Visiting Roskilde Cathedral and The Viking Ship Museum

One of the main objectives of our Study Abroad Program included studying Danish culture. Roskilde Cathedral plays a significant role in the history and culture of Denmark. We walked through the center of the city towards Roskilde Cathedral and passed through some beautiful shopping areas.

The shopping district in Roskilde was quaint! Caution, shopping in Roskilde and Denmark in general is very expensive.

Roskilde Domkirke (or Roskilde Cathedral in English) is an amazing monument to and showplace of Denmark history. Since the 12th century, Roskilde Cathedral has served as a royal burial place for nearly 40 Danish Kings and Queens.  It has at least 11 chapels and crypts that branch off from the main cathedral area.

Roskilde Cathedral is very old. It was built in the 12th century and has been expanded many times over the years.

The interior of Roskilde Cathedral was stunning! Our tour guide gave us individual headsets so we can hear the dialogue despite our position in the group. This allowed each tour group some privacy as we progressed through the cathedral. When you have multiple tour groups moving through the cathedral, it can be distracting. The Danish were focused on using innovative technology to ensure tourists have a positive experience.

Here is the monument to Christian III in Roskilde Domkirke.

Here is the sarcophagus at Roskilde Domkirke for King Frederik V.

Here is the sarcophagus of Danish Queen Margrethe. Margaret was the first queen of Denmark, although Danish law did not officially recognize her as a queen. She ruled over Denmark, Norway and Sweden and she fought to win back terrorities that Denmark has lost previously. She was a powerful woman and fought strongly for the country.

As you can see from the photos, the Danish pay a great deal of attention to detail. Creativity and artistry are key artifacts of the Danish culture.

We proceeded to walk down the steep hill to the Viking Ship Museum and the Roskilde Fjord. It was a beautiful journey through a lush, green walking path. Roskilde has invested significant resources in ensuring they have plenty of green space available for residents, students and tourists.

The Viking Ship Museum was built in 1969 as a monument to the five ships that were sunk at Skuldelev in the Roskilde Fjord. Around the year 1070, the king ordered the sinking of five viking ships to protect Roskilde from enemy attacks. Excavations began in the 1960’s and all five ships were successfully excavated and restored.

This Viking Ship is ready to set sail in the Roskilde Fjord!

These two ships have been repaired and are on display in the museum.

Roskilde’s Viking Ship Museum was impressive. It is interesting to think that these ships that were built around 1070, spent years sitting at the bottom at the Fjord and yet they were able to be successfully restored. It is a true testament to Denmark’s focus on and commitment to high quality building processes and supplies. How many products that are produced now could withstand this test of weather and time?

 

 

 

 

Orientation to Roskilde Business College and Program Overview

Roskilde Business College (RBC) Faculty provided a wonderful overview of RBC and the program for us. It was a pleasure hearing from Benny Hermansen, Erik Staunstrup and Carsten Nielsen. RBC is a very modern education setting. The college places a high emphasis on innovation and that focus translates well into the educational setting.

Our students had a chance to learn about the history of the college from RBC faculty.

After RBC faculty finished sharing the mission, history and goals of the organization, they moved directly into some icebreaker exercises. In our U.S. classrooms, we often begin classes with traditional icebreaker exercises to help students get to know one another. The RBC faculty had a similiar philosophy, but they believed it was important to integrate some physical activity and exercise into the tasks. Our teams walked to the gymnasium and proceeded to engage in a number of team-oriented and truly hands on exercises.

Students and faculty engaged in hands on exercises to get to know one another.

More icebreaker exercises

 

Blindfolds! Trust building was a key part of this activity.

Listening skills and being able to take direction was another area of focus within these activities.

Our students were laughing and joking as they worked together on these different exercises. They were having fun! It was apparent that they formed a bond and looked forward to traveling together. Groups that laugh together find it easier to work together.

When traveling with a group, it is important to cultivate relationships which will make the trip more enjoyable. In addition, these students have the opportunity to form lasting friendships that extend beyond the study abroad experience and can potentially boost their ongoing professional development.

RBC Faculty took our students and faculty to a welcome dinner. It was a fabulous meal!

After the group finished the icebreakers, the RBC faculty organized a welcome dinner for us at San Remos which was a Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Roskilde. I almost forgot to mention, we walked from the college to downtown Roskilde which is 2.8 km or 1.74 miles one way.

Wonderful dinner with RBC faculty!

Dinner was served family style – meaning the server would deliver a plate of items and our group passed the items around the table. I believe this was another part of the icebreaker component of the program as it was a good way to continue getting to know your travel companions. Brilliant!

