8th of July

So the journey begins…again. In a new country driven by the original BFTF initiative, I am ecstatic to be in Denmark for the BFTF alumni reunion. Here are the highlights from the first official day of the reunion:
After a refreshing night’s sleep and nourishing Danish meal prepared by Aila’s mother, Darya, Aila, and I headed off to explore the plethora of art contained within Aarhus’ perimeter. As Darya and I must unfortunately return home before most of the site seeing will take place, we decided that today would be a good time to explore. We first went to the Aros Museum, the newest art collection integrated into the center of the city. It features eight floors of a variety of art, including many pieces of Danish art, and a rooftop terrace with an expansive view of the city.
Several pieces piqued my interest, most especially the Danish ones. An exhibit by Bjørn Nørgaard contained ten vividly colorful montages of Denmark’s extensive history, each depicting a time period such as the Early Monarchy, the Vikings, and the Present. Every piece was so jam-packed with imagery and little vignettes that we could have undoubtedly spent hours decoding the messages and piecing together the past. We also saw The Boy, the landmark statue of Aros. The Boy is a giant-sized boy who from the front appears frightened and disheartened. However, when you circle around the statue to see another perspective, the boy’s mouth, which is hidden from a frontal view, is exposed. The Boy is actually smiling. This multifaceted statue could be likened to many of the BFTF alumni’s experiences last summer—at first appearing one way, until a little more intrigue provides another view and a new appreciation of something once unknown.
Next, we walked over to the Art House, which featured a poignant exhibit about child soldiers. This subject matter was at odds with most of the uplifting art we had seen at Aros, but was equally interesting. All three of us were most disturbed by a 15-foot lighted key made out of the same colors as the Iranian flag and several hundred actual keys beneath it. The multitude of keys signified plastic keys that child soldiers were given as a promise of salvation in exchange for testing minefields to see if they were still active.
A common theme with the remainder of artwork was toys formed in the likeness of weapons. For example, there were several guns made out of legos. The contradiction of the juvenile and imaginative world associated with legos and the all too real side of war showed how children might be fooled into believing world is a game. The exhibit reinforced the original initiative of BFTF--to have a more global perspective when analyzing current events and to try to use more diplomatic means to achieve a peaceful, civil result by understanding foreign cultures and belief systems.
Let me just say, on a more personal note, that I am blessed by the ever-continuing dialogue BFTF has fostered between youth of many countries and the experiences it has created, including the chance to be reunited with friends dispersed over the globe in such a beautiful setting. I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the others and the discussions, laughs, and memories that will soon ensue.
By Patricia Restrepo