I have had a great time and learned so much this May in Denmark about the Danish culture, engineering, geo-thermal energy and most importantly, Danish beer.
Up until now, I was working doing groundwater level measuring, installing Rosborg's new weather station, and studying on a large scale at Rosborg Gymnasium about their geo-thermal heating and building support structures. Next, I am going to work with Greenscan, a renewable energy company who are holding an exhibition at a European renewable energy fair in Copenhagen this week. I will be there too, helping to set up their exhibition, learning about other country's renewable energy generation through their exhibitions and representatives, networking, and representing Greenscan as an Australian Rotary ambassador. I am really looking forward to this experience and the next month's work experience.
While i've been here, plenty of other interesting things have happened. I've done one weekend daytrip to Copenhagen, went to the H.C.Andersen house and museum with my host Carsten, his daughter Christina and another Canadian Rotarian student Katherine, met and introduced myself to the Vejle Rotary club members, made new friends with the international students at Rosborg, been swimming in the cold water, and my host Carsten took me shooting one afternoon at a rifle range.
Picturesque country views from Carsten's house.
Replica of a ship (unknown) in Copenhagen.
The Copenhagen Opera House, designed by Danish architect Henning Larsen.
The Borsen or Stock Exchange Building, Copenhagen.
My work bench at Rosborg, setting up their new weather station.
The international students with their teachers at Rosborg Gymnasium, one is Canadian from Rotary International (Katherine in purple). The other students, some not in the photo, come from all over the world, including America, Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Finland and Thailand. These students come to Rosborg to study for 9 months to one year, learn Danish and stay with host families. Although their education here doesn't formally count in their home countries, it adds invaluable experience to their CV for university and opens many doors for future opportunities.
On the Rosborg roof setting up their new weather system.
Measuring groundwater levels around the school using a groundwater level meter, taught by Christian, the Earth Science teacher who has been one of my mentors so far. This is great work experience for me for future as an environmental scientist. We are doing this to determine if there was a gradient or general flow direction in the groundwater underneath Rosborg Gymnasium, which is situated in a floodplain in Vejle which was once under a river in the times of the Vikings.
One of the international students was a Thai student, Kajornsak. It was great for both of us to meet and be able to speak Thai again (I worked in Thailand as a volunteer in 2010 teaching English and working on a subsistence farm, so learned to speak Thai pretty fluently). We are good friends now.
Finally installed the new weather station on my own for Rosborg's physics students to read the weather.
I am having a good time in Denmark! Carsten took me to his local Skibet rifle range one afternoon after school. They fire clay pigeons. Didn't go too bad, about a 50% hit rate! Deer hunting is a popular sport here. Many Danish rent land and licenses which allow them to hunt deer on it, or go to Poland and hunt there.
One weekend I was lucky enough to be taken to the Hans Christian Andersen Museum with Carsten, his daughter Christina and another New Generations Exchange student from Canada, Katherine. This is an artwork depicting the popularity of H.C. Andersen in Denmark at the height of his literary career.
One of the mermaids, harbourside in Copenhagen.
Old-city Copenhagen architecture.
