EDITORIAL: Danish exchange student living the American Dream

(Denmark map courtesy of www.bupa.wordtravels.com)

By Cathrine Trolle-Schultz, Chronicle staff

“Denmark? Where is that?” – the question I have been asked over and over again by several people the last couple of weeks.

I am a foreign exchange student from Denmark on exchange in Johnston County for 10 months, which basically means that I have come to the US to experience the culture and living the American way.

So far, it has been great, even though it is a lot different from the daily life in Denmark. Especially at school. In Denmark my day would start with a 30-minute walk at 7:30am to meet in school at 8:15 am. That would give around one and a half hour more sleep every day, compared to waking up at 5am to be able to catch the school bus at 6am. Now, at the school in Denmark, you would be met by around 600 students all K-10th graders while here, you are meeting the same amount of people, but those only being 9th and 10th graders – there are a lot more teenage hormones here than in the Danish schools.

The schedule for the day is also very different from the schools in the US. A Danish schedule would be varied every day, saying that you would not have all the same classes Tuesday as you had Monday. The number of blocks does not have to be similar every day, as well as the time for meeting at school could be later than 8:15 am, depending on the schedule.

During the day, students would be in the same classroom – except for science classes – and it would be the teachers changing classrooms all day. After school, there are no friendly bus drivers to drive you to your doorstep. You would have to walk, ride a bide, or take the regular city bus to get home – not a lot of parents are able or want to pick up their kid after school.

In Danish schools, they do not have dress codes like in America. You are free to wear whatever you want, and you are allowed to have any freaky hair color you like. That does not mean that you are permitted to go to school naked though – there is a line you don’t cross, of course.

About similarities, there are not a lot, but the obvious. You have to attend school, do your homework, listen to the teacher, etc. Which school is better? You would have to go to both kinds of school for a whole school life to know.