SUFONAMA Dinner - Sept 21

So just as a reminder the name of my scholarship is SUFONAMA (SUstainable FOrestry and NAture MAnagement). Last Friday evening (Sept 21), Professor Larsen, who most students call Bo, invited all of us to his home for a fantastic meal. We were 11 students and at least 5 professors.

The meal was a good opportunity to have some time to interact with professors outside of the classroom environment and get some good Danish home cooking, although Bo's wife is from Norway - so maybe it was Norwegian cooking. I don't really know but I can tell you it was delicious and the company was fantastic. Here are some pics from the evening taken by my friend Tan (a sweetie from Thailand).






































I just really liked this pic.





















One of the challenges in going to a new place, as most of you know, if finding out where one fits in a new school, city, country, culture, etc. This is a process that takes time and can be a big challenge. it is gatherings like this one that make this process less tedious and more fun. Being invited into someone's home, meeting their family, and being treated like family gave us all an opportunity to feel at ease and to feel a part of this place that on an everyday basis feels quite foreign.

It is true that most Danes speak English but, generally, I think if they have a choice they will opt for Danish, and this is perfectly normal. What is different about being here for me is that unlike Japan and Italy where I know the culture and the languages quite well - Denmark is a whole new ball game for me. This isn't bad, it isn't good, it just IS. It means the transition to my life here is different and in many ways humbling, which must in someway be exactly what I need.