Hannah Behncke - Rainforest Program

Rainforest 2019/2020

I took the rainforest course, with Anders Hals as my teacher.

It's a bit incredible how much you develop as a person by attending folk high school for a year. After my year at Sund , I have so much more knowledge than I had imagined. I've lived in a host family on my own before, and I've traveled abroad on my own several times, but I still haven't gained as much knowledge about myself. Learning how to do laundry is one thing, but figuring out what you want to study, or what direction you want to go in, or what you're interested in, is one of the things I've become more confident about over the year.

The study trip to the Rainforest program, the main reason I applied to the school, went as usual to Peru, and with the exception of the summer break before the school year started, I had never been to Latin America before. That summer I was alone with a friend on a short backpacking trip in Ecuador (2 weeks), but it's really something completely different to be in a country for 2 months, not as tourists, but as students. Especially countries that are little involved in the media. I have learned so much and become much more interested in climate policy. Seeing the devastation with my own eyes just has to be experienced, the same with living with the indigenous people for 3 weeks. It's an experience I wouldn't want to be without.

What's more, those three weeks in the village made me start reading books, something I've never had as a habit or enjoyed. Today, I often read for an hour after breakfast, every day.
It's something I would never have believed, had I been told that a year ago.