So with my Rotary exchange meeting coming up this weekend (expect a blog post covering that too), I thought I should spread the good news! My speech is done! Or at least, it's mostly done. I still need to polish a few details, and I am very much in doubt that I will be using good pronunciation in any capacity. Still, I'll soldier through and do my best! I still need to add some information about the club which I have to add in before I can memorize it in full. It's supposed to be five minutes, and I'm beginning to wonder if I went a little overkill...
Oh well! Wish me luck, as ever I will probably have need of it. What follows will be a complete transcript of the speech in Dansk, as I will have to say it this weekend, and immediately after that will be an English translation, which I only wish I could memorize and say instead. Still, if nothing else this will be an excellent new challenge to cut my tænder (teeth) on!
Complete Speech in Dansk;
Hej, mit navn er Callum Arnold. Jeg er sytten år gammel, et stolt Canadian, og et heldig medlem af dette års vagtplan af Rotary udveksling studerende. Jeg har to forældre og et vidunderlig søster, såvel et få søskende fra udveksling program. Min favorit skole emner er sproget, fortid, og drama. Jeg er planlægning på tager et eksamensbevis i fortid og statsvidenskab og indstigning lov skole efter jeg graduere fra højskole.
Jeg er fra byen af Elliot Lake, i feltet af nordlig Ontario, i Canada. Elliot Lake er et smukke plads fyldt af natur, venlig mennesker, og activiteter for den unge og den gammel. Min favorit plads til besøg i min hjemland er den skibakken i løbet af vinteren, eller strande i løbet af sommeren, eller den stier i forår og efterår. Året rundt, Elliot Lake er et smukke plads til besøg, og jeg kan sige med fortrøstning det Elliot Lake har noget for alle. Jeg er meget heldig til være født der, idet det er et vidunderlig by for barn til opvokse i.
Jeg har mange interesser, men mine største interesser er alle forbundet til at se på det store billede. Jeg kan lide sprog, fordi de viser mig, hvordan mennesker kommunikerer med hinanden. Jeg kan lide politik, fordi de viser, hvordan mennesker samarbejde med hinanden. Og jeg kan lide fortid, fordi det viser, hvordan mennesker har været siden starten af vores eksistens. Mine tidsfordriv afspejler mine interesser, og jeg læse, se film, og har samtaler med folk, så jeg kan udforske mine interesser med dem. Det er ikke meget dansk at prale, så jeg vil blot sige, at jeg har udgivet en bog, klarede sig godt i sport, og tjente min provinsens parlament, men at jeg stadig har meget at lære.
Jeg ønskede at gå på udveksling, fordi jeg er i et sted i mit liv, hvor jeg har brug for vækst og forandring. Jeg ønsker at se verden, de mennesker, der bor i det, og hvordan de lever. Jeg ønsker at lære af dem, og tage deres visdom til at gælde for mig selv. Jeg har altid betragtet mig selv nogen, der tænker stort, men jeg tror, at udvekslingen vil udvide min horisont på måder, jeg kan ikke forestille sig. Mit liv har brug for en stor forandring, og et år i udlandet fordybe mig i en ny kultur og folk ser ud som den perfekte måde at starte denne ændring. Jeg er meget heldig at have levet det liv, jeg har. Jeg ønsker at gå på udveksling, så jeg kan sætte mit lykke til god brug, og gøre verden til et bedre sted ved at dygtiggørelsen mig selv.
Jeg valgte Danmark for min udveksling, fordi det er en virkelig fascinerende land. Uanset
om det er vikingerne, titlen på verdens lykkeligste land, eller endda de smukke kyststrækninger, er der ingen ende på den awesome liste over unik dansk oplevelser. HC Andersens eventyr, Søren Kierkegaards filosofiske afhandlinger, Lars Von Triers filmografi, eller Dronning Margrethe II familie historie. Jeg er overbevist om, at der er en guldgrube af ting at opdage om noget land, du besøger, og Danmark er et af mange. Jeg formoder, at der er to faktorer, som påvirkede mit valg af Danmark. For det første var på liste over lande at vælge imellem. For det andet, Jante lov er en meget interessant fænomen at udforske. Den danske vej, at støtte fællesskabet ved at være ydmyg og samarbejdsvillig, i stedet for arrogant og egoistisk, er noget, som jeg tror Canada selv har en lille smule af, som drog mig til Danmark.
Complete Speech in English:
Hello, my name is Callum Arnold. I am 17 years old, a proud Canadian, and a fortunate member of this year’s roster of Rotary exchange students. I have two parents and a wonderful sister, as well as a couple exchange siblings. My favourite subjects in school are languages, history, and drama. I am planning on taking an undergraduate degree in history / political science and entering law school after I graduate from high school.
I am from the town of Elliot Lake, in the province of Ontario, in Canada. Elliot Lake is a beautiful place full of nature, friendly people, and activities for the young and the old. My favourite place to visit in my hometown is either the ski hill during the winter, or the beach during the summer, or the trails in spring and autumn. The seasons in Elliot Lake make it a beautiful place to visit year-round, and I can say that there is something for everyone with confidence. I am incredibly fortunate to have been born there, as it is a wonderful town for a child to grow up in.
I have many interests, but my greatest interests are all connected to looking at the big picture. I like languages, because they show me how people communicate to each other. I like politics, because they show how people cooperate with each other. And I like history, because it shows how people have been since the start of our existence. My pastimes reflect my interests, and I read, watch movies, and have conversations with people so that I can explore my interests with them. It isn’t very Danish to brag, so I will simply say that I have published a book, performed well in sports, and served my province’s parliament, but that I still have much to learn.
I wanted to go on exchange because I am in a place in my life where I need growth and change. I want to see the world, the people who live in it, and how they live. I want to learn from them, and take their wisdom to apply to myself. I have always considered myself somebody who thinks big, but I think that the exchange will broaden my horizons in ways I cannot imagine. My life needs a big change, and a year abroad immersing myself in a new culture and people seems like the perfect way to start that change. I am very fortunate to have lived the life that I have. I want to go on exchange so that I can put that fortune to good use, and make the world a better place by bettering myself.
I chose Danmark for my exchange because it is a truly fascinating country. Whether it’s the Vikings, the title of World’s Happiest Country, or even the beautiful coastlines, there is no end to the awesome list of uniquely Danish experience. Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophical treatises, Lars Von Trier’s filmography, or Queen Margrethe II’s family history. I firmly believe that there is a treasure trove of things to discover about any country you visit, and Denmark is one of many. I suppose there are two factors which influenced my choosing of Denmark. First, it was on the roster of countries to choose from. Second, Jante’s Law is a very interesting phenomena to explore. The Danish Way, of supporting the community by being humble and cooperative, instead of arrogant and selfish, is something which I think Canada itself has a little bit of, which drew me to Denmark.
So yeah, all in all this is a pretty solid speech with the exception of some extra information about the club that I should sneak in somewhere. Hopefully over the course of my exchange, as I give the speech more it should come more naturally, and I may even streamline and polish bits to make it flow even better. I think if I remember this all the way near when my exchange ends, which seems like a lifetime away right now, I'll post a second transcript, and compare the two side by side to see how my understanding of the language has grown!
So until Monday, this is me signing off, grumbling faintly about having to memorize a five-minute speech in a foreign language!
-Callum
P.S. "Mange Hilsner!" I have learned, is the way that the few Danes I've been in contact with so far sign off their correspondence, and it translates to many regards! But again, I'll be making a post just to talk about the emails I've received, and my Skype call with my Rotary Councillor in Denmark, after the weekend excursion is done. Until then, Mange Hilsner!
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