Now 5 days into my European journey and I've encountered several noteworthy experiences. We've had orientation over the past few days - consisted of an opening ceremony, the University of Copenhagens string quartet played a few pieces for us, including God Bless America which was kind of funny. The director of the program gave a witty presentation with his lovely accent and two interns spoke to us with encouraging words on how to handle the adjustments, how to embrace Copenhagen, and how to get the most out of our study abroad experience. One of the interns actually graduated last year from St. Mike's and returned to Denmark to work in the IT department here at DIS.
After the opening ceremony - we were put into groups and walked around the city with a scavenger hunt, familiarizing ourselves with the area. Saw lots of cool places and had a great group of people to walk around with. The next day of orientation we did a similar walking around activity with a new group of people, this one was more exciting- we learned a lot about the history of denmark and the current goverment system. We went to a part of the city I didn't even realize exsisted with even more beautiful structures and buildings - incredible historic architechure that dates back to the 12th century I believe. That's what is so amazing about Europe so far, realizing that the history that lies within these cities goes back way before the US was even a thought. I've never been one much interested in history but I'm experiencing a bit of a change of mind - i'm incredibly intrigued by the history of this place, and the ability to see with my own eye where everything took place - it's very neat. and still so much more to learn and explore.
I'm having some trouble adjusting to certain things here - for one, it's very gray. Not only is the daylight painfully short, the sky is always gray! Yesterday for a brief minute, the sun came out, and it was beaaaaautiful. You really start to appreciate little things when you embark on such a drastic change, something as small as sunlight has so much meaning. It's been tough getting used to things here but the sun will come out! I'll figure it out.
So the grocery store was a bit of a tragedy for me - spent an absurd amount of money on things and I really wasn't sure what a lot of things were. It was overwhelming, I wanted to use a carraige to put all my things in but all the carraiges were locked up to each other and the idea of asking someone what to do was incredibly daunting so I struggled with the basket, nearly cutting off the circulation in my arm as I stuffed it with groceries, until I just couldn't take it any longer and had to ask for help. Asking for help wasn't as bad as I thought - and the carraige made for a much more pleasant grocery experience so i'm glad I asked.
My dorm is located about 20 minutes outside of the city which is kind of inconvenient and I'm having a little trouble with that - I don't know my way around here at all yet and I hate that feeling of being lost, just need to get more comfortable with my surroundings. I live with some pretty cool people - we all just hang out in the common room where we can enjoy some social beverages together and watch futbol! It's been nice - still getting to know everyone.
It's a really weird feeling not using a cell phone. I can't use the one from home, and I haven't needed to use the one we got here to keep in touch with people from here much. Its an interesting feeling of disconnect that is a little bit scary - unfortunately. It's not even that I need to communciate with people more, just the feeling of being so disconnected is a bit frightening. It's just the technological habits and dependencies i've developed in this virtual world we live in that are making me feel this way - hopefully once the discomfort of this disconnect settles, I can enjoy being less connected, might be a good thing for me.
Tomorrow night is the Arrival Party for DIS students at this discotek located in the city. An open bar and a bunch of dancin for the new students - yep sounds good! I'm looking forward to it. Tomorrow i'm done with classes at 11:30 so i'm going to check out Christinia, this talked-up part of Copenhagen. Should be pretty cool, i'll let you know how it goes!
ta ta for now
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Next Stop: Copenhagen
6 months of tedious preparation; research, professors’ signatures, graduation plans, confirmation deposits, visa applications, flight arrangements, money saving, and mental preparation, now I’m flying through the European sky from Iceland to Denmark as the sun rises, getting closer and closer to my long awaited destination: Copenhagen, Denmark.
Why Denmark? The initial appeal: a predominantly English speaking country making it possible for me to take Journalism courses and continue working towards the completion of my major. Also, while residing in Europe, I will be able to travel and experience several different countries and cultures over the course of the next semester. As I continued to research the benefits of residing and studying in Denmark for the semester, I also discovered the prevalent international aspects of the country that will provide me with a unique education and contribute to the ultimate quality of my Journalism major and International Business minor.
I have always known I wanted to study abroad but never had a set destination. Freshman year I would occasionally sit in the back of certain classes and could not get my nose out of the study abroad booklets that I picked up at the fairs in Alliot. I was convinced I would have to decide between New Zealand, South Africa, or Greece. Funny, when it came down to it, I was deciding between England and Denmark. It’s a very long and complex process to decide where to study, it can go in one million different directions before the final decision is made, but I’m sure it’s going to be worth every ounce of effort.
The program I chose to enroll in at DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad) is Communications and Mass Media. The courses I am taking are Current Trends in New Media (the core program course), International Marketing, International Reporting, Journalism and Public Relations, and European Storytelling: From Homer to Harry Potter. I am considering making some alterations to my schedule because once I arrived here, I realized I want and need to know more about the history of Copenhagen and look more into the Danish language. I have a couple of weeks to decide that so I’ll figure it out soon.
Aside from the educational aspects of my study abroad experience, for the cultural immersion and discovery of European life, I’m not sure what to expect. This will be an adventure. I know the basics that I found on the DIS, but other than these few helpful hints, I’ll be constantly observing and learning about the Danish culture from today, day 1, until May 17th when I fly home. What I know so far…
The Danes:
“Denmark is full of ridiculously attractive blondes.” –DIS website. Yes, no problem, I can deal with that. Also, DIS noted that Copenhagen is the “world’s most livable city and Danes are the happiest population in the world.” What a fabulous combination. The Danes are very tall! Also, I think almost every child I have seen is in a one piece snow suit. It’s precious – they have great little accents.
The City:
“Copenhagen is the second safest city in the world.” –DIS website. My mom was happy to hear that. It’s clean, it seems easy to navigate, and the buildings I have seen so far are very cool – uniquely designed. I have a neat dorm room equipped with my own bathroom (SO GREAT), a stove top, sink, mini fridge, and some cabinets. There’s a common room with couches, TV, and an oven, coffee maker, and toaster open for the other DIS students and I to use as we please. I’ll be grocery shopping at the supermarket called Netto that’s down the street, and cooking all by myself every day for the whole semester! I’m so very excited about that. I’ll be exploring the city more tomorrow and will have more to report on my observations then! My building is located in Osterbro, a borough within the city of Copenhagen. It’s about a 20 minute public transportation ride to my classes at DIS – much different than life at SMC but it’s going to be thrilling. Do one thing every day that scares you, right?
The Food:
Well…with my personal addiction and obsession with Italian food, the idea of indulging daily in authentic Italian cuisine is mouthwatering and arguably a reason I would have chosen to study in Italