July 22, Monday

Free time in the morning meant sleep and then exploring Griftpark on my own. There is only so much alone free time on a trip like this so I soaked it in. We had our final meeting with Ronald in the city offices again and we got a tour of the building. This included a beautiful view from a balcony and seeing work spaces for hundreds of people. We talked again on the 21st floor and discussed takeaways from the trip with only a week left in the program. 

5 Takeaways:

1. The biggest takeaway from this trip for me is the understanding that anyone can make a difference. I’ve always known this, but this trip has solidified the idea that I can make an impact in people’s lives. I can change one person’s mind. I can make a small community’s life a little bit better. I can make my city a better place. I can change the laws or customs of my country for the good of the people in it. I can change the world. It is with these thoughts that I can truly work towards creating change to make the world a better place. However, words only go so far and it is time to act upon how I want to make a difference. 
2. My second takeaway from this journey is that change can happen in a numerous amount of ways. Top down and bottom up approaches both can work, but it does not necessarily have to be either. Change must happen in several steps and the domino effect plays a key role. For example, in Amsterdam, the “Stop de Kindermoord” (stop the child murder) movement was huge in creating safer streets and ultimately leading to better bicycle infrastructure. Kids were dying at high rates from the number of cars on the road and it had become unsafe to bike or walk to school. The government ultimately has the power to change laws and choose how to spend tax dollars, but the people can change just about anything if enough of them are willing to protest. 
3. One more big takeaway is that biking should absolutely be my first thought to get from point A to point B. Sometimes it is inconvenient to bike to a place because it is far, hilly, unaware, or the weather does not allow. However, cars should only be used if they are absolutely necessary and they drastically effect the journey between two places. I already do a good job of biking around Eugene, especially to work and class. Nonetheless, I want to bike everywhere I go, regardless of how other people are getting there. I will attempt to get my friends to bike places too and hopefully this trip can teach others the importance and ease of biking as a mode of transportation. 
4. Another takeaway is to never ever stop exploring and seeing new places. Some of my best adventures on this trip have been when I have had no direction at all and gotten completely lost. Getting lost is ok, in fact it is more than ok, it’s awesome and it has only helped my sense of direction and taken away any fear I have had of being in a place I do not know. I have also learned that bikes are one of the best, if not the best way to explore urban environments, especially if the infrastructure is there to do so. Maybe in Eugene, I should take my bike out somewhere and bike someplace I have never been just to get a kick out of it. There is no reason to always stay comfortable doing the same things in the same place because then there is no excitement to life!
5. My final takeaway, but certainly not the least important one, is the community we have built over less than a month. The people on this trip is what made it the most special and I will continue to believe that we can make a difference in the world. One person can change it, but a group of seventeen has a lot more power than a group of one. It is amazing the bridges we have built in such a short amount of time and I hope we can continue to build more as life goes on. 

Oh and one more! I will continue to live my life with a couple of my favorite sayings from this trip. “Could be worse,” “Strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet,” “Build it and they will come,” “Be the one shirtless dancing guy,” and “Hygge!” It is not a coincidence that four out of five of these came from Copenhagen. I am very excited to spend the fall in the Danish capital.