I have a nice big room with a single bed, and a bathroom and kitchen that I share with two others. There are seven in the house in total, but perhaps there will be a couple more once semester starts because there are still three rooms that are empty. It is a very international house; there are three Turkish girls, one hungarian, an italian and a french girl and then me. The house is split into two halves with two kitchens and two bathrooms and the laundry in the middle. It is quite comfortable and about 20 minutes by bus from the city, and about 35 to the university.

I will take some photos.... once I have made my bed!

Stop overs and old friends

Well I made it to the third post. That is one more than 99% of bloggers.

Since I had to change planes somewhere in Asia to get to Denmark I decided to have a stop over in Hong Kong. Hong Kong must be the most crowded place on Earth. Any time on the street, you are pretty much bumping shoulders with someone else. Nobody seems to mind though. I guess you get used to it - living so close to people. I stayed with friends of mine in their apartment on the 43rd floor. The apartments are all close to each other so the effect is like living in a giant bee hive.
 Hong Kong is all about shopping and cheap food. Every touristy landmark has a shopping centre there and food stalls.  Also there are the markets with all the cheap knock off and all the weird sex toys you can fit in your suitcase!
Such as the Ladies Market and Temple Street Market.

The Peak, a beautiful tram car ride up the side of a mountain to see the view and..... a shopping centre.

On the second day I went to the big buddha

and it's shopping centre.

 Yes, that is a Starbucks.

Now onward and upward to Denmark!

Danish stereotypes?

I am trying to figure out what Danish stereotypes that Australians have about Denmark.
I don't think that we have many, mainly because Australians don't seem to know much about Denmark other than 'Our Mary' lives there. Well and now 'Our Cassandra' if that is not expecting too much. But I have tried to give some thought to it to see what I should expect, and how accurate those expectations will be.


So
Australian stereotypes or ideas about Denmark;

Princess Mary likes it.
Danish men seem to like Australian women (Yay for me!)
They can design a good lamp, but can't sell it like the Swedes.
They invented lego.
Danish political cartoonists get themselves into trouble with Islam a lot.
They are all blonde, tall and beautiful and hang out in Saunas a lot.
They beat us at everything in the Winter Olympics. I am assuming this, because I, like most Australians don't really watch the winter olympics; mostly because we are never in it.

I will have to add some more as I discover them.

Famous Danes?
Does Princess Mary count? ( I see a theme developing here)
Hans Christian Anderson.
Viggo Mortensen is part Danish
Aqua - of the Barbie Girl song fame.

I haven't even left yet

So I am leaving Australia for Denmark in less than two weeks to attend Aalborg University.
I thought I would be sad to leave the sunshine, but since we are having rain and floods, snow doesn't seem like a bad alternative.
I haven't checked if there is snow in Aalborg; I should probably do that right? I'll pack the night before anyway, like everybody does. But I felt very proud of myself when I bought a winter jacket on sale to take with me. See how organised I am?! One jacket, that I probably didn't need, yay!

But the big stuff is done
Visa - check! (it was close though - I had forgotten I needed a visa for a longer stay)  The Danish Consulate people were really friendly, I hope all of the Danes will be like that!