Der er et yndigt land

Learn the Danish national anthem:

Winter wonderland

For those dreaming about a white symphony of memories, come to Aarhus, Denmark…

Autumn in Aarhus

Posted by: Vanessa

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run…

…Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue!

- Ode to autumn, John Keats

The beautiful northern forest in Aarhus is brought to life in bright orange and red during autumn, 2011. 

From YouTube to beyond!

Aarhus Group 1 seemed to be a stern favourite in the YGWA’s video on the conference.
What an amazing time we had, both on and off screen:

Happy Festive Season!

Aarhus Group 1 would like to thank all our readers, friends and family members that have supported us this year. It’s been an exceptional year of growth and determination, which we celebrated with our Christmas Dinner on the 7th of December.

JOLLY TIMES: A wonderful team backed by great team spirit and magical memories!

The same night, we were “live” about the YGWA initiative on “Accents Weekly” 98.7 a radio show produced by Erasmus Mundus Journalism students. The MP3 will be transferred here once it’s ready!

Things to look forward to in 2012:
- meeting the Prince of Denmark
- integration of Aarhus Group 2 to maybe help writing for the blog
- more use of international student voices to guide blog posts
- a post made up of all our mother-tongues describing Aarhus!

Keep safe! And enjoy the holidays!

Here’s a Christmas song that helped us reminisce about the 80s:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI&ob=av3e

And one that we all remember and jived to last week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGFNmEOntFA

And the winner is…

AARHUS! Unfortunately, it was not Aarhus Group 1 that won the Youth Goodwill Ambassador city branding initiative last weekend in Copenhagen…

A is for... AMAZING AARHUS: Both Aarhus groups show off their sense of humour during the Copenhagen Conference that determined best city branding. Aarhus Group 2 won 1st place, Copenhagen 2nd place and Aalborg and Aarhus Group 1 winning 3rd place.

However, we are very proud of our friends from Group 2 who won! Their video “Share the love with (Aarh)us” won the hearts of the judges and secured them first place, guaranteeing Aarhus’ successful marketing campaign as a destination filled with love, Christmas cheer and an array of international students:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbeDX-TCMN8&list=LLdHFy_rrkycw7k8LzxnIqdg&index=2&feature=plpp_video

Any season…

There’s something for any day of any season in Aarhus!
Check out our Photo Gallery on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48746671@N03/sets/72157628080942859/

Any music…

Check out the video we made!

 

Dear Diary…

Posted by: Vanessa

“Yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.” Khalil Gibran

WALKING ON SUNSHINE: The bridge in Aarhus' city centre is spectacular when there's enough sunshine! PHOTO: VES

Monday
I finally tried the Quiz Night at the Sherlock Holmes Pub in town.
In groups of up to 6 people, you answer questions on politics, entertainment, sport and music. Prize money is 500kr worth of bar-tab! My classmates and I came third, so we won 150kr worth of drinks… Not bad for a first time.

WATER-COLOURS: It was a warm day at the beach today! There was even a kayak competition... PHOTO: VES

Tuesday
It was a beautiful day (little rain or wind) to go to Aarhus’ North Beach.
I was lucky enough to spot some daring Danes competing against each other swimming and then on some kayaks. When they left, I tried out the water myself… It wasn’t that bad! There is a group here called “The Vikings.” Legend has it they swim naked at dawn and then head off to the spa… Sounds tempting.

I love these Student House parties every Tuesday night!
Last week, we had “Asian Night” where we learnt a lot on Japanese, Chinese and Indian history and culture. After some fun traditional games, we got to try their specialities. This week we had a karaoke party. Wow, I realised I love singing hits from the 90s!

Wednesday
I spent the morning trying to get fit again. The Fitness World gym is amazing. I found classes like Taibo, Yoga and Zumba that keep me energized. Zumba is all about dancing and grinding those hips, Brazilian style. I will try Yoga Flow on the weekend again… It really made me happy!

SHHHH: The Reading Room in the State Library is the best place to study. PHOTO: VES

Thursday
I spent the day studying in the State Library and realised how beautiful it really is. The reading room is so quiet; I actually got two essays done. What a record! The Cafeteria is also great: I can buy a delicious home-made soup for 25kr or a sandwich with any toppings for 35kr.

Friday
Aarhus is legendary for its Friday Bars. Each faculty hosts a party every week where you can buy beer as cheap as 5kr.

After gate-crashing my friend’s “Tour de Chambre,” we met up with some Theology students at their bar. Tour de Chambre is when students host themed parties in their Kollegium room, near the State Library. I never thought pulling off a Little Mermaid theme was possible, but this is Denmark after all. The girl who won had a tail on made of different coloured sequence. Her room was covered in star-fish and glitter. We ate a lot of herring on Danish bread and then drank Danish Christmas beer.

JINGLE BELLS: Christmas time in the mall! PHOTO: VES

Saturday
I discovered Størcenter Nørd Mall today! I felt a little home-sick after Skyping with family back home, but all was forgotten after a delicious hot chocolate and exploring the beautiful Christmas decorations. There are elves singing Christmas songs everywhere!

Later in the afternoon, I did some shopping downtown where I discovered “Kaffe Thé Boutique.” They sell speciality tea and coffee and I bought myself a big box of vanilla chai latté! Yummy!

MMM... Coffee or teas, whatever flavour you can imagine at Kaffe Thé Boutique downtown! PHOTO: VES

Sunday
Nothing seems to be open here on Sunday, until I discovered live jazz at an Irish Pub downtown. It was also nice to visit the various churches. Church bells were ringing all over the city centre. My favourite church is still the cathedral near the Aarhus Theatre. The organ-master was practising Christmas songs today and everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood while walking around town…

SERENE: The beautiful Cathedral downtown is filled with music on Sundays. PHOTO: VES