Friday, March 22, 2019

Denmark - Day 7

Denmark - Day 7 (Last Day in Denmark!)

This post contains various thoughts from the last day in Denmark.

A Tour of Haderslev Cathedral - Gummy Nichols




On our walking tour of Haderslev, we stopped at the chapel for a tour of its long history. Once we entered we were overwhelmed by the size of the ceilings, and the tall windows at the altar. Our tour guide, Patina, led us up a very narrow spiral staircase that took a lot of balance and strength to climb. Once we reached the top we entered the attic of the chapel where we saw the tops of the vaults, the bells, and the clockwork machinery. From the top we could see amazing views of the town! It was super cool to walk through hundreds of years of history!

A Sketch of the Day (Mr. Yee)

Today, in some ways, was one of the most ordinary days that the students experienced.  They woke up, went to school so they could start at exactly the same time they do at SSSAS, attended class (in a schedule very similar to the one students will see next year), and gave presentations all day.  In other ways, this normalcy belied something quite unusual: how comfortable all the students, Danish and American, had become.  Friendships formed in the jokes and the silences, the product of wandering through Copenhagen coffee shops, sharing sleep-deprived silent mornings, and everything in between.

This camaraderie culminated in a farewell potluck where we had one final opportunity to spend time with our Danish hosts.  To a backing playlist provided by our own Danish student DJ, we enjoyed a home-cooked Danish meal and enjoyed each other's company one more time.  After the eating, the Kahoot, and the pictures, students still lingered in the party room, then the parking lot, then at stoplights pumping music from their cars.

At the end of this week, we close one complete cycle of a student exchange program with Haderslev Cathedral School.  But if these closing moments, and the tearful goodbyes the next day, were any indication, this is a cycle that will keep rolling on, lasting in the memories of these travelers and travelers to come for years.











Final Exchange Thoughts (Ethan Bean)

After being somewhere so great, it’s hard to want to go back. On this trip, we made so many friends as well as grew closer to the ones we already know. We learned so much about the history and the politics of the country as well as the Danish culture and lifestyle. I can honestly say that every city we visited was beautiful and the new things we experienced were priceless. Going back is going to be sad, but sleeping in the same bed will be nice for everyone.

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