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Personal experiences of a QA board member

Tom is a full degree student at the University of Copenhagen. He is just about to wrap up his two years of studying in Denmark. For the past semester Tom has been a board member and enjoyed it tremendously. Read about Tom’s positive experiences and consider running for the board at the General Assembly on March 17.

Tom Fletcher

My name is Tom Fletcher and for the last five months I have had the privilege to be a board member for the QA programme. I love QA for its ability to bring Danish and international students together. So after being a mentor I decided at the General Assembly to put myself forward for election to the board. After joining I soon found out what was involved and I assigned myself to become one of the coordinators of the Academic Platform and part of the Administration team for the duration of my term. As an admin team member I had two main jobs: to help set up and carry out interviews with potential mentors and to help be in charge of the programme’s email. 

At first this was daunting as I had never interviewed anyone before but i soon learnt to rely on my friends who had done board work before to guide me. They helped me and told me what was involved and we soon set up interviews and invited students to apply. I loved this experience because I grew in confidence about communicating QA and its values and workings and began to engage with potential mentors. Whilst an admin team member, I began to see that looking after the QA email was an important part of the job as queries and questions began to come into view. However, I always had someone to ask if I was not sure how to respond. This process of admin helped me to get to know the workings of QA and I liked helping other mentees get the most of of their experience in Copenhagen.

As a board member I helped run the Academic Platform during the autumn term. I helped set up a James Bond Marathon to watch as many films as possible before Spectre (The newest release staring Daniel Craig ) came to the cinemas. I presented on the link between the author Ian Fleming, his work in naval intelligence and the Cold War in which the early films were released to present an academic approach to the film franchise. Fun was had by all involved and the final trip to see Spectre at the October was very successful as well.  

So how would I summarise my experience as a QA board member? The last five months have been a huge amount of fun. The board members and I have become very close and I have enjoyed seeing the inner workings of the programme up close. The work of a board member is never boring but diverse, fun and even in the stressful times I could always count on the support of everyone to see me through. Therefore, I am very grateful for the help of my fellow board members for helping me during the process. 

Please consider standing for election this term as it is an amazing opportunity not to be missed. Even after stepping down, I will look forward to seeing how the next elected members will take this excellent project into the future, but will also be on hand to answer questions and offer advice on issues whenever they arise. Involvement in QA has been a lovely part of my stay in Denmark and I am very grateful that in running for board election I was able to be involved in its   workings and help it continue to support international students upon arrival even in a very small way.

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With kaleidoscope eyes

Kasper is a former mentor and a current board member in the QA Programme. Currently he is doing a semester abroad in Hong Kong. Read his account about the challenges that you might face as an international student in a foreign environment.

Kasper Schiødt

When the plane hit the asphalt in Hong Kong International Airport, it was my turn to be an exchange student in a foreign new culture. I was excited to see how such a well-established international metropolis as Hong Kong dealt with internationalisation and a multicultural student environment. 

Through the past two semesters, I have helped international students in Copenhagen, both by being a mentor and a board member in the QA Programme. Trying my best to better the experience for students coming to a new place and helping to make everyone feel as a part of the local student body. I believed that with my wide perspective on international/local-student milieu, I would easily be able to fit in with the locals. No problem, right?  I overestimated myself… of course... I quickly found that my broad experience and insights, my kaleidoscope eyes, were in fact not as far seeing as I had hoped. The problem of integrating into the local student environment is not easy when you have help, every international student in Denmark can tell you that – but it is practically impossible when you do not! Walking around campus, I often found myself the observer, rather than an active participant. One time a couple of international students and myself turned a corner on campus and ran into a huge gathering of local students. They had enacted colourful stalls with food and various mini-games. Local bands were playing and everyone were having fun. That is everyone but the international students, who had no idea what was happening. We were the only westerners in sight. As it turned out, this festival had been in the making for months. Advertised countless times on email, in the dorms and through colourful posters all over campus… But in Cantonese.

A couple of days later I looked closer at an email written in Chinese and it said in the end: international students are welcome too! Cleary the internationals had not taken it to heart. Almost none showed up. A user on Reddit once asked if anyone else had ever been alone in a crowded room. That was basically how we felt. Not surprisingly local students converse in Cantonese and they are not that into speaking English, unless you make them. This is exactly the problem the QA Programme are fighting here in Copenhagen. And for the first time since I started involving myself in the international environment at KUA, I could see how much the programme is helping. It was a mind-blowing realisation for me – hitherto I had been frustrated that we just seemed to create a new international environment instead of integrating the two student populations. Now, I have seen how a university without a mentor organisation deal with international students. In the university’s defence it should be said, they are very good at making sightseeing and hiking trips for international students. However, there is almost no events bringing local and exchange students together. That is what QA Programme is all about! Since that time at the festival, I have come to terms with the fact that I probably won’t be a part of the normal student-body in Hong Kong, but I have found local, mainland and international friends in abundance and I haven’t spoken Danish in about two months.

Seeing the university with my kaleidoscope eyes (The Beatles used drugs, I used the QA ), has brought me great insight and helped me enormously during my stay. Every student should go abroad and in my opinion, every student should be a mentor before going!

Knowing how to deal with a lot of very different people, having an idea of what it feels like to be new in town, and lastly what culture shock really is… All of this is something you will thank yourself for having experienced beforehand. At least I did.

It did not make my stay worse, that I already knew people in Hong Kong, through my former mentee in the QA Programme. Joining the QA Programme and QA Alumni is definitely useful and even more in the future! Have a great international Christmas everyone!

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How Being a Mentor Has Changed my Life

Tina has been a mentor at the QA Programme for several semesters. She has enjoyed being a mentor every single time. Today Tina is helping out in the QA board and thus still actively engaged in the programme. Read about her wonderful experiences as a mentor below. The QA Programme is now recruiting new mentors for the spring semester. Sign up at our website www.qaprogramme.dk 

Tina Heide

Big words and quite a statement. But nonetheless true: Being a mentor for international students has changed my life. Not only my student life, but also on a personal level: It has changed me. I find it a privilege to be able to say that I have friends all around the world - and how being part of an international study environment has enriched and enlightened my life in so many ways. The mentor experience is something I simply wouldn’t want to be without!

The old mentor programme

 I am Danish and have been a mentor for 6 semesters: both in the old mentor programme (before QA) and in the QA Programme. Although I have loved being a mentor every semester, I must admit that being a mentor in the QA Programme is definitely a step up from the old mentor programme at the faculty.

