Monday 8 October 2018

Århus, in the middle of Århus


What a lovely evening! I love sharing food at the best of times, but experiencing so many cultures in one go is something that can only truly be found at an international potluck dinner. We ate all sorts ranging from Venezuelan corn bread to Japanese soup as well as a taste of German, Spanish, Danish, Dutch and of course I made some toad in the holes! I'm so grateful that we now have a sociable dorm and are able to host such parties, plus spending time with friends is something I didn’t realise how much I had neglected whilst in London. I took the opportunity to introduce one of my favourite family games involving categories and cups of water being thrown on each other...
 
German Dampfnudler

 Working backwards, the last few weeks have progressively improved as I've got more stuck into Danish and student life, learning and improving my trumpet playing and settling at a church and meeting new people – thanks all you who have been praying for me! I still have various residency things to sort out and the Danish language speaking is still quite limited, but I’ve had my first speaking practice session with one of my dorm mates and he says I’m doing quite well so there’s hope yet.

Warning: nerdy paragraph alert

Having spent a crazy summer in many places with a sporadic practice schedule I was so grateful to get back into a routine and have a trumpet lesson again. After all, the main reason I applied to Denmark was to study with Kristian Steenstrup. After everything I had read about his methods and the radical change of moving to a new country, I was afraid it might not fulfil my expectations, but I was not disappointed in the slightest! This week has been my fifth lesson and it was particularly positive because I can already see how much his approach has benefited my playing and I'm seeing big improvements. I'm convinced that if everyone were to spend a month or two studying with him, they would not go back to another method because it's so logical, well thought-through and worthwhile investing in. Having said that, it would be pointless if you disagreed with the theoretical side of it! For anyone sitting on that bench I would recommend reading Blow Your Mind (he didn't pay me to write this, I promise). The other main factor I relish about RAMA life is the dedication and attitude of the students, particularly in the trumpet class. There's an ethos of support and encouragement for fellow classmates and it feels like a really safe environment to learn in without facing unnecessary judgement. Of course, we’ve also received (sometimes brutal) feedback from professionals since there were already two rounds of mock auditions. You can't argue that we don't face reality!

I think the sense of community within the department is demonstrated well by our trip to Aalborg for the rare opportunity to see Mnozil Brass perform live in Denmark - they were SO good! It was fun to have a look around the town too, taking in the classic Danish architecture and fun pub names...

Pub: Pigen og Trompeten/
The Girl and the Trumpet

In summary, I love that I can be confident moving to Denmark was the right decision and I’m grateful to God for guiding me through the process. Although I’m rarely homesick, I’m looking forward to having my Mum visit next week, some time off and a chance to explore this new city and country a bit more. Until next time!

S x






Looks like someone turned 25 recently...

The Danish tradition is to coat the birthday girl/boy
in cinnamon if they are not married by 25!


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