Month: August 2019

So much has happened this past couple of days it’s insane. First of all I arrived in Copenhagen Saturday morning bright and early at 7am. I did not sleep at all on the plane, unfortunately so I was a little nervous how the rest of the day would go. Even though it was a long day, I was happy to finally be settled in and get to meet some of the people that I’m living with.

I am really happy with the house that the Culinary LLC is in. I live on Store Kannikestræde 13, which is a mouthful to say, yet I think I’ve got it down. Everyone in this house really lucked out because we are a five minute walk to DIS (and we are right in the city center surrounding everything). This makes it incredibly easy to just run out to the grocery store, come home after a night out, and go get ice cream (which we may have done last night). After getting confused many times by the similar looking cobblestone streets, I (somewhat) have a better sense of how to get around the area surrounding where we live.

I am really happy my floor mates like exploring Copenhagen as much as I do:) Since we arrived on a Saturday and classes didn’t start until Thursday, we had a few extra days with orientation to walk around Copenhagen. We got a chance to visit the Design Museum which was a short walk from where we live. A lot of the museums around here are free if you are a student which is great!

We joked that this museum should be renamed from the Design Museum to the “Chair Museum” since there were a lot of different styles and designs of chairs (some we could sit in but others we could only look!). There was one exhibit in the museum which celebrated Bauhaus and the style’s 100th year anniversary.

Also got the chance to see Hozier at K.B. Hallen which was incredible. It was definitely an adventure since it was my first time on the Metro, so I’m really thankful to be traveling with one of my friends, Liz, from F&M who has more experience with the Metro and the train. When we got to the venue, we met up with other DIS students which was really nice. We arrived early and got the chance to get super close to the stage which was awesome.

Most recently, we visited BLOX which had a really interesting exhibit featuring DAC (Danish Architecture Center). The entire exhibit was composed of multiple architectural models from buildings all over the world.

So far Copenhagen’s been amazing, and we’ve done so much it’s so hard to fit it all in one post!! We’ve also started classes this week and I have to say I absolutely love all of my professors, they’re all very passionate about what they teach which gets me very excited about the semester and everything we’re going to learn. I am also interested in learning about the education system here and what it is like to grow up in Copenhagen. One of my friends is taking a course about education here and how it compares to the U.S. I feel like DIS prides itself in more ‘hands on’ learning, especially with keeping our Wednesdays open for more field research type experiences for your classes. Also getting to travel for a week with our Core Course will be amazing and a great opportunity to learn more.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I haven’t been feeling that homesick yet (although I do catch myself feeling a little sad after hanging up on FaceTime with family or friends) but I think also leaving behind what’s familiar and diving into everything new can be a challenge. But I am really starting to embrace everything I’m feeling whether it be excitement, anxiety, fear, homesickness because all these feelings are apart of the much larger experience of studying abroad. It’s easy to fall into the trap of posting only happy times from this time of your life, but this experience need to be taken in and expressed for everything that it is.

I am SO happy to be here FINALLY !!! and I can’t wait to start my new life here. There will definitely be a new blog post up soon because I felt like I couldn’t fit everything I did this week into one (maybe I’ll make a part 2 for my first week!)

Until then:)

Lauren

It is crazy how fast time flies by. I leave on Friday. It is now Sunday.

I have to admit starting the packing process was a bit difficult for me, but I was determined to get started *at least* a week in advance so I wouldn’t be stressed at the last minute. Someone gave me a good packing tip that throughout the week that you leave go through all your clothes you plan to pack and take an item out each day that you don’t think you absolutely need.

I am notorious for not traveling light. The beginning of every year at F&M I pack my car completely full (can’t even see out of my rearview mirror!) full of stuff. I admire the minimalist lifestyle but I can’t seem to get myself to get behind it (maybe living in Copenhagen will teach me a thing or two). I’m challenging myself to pack as little as possible for this semester, we’ll see how that turns out.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, who wouldn’t be. I mean, I’m used to living away from home being at F&M, but I had that comfort in the back of my mind that it was easy to get home if I needed to (only a three hour drive!). Living in Copenhagen for four months is a different story. Could I get home if I had to? Yes. Would it be easy? Not as much. The most intimidating thing is taking a look at my departure and return plane tickets. Then it really hits me that I’ll be leaving in August and not coming back to the US until December.

With that being said, I am just equally as excited. It makes it more real learning where I’m living and seeing it on a map. I’m excited to be in a Living Learning Community especially for culinary, because I’m looking forward to cooking big group dinners with my housemates! I cannot wait until classes start as well. Every single class I’m taking this semester deals with subjects that I’m very interesting in.

I’m hoping to gain more independence while living in Copenhagen, exploring Danish food, culture, and the city! I set a small (very specific) goal of learning enough Danish to go into my favorite coffee shop, say hello, ask ‘how are you’ and then order my favorite drink. I feel like that is pretty attainable if you ask me. Lastly, I’m just looking forward to meeting new people and hopefully making new friends both within DIS and maybe some locals too!

I just can’t wait to be there already and get settled in!!!

♡ Laur