Traditions and casual schools part of Denmark exchange

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 573, 14 February 1995, Page 5

Traditions and casual schools part of Denmark exchange

National pnde, strong traditions and the casual nature of their schools are things that stand out from talking to young Orautoha woman Rosalind Olds who recently returned from Denmark. Rosalind spent a year in the small, northern European country as a Rotary exchange student, sponsored by Raetihi Ohakune Rotary. Getting to know Denmark means getting to know the people, says Rosalind. As a very flat, featureless land, it is not very scenic, but the interest comes from learning about the people' s many strong traditions. Christmas was one festival that has many, she said, and upon telling them about a New Zealand Christmas, they thought it would be a "waste of time" because we "just stuck a tree in the corner and put presents under it".

, However they were fascinated with videos of New Zealand, how the country had so much to see. She said many were keen to visit New Zealand after learning about it from her. Most Danes knew very little about New Zealand apart from that it was near Australia. National prideis also strong. Danish flags are every where - e ven on the dinner table on special occasions. For example someone celebrating a birthday has a small flag on the table next to their place at dinner to mark the occasion. She attended a gymnasium — their word for high school — in a small town of 3000 people, near a fjord on the west coast of one of the largest islands of Denmark. She stayed with three different host families whose fathers were a supermarket proprietor, a pig farmer, and an accountant. The children of the three families ranged from nine years of age to 23. "The kids all call the teachers by their first name. Its very casual at school — if you don't

want to stay in a class you can walk in and out as you feel like it," said Rosalind. She said the casual nature was very different from her New Zealand boarding school education. "Uniforms make a difference, its more ordered. There, it was too relaxed, not a good learning atmosphere. But it is easier to relate better to teachers which is a positive thing." A highlight of her trip was a two-and-a-half week tour with other exchange students around Europe, taking in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, looking at the major sights. She said it was too fast but that she did get an idea of what each country was like. There were some disappointments, for example she found Paris too dirty and not the place she had dreamt about. Later trips took her to Czechoslovakia, and a couple of weeks in England visiting friends. Rosalind's plans now are to attend Taranaki Polytechnic School to study hotel management.