This
is going to be a pretty long post, so I apologize in advance to your eyes. I
will be posting more before I leave Copenhagen on my experience with research,
the Danish university system, and interactions with both Danes and other
internationals. But I wanted to post part of a summary/reflection that I
recently wrote for the Danish Fulbright Commission about my time in Copenhagen.
It touches on what I've been doing here, the importance of the Fulbright
program, and my thoughts on how Americans are perceived abroad. It jumps around a bit, but that's because I didn't want to post the entire document.
Funding for the Fulbright program is severely threatened in the United States; in fact, the majority of my funding this year has come from the Danish side. That's quite sad, considering that Fulbright is an American-founded program.
Grant Project:
I came to Copenhagen to study the role of public participation in the
ongoing development of the Danish National Park System. My plan for the grant
period was to assist my advisor with her ongoing study. As a grantee who was
awarded a Fulbright grant directly out of college, I was required to take
full-time MSc courses at the University of Copenhagen. Originally, I was
worried that the time commitment for these classes would detract from my
research experience, but the opposite turned out to be true. Soon after
arriving, I found out that the study was going on hiatus for an indefinite
period.
I spent my first few months familiarizing myself with more of the
history behind development process: the different groups that are involved, the
relations between them, and how those groups function. Three of the courses I
took this year- Nature Perception, Conflict Management, and Environmental
Impact Assessment- were particularly helpful in giving direction to my
research; in fact, I don’t think that I would have made several contacts
without these classes. I was also able to visit two park pilot sites with one
of my professors, which was a good introduction to planning similar trips on my
own later.
My advisor and I eventually decided to work on researching and compiling
an update on the national park process. 2009 was the last year that part of her
study had been published in English, and there were several key developments
during 2011-2012. We accomplished this by speaking with key people at the three
existing parks, the four potential pilot sites, and involved organizations.
The Danish national park system is not a “system” in a cohesive
management sense. The Danish Nature Agency and the Ministry of the Environment
are involved in the formation and management of the parks through the park
boards, but there is heavy coordination by the municipalities. The emphasis
placed upon agreement and cohesion in decision-making was surprising to me,
even though I had read about this approach before coming to Denmark.
This also lends itself to the high level of involvement that Danish
citizens are able to have in nature governance. I spoke with a man a couple of
weeks ago who actually split off from the Danish Society for Nature
Conservation (DSNC) to form his own interest group, “Nature and Society.” He
felt that DSNC was demonizing the agricultural community, and took action in
the hopes of improving the dialogue with farmers surrounding the pilot site
Skjern A.
I will still be collecting data until mid-June, but in the meantime, I’m
almost done with writing a general article about what I’ve learned while in
Copenhagen. Most of the article focuses on recent developments concerning the
pilot projects, but also includes some information about the creation of the
three existing parks. The U.S. government is in the process of adapting how the
general public is included in future land management decisions, such as the
creation of nature areas and green spaces. I find the Danish emphasis in nature
management on what I have termed “functional preservation” fascinating, and I’m
looking forward to further examining how this can be utilized in the U.S.
during my time in graduate school.
I was also really impressed with the youth outreach program created by
National Park Vadehavet.
Interaction with Danes:
The Danes are a wonderful people, but they can be extremely hard to get
to know, at least as a non-Dane. Most of my interaction with the Danes was in a
student context, through group work and discussion in my classes at the
University of Copenhagen. I feel that this was a good way to facilitate deeper
friendships, as we were required to spend a lot of time together. It was much
easier to branch out into going for coffee or a beer after working on a project
together – since most of my efforts to befriend Danes I do not see on a regular
basis crashed and burned. The few Danish friends I do have really surprised me
at times with how considerate and sincere they can be in their desire to know
more about my life and perception of Denmark. I still see my host family on a semi-regular basis, which has added so much to my experience of Copenhagen!
Academic Tourism?
I’ve already written about why the Fulbright program is more than
academic tourism, but I’d like to now return to that criticism. By
definition, a tourist is merely a visitor. In contrast, I live here in
Copenhagen. Of course, I am only part of the student community in Copenhagen,
but that would also be true if I were living in the United States. The point
here is that I am part of a community; in a way I could never hope to be if I
was simply a tourist.