 When I first started out as a mentor, it was mentoring one-on-one: one mentor, one mentee. It was cool, but maybe that had something to do with the fact that I had really amazing mentees, with whom I hit it off with right away.

  When I recently asked one of my mentees what QA had meant to her as an international student, she said: “QA gives you a sense of a community”. That is so true. But the whole community feeling didn’t exist before the QA programme; at least not to the extend it does now. There were not as many events back then – far from it, in fact - and you simply didn’t meet as many people. This all changed with the QA programme, which gives you awesome events literally every week. So I am forever grateful to the guys and girls, who took the initiative to re-launch the mentor programme: It has given The Faculty of Humanities at Copenhagen University a stronger mentor programme … and it has empowered the international study environment greatly.

My own experience as an international student

 I have been an international student myself, in England. I certainly had my share of bumps on the road along the way – for many reasons. But what I found was that it was somewhat of a struggle to ‘adapt’ or understand how things worked - despite the fact that I had actually lived in England as an Au Pair an entire year before my life as a university student began. However, life as an Au Pair is a “Safe Haven”; your have a ‘family’ to turn to for help. Student life abroad on your own can be difficult, especially if it’s your first time in the country and you have to figure out everything as you go. In my case it didn’t help much that I already knew the English way-of-life. I had no safety net.

  If there had been a mentor programme, like the QA, maybe things would have turned out differently for me. Because when I look back, it’s the sense of community, I missed.  I was one of only two international students in my class (we’re talking 2002 here), and even though my fellow classmates were really nice, I don’t think they always understood that I wasn’t English. So I was a ‘newbie’ in more ways than one: both at university life in general and as a non-English citizen. There simply wasn’t a network of international students at the university, which made it more difficult for me to settle in as a student. No one picked me up in the airport, no one introduced me to student life in England etc., and although I was pretty independent, it would have been nice to have someone to turn to when looking for answers to my pretty mundane questions.

QA is my ‘happy pill’ and has enlightened me

 For a long time, I have thought of the QA as my mental ’happy pill’; my mood lifter. I’ve never gone home after an event feeling sad or miserable. Never! I’ve always left with a smile on my face feeling happy and cheerful. I have sometimes found myself smiling and giggling on the bus home – not sure if other people had seen it and wondered what on earth I found so amusing. Had they asked, I would only have had to say two letters: QA. What laughs I have had with my fellow QA’ers, how enlightened, they have made me. Being a mentor has given me insight into other people; into different cultures. To me, this is the most interesting part of being a mentor: getting to know people from cultures different from your own. Sharing views and opinions on life and getting insight on my own little neck of the woods called Denmark. I have learned how “foreigners” (a term, I never use) think about my country and the Danes. This has been an interesting process and given me food for thought.

 In high school I had a teacher, who at the end of the day would ask you: “So, what are you taking home with you today (what have you learned)?” I wish he would ask me the same question every time I go home after a few hours in good company with the QA Community. My answer to his question would then be: “What haven’t I learned?!” Throughout my time as a mentor I have learned about how other people live and this has given me a new dimension to my own perception on life. I never stop learning.  And that is one of my goals in life: never to ‘settle’ in my mind, but striving to learn something new.

It has broaden my horizon

 If I had to sum up what the mentor experience has given me in one sentence, it would be something along the lines of how “It has broaden my horizon”, and what an awesome experience it has been. So much that when I had to write my thesis, I decided that a part of it should be about international students. I made a sound production on life as an international student at KUA. That is how much of an impact, the mentor experience has had on me.

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Cabin Trip Throwback: The Volunteer Edition!

Fabian Potthoff is an international exchange student from Germany. He was one of the much treasured volunteers at the Spring semester 2015 Cabin Trip. Fabian and his fellow volunteers did an awesome job in preparing and executing the trip, and we simply could not have done it without them. Read about his experience here - who knows, maybe you want to help out at this semester’s Cabin Trip?

Fabin Potthoff

Friday, 6th March 2015 , the clock just turned 3 pm.

The sun flooded the communal room; outdoors you can just hear the sounds of nature — apart from the monotonous noise of the highway from afar. It should be those last quiet moments before a voice echoes through the whole Cabin: “The bus is coming! The bus is coming!” In a few minutes, around 60 people will inhabit this place and hopefully experience a memorable weekend …But this is actually not the beginning of this story …

 Months before, at a mentoring workshop.

I myself am an exchange student and I had a great team of mentors last semester which has warmheartedly welcomed me to Copenhagen. In one of our many meetings, my mentor told me how he had supported the last “Cabin Trip” and how much fun he had doing it. Since I now also became a mentor, I did not want to miss this experience and signed up as a volunteer.

Since the start of the Cabin Trip was not far away, meetings followed quickly. So two weeks later a motley crowd of volunteers and board members have met and distributed the field of duties. Everyone could decide where they wanted to help and also how much effort they wanted to put into it. This was one of the greatest strengths: Everyone just had to do as much as they could. Time-dependent problems were taken seriously and every time someone could quickly step in if needed.

At every meeting all the creature comforts of a student were present: Cola, beer, lots of coffee and cookies! In these brief and ever fun meetings we talked about accruing tasks and created schedules for the bar and the kitchen. There was once an extended meeting many participated at with a slight hangover from the Fridays’ bar tour the day before. Luckily there was pizza and coffee—some proper hangover killers!

 Now back to the beginning of this story.

It took exactly 90 seconds after the first “The bus is here”chant: a horde of people stormed into the communal room and rushed to the drinks and chips-laden table. Here it should be mentioned that a small group of fearless volunteers went to the cabin a day before, waited for the food supply and prepared everything.

But now that all arrived, we volunteers were in great demand: it finally got started! We presented ourselves as their counterparts and told them a bit about the stunning program awaiting them. Soon after, the participants moved to their rooms and we volunteers opened the bar and started preparing dinner.

Of course, as volunteers, we were not always roped in. We had enough free time and could enjoy the whole trip, participate in the activities and come into contact with people from many countries around the world. However, to support the others was oftentimes so much fun that you  helped each other anyway. Whether at the bar or in the kitchen.

During the trip, new friendships were obtained between us volunteers, and everyone discovered their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone is good at something. Cooking, photography, bartending or managing social activities. Perhaps there were one or two who realized that they’re more like “epicures” and not suited for organizing  or supporting others. That’s also fine and quite natural.

Thanks to our excellent preparation and strong but friendly company between all of us volunteers, it was a simple task to master this trip. We certainly have managed to make it, for the majority of participants, an unforgettable trip.

