KaRa Awakoaiye, an Ile Omode 2012 alum, recently embarked on a study-abroad trip to Scandinavia, part of her Master’s program at DePaul University. The trip, titled “Design, Society and Architecture”, focused on Scandinavian design, branding, and work-life balance culture in Scandinavia compared to America. She first gained interest in Scandinavian design while shopping for her condo in Chicago. To her parents’ surprise, they visited over 10 furniture stores with little luck or purchases made. She wanted to find atypical furniture and found luck within Scandinavian design, loving the simple structure but unique design. She decided to take a trip to learn more about the thought process behind the design decisions. A nearly 3-week program first landed the students in Oslo, Norway for the first 5 days. They spent their second-day visiting Permafrost, an industrial design firm, an award-winning studio with an emphasis on 3D printing. As the days went on, the students spent time visiting museums, art galleries, and marketing firms. One of her favorite museums was Oslo’s National Museum, a 3-story museum with Norway’s largest collection of art & design. She spent 2 hours alone on the first level. It was in one of these rooms where she was an exhibit that brought her right back to Ile Omode & Wose’s teachings. Sculptures depicting the Gods of Kemet, like the god Bes and goddess Sekhmet, and an even larger sculpture of Amenhotep III, sat alongside Greek goddesses and gods. The Amenhotep III statue’s description,“Egypt, Acquired 1907”, didn’t surprise KaRa as Europeans have always been known to take art, pieces of culture, from their homeland. But it still saddened her, to see how Africa’s culture has been broken up and sent to the highest bidders. KaRa, along with 3 other Black classmates, began this game that most Black Americans also consciously or subconsciously play when traveling overseas. “Count the Black people!” To their surprise, they walked past many Black barber shops in Oslo and even an African hair salon. When they went out dancing, they noticed more Black women than Black men but shockingly, they never saw a group of Black women hanging out together. It was usually 1 or 2 entangled in a larger group of white European women. KaRa noticed that these local Black people seemed indifferent to them. Back in the states, it’s common for us to walk past fellow skinfolk and do our famous nod or even smile, an invisible but permanent connection lying between us. Overseas, these Black people existed without an overarching theme tying them together. (One can argue that the African diaspora will always tie us to each other, no matter the distance, but in Scandinavia, the skinfolk seemed to ignore this). Traveling from Oslo to Stockholm by train, some students noticed a change in behavior towards Americans. Some students were even chastised on the bus for being too loud while other local groups were not reprimanded for their conversation volumes. Americans are known for being louder and more talkative individuals than the Nordic people. The students believed they faced xenophobia within places in Stockholm, people showing irritation to those who could only speak English. Another stark difference between Oslo and Stockholm lies in the size of each. Oslo was smaller and more intimate, easy to navigate by bus between neighborhoods. Stockholm, described by KaRa, felt more like a New-York vibe, packed with busybodies. Stockholm had some of KaRa’s most memorable activities like the archipelago (defined as a group of islands) boat tour. It had the prettiest view she’s ever seen, well worth freezing her toes and hands to get a picture in front of these islands. Scandanivanians didn’t complain about the freezing conditions. Scandinavia culture emphasizes a love for nature, regardless of the weather. Friluftsliv, a Norwegian word, translates to enjoying the outdoors where all people, no matter the age, spend most of their time skiing, hiking, and playing in the snow. Viewed by these DePaul students, they were shocked to see people outside, working! Compared to their lifestyle in Chicago where most people are shut inside their houses for most of Winter, they plan to take inspiration from this lifestyle and seek fun without worrying about the temperature. KaRa smirks at this, with no promise to stick to this new found behavior. The last stop was Copenhagen, with the most fascinating neighborhood KaRa has ever visited. Titled Christiania, it’s an anti-government neighborhood, filled with squatters governed by their own rules and laws. Visiting the neighborhood, taking pictures are prohibited as you walk around the market, food places, and stores within it. The stores sell their own paraphernalia and logo, with three dots reflecting the i’s in Christiania. Established in 1971, the neighborhood has sustained despite multiple police raids and proposed acts to disable their society. The best part about the area was the art, KaRa says. It was full of murals and graffiti, reflecting the personalities and ideologies of the people. To live in a neighborhood that withstands pushback from the police and can still thrive with their own internal rules reminded KaRa of Black communities’ own resilience towards racism and unfair laws. Returning home, KaRa misses her student group but most importantly, the branding firms they visited in Oslo and Stockholm. She admires the intentionality behind the design with every aspect serving a specific purpose. Scandinavian design is centered around sustainability so she aims to reduce meaningless items and clutter in her own home. KaRa encourages all students to embark on at least one study abroad trip while they’re enrolled in school, as the best part about traveling is discovering new parts of yourself. As you travel more, you learn more about you and KaRa seeks to travel at least once a year. 
