This morning we were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to sit in on an English class at Ordrup. After hearing our hosts speak practically perfect English for a few days, it wasn't very surprising that their A-level (highest) English class was not so different than ours. We spent the class analyzing and annotating poems, a task very familiar to Baldwin girls! While the Danish students preformed impeccably, especially considering that English is not their first language, it was still fun to help them discover some new vocabulary words such as ‘remorse’ and ‘stifling’. Not only was it interesting to see English taught in a foreign country, but the class also served as a transition into the fast approaching academic school year!
A sign that greeted us in Copenhagen's airport
After our English lessons, we participated in a lecture/discussion led by the English and Phycology teacher Mette Morell visiting from Nørre Gymnasium, another gymnasium in the Copenhagen area. Although we were slightly disappointed to discover that Denmark is unfortunately no longer the happiest country in the world (currently it stands in third place), we were excited for the Danes to reveal some of their happiness secrets.
We discussed the role of both freedom and money on one’s overall happiness level. One of the main points presented in the lecture was the fact that money can in fact buy happiness, but this sort of happiness is only short-term- we were fascinated by the fact that a paraplegic is happier after one year than a lottery winner. We also considered that in Denmark, people are generally given equal opportunities and there is a rather small gap between the income of the top 20% and bottom 20% of the nation, creating little room for jealousy and therefore improving the overall happiness of the country. While Americans can definitely take steps to improve the USA's happiness levels, perhaps we will never be as happy as our Danish counterparts. New research has possibly found a 'happiness gene' in Danes- perhaps happiness literally does run in their DNA!
Overall, we had an enjoyable and productive Wednesday morning and everyone left the Ordrup campus with some new insight!
-By Cassandra S.
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