Day 7 -- Important addendum **

We had the opportunity to celebrate Ingrid's 18th birthday (actually June 13) together and Amanda made a cake for her. What a great celebration!

Day 7 - BBQ

Today, we readied our compound for the arrival of 40 or so people from Hilltop. As they arrived, we gave them a tour of the compound and began to discuss how to divide ourselves into mixed teams for the "football" match, Bocci, walks down to the shore/horses, and a fantastic game of human Stratego. While the games and activities were going on, several of us foraged for wood to start the fire for our barbecue. The Danes came with a full complement of traditional Danish food; there were hot dogs, sausage patties, yellow potato salad, pasta salad mixed with greens and an Italian dressing. After eating a ton of food, we took a walk and then back to the compound to say goodbye to our new and old friends. It is truly amazing to see how strong the relationships are after only one week! Even the staff develop life lasting connections. (Pictures of the group of students to follow, taken with a real camera).

After relaxing for a bit, a late afternoon shopping trip to Viborg came next. Not only did we find great gifts and snacks, there was live music and lots of people watching and wicked cool artwork all over the place.

Day 6 -- Internship day

Today we went off to Hilltop and several of our students were able to go to visit the sites where they are completing internships/job training. The first one was the Staarup brewery where they make beer and lemonade. The process is absolutely unbelievable and is managed by four people all doing brewing, bottling, labeling and distributing. The internship students are learning about the science of brewing and how to manage a small business. Some great skills to take with them into the world of work.

The second was a school for students from age 4 through 15 where a couple of the Hilltop students go to work with the younger children in preparation for working in pre-schools and day cares. While several Chamberlain students went to the internship sites, others participated in a genuine Danish physical education class. One of the Hilltop teachers was giving our students tips on "football" to take back and share with the Chamberlain players.

After the school day finished up, we headed back to the house for some independent down time (much needed). Then it was off to Viborg for an Italian buffet, which was absolutely fantastic! Students enjoyed great thin crust pizza, alfredo, carbonara, and so much more. Finishing the meal was a choice of chocolate cake, tiramisu, or milk flan (or a combination of the three). Then after a chilly walk it was down to the marina to catch the sunset and back for a snack of fresh fruit salad and bed.

Day five

Some late waking up this morning after a long day yesterday. The Hilltop students were to arrive at 9:15 am but ran late and did not arrive at the compound until 10, which made our morning go a little more smoothly. The ride to Aarhus was over 90 minutes (perfect for mid-morning naps). Our wonderful hosts packed a fantastic traditional Danish picnic with Pizza snails and hotdogs baked inside of bread. 

We sprawled ourselves on the lawn of the Moesgaard Museum and had a great lunch. Then we went into the museum for our guided tour of the historical museum by our English-speaking guide delivered over wireless headphones. We learned tons about Gladiatorial activities and how many of the relics ended up in Denmark. After the tour ended, we had an hour to spend exploring on our own. The museum has he mythical bog setting that allows the audience to witness offerings of the Iron Age and meet the world’s best preserved bog body, Grauballe Man. After the museum, we did some much anticipated shopping and snack sampling.

 

 We then walked around Aarhus for approximately three miles, which was perfect after loading up on salty and sweet snacks. This picture is from the bakery in the mall; wicked better options than in our malls.

After using the very progressive bathroom, we headed for another 90 minutes by car to hang out with our Hilltop cronies; due to the traffic, we took the scenic route and saw some awesome sights. When we arrived, dinner was ready for us to eat with several of our new friends and even a few from previous excursions. Dinner was traditional fish and boiled potatoes, enjoyed by all. As soon as we got back to the compound, we cleaned all of our bedrooms and the house to tidy up for our Friday barbecue. Post-cleaning, down time and light socializing before bed, as tomorrow is another fun-filled day of classes at Hilltop. New adventures to be shared soon…

Day four

Tuesday began with a light breakfast of fresh fruit and yogurt with wonderful Danish grains. While some were eating, some were showering and getting laundry done. We left to head to Hilltop at 0900 for a day of classes, lunch with the Hilltop crew and socializing. The “Americans” split into two groups to head to classes for social communication/psychology and social thinking skills. The conversation between both sets of students and staff was so enlightening and the participation was 100% across the board. Our students were asked to share their perspectives on different topics and compare them with the Danes’ perspectives on the same issues and clarifying misconceptions on each topic. The buffet lunch gave all of us an opportunity to socialize with our counterparts from across the pond. 

There were some surprises about the level of interaction initiated by our students. It was incredible to see how they gravitated to some of the Hilltop students. The quietest students ended up being our most social. 

After lunch we took a few mile walk to see downtown Skive, the 800-year old church, cemetery, and the beautiful sculptures scattered about.  

 

 After a quick ice cream later and some light shopping we took our walk back towards Hilltop to take a quick rest before heading off to Buffett and Bowl.  The buffet was awesome and was loaded with traditional Danish food and snacks. The teams were then set for the big match between the four pre-arranged teams. Through the smattering of strikes, spares and gutter balls the abundance of laughter made the competition much less important than the social aspect. The activity was a huge success! Even though we didn’t get back to the compound until 21:30, we made time to spend an hour in the pool. Stay tuned….

Day Three -- North Sea

 Day Three

Everyone is beginning to get more acclimated to the time change as evidenced by the ease of the wake up routine. Fruit, eggs and cereal were the choice of the day. Following breakfast, we headed to Hilltop School to meet our hosts of the day and to discuss our upcoming journey to the North Sea. We were treated to a most informative tour of the Hanstholm Bunker Museum. As we suspected, our full knowledge of the Danish struggles during WWII and the impact the Nazi Regime had on the culture. Just to see the timeline of events is staggering enough but learning how the bunker operated was absolutely amazing. The students asked some very insightful questions about WWII, which sparked some interesting conversations between the Chamberlain and Hilltop students.

 After the tour, we took a small hike to a mini-railway that the Germans used to deliver munitions to the large weapons on the bluff. The ride was bumpy and was almost like being back at an amusement park but the view was astonishing as was the design of the railway.  Then it was off to Klitmoller Rogeri for a traditional Danish fish and chips luncheon. As usual, the food was outstanding and so was the company! With bellies full, we headed down the coast past the turrets in the bluffs and on to Vesterhavet for a walk on the long pier and beach and of course a cone of ice cream. It was time to head back to Hilltop to drop off our hosts and then back to the compound. 

 

The students were ready for showers and a little down time while a smorgasbord dinner was being prepared. The buffet style dinner worked out quite well as everyone got to choose where he or she wanted to eat whether it was inside or out.  While finishing dinner we all started to crash and began our preparation for another fun filled day! Off to bed for all to have a good night’s sleep as we have a full day at Hilltop School on Tuesday. 

Day two Legoland

A full eight hours of sleep later, for most, came a breakfast loaded with yogurt, fresh fruit, toast, hard boiled eggs and lots of coffee and tea. Then it was off to the airport to pick up lost baggage and then over to Legoland. What a fantastic day for a park, warm and sunny and lots of interesting people watching. Rides, cotton candy, popcorn and LOTS of water!! The roller coasters were awesome and everyone had a ton of fun, even though we got wet on the flume, it was still a blast!!

We closed the park down and then drove to the center of Billund to Mama' pizza for perfect sized individual pizzas and great conversation without technology. Full bellies and a 90 minute ride coming led to some naps and awesome conversation on the scenic ride back to the "compound". As soon as we got back, everyone took showers and some of the boys headed directly into the heated pool! A blast was had by all and then some down time for technology and music. 22:30, lights out and rest up for another exciting day of learning at a WWII museum.