At the party Saturday night, the alcohol flowed freely and there was dancing and singing until after 4 am. Especially the midnight snack became increasingly popular and provided a refreshment, so everybody was able to continue dancing. 

On the last day, even during cleaning, all participants had fun. When they entered the bus to head home, one could only see happy and satisfied people.

For a volunteer, this is always the highest reward: The time one has invested has paid off and brought to many a great experience—including oneself!

It was an incredibly wonderful experience, all things considered. Volunteering was a lot of fun. I can only recommend to assist the QA Programme in something, ’cause as the recent proverb has it quite appropriately: “Everything is awesome, everything is cool when you’re part of a team!

Sounds like fun? You can sign up for this semester’s Cabin Trip here: http://qaprogramme.dk/event/qa-cabin-trip-autumn-2015/

...And if you want to volunteer at this semester’s Cabin Trip, drop us a line at [email protected]! 

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QA Cabin Trip Throwback: Harry Potter and his dementor lovers

In less than two months, the QA Programme will venture to a remote location on one of our epic Cabin Trips. To help you picture what you can expect from one of these trips, we have compiled a few experiences from last semester’s Cabin Trip for you. The first comes from mentee Lottie, who has maybe made the most aweome contribution in QA blog history - a prophecy-in-rhyme for the Movie Mash-Up.

Throwing a random group of people together is always an interesting social project. Dividing this random group in even more random groups and having them compete is even more so. Right before I left for the Cabin Trip, I saw a picture on Facebook, that I believe stated that 15 minutes of playing gets people to bond more than a long and deep conversation. And as much as I enjoy good conversations, I think The Internet has a good point there.

Admittedly, I was quite reserved at the start of the weekend. I didn’t know any of my teammates, and stubbornly wanted to just hang out with the people I had already met. Soon enough, however, I realised that feelings like these are often just products of misplaced self-consciousness. Not wanting to allow myself to be limited by this, I rapidly chose to let go and stop taking myself so seriously. A good decision that resulted in a great weekend with a lot of fun and silliness.

My team - composed of a Finn, a Japanese, an American, an Italian, a Dutchie and a girl from Hong Kong - soon proved to have a great dynamic, and the more activities we did, the more fun we started to have. Balancing on a tiny mat with a group of six people, or competing in a nightly cucumber race with your newly found arch enemy (you know who I’m talking about, red team) surely leads to hilarious situations, no matter how old you are or where you are from. Besides that, exaggerated fanaticism and animosity were often the basis for funny encounters with members of other teams, while during the nights the cheap bar and highly intellectual 90s and 00s music let us forget about our Hunger Games for a little bit. When you find youself mopping the floor on drum ‘n base at 4am because you don’t feel like going to bed, you know you’ve had a good night.

Lottie and other happy campers.

The crowning moments on every team’s work, and my personal favourite part of the weekend, were definitely the movie mash-up plays on Saturday night. The combination of minds from different backgrounds proved to be a great source of creative genius. Whomever knew that Harry Potter is in reality a Japanese schoolboy with dementor lovers, and whose parents have been eaten by a hungry Cyclops whom he shall defeat according to an ancient prophecy? Or that the great Wizard of Oz is in fact a heartless serial killer with a cocaine addiction? Moreover, the way in which everyone put themselves out there, showed that the group had grown quite comfortable with each other over the course of less than two days.

Lottie wrote a phrophecy-in-rhyme the above Movie Mash-Up story. It’s pretty amazing. Take a look:

I see your parents have tragically died Their killer survived and ran off to hide As it is only one, who can truly live free A journey to Greece is what I foresee.   Your destined goal is yet still far But along the way you’ll be told what you are Trials shall be met, and your fears you shall face So develop the skills in the right place.   Olympus School is where this is done best They will prepare you for your dangerous quest Fear not, though, rest your mind In the end, you shall be “the boy who survived”.

I think it is great to know that university students from all over the world still allow themselves to be silly and let go at times, and that doing so creates more common ground than one would initially think. It is things like this that will keep me going when I’m spending sunny days in the KUA library, struggling my way through Descartes and Hegel.

Sounds like fun, right? Sign-up for the next Cabin Trip is open - sign up now at www.qaprogramme.dk/event/qa-cabin-trip-autumn-2015

(Please note that the Cabin Trip is an exclusive event for current members of the QA Programme.)

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A welcome to the cultural madhouse!

This first blog post of the semester is written by Robert Fechete. Robert is the president of the QA Programme. As an international student himself, coming from Romania to study a Masters in Film Studies at the University of Copenhagen, he knows a thing or two about the needs of international students. Robert has been the front man in implementing the new ideas and structural changes, the QA Programme has gone through during the summer. 

As the first blog post of the season, I would like to welcome everybody to a brand new autumn semester here at KUA. The QA Programme is also starting a new season in its development, as over the summer the board of 14 delightful and hard-working students have restructured QA so that it is easier to cut through the technicalities and confusions with the university and get directly to you.

Remember that you are in a new country, with new food, a new style of life and a new culture. Here at QA we celebrate diversity, so we suggest you bring everything that makes you unique with you, however keep your mind open for the whole adventure that is the Danish Cultural Experience. You might find yourself surprised by how this or that is done, by how this or that person behaves, and when you do, remember that they feel the same way about you and it is these marvelous differences that make KUA a great place to be. You will discover, you will learn, maybe you will be surprised and sometimes you might even be shocked, but you most certainly will return mentally vaster and culturally richer. Perhaps even spiritually fuller, as the stories of students coming for one semester, falling in love with everything and returning later are innumerable. It might be your first introduction to becoming a global citizen, a personage of the world, a cosmopolitan.

In this we will assist you with everything you need, all different kinds of events, trips, parties and fancy dinners so that you are welcome whatever ambiance it is that you prefer. And if it happens that we don’t have an event quite to your liking or you would like to try a traditional home event in Denmark, we will facilitate you with everything you need, from funding to human support, to the necessary network.

All you have to do is say so.

Robert and some of the volunteers at the spring cabin trip 2015.

I started my association with the QA Programme by becoming a Mentor and offering to help with some extra tasks and volunteer at certain events, because I thought these were cool students getting something done. That put me on a two and a half year path of meeting some of the greatest and most interesting, intriguing and sometimes downright strange individuals I have ever encountered. We have shared journeys and holidays and inappropriate jokes at the dinner table and an endless parade of memorable life moments. Slices of time and space that I will always carry with me and that have taught me immeasurably more than any university ever has.

Robert showing his helpful nature while serving cake at the Danish birthday party. 