Additionally, there is truly no better way to understand your own
country than by living abroad. The perspective I have gained during my year in
Copenhagen has allowed me to examine the qualities that make America a great country,
as well as its flaws. The same is especially true of my ability to reflect upon
Copenhagen, a city that I had a tendency to overly romanticize after my
phenomenal DIS study abroad experience in 2009. ‘The bikes! The free health
care! The windmills!”
In making the transition from a long-term visitor to a resident, I found
Jante’s Law and the trend toward encouraging conformity in Danish society to be
frustrating at times. However, I really admire the Danish emphasis on having a
healthy balance between work and one’s home life. The Danes have a lifestyle
perspective that I wish more Americans would try to emulate – I think we’d be
much happier for doing so.
My discussions with both my Danish friends and my international friends
have made me realize that Americans have a pretty bad reputation abroad. Our
international policy and exported American pop culture and media is mostly
responsible for this negative perception. The average American (although one of
the great things I think I could argue is that, in reality, there isn’t an
average American) is confused with what is seen in movies, TV shows and music
videos.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve met any Europeans who actively hate America;
it’s more of a “Well, what can you expect from them?” feeling. In fact, the
basis behind the Fulbright program surprised many international students I met
– they couldn’t believe that the U.S. government would feel it important for
Americans to learn from Europeans and vice-versa. Several of my friends
here expressed surprise when they got to know me better. Apparently, I don’t
fit with their stereotypical image of an American.
Getting to know me has allowed them to put a face to the United States
and Americans in general. I’m glad that I can help better America’s image
abroad in a small way, but I’m sad that most of what we seem to be successfully
exporting as a nation are only the close-minded, negative aspects of our
country, despite the good that we do. This goes both ways, though. Many
Europeans seem to think that they have Americans all figured out, but many
Americans also believe that there is nothing new left to discover about the
“Old World.”
Getting the chance to interact with people from other countries on a
number of different levels has given me a perspective with a value I can’t
begin to quantify.
A perspective that has impacted my value system, my plans for the future, my self-perception, and
the way I view America and its place in the world. I wish more Americans had
the opportunity to have a similar experience.
Something mentioned during my Fulbright wrap-up session was the
perception that the Fulbright program is only for the privileged and elite. The
reality of the Fulbright program, at least in my case, couldn’t be further from
the truth. Both my mother and father were the first generation in their
families to attend college. I attended college with the help of a
scholarship and a large amount of financial aid. Without the Fulbright grant,
it is highly unlikely that I would have been able to conduct research and take
courses abroad for such an extended period of time.
It is true that the process for being awarded a Fulbright grant is
competitive, and at times, frustratingly difficult. But it is possible, and the
thing I love most about the Fulbright program is that a perfect GPA and
immaculate academic history are not prerequisites – what you need most is a
great idea and passion for your project and country of choice.
I spent my first few months familiarizing myself with more
of the history behind development process: the different groups that are involved,
the relations between them, and how those groups function. Three of the courses
I took this year- Nature Perception, Conflict Management, and Environmental
Impact Assessment- were particularly helpful in giving direction to my
research; In fact, I don’t think that I would have made several contacts
without these classes. I was also able to visit two park pilot sites with one
of my professors, which was a good introduction to planning similar trips on my
own later.
My advisor and I eventually decided to work on researching
and compiling an update on the national park process. 2009 was the last year that
part of her study had been published in English, and there were several key developments
during 2011-2012. We accomplished this by speaking with key people at the three
existing parks, the four potential pilot sites, and involved organizations.
The Danish national park system is not a “system” in a
cohesive management sense. The Danish Nature Agency and the Ministry of the
Environment are involved in the formation and management of the parks through
the park boards, but there is heavy coordination by the municipalities. The
emphasis placed upon agreement and cohesion in decision-making was surprising
to me, even though I had read about this approach before coming to Denmark.
This also lends itself to the high level of involvement that
Danish citizens are able to have in nature governance. I spoke with a man a
couple of weeks ago who actually split off from the Danish Society for Nature
Conservation (DSNC) to form his own interest group, “Nature and Society.” He
felt that DSNC was demonizing the agricultural community, and took action in
the hopes of improving the dialogue with farmers surrounding the pilot site
Skjern A.
