Embracing Ignorance

By Alex Slaymaker

While in Copenhagen my study abroad team surveyed and interviewed people involved in urban agriculture. We studied urban gardens with a diverse array of characteristics including for-profit and non-profit, school rooftops with limited accessibility and private apartment courtyards, and public parks accessible to all. We had the opportunity to explore these gardens through guided tours where we tasted, smelled, touched and heard the ecosystem. Through structured research, mindful observations and casual conversations with urban agriculture stakeholders we compiled a portrait of urban agriculture in Copenhagen. We only were able to interact with five urban gardens on an in-depth level and there is no accurate count of how many gardens currently exist in the city so our findings are not statistically significant. However, we collected interesting data and stories that appeal to the urban human condition.

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Unanswerable Questions

By Alex Slaymaker

Copenhagen in the summer is the land of serenity. The scene is picturesque – bikers with a day’s worth of groceries, pedestrians wearing skirts with tennis shoes and young professionals casually sipping beer midday while enjoying city life. Many restaurants leave blankets in their outdoor seating just in case people get cold. There is no sense of haste at cafes from those preparing, waiting for or enjoying their meal. People are present while enjoying their time together – ignoring their phones and other distractions. Inviting public space created in triangle medians and large canal-side, tree-lined parks are speckled by joyful Danes at all hours. People seem less concerned with external judgment while they soak up sunshine naked and do slow motion tai-chi in the park. Rows of unlocked bikes symbolize the deep sense of shared trust present in Copenhagen that makes vulnerability more socially acceptable. These values are pleasurably apparent in the air, like the intoxicating aroma of freshly cooked cinnamon bread. A local baker told me he moved to Denmark from Iraq instead of Germany or France where he had family because it’s the land of calm, peaceful people. At the close of my first week here, his tale rings true.

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Inward Growth through Outward Exploration

By Alexandra Slaymaker

I’ve had a taste for adventure since before I can remember – strapped to my mother’s back while she hiked National Parks. My father’s military career required my family to move multiple times during my childhood exposing me to diverse sub-cultures and experiences. Some of my favorite memories as a child include sneaking into the abandoned air force base across the street in New Jersey, playing in a hurricane in Texas with my brother, and throwing myself into huge waves in the Gulf of Mexico.

As a high schooler I continued to embrace the mystery of our wonderful universe. I hiked the beautiful Cleveland Metro parks at night in thunderstorms, traveled down winding rivers flowing into Lake Erie, and went cliff jumping into a freshwater quarry alive with jellyfish. During these adventures I lived purely in the now.

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