I share my story just so I can say that it is not isolated. There have been hundreds of students who started new here, just like you, and who ended up finding long-term friends who they continue to meet up and adventure with. A certain degree of culture shock is inevitable, but you don’t have to be lonely, depressed, miserable, there is a full world out here and it is wonderfully friendly to students, both Danish and foreign.

All you have to do is make the plunge and join us. Show up, say hi to people, and we will take care of everything else. :)

Happy QA members being happy after a happy cabin trip! 

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Build your talents in the QA (you might even get a job from it!)

Sanne Bergh was one of the founders of the QA Programme but has since graduated from university with a Master of Applied Cultural Analysis. She now works for Maersk, and guess what - she uses her QA skills every day. Here is her take on how you can use the skills you gain in the QA Programme to further your career after university.

Sanne Bergh, Michael Hockenhull (co-founder, former president, now vice president,) Rhina Lindhøj (co-founder and former vice president), and David Folting (co-founder and former treasurer) at the award ceremony where the QA Programme won the International Study Environment Award of 2014!

There are obvious reasons to be a Mentor for international students. It is fun, you meet lots of great people, and it might even increase your chances of getting a study abroad spot.

I am here to argue that it might also be a stepping-stone to build your talents for a future career and give you skills to highlight on you CV and in job applications.

Granted, being one of the founders of the QA Programme, I may be subject to a bit of favouritism when it comes to faculty of Humanities’ international Mentor association. However, I am also a so-called ‘professional’ that has entered the private job market and now is a project coordinator in Maersk. Therefore, I have been asked to share my thoughts on how being a Mentor will prepare you for the mighty job markets of the future, so here they are:

Intercultural skills. I am sure you are familiar with the concept and the context: the world is becoming smaller, we travel, we meet different people, we entangle, and we work across cultures and countries. More and more Danish companies and organisations have English as their working language and attract a variety of employees from all over the world.

We students from KUA are prepared for such a working environment. Right? We study the Human, and aspire to understand variations of relations between humans through theories of culture, history, languages, art and religion. We know about the pitfalls in cultural meetings, at least in theory, but is that the same as knowing how to work them?

When I began my studies in 2007, I do not recall seeing many signs in English on Campus, my classes were not in English, and I never once during my BA in Religion had to do group work or interact with students not raised in Denmark. Rarely in a university context, during classes or breaks, did I experience the cultural, misalignment that I since then have bumped into and have had to learn to manage during my time in QA, and which prepared me to work with Ukrainians, South Africans, Indians, Australians, Brits, Americans, Turks and other nationalities.

Being sensitive to cultural differences, able to express yourself in English in all sorts of situations and capable of working in a cross-cultural environment takes practise. It is not that difficult (though it can be) but it does require experience internalising the tacit routines that arise when you are confronted with different cultures of work, humours, meeting discipline and all the little things. Even when we do know the theory, we may not always have the ability to recognise and react to cultural misalignments in a professional situation unless we have actually tried it. And it is important, because if you can already work in an intercultural setting, you are better predisposed to do the task you are charged with in a job, faster, and ultimately be more successful in your work.

QA exposed me to an international working environment, and, looking back, was in other ways a stepping-stone for me.

We planned big projects for hundreds of people. That experience is useful as so many companies and NGOs these days build their organisations around projects and programmes. Especially when you get hired as a project coordinator it comes in handy. Each semester we in the board would discuss how to structure the association, the work groups and how to organise the up to 350 students we could have in a fall semester. Building the organisation from scratch, I learned some basic insights into organisation management and how to motivate my fellow students. I use these skills every day in my job to help organise the programme organisation I am part of, to build and simplify work processes and to understand some of the logics behind the very large Maersk organisation.

In QA, I was lucky enough to be a coordinator of the social platform. We had about 15 awesome Danish and foreign students whom we had to guide and support in planning their own events or projects for other volunteer students. It was tangible leadership experience and something that has prepared me for leading teams since.

All of the above are just bonuses you get from QA. First of all, you meet amazing people, you have fun and you build an international network.

We who has been in QA are actually so keen on staying connected and keeping alive a network of old QAs that we have started an international QA Alumni association. So if you have been a QA, you will be invited into a network of professionals spread across the world!

Did I by the way mention it was a contact in QA that got me the student job that eventually led to me being hired in a full time position? However, that is another story.

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Don’t miss out on an old Danish Food Tradition: Varme hveder

Varme hveder - or hvedeknopper - can best be translated as hot wheat buns. It is an old Danish tradition dating back to the 18th century (but is most likely much older than that). And if you want to indulge your taste buds with the taste of varme hveder, tonight is the night

The picture of VARME HVEDER is from http://www.arla.dk/opskrifter/varme-hveder/  where you can find the recipe (only in Danish, though). 

Traditionally, varme hveder were eaten on Store Bededag (the Great Prayer Day), since it was a work-free day devoted to praying and penance. Even the baker couldn’t work that day and a fresh loaf of bread was not available. The evening before Bededag, the baker would bake lots and lots of hveder and the Danes could then heat them up on the day. Hence varme hveder is not actually a religious tradition, more a practical one, since they were easy to heat up and consume. 

Nowadays the Danes tend to eat them on the evening before Bededag, which this year is tonight, the 30th of April. You can buy them in most bakeries and even in supermarkets. But if the supermarket doesn’t have it’s own bakery and it only sells pre-manufactured ones, you owe it to yourself to visit a real bakery and try the ‘homemade’ kind. But you can actually bake them yourself. 

They are usually eaten with butter - and some even dares to put jam on, but traditionally just with butter. 

When having tried a hvede, you might find yourself thinking: “Hm, this reminds me of something else Danish”. You are not completely wrong. Krydderbollen, a danish breakfast bun also found in the supermarket, is quite similar. However, varme hveder is definitely a big step up from krydderbollen!

Enjoy :-) 

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My experience as a mentor (Tom Fletcher)

Tom is one of our more experienced mentors. For a while now he has actively participated in the Academic Platform, where he has been a part of creating many interesting and popular events. This is a little insight in how a mentor can use their skills.

Tom and his team on the Cabin Trop of Spring 2015.

 This spring term I have been a mentor for the QA Programme.  My job has involved providing support to eight International Students. We have met up for dinner and participated in events organised by QA. I have enjoyed seeing students  enjoy their time on exchange.

My other responsibilities include working on the Academic Platform. It is a team of mentors and mentees who plan events for students along academic lines. We organised a Culture symposium (debate) with the question: motion "Can you be a citizen of the globe while maintaining a national identity?"  This process has improved my networking and organisational skills which are very useful to gain for your CV. As a group we had fun discussing ideas and seeing our event come together.

