On Wednesday I had two field studies. In the morning I went to the KVINFO library with my Gender and Sexuality in Scandinavia class. Then later in the day I went with my Cross-Cultural Psychology class to the Allotment Gardens. Allotment Gardens are completely unique to the Danish culture. The purpose used to be a place where people could come to grow fruits and vegetables for their family (since food can be so pricey). Now though the gardens are mostly flowers. The houses are more like cottages and are very small. Residents can live their the entire summer if they please. The allotments are extremely affordable and from what I gather, are still mainly for the working class. While we were there we walked around the gardens, saw the houses, and were given traditional pastries and cake. Most of the community is elderly but they were extremely enthusiastic to have us to the gardens.Saturday my host family and I celebrated my host mom's (Irene) birthday. Everyone came over around three and we sat down to eat traditional Danish birthday treats. First we had tea and biscuits. The biscuits are like rolls and you put butter, different flavors of marmalade, and cheese on them. Then we had lagkage (pronounced low-- as in allow-- kay), which is a traditional Danish birthday cake. The cake has multiple layers consisting of a type of pound-cake bread and is filled in between each layer with sweet cream, crushed chocolate pieces, and some type of fruit, then a sugary icing on top. There were three different types at the party: banana, strawberry, and "symphony" (which is a mixed berry filling). The cake was delicious of course. I found it odd that we ate the cake first though.
I've found it's very typical for Danes to be quiet at first. It's as if it takes them awhile to warm up. Once they do though, they are wonderful conversationalists. I am continually surprised about how much knowledge they have of America and the world in general. Of course, I think America lacks in their world-knowledge compared to other countries (unless you listen to NPR). Around seven-thirty we had dinner. There was potato and pasta salad (Danish cold salads are very different than at home, but still good), frikadeller (a type of meatball made with pork and crispy outsides) and ham. The food was all very delicious and I definitely ate a lot. When we finished eating we continued talking and of course everyone began drinking. The Danes love to drink.
I then headed out with Jack, my host brother, and a friend from DIS to a bar/cafe near Greve (where we all live). It was smaller than the ones in Copenhagen but just as fun. I was glad to meet some of the local gymnasium (high school) and college students in Greve. Once the young Danes start drinking, they get wild and talkative.
Today I went to the FCK (Fodbold Club Københaven) versus Brøndby football (soccer) game. The game was a field study trip for all the students who take Danish 101 at DIS. It was such a great experience to go because the FCK (I know it's a very odd acronym) vs Brøndby game is the most rivaled game in Denmark. It's like the Ravens vs Steelers. It gets insane at the games, even more so than the American rivalries. Fights are not uncommon during the game (and when I say fights, I mean full on brawls between fans), therefore practically all the police are on duty during the game at the stadium. It's not a dangerous enviornment, fans (such as the DIS students) need to be a bit more cautious. The game was extremely fun. There's a lot of chanting and singing that goes on. The entire stadium is decked out in their teams colors (FCK is blue and white while Brøndby is blue and yellow). It's not a smart idea to wear the Brøndby colors on the FCK side or vice versa (that's how fights sometimes break out). During the game
there were small fires on the Brøndby side (apparently this is normal) and fireworks that shot out to the field. It was quite an experience. Of course there was a lot of beer drinking and cheering. Danes, as well as many Europeans, take football very seriously. The game itself was intense. I was on the FCK side, wearing Irene's hot pink FCK jersey. FCK won 2-0 and I was glad because obviously I was rooting for them. There's not real covet for the team like a trophy, it's more of bragging rights type of thing. After the game is when the real trouble starts. The police patrol the train station, yet fights still break out. On the way from the stadium to the train, we saw a fight break out and the police immediately were there with dogs. I didn't feel threatened or unsafe at all. It was actually very exciting.