Now that you know the thrust of my research project, here's a brief overview of my progress so far.
Upon arriving here about two and a half weeks ago, I gave myself several days to adjust and settle in to this new land and time zone. Unfortunately, I arrived less prepared for my project than I wanted to be, so my honeymoon didn't last for two long. I spent a solid two days immersed in reading academic papers and refining my interview protocol so that I could feel confident and prepared for my interviews. Which I was, in the end.
First stop, Roskilde. This small city is about 30 minutes west of Copenhagen by train. Although it is most well known for its music festival, Europe's second largest (and starting next weekend!), it is also host to one of the top universities in the country. At Roskilde, I interviewed two professors on July 17. I've done a few interview-based research projects now, and the first few tend to be somewhat rocky, as you field test the interview protocol and get more comfortable with it. Thankfully, though, both interviews ran very smoothly, and I had some excellent conversations.
After that solid start, it was time to move north. The next day I jumped on a bus for about five hours and ended up in Aalborg, Denmark's fourth-largest city. Trying to shed its sleepy, industrial past, Aalborg is experiencing an urban renewal, by my estimation. The long stretch of its waterfront has undergone a complete revitalization with new walkways, unique architecture, and lots of activities. Elsewhere in the city, former factories and industrial buildings are being repurposed into dynamic, multipurpose venues for housing, retail, exercise, culture, and more.
I had just one interview in Aalborg, and it went smoothly as well. A great part of my visit was that I stayed with a Couchsurfing friend, so we actually did a ton of stuff that I otherwise probably wouldn't have done. We visited a microbrewery, went rock climbing (indoors), biked around town, and cooked some good meals.
After two nights in Aalborg, I traveled south for about two hours on the train to Aarhus, the second-largest city in Denmark. Three interviews were scheduled, but due to a circumstances beyond my control, only one actually happened. I'm hopeful that at least one of the others can be rescheduled before I leave.
I had a great time in Aarhus. The city has a lively canal area packed with bars and restaurants, a first-rate modern art museum, a Williamsburg, VA-esque old-timey recreated Danish town, a top university, and a nice cafe scene. Even though there's a lot to do, it doesn't feel like you're in a big city. Another fun aspect of my time in Aarhus was that I met up with two good friends who were visiting northern Europe from the U.S. After four days in Aarhus I bussed it back to Copenhagen, where I am now and will mostly remain for the next three and a half weeks.
With that, you're mostly caught up. But I'll leave it there for now and add more later.
Upon arriving here about two and a half weeks ago, I gave myself several days to adjust and settle in to this new land and time zone. Unfortunately, I arrived less prepared for my project than I wanted to be, so my honeymoon didn't last for two long. I spent a solid two days immersed in reading academic papers and refining my interview protocol so that I could feel confident and prepared for my interviews. Which I was, in the end.
First stop, Roskilde. This small city is about 30 minutes west of Copenhagen by train. Although it is most well known for its music festival, Europe's second largest (and starting next weekend!), it is also host to one of the top universities in the country. At Roskilde, I interviewed two professors on July 17. I've done a few interview-based research projects now, and the first few tend to be somewhat rocky, as you field test the interview protocol and get more comfortable with it. Thankfully, though, both interviews ran very smoothly, and I had some excellent conversations.
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| Aalborg waterfront |
I had just one interview in Aalborg, and it went smoothly as well. A great part of my visit was that I stayed with a Couchsurfing friend, so we actually did a ton of stuff that I otherwise probably wouldn't have done. We visited a microbrewery, went rock climbing (indoors), biked around town, and cooked some good meals.
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| Aarhus canal |
I had a great time in Aarhus. The city has a lively canal area packed with bars and restaurants, a first-rate modern art museum, a Williamsburg, VA-esque old-timey recreated Danish town, a top university, and a nice cafe scene. Even though there's a lot to do, it doesn't feel like you're in a big city. Another fun aspect of my time in Aarhus was that I met up with two good friends who were visiting northern Europe from the U.S. After four days in Aarhus I bussed it back to Copenhagen, where I am now and will mostly remain for the next three and a half weeks.
With that, you're mostly caught up. But I'll leave it there for now and add more later.
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