I would recommend becoming a mentor and joining a platform as it is a great way to make friends and develop new skills.  The process for applying to become a mentor is now open and the following link provides more information.

http://qaprogramme.dk/signup/

 I have reapplied to become a mentor again for next term and cannot wait to meet new students and continue having fun within the QA Programme.

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From a few hours of free time into a life time of experiences

Jacob A. Johansen is a mentor turned board member. In his daily QA life, he is one of the coordinators of the Language Exchange platform. He has also been a big part of planning this semester’s Cabin Trip. This is his QA story

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  For me my initiation into the QA was quite coincidental and I remember it quite vividly since it happened on my birthday two years ago. After a day of studying, I found myself with a few hours to kill before meeting some friends for a drink. As I was heading out of the main building, I saw a speed friending event going on, and decided to check it out.

The event was arranged, not surprisingly, by the QA-Programme and I was soon chatting away with a bunch of international students. For me this was a brand new experience, since I never had any contact with the International students at university even though I knew there were plenty. And at that time I never heard about the program at all.

A few weeks later, an acquaintance of mine introduced me to some of his mentees from Japan. Intrigued by the social interaction and cultural differences that I saw between them I decided to check it out for myself. Mainly because I wanted to improve my social and language skills.

Therefore, I signed up with the program. And, what a ride it have been since then. The first semester in the program were mostly fun and games with little to no work for my part. I socialized with my mentees and those from other groups alike, volunteered for the cabin trip and had two mentees living on my couch when they were homeless.

I never felt overwhelmed, the gratitude from the mentees and the fun we had together easily outweighed any inconvenience or expense I had. That was when I realized that I was hooked and joined the board and started seeing how much of a difference the mentors actually do. 

After joining, the board the amount of time I spend on the program have only increased. I now plan events, man the office and hold endless meetings but still all good fun since I am lucky to do it with my fantastic fellow board members.  

It is strange to think how my motivation and my involvement in the program changed so much over such a short period. I joined on a whim but now I cannot imagine not being a part of it.

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Blue suits, singing and beer: The first Copenhagen Cantus

Willem Beks, one of our mentors in the QA Programme, is a Dutchman studying in Copenhagen. Some time ago, he approached us with a dream he had: to share a traditional event from his home country with Danes and internationals in Copenhagen. His hard work and skilled coordination payed off, because the first Copenhagen Cantus sold out early and turned out to be a huge success. This is an account of the event in his words. With rumours of a repeat event, perhaps a new tradition is born, one not to miss.

The first ever Copenhagen Cantus took place a little more than a month ago. The sweet taste of beer, the voices joining in harmony, and a wonderful memory have not left my mind since.

I can still remember how the idea was received with cheers during one of the Social Platform meetings. And from that moment onwards, the cantus was set in motion. The organization was eased by my committee of random students - including other mentors in the Social Platform, and after pushing and pulling, months of meetings and beers, the cantus was ready to take Copenhagen by storm.

On the big day, together with my friends who had flown in from the Netherlands,  we went over the songs once more. After preparing the Main Hall at Studenterhuset, we rewarded ourselves with a quick bite at McDonalds. As the crowd shuffled in, I sent out the last tasks for the committee members, straightened my tie and broke the ice for the evening with a final shot of Schrobbeler.

Hosting a traditional event in a foreign country, having friends and friends-to-be standing shoulder to shoulder, and seeing a plan come together made this an experience that went way beyond my imagination. Not in a lifetime could I have dreamt of the first Copenhagen Cantus being such a success and the morning after, despite the hangover, I woke up the happiest man alive.

Finally, I would like to thank the committee for their contributions, Studenterhuset for hosting us, the I*ESN’ers that found their way to Copenhagen for their enthusiasm and last but not least the QA Programme, for helping me make my dream come true.

Now if you were so unfortunate that you could not participate yourself, or if you just want to relive the memory of that crazy night, then I hope this aftermovie of the cantus will quench your thirst! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvK3KwZQBKg&feature=youtu.be

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We are workshopping: A Mentor's POV, part 2

Here are Mengling Yin's musings on the second day of the mentor workshop (original post on http://crystalyml69.tumblr.com/)

Second day of the mentor programme workshop by QA Programme (21/01/15)

Yesterday we had a wonderful workshop held at the main building of Copenhagen University and we enjoyed a “hygge” dinner at Studenterhuset. Although a little bit tired after a whole day training and my ballet & yoga class at campus, I still chose to write a blog on tumblr thus stayed late until 1:00 a.m. A real advice for everyone that, it feels much better to go to bed earlier. Especially after the lecture yesterday about “cultural differences”, I got to know how important punctuality means for Danes and maybe for everyone except those extreme examples under some cultural backgrounds.

Today we joined a workshop held by QA Program at KUA and furthered our understanding of being a mentor.

At first, Christine welcomed us and shared one important rule of “SWAP” that means the “English only zone”. Actually that resonates my feeling when I was here for in the first period, while after some discussion last semester at the “Open Symposium” held by the Academic Platform of QA, I just realized and confirmed my idea that as mentees we also need to take some initiative if we want to know more of Danish Culture which is a huge concept. That’s why I choose Language Platform this semester under the new rule of being a mentor. But it doesn’t mean that I would be stuck by only attending the events of language & culture related. I will definitely introduce our new mentees to try each one and find what they are really interested in later on.

President Michael talking about the history and visions of the programme.

Then the president Michael gave a short speech about the history of QA, with the vice president Jaqueline and treasurer Elisabeth following. We got to know that due to cooperation with the humanities faculty and winning several awards & getting various fundings, QA wants to provide a platform also for us to join and develop some activities together with them. The principle, according to Michael, is that QA aims to create an open atmosphere and make international students life better here. With the volunteer initiative, it invites more mentees to come to make their voice heard during their stay if their aim is not just travelling through Europe. I totally agree with the fantastic idea and looking forward to make ideas with team realize which I would elaborate as follows.

Since we don’t know each other, QA has prepared some icebreaker games and let us make teams through finding similarities. I found some similar ideas with we usually do for the same thing in China. Although it is my first time to try this form of team building, I really like the way that we are here not just be critical about differences. Actually, just as what has been said yesterday by one speaker, even though we come from different cultures and nations, we still have much in common. I hope if we have some difficulties later on during the whole mentoring process, we could think of today’s experience and try to find a good way to communicate with each other as long as we still have common goals or targets then.

Fun and games in Mengling's group!

