Submitted by Alyssa Ashley on the 2016 fall semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…
This week I visited the Trampoline House Refugee Center in Copenhagen. Before studying abroad, I researched the issues that are of concern in the country I would be calling home for the next four months. Like all issues, I prepared myself by reading multiple media outlets to have an understanding of the situation.
To inform you, Copenhagen is currently in a crisis because of the overflow of refugees seeking help/home. The majority of Danes are blondes with blue eyes so it is very easy to tell who is of Danish descent and who is not. I have learned through my class of Cross-Cultural Communications that the vast majority of Danes live in Denmark.
In my first week in Copenhagen, I did not see the refugee issue, but I heard a lot of talk about it in all of my classes. My visiting host mother, Gry, even asked me within a day of meeting her if I had heard of the issue and my thoughts on it. Glad that I had some prior knowledge, I told her that I have not first hand seen a refugee yet, however, I have a lot of empathy for those who have to escape their homeland because their country did not offer them the security that they needed. She agreed with me and told me she believes that Denmark should be offering them food. She also went on to say that she has never heard of anyone experiencing moments of fear with the refugees and she believes they are just hungry and hopeless.
I was astonished that such pivotal topics were being discussed everywhere I turned even by the young Danes, while in America, topics like pop culture were a hot topic of the youth, but in Denmark, I have yet to see one magazine that covers pop culture or hear people talk about artists or celebrity life.
After learning about the different perspectives on the refugee situation and conversations with teachers, I took it upon myself to go to the Trampoline House Refugee Center with a few friends. On the bus ride over, I noted how the environment changed drastically. I could tell that the neighborhood we were in was poor because the pastries were so cheap, but nonetheless, the downtown city area was still beautiful with an ethnic park, Superkilen, that represented multiple ethnicities.
When we reached the center, we were greeted by a volunteer and we told him that we were students interested in helping out with the organization. We were even able to talk to a refugee! The refugee was willing to tell us his story of how he traveled and the help he was seeking. My heart went out for him because he mentioned he had a family. Suddenly the term “refugee” changed in my mind and I understood more that they were also individuals, just like myself.
Going to Trampoline House was an eye opening experience and I am humbled to be able to be studying abroad where my eyes are open to different global issues.