killing birds

I have never liked killing birds, but I am knocking off the proverbial multiple today. I am sitting in a neat coffee shop/pub in a rad Copenhagen Neighborhood researching the Swedish construction market. More on that in a minute. It's nice to get out of my little flat to do the same thing while being a bit more present in this experience of a new culture. This 3rd place establishment (not work, not home) called "Bang and Jensen" is mellow and hip, in a comfortable kind of way. It is not a lot different than a place you might find in Portland. Somewhat uncharacteristically I have a hard time initiating conversation with strangers, part to do with the fact that they are speaking Danish, but part to do with a different social dynamic than I am accustomed to. People are friendly, but not outgoing. In class yesterday I returned from a break and the 3 girls in my case group, 2 from Denmark and 1 from Belarus, were trying to figure the nationality of the instructor, as no one could quite place his accent or mannerisms with any established stereotypes. I made a couple guesses and I could see that they were genuinely interested in the answer. So I casually strolled up before the break was over and asked him. Turned out he is Swedish. They all agreed that it was a cultural difference for me to be so direct in asking him that. My point of the anecdote being that, while a snapshot of this or most Danish scenes could be mistaken for a lot of places, there are subtle cultural differences that seem consistent as I experience different places and interactions here. They truly need to be experienced first hand to get the full flavor of a place.

The other bird I am killing is that of this research for my intern project. A lot of information to cram in. Upon meeting with my supervisor, Jesper who seems like a really nice and helpful guy, the scope of my project has been narrowed into more focus. I have redefined it now to "Make a strategic recommendation of where synergies can be achieved between major stakeholders, to most effectively position BASF products in the Swedish construction market for energy efficiency." That is admittedly a bloated mouth-full. Essentially to create a market pull strategy, by understanding the intricate relationships in this market to effectively boost demand for BASF products. Interesting products I am getting to read about with phase change technology, innovative insulation materials and the sort.

Off to a meeting to make sure I am steering the ship in the right direction.