After a short break, we heard stories by previous members who are representative of mentee, mentor and board members. Catherine shared her experience here and let us to know the different phases of a foreigner living in Copenhagen and even though exchange sounds like a fancy thing, we still have met similar difficulties. While Maria shared her exchange experience in Japan and her reason of being a mentor is encouraging because she wants to make a difference here even though she didn’t get enough help during her stay abroad. Elisabeth talked about her long story of turning from an exchange student here in 2011 to coming back again one year and half before to further her full degree study. Her courage of developing deep relationships with Danes is quite inspiring and kind of good model for future mentees. Actually I agree with her that it is not that difficult to make friends with Danes although it is still a little bit difficult if you don’t take the initiative. For my experience and the ones I heard from the other mentees last semester, many of them don’t have a nice mentoring process. And one thing I learnt from myself is that, as mentees, we may need to contact our mentors more initiatively without just waiting for them to contact you.

And later Lene gave us a comprehensive picture of QA’s partnership with various organizations. And I just realized then I have missed several interesting events from 3 platforms due to different reasons. Thus I will highly recommend my mentees to manage their time better during their short stay here and keep an eye on all the interesting events that they could attend. For instance, the QA Café (International Cafes), the film things, even those colorful activities at Studenterhuset.

One of the main parts today is for us to choose one of the 3 platforms of QA, and they are Social, Academic and Language platforms. Since I chose the Language one, I can only share what I have gained during the workshop. During the two hours, besides introduction of ourselves and knowing each other, we had a good chance to brainstorm for the future events that we could like to plan together.

Platform work.

To elaborate, together with the other two teammates, we have thought of several ideas. We plan to have a food night event when people from different countries could bring their own food with a little research on history of that dish. And we could even hold some events according to the holiday seasons. Each Dane must be familiar with “Fastelavns” and we wanna have our mentees to have their maybe life once experience of this tradition with the “Fastelavns-Bolle” together as well as some Danish songs on that day. While the other groups have some brilliant ideas such as themes on Andersen, pop quiz, music guessing games, beer tasting events and so forth.

All in all, I bet everyone attending today must have a much clearer thought about what they want to do and plan to do in the near future with mentees. And I believe it is not just helping our mentees to adapt to their brand new life in a different city and country, while we could also treasure this great opportunity to reflect on and help ourselves. Just go outside more and enjoy the nice weather with the bright spring and summer coming soon. Don’t forget to check the newsletter of QA with the upcoming events.

QA Mentors anno spring 2015.

  (Photos belong to QA Programme.)

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We are workshopping: A mentor's POV

At the University of Copenhagen (KU) it is the aim to get the best mentors as possible. Therefore a lot of effort is put in the mentor education. For the last two semesters, the Student House (Studenterhuset), in association with the university, hosts a mentor education day for all the mentors at KU. We get to learn from each other across faculities, and we develop skills that will help us become better mentors. QA Programme then hosts a more localised mentor workshop the day after, which is only for the mentors at the Faculty of Humanities. One of the QA mentors has written a blog post about her experience with the programme and how the workshops has helped her in her quest to become the best mentor she can be.

Mengling Yin is one of our awesome mentors. She was a mentee last semester and has now decided she wants to mentor new incoming international students the same way her mentors did. Mengling is a student at IVA (Det Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi or the School of Library and Information Science). She has her own blog where she shares musings and experiences about being an international student in Copenhagen. Check it out here: http://crystalyml69.tumblr.com/

First day of the mentor programme workshop by Studenterhuset (20/01/15)

Today is the first day of “Mentor Program” work shop organized by Studenterhuset, a cosy place in Copenhagen for students mainly from KU at the main building of Copenhagen University. And we were warmly welcomed by the director Jacob and the other staff from Studenterhuset.

  At the beginning, we heard a lecture on “Project Management” from Stine who is a career consultant at Dansk Magisterforening.

  From her experiences in the various fields and different projects, I got to know that we could definitely lead the mentor program into a professional way. As a project, mentor program is not just for fun, it can be evaluated in the end. Her friend, Kenneth from Ungdomsbureauet also shared his real project and gave us a useful suggestion of just calling for help when you really encounter something that you need consultancy.

Attending the workshop is just one milestone of the whole program, and we started to think of our goals and each other’s role in the whole project. Just as Stine mentioned, we are usually confronted with limited fund and time. And it is just through the seemingly impossible way that we can actually make it happen.

For me, the mentor program is not just helping people, as there is an old saying in Chinese, if translated, that could be “It is better to teach the person how to do fishing, rather than just give him or her the fish”.  What’s more, we can also know more about ourselves through this process of growing together with our mentees and no matter whether you are danes or like me foreigners, you could use this opportunity to explore together with your mentees & co-mentors as well.

I still remember what I wrote down on the red paper prepared for us at the beginning and asked by Stine that what’s your goal or role. Although I can’t predict what could happen in the whole process, but the most important thing I learnt today is that you can’t avoid making mistakes, however you could learn from that. And communication is also important especially when you have disagreement with teammates. Thus in order to have a smooth process, you had better discuss not just with your team members setting the common target or goal, but also listening to your mentees about their expectations & needs. Last but not least, setting some rules at the beginning, for instance, fix an exact day of meeting your mentees could let them know your limits as well. I believe as an adult, our mentees can also learn by themselves without relying on us even to go to the doctor. Our existence is not just accompanying then to do everything, however, our goal maybe to provide enough information and be a friend.

After a short break, we had a cultural expert, Vijay, also a consultant sharing his observations and research about cultural differences. From him, I got a chance to reflect on my nearly 5-month experience of a mentee last semester through the 4 step phase, namely honeymoon, culture shock, adjustment and adaption. During the talk, several new mentors also shared their thoughts of “Dos” and “Don’s” in Danish culture from their own experiences. By those sharing, we could keep in mind of the general Danish values under the iceberg. Those values underneath are low hierarchy, individualism, gender roles, fearless of uncertainty or risk, etc. It is an interesting learning process and we realized those values in various aspects from food to punctuality, and from CPR number to transportation rules which are quite practical.

  In the last part, Nivedita gave a workshop on the same topic of cultural differences from her own experience of being a foreigner during her first stay here even now. The first question she pointed to us is “Who are you”. By elaborating on the difference between stereotype and generalization, she also let us to know that the former is quite pervasive. However, even though each dane is different from the other, we still could get some clues of understanding the Danish values or traits. She mainly argues 5 important ones: equality, trust, individualism, work and life balance, and punctuality. Lastly, she introduces a new model called “Cultural Intelligence” which can be called CQ complementing the IQ and EQ we already know. The first step is “Drive” meaning what kind of motivation you have in your mind, while second one is about “Knowledge” which you could gain in several ways. And the third is to develop some strategies, while the last but most important thing is “Action” by really adapting your behaviors.

