Humanity IN ACTION

This program is inspiration. It has only been four days _ maybe even less since the program started and I feel completely immersed.

getting to know the European students is fascinating and so much more intellectually engaging that I could have imagined. Immigration rhetoric is totally shifted here when compared to the US Mexico border immigration conversation. the discourse here is all about integration versus assimilation... ways to do each, merits of various formats and what they imply. Denmark is new to immigrants compared to the US. It was only the late sixties and really in earnest the 1970s when immigrants begun to arrive in Denmark. The issue of Danish identity and values is a slippery one as well. When you look at the poles it would seem that Danes are middling to slightly adverse to immigrants... but then you take into account that Denmark and France are the most polarized populations on the issues of immigration and integration and suddenly the debate means a lot more for divisions within Danish society.

More on that soon! Really the most powerful stuff happening in the past couple of days has been getting to know these amazing individuals that were also selected for HiA. Everyone is passionate and ready to dive into this five weeks with openness, energy, and a critical mind. And EVERYONE without exception is here because they have a specific calling within Human rights and politics. It is truly amazing. Our conversations range from in depth discussions about our own identities and defining moments that have called us to action to the difference between feminism in the states in Europe/Denmark, to parliamentary politics, to the potential for human rights discourse to be seen as a civil religion within Europe particularly, to the very different definitions of human rights as perceived across the Atlantic. Constant engagement! It is a little exhausting. We spent the last several days all in a little cabin in the Danish countryside getting to know each other, setting the framework for the coming weeks, and hearing several speakers as well including the most important news personality in Denmark speak on Danish politics and media and the post 9/11 paradigm shift in Europe.

Now I am with my host family back in CPH! I am living just outside of the city about 15 minutes from the heart of it. i am actually living with a British couple who has been in Denmark for the past 16 years. Dave works high up in the European Environmental Agency and Vivian is the communications director for the World Health Organization. Which means in the wake of the ecoli outbreak in Europe she has been BUSY. She got a call from Aljazeera while we were having afternoon tea and cake. *So British hahaha* Then a bit later she had a little chat with CNN. So topsy turvy haha!

Well. I am tired and going to help with dinner now. I love you all, hope you are well. more to come