Denmark is known for the high quality and innovation in its cooking. Our meal tonight was no exception! It was very, very tasty!

The Danish eat lots of meat and potatoes.

Prior to traveling, it is always advisable to research dining etiquette for the country you are visiting, especially if you are traveling for international business. There are many good resources available on the internet that discuss dining etiquette and customs.  As a study abroad student, it is important to do your homework and research the customs of the country or countries where you will be traveling.

 

Welcome to Roskilde Business College

After our journey from Copenhagen, we arrived at Roskilde Business College (RBC). During our travels, there was some discussion about the dormitories at RBC. We wondered if they would be similar to U.S. dormitories, or whether they would be different. Since Sinclair Community College is a commuter campus, our students hadn’t had the experience of staying in a college dormitory, so this was a new adventure.

This is the courtyard next to our dorms at Roskilde Business College.

Our dorms were located in the hospitality section of the college. The women’s rooms were located on one side of the campus while the men’s rooms were situated in another wing. It was organized such that two students shared a room. This fit well with our “buddy system” as we instructed the students to travel in pairs off campus for security and safety reasons.

Each dorm room had two comfortable beds and a workspace/desk area.

Here is the second bed located in the dorm room.

The layout of the rooms was comfortable and conducive to studying. Each room had two beds, pillows, a luxurious down comforter, bath towels and a television. The Europeans consider washcloths to be a personal item, so students needed to bring their own washcloths. Further, each room had a stable high speed ethernet connection as well as wireless access.

The dorm rooms had a nice, calming view of the courtyard area. The Danish focus on creating a comfortable, calming, campus-like atmosphere for students. They also used bright colors throughout the campus as another avenue for creating a culture of optimism.

Campus parking is well organized and orderly at Roskilde Business College.

RBC focuses on creating a quality campus environment for students.

The dorms had a common meeting space available for groups. Our group used the common area on several occasions as a meeting point and for group project work. The meeting space was comfortable which was conducive to creating a positive space for our students.

Upon arrival at the dorms, it is important to take some time to unpack your bags and take ownership of your space. Taking ownership of your space includes hanging up items in a closet or unpacking items from your bag and placing them in a drawer. In order to fully experience study abroad, it is important to make sure your own personal space is organized so that you are poised to handle the new adventures that await.

 

Getting Oriented to Our Surroundings…

After we landed in Copenhagan, gathered our belongings and deboarded the plane, we began the process of orienting ourselves to our new surroundings. While moving through the airport as a large group, we had to learn to read the signs and navigate in an unfamiliar environment. Fortunately, most signage contained both English and Danish text which made it easier to comprehend the instructions. We also had to avoid bumping into people as we moved through the airport. It quickly became apparent that our fast paced movement was a sharp contrast to the slower paced and deliberate movement of the Europeans.

As a student studying international business, these are issues they would face when traveling internationally. Developing the navigational skills and self confidence to operate in an unfamiliar environment is key to being successful in international business. If students take the time to reflect, this experience can teach them a lot about themselves. Are they comfortable working in an ambiguous, unstructured environment? Or are they more comfortable working in a structured setting?

One piece of advice I would offer to students traveling internationally is to check out the map of the airport before they depart. Navigating airports can certainly be a challenge and virtually all airports publish their maps online. It is much easier (and less stressful!) to find your way around if you have researched the airport layout before the trip.

Copenhagen (CPH) Map. Courtesy of http://www.ifly.com/copenhagen-CPH-airport/terminal-map

After gathering our luggage, we loaded it onto a bus and began the 30 minute drive from Copenhagan to Roskilde, Denmark. We quickly noticed that it was raining. Fortunately, we had studied weather information beforehand, so we were well prepared for rainy and cold weather. Given its location in Northern Europe, Denmark tends to see temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. (50 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit)

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The drive from CPH to Roskilde was a scenic one.  Roskilde is located on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Roskilde has a population of a little over 48,000, so it is a nice sized town to begin our study abroad experience.

Our group drove from CPH to Roskilde. Along the way, we passed many windmills including this windpark.

During the drive, we discussed the importance of Wind Power to the Danish economy. Indeed, it is very windy in Denmark. The Danish have found a way to harness the power of wind and they have achieved first mover advantage in this capacity. Denmark has succeeded in bringing 28% wind power into the electricity system (http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/wind-energy/).

In order for students to get the most out of the study abroad experience, they need to be open to learning – whenever and wherever the opportunity presents itself. Learning doesn’t always have to occur in a classroom. Learning and growth can happen as you are navigating through an airport, or even driving through the rain on a bus. As a study abroad student, you have to be poised for learning…