I will still be collecting data until mid-June, but in the
meantime, I’m almost done with writing a general article about what I’ve
learned while in Copenhagen. Most of the article focuses on recent developments
concerning the pilot projects, but also includes some information about the
creation of the three existing parks. The U.S. government is in the process of
adapting how the general public is included in future land management
decisions, such as the creation of nature areas and green spaces. I find the
Danish emphasis in nature management on what I have termed “functional
preservation” fascinating, and I’m looking forward to further examining how
this can be utilized in the U.S. during my time in graduate school.
I was also really impressed with the youth outreach program
created by National Park Vadehavet. I passed along their strategy and contact
information to my boss from my internship last summer.
Interaction with
Danes:
The Danes are a wonderful people, but they can be extremely hard
to get to know, at least as a non-Dane. Most of my interaction with the Danes
was in a student context, through group work and discussion in my classes at
the University of Copenhagen. I feel that this was a good way to facilitate
deeper friendships, as we were required to spend a lot of time together. It was
much easier to branch out into going for coffee or a beer after working on a
project together – since most of my efforts to befriend Danes I do not see on a
regular basis crashed and burned. The few Danish friends I do have really
surprised me at times with how considerate and sincere they can be in their
desire to know more about my life and perception of Denmark.
Academic Tourism?
I’ve already written about why the Fulbright program is more
than academic tourism, but I’d like to now return to that criticism. By definition, a tourist is merely a visitor.
In contrast, I live here in Copenhagen. Of course, I am only part of the
student community in Copenhagen, but that would also be true if I were living
in the United States. The point here is that I am part of a community; in a way
I could never hope to be if I was simply a tourist.
Additionally, there is truly no better way to understand
your own country than by living abroad. The perspective I have gained during my
year in Copenhagen has allowed me to examine the qualities that make America a
great country, as well as its flaws. The same is especially true of my ability
to reflect upon Copenhagen, a city that I had a tendency to overly romanticize
after my phenomenal DIS study abroad experience in 2009. ‘The bikes! The free
health care! The windmills!”
In making the transition from a long-term visitor to a
resident, I found Jante’s Law and the trend toward encouraging conformity in
Danish society to be frustrating at times. However, I really admire the Danish
emphasis on having a healthy balance between work and one’s home life. The
Danes have a lifestyle perspective that I wish more Americans would try to
emulate – I think we’d be much happier for doing so.
My discussions with both my Danish friends and my
international friends have made me realize that Americans have a pretty bad
reputation abroad. Our international policy and exported American pop culture
and media is mostly responsible for this negative perception. The average
American (although one of the great things I think I could argue is that, in
reality, there isn’t an average American) is confused with what is seen in
movies, TV shows and music videos.
I wouldn’t say that I’ve met any Europeans who actively hate
America; it’s more of a “Well, what can you expect from them?” feeling. In
fact, the basis behind the Fulbright program surprised many international students
I met – they couldn’t believe that the U.S. government would feel it important
for Americans to learn from Europeans and vice-versa. Several of my friends here expressed surprise
when they got to know me better. Apparently, I don’t fit with their stereotypical
image of an American.
Getting to know me has allowed them to put a face to the
United States and Americans in general. I’m glad that I can help better America’s
image abroad in a small way, but I’m sad that most of what we seem to be
successfully exporting as a nation are only the close-minded, negative aspects
of our country, despite the good that we do. This goes both ways, though. Many Europeans
seem to think that they have Americans all figured out, but many Americans also
believe that there is nothing new left to discover about the “Old World.”
Getting the chance to interact with people from other countries
on a number of different levels has given me a perspective with a value I can’t
begin to quantify.
A perspective that has impacted my value system, my
self-perception, and the way I view America and its place in the world. I wish
more Americans had the opportunity to have a similar experience.
Something mentioned during our Fulbright wrap-up session was
the perception that the Fulbright program is only for the privileged and elite.
The reality of the Fulbright program, at least in my case, couldn’t be further
from the truth. Both my mother and father were the first generation in their
families to attend college. I attended
college with the help of a scholarship and a large amount of financial aid. Without
the Fulbright grant, it is highly unlikely that I would have been able to
conduct research and take courses abroad for such an extended period of time.
It is true that the process for being awarded a Fulbright grant
is competitive, and at times, frustratingly difficult. But it is possible, and
the thing I love most about the Fulbright program is that a perfect GPA and
immaculate academic history are not prerequisites – what you need most is a
great idea and passion for your project and country of choice.