  After all the sessions, I believe all the new mentors have a better understanding of being a mentor and ourselves. Provided with those methods mentioned before, we could exactly talk with our co-works and later with our mentees to make action plans. And just through the Closing notes by the director from Studenterhuset, we are much more relieved because at least we know there would be strong support from them as well if we meet some problems later. Hope everyone would enjoy the mentorship journey and be responsible for our roles to be mentors as it really matters to mentees from my own experience of having good mentors from IVA.

(Photos belong to Mengling Yin)

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Choose your champion: Are you a social, an academic or a language exchange?

Welcome back to Spring semester 2015 - and if you have just arrived in this currently cold, wet, dark city and are looking forward to your orientation and the start of classes, then welcome!! Have you ever wondered what our platforms are all about? Want to join one but confused about what the difference is? I have written this post in order to introduce the three platforms, and clarify what they are, how they work and why are they worth knowing about!

What is a platform?

Is it this?

or this?

Or this?

In a way they all give a sense of what a QA platform is. It’s a structure that gives your ideas a voice and a chance to be funded and put into practice, a way to get from one place to another - a kind of enabling framework which allows our visions for an international study environment to take shape, and also it’s a dare. Will you climb that ladder, put in the work, and then have the courage and commitment to follow through? To have meetings, tasks and then revel in the sheer joy of having something you came up with or worked on become a fun and successful event?

The QA Platforms are hands down the best way to engage with the programme – to contribute ideas, to work side-by-side with both Danes and internationals and to get event planning skills. While some of our larger events are organised by the board and by all three platforms working together with dedicated volunteer teams, most of the events created for members by members are platform events. As a mentee, you will have some social events planned for you by your mentors within your mentor group. This is more of a support structure to help you meet others and find your feet when you arrive. Mentors mainly give mentees someone to ask questions of, and practical information that can be daunting to find out about alone. While the small group structure has led to many friendships and cosy group outings or dinners, it is within the platforms that events with cool ideas and many participants take place.

Each platform has coordinators who arrange platform meetings, and oversee the budget they have to fund your events. You then get to choose which events you want to work on, and what tasks you want to volunteer for. Working alongside others for a common goal is the most rewarding part of working in the programme for me, and has resulted in Danish friends, friends from other countries, and friends from other study areas.

When you are a member of the QA Programme – as either a mentor or a mentee – you automatically are entitled to join a platform. Mentors will get the opportunity to choose a platform to work with at their mentor training workshop tomorrow. In past semesters it has predominantly been the mentors who have planned the events for the mentees, and while the platforms have always been open to mentees as well, for some reason or another few mentees have chosen to join.

This is why if you are a mentee reading this, and you want to get the most out of your time at the university, consider this our warm invitation to you to join a platform. Simply write to [email protected] and tell us which platform you want to join.

Which platform should I choose?

Now for the fun part – choosing which platform suits you best! The platforms are centered around themes, so that people with common interests can work together.

The Social platform

The Social Platform is about more than simple socialising – it is about creating a network at the university, about facilitating cultural exchange and making connections. It is a flexible platform where all kinds of casual social events take place, all of which are designed to be fun! In the past there have been international Friday bar crawls, Danish style childrens’ birthday parties, craft clubs and bike tours. The main event for the Social Platform is the bi-monthly international café at Café Modestedet.

The Academic Platform

In the Academic Platform, different academic traditions are explored, with the aim of creating English speaking academic events at the university, and thereby creating a more inclusive academic environment at the university. An especially active platform, they aim to share knowledge and inspiration about specific academic topics. Examples of past events include a cross-disciplinary open mic symposium, study hubs with help with academic writing at the university, Wanna be a PhD event and film screenings with talks by university professors.

The Language Exchange Platform

The Language Exchange Platform is the home of our award-winning Tandem Language Exchange Programme. This is where participants sign up to share a language they know informally over a coffee in exchange for a language they would like to know. It is also a platform for the celebration of culture-specific traditions. If you want to help organise the Tandem, or have ideas for more language or cultural exchange events that you would like to see happen, then the Language Exchange Platform is for you.

Remember that being in one platform does not mean that you are ‘stuck’ there – you are always welcome to take part in or help organise events created by the other platforms, or to change platform allegiance. Sometimes an event is a joint effort between two platforms. The most common misconception is that if you want to join the Tandem Language Exchange Programme then you should join the Language Exchange Platform. The Tandem Exchange is open to all members and also people who are not part of the QA Programme. So if in doubt, choose the platform whose event focus seems to be the one you would like to share in most.

If you have further questions about the platforms then write to us at [email protected]. What ideas for a better study environment do you have that could come to life in a platform? Do you dare to take them to the diving board and see what kind of fun can happen when you jump? 

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Hygge all over the world: The story of a Canadian mentee

If you could, would you leave your life behind to move across the world?  You’d leave your job, your family, and your friends. You’d leave your boyfriend, girlfriend, and your Nan. You’d say stuff like you’re going to send letters and skype calls and messages, forgetting the 6 hour time difference and liberal alcohol laws. Every penny you’d spend goes directly to your liver and your memory. You’ll talk to people who don’t understand you. You’ll meet people you never thought you’d understand. And you’ll realize how insignificant and overplayed cultural, man-made boundaries truly are. So I ask you again; if you could, would you leave? Never mind where, but now?  Alone? What if it didn’t have to be so… solitary?

Me at Mons Klint.

Moving in general is scary, but for many students, who choose to study abroad, it’s more than a move, it’s an entire relocation process. When I made the decision to pack up my life and move to Europe there was one thing on my mind:  I hope my dad doesn’t go bald by the time I get back.  But also, how would I do this? How can this lonely Canadian change her life? Luckily, my dad’s hair is a lot stronger than mine, and my entire life can fit in the luggage weight limit. It took me 11 hours and 27 minutes to make it half way across the world. 

The next day I went to the first orientation meeting and it was there I was first introduced to the QA Programme. Within 13.6 seconds of being in the room dominated by the smell of fresh coffee and words I didn’t recognize, a French girl (still my friend a year and change later) approached with a warm smile and a gentle greeting. I realized shortly after, that all the people in the room were in the same place I was; curious, confused, and ready to not be, well, alone. After a brief intro lecture and enough Smørrebrød to feed the entirety of Roskilde, I found myself with more friendly faces than I knew what to do with. And thus, my adventures as a QA mentee began. 

