The first experiences we had in Copenhagen would ultimately foreshadow the entirety of the trip. That goes to say: experiencing public transportation was one of the key aspects to this field study.
Our first full day in Sweden we traveled to meet the hospitable Mayor of Landskrona who provided us with informational books about the city. 
I spent much of the first day of the conference exploring various parts of the Bella Center. The area displayed was one of the busiest in the center, serving as a path between the large forum center and more specialized meeting rooms.
This is one of the two huge plenary rooms where the official business of the Convention was carried out.
This is the largest of the open delegate working spaces. I often found myself typing furiously in this sea of laptops with individuals from at least four distinctly different world regions surrounding me. It was an incredible place to sit in awe and soak up the sheer magnitude of the conference.
The official SESEF Delegation Photo. 
This is a display of a usual morning at the COP15. We congregated in the forum, discussed the exciting events of the day, updated the blog, checked email, and scampered off to whatever side events or plenary sessions provoked intrigue. 
The conference encompassed a huge variety of side events from all ends of the earth. At this particular event, I was able to witness a traditional dance from a woman of a small island nation. Her performance, rich in cultural identity, was a powerful mechanism for reminding people just what is at stake if we don't work to combat the effects of climate change. 
I also had the chance to hear the powerful words of the Intergovernmental Panal on Climate Change (IPCC) as they discussed plans for their Fifth Assessment Report. 
One of the most influental people attending the conference was Rajendra K. Pachauri: the highly regarded chairman of the IPCC.
Some of the other delegates and I attended various scheduled youth events. This particular event in diplay entailed the creation of a "rainstorm" to call attention to the youth's demand for climate justice.
Throughout the course of the conference, interviews were collected from a wide variety of people wherever the opportunity presented itself. 
Occasionally we became the subject of an interview as well. At this time, Deon and Katie were being interviewed by people who wanted a youth perspective on the controversial riots at the conference. 
We had the opportunity to skype with students back at SES during their classtime. In this photo, David is conveying something of importance to classmates back home. 
The last day we attended the conference, riots broke out around the perimeter of the conference center. One of the Swedish students named Amanda exemplified the general mass of people attempting to exit the building with her look of anxious confusion. 
We learned how to effectively pass time while riding trains, waiting for trains, or simply waiting.
I (clearly) took pictures to pass the time on our various adventures with public transportation.
One of the days not at the conference was spent in the beautiful city of Lund. We toured a cathedral, roamed the streets, and enjoyed the festive sounds of the Santa Lucia concert.
The holiday spirit could be seen everywhere we went in Sweden. In the transit center, we stumbled upon a group of students singing the traditional holiday music. 
We spent an afternoon taking in the sights of Copenhagen.
In the city, we congregated at the Copenhagen Live Center and scoped out the happenings. 
After presenting at the Midwest Youth side event, we had the opportunity to network and make some valuable acquaintances.
Goder morgon, Goder morgon
Både herre och fru
Vi önskar eder alla en fröjdefull jul.
(Good morning, good morning
Both ladies and gentlemen
We wish you all a peaceful Merry Christmas.)
Greetings, we are updating from the Copenhagen Hilton compliments of KLM. If you know someone who works for KLM please give them our thanks for working SO hard to get our group home before the holidays. Remember that the most up to date information can be obtained by calling the school 952-431-8750 as we may not have internet connections along the way.
Basics: We will be arriving in two groups with each group landing at MSP on Wednesday around 10:00 am. Both groups will arrive via London and Toronto (our next hotel stay) with one group routed through Ottawa.
Details: Tara, Ashley, David, Deon, Lucas, B. Johnson
Copenhagen -> London via Scandinavian Airlines SK 503 (departing tomorrow noon)
London -> Toronto via Air Canada AC859 (our overnight flight) arriving Toronto Tuesday 10:25 pm (and spending the night)
Toronto - > MSP via Air Canada AC7941 arriving MSP at 10:37 am and needing a ride home
Details: Jessica, Beth, Beth, Katie, Alex, C. Johnson
Copenhagen -> London via Scandinavian Airlines SK501 (depart tomorrow 7:45 am)
London -> Ottawa via Air Canada AC 889 arriving 2:55 pm (our long flight)
Ottawa -> Toronto via Air Canada AC 459 arriving 5:07 pm (and spending the night)
Toronto -> MSP via Delta DL2509 arriving 10:03 am and needing a ride home
Off we go again.
Just a quick post to let you know that our flight to Amsterdam and the flight from Amsterdam have been cancelled. We are working with KLM to reschedule around a crazy set of flights here in Europe because of a snowstorm the past two days. People are getting to the states from every possible airport.
We are currently stranded in Copenhagen but will know more within the hour. Most reschedules are getting home a day late but it is possible that we may be home later yet. Parents should call the school after noon for the latest update. We are working from both ends to get back in groups. Wish us luck.
Sweden, a primarily secular country, a capitalistic society, an Eden of culture and progress, is where I was honored to learn and live for the past two weeks. At my home stay in Landskrona, Sweden, I had the opportunity to talk to a local college student. Her name is Tanya, and she is a friend of my home stay family. We were able to talk about many issues and benefits in the country of Sweden.
After World War II, Sweden was very welcoming to immigration, but recently it has become more and more of a problem here. Most immigrants come from places such as Iraq, Iran, Albania, and other countries suffering from war. These people all flood to the same neighborhoods in cities, causing some problems with the locals. While most people in Sweden don’t mind the immigrants, others have grown to dislike these new residents. As Tanya put it, people see these ethnic neighborhoods as slums or so called bad areas in town. This causes most people to avoid areas or towns with immigrants and these ethnic neighborhoods. Strife with immigrants has prompted a new political party in Sweden, whose aim is to close the borders to immigrants.
As some parts of the Swedish government are trying to close borders, other parts are a great help to the lives of the Swedish people. I was amazed to hear from Tanya that every part of school is free This means that school lunches are free, school trips are free, and every course fee is free. Some even get paid money each month to go to school. This system is extends to colleges and universities. The government has made school a resource available to each and every citizen to produce a well-educated population. Beyond school, heath care is free and insurance is nonexistent. Women are always paid from the government when on maternity leave from work, and the husband is paid during this time. The negative side to all of these benefits is that residents must pay high taxes and the cost of living is also higher.
This country, like any other, has issues, but it is also a beautiful and progressive place. I believe I can speak for the whole delegation when I say we will all miss this country and culture.
