Denmark: Arje Wilson
Program: DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Summer
Arje’s Majors: Theatre and Drama, Political Science
How were your program academics similar or different from taking classes at UW-Madison?
As one can imagine, this 3-week course has many differences from semester-long courses, or even the shorter courses available during the summer. The specific class I was in, Sustainable Food: Production and Consumption, wasn’t particularly dense in assignments but was rich in readings and interactive learning experiences. The nature of the course allowed for a lot of variability in the people we got to meet and the places we got to go. The academic standards of my professor felt in line with those of the professors I’ve had here at UW-Madison, and while the class was smaller than any I’ve been in before, the small size was necessary for our level of mobility to function. Having only one class was the biggest difference for me, and allowed for more time with the assigned literature.
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
One day after class, I rode the M1 metro line to Vestamager and spent the next 6 hours at Kalvebod Fælled, part of the Amager Nature Park. It was a beautiful day, cloudy and gray to start, with a nice breeze whipping across the plain. I began walking down a pathway to some trees I saw in the distance, with sheep and cows grazing on either side and a power plant in the middle distance. An hour or so into my walk I arrived at the forest, and almost like I cued it myself, the sun came out to shine through the leaves of the birch trees surrounding me. The beauty of the scenery, the weather, and the mental respite from hectic city life were made even sweeter by the gems I found in the grasses surrounding the trees: wild strawberries. I had never seen strawberries growing in the wild, and I was positively enthralled by my discovery. I ended up foraging for the small berries for over an hour and filled a 0.3 L bottle with my loot. As I left the birch forest, I emerged on the seashore and saw upwards of 20 kitesurfers congregated on the Baltic Sea. I sat there for a bit, watching them cut back and forth across the bay, eating my strawberries, and contemplating the unfathomable nature of life that had led me to that moment.
How will your experience benefit you in the future? How might it affect your future career or studies?
As mentioned previously, this course focused on sustainable production and consumption of food, and this led us to meet many farmers, food suppliers, and cooks. As someone who finds a lot of joy in cooking for themself and others, this experience strengthened my resolve in the importance of combating food waste on an individual level and being conscientious about where my food is coming from. It has also inspired me to start farming again, as I haven’t gotten back into it since starting university. As for my studies, I plan to keep an eye out for intriguing Food Science classes in my remaining time at university and explore these topics further in an academic setting.