In Helsingor

To put it lightly, I could never have done it without them, the mentors, who knew what it meant to be inclusive, open and quite silly, in the best way possible.  It was all becoming a lot more bearable. They introduced me to the marvel that is Hygge. A word inked permanently into my arm, a sensation that will truly live forever in my heart. According to the souvenir mugs in the shops, Hygge is the Danish feeling you can’t translate. It’s a feeling of homey, cozy goodness, and the QA program did an excellent job of dishing it out. 

My tattoo :)

We did everything from day trips around Denmark’s most beautiful and remote places, to epic dance parties and pub nights to a weekend of cabin tripping in the great Danish outdoors. There was something for everyone, even this snowy, mountain hiking loving Canadian fell in love with the majestic (and flat), mesmerizing wind tunnel that is Denmark. They got me out and about meeting new and each more welcoming faces on the way.

They are a wonderful ball of energy designed to make everyone’s adventures a little easier, with hands to help you along each step you take.  But between the Frikadeller (Google that stuff!), the beer and the history, I made friends for a lifetime. I spent Christmas in London, with families as hospitable and caring as the one I could not be with that year, at the other end of the world. In return, they came to visit me in Toronto during the summer. 

On one of the beach trips.

So one last time, I ask, if you could, would you pack up your life and move across the world? What if I told you that you wouldn’t have to give anything up? What if there was a new family all your own waiting for you at the other side, to pick you up from the airport, to help you move in, to offer the makings of decent humans (something we can all use a bit more of). I found that family in the QA program. The best part? Now, I can look on a map and see hygge all over the world. I never would have guessed that I would find myself in Copenhagen, but I’m glad I did. And this big, scary world seems a speck less intimidating. This big, scary world has people who care, and maybe, the QA program is a good place to start finding them.

-        Kaylin Baker-Fields

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What 'QA' means to me - the mentor

This week we asked Manuela, one of our great mentors, to write a little something. Manuela is a Ph.D. student from Brazil, and she furthermore works at Studenterhuset in Købmagergade.

Manuela and her mentee

When I was first asked to talk about my experience as a mentor, it immediately came to my mind that this would be impossible without first talking about my experience as a mentee. Why? Because it was through the contact I had with the QA Programme in the Spring semester that understood the real meaning of the whole student community in Denmark.

For instance people in Denmark don’t touch each other unless they are very drunk, professors are informal with students and the academic environment prey independency and autonomy, and you’re not obliged to attend to any class but you must keep your readings updated. Many small codes that by itself doesn’t really mean much but together become a wall that for many international students, as I could see, seems insurmountable. Therefore, it is often said that there are two different communities of students in Copenhagen: the Danish students and the foreign.   

The thing is, I don’t feel like a foreigner, I never did, and  great part of it is  certainly due the fact I had mentors who kindly helped me to cross this wall. I had someone who explained that shaking hands is not a lesser greeting than kiss on the cheek, as well as made me see that to be invited to someone’s house is the recognition of a friendship. What could have been a lonely semester became the best semester of my life ever since I started my education. The experience itself was so gratifying that I felt the need of doing the same by someone else.

Friends

Important to say, while my experience was the best possible, some of my colleagues have had several depressions and felt incredibly lonely – none of them was part of the QA Programme and that was also an incentive to make me want to be part of it as a mentor.

At first, I was a bit sceptical of my contribution for the simple fact that I am not Danish and I don’t really speak the language, but then I decided to use it as an advantage instead. I knew what to be scared in a new place was like, and I knew the practical difficulties foreigners face here, so maybe I could be useful. Luckily, my co-mentors are Danish so I think we make a great team together: they show the things that I can’t and I understand the frustration and fears that they have not experienced.

My mentor group is very diverse: Europeans, Americans, Asians. Even my Chinese mentee already drank beer and sang on the karaoke – yes, we do things together all the time, even now when the semester is on its second half. Another mentee suffered a tragic accident and was in hospital for a few days. He is fine now but for a few days, my co-mentors and I were really doing our best to comfort him. 

The mentor group!

We shared cigarettes and beer, but we also shared moments, laughs and great memories. We discovered more about our countries, about diversity as a positive thing and about academy as well – I am a classmate of two of my mentees. On top of it we also discovered that it doesn’t really matter where you come from, there is always that common point in which everyone can learn from everyone. Friendship seems to be an international language that with just a bit of effort turns everyone into a native speaker.

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What 'QA' means to me - the board member

Mathieu has been a board member since October 2013. He is a part of the administration work group as well as the Language Exchange Platform. He is also one of the people who made our Language Tandem Programme so successful. Here is what 'QA' means to him.

Mathieu

  I jumped on board the QA train just over a year ago, when the program was still young – and it still is today. I wasn’t planning on running for a board membership, not even remotely considering it, but looking back at all the activities I could be part of and the friends I had met thanks to QA people, it was as if I just had to raise my hand at the fall general assembly of 2013. If it is true that the Q in QA stands for “questions”, to me it rather Means “quest”. I was looking for a new, more participative experience and an occasion to actually do something that had a direct and concrete impact on other people’s lives. I had come to Copenhagen to complete a research-oriented master’s degree which I knew would take me down a path of reading, writing, thinking and questioning others (and myself) on highly theoretical issues. Don’t take me wrong: I don’t regret the choice I made academically, but being a QA mentee made me unconsciously realize that I wanted to do something more, and give back to the community I had just joined.

  The last welcome dinner - we took over the canteen

  Since becoming a board member, I have had the chance to try my hand at organizing events and administrative tasks, and I have tried my best to ensure that our new members, both mentees and mentors, could make the most of their experience studying at our university. Besides my administrative work, I have been involved in managing the Tandem Language Exchange to help language-curious students, and others, get in touch with like-minded individuals and learn or practice each other’s language in an informal setting. The roles I have assumed brought me both challenges in times of rush when deadlines were approaching fast, and also great satisfaction from the feedback we have received. One of the highlights of my time as a board member probably was being awarded a 10,000DKK price by Academic Books to use to organize events for the Tandem Language Exchange. As the new board period has recently started, I feel lucky to have a new team of board members to work with to create new opportunities for our members.

Spot the Tandem!

  If I must stress only one aspect of what being a board member is to me, I would say that it starts with an A: adventure. Because we are venturing into uncharted territories for most of us, as we are all students, and it is therefore a continued learning experience. It might be a daunting task at times, but it has been very rewarding to me and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store for the program.

  - Mathieu – QA administration and Language Exchange platform coordinator