Griffin Clark's Story
Wow! What an amazing experience it was going to Denmark to learn about Danish insulation techniques. Although we were only there for two weeks, it felt like far more. In many ways, it was quite a singular experience. It is exceedingly rare in life that one spends two weeks with a group of (almost) complete strangers in a foreign country. For me, this was one of the highlights of the trip - Making friends with people from Denmark, The Netherlands, Finland, and even other folks from Canada!
The trip itself was quite busy. We were up early each day to eat a traditional Danish breakfast consisting of bread, cheese, meet and veggies, or muesli with yogurt. Then we made our way to the school campus where we worked on our building projects! The first week we built a cross section of a traditional wall and roof system, complete with vapor barrier, insulation, and drywall. The second week, we built another cross section. This time, though, we built it with sustainability in mind. It was great to compare the two methods! Following our school time, we would make our way back to the dormitory, where we would have some time for ourselves in the evening. Dinner was provided, and we would often eat together, and then spend time together in the evening. Some evenings were spent playing foosball on the rooftop terrace or watching the Eurovision Championships in the communal area. On other nights we would break off into smaller groups and go for a walk around the city, or simply have a quiet drink in one of the local pubs. We also went to LEGOLAND on the Saturday! This was another personal highlight.
Before I knew it, it was over! What an amazing few weeks. I am exceptionally grateful to NSCC, NSCC International, Tradium college in Denmark, and everyone else that worked so hard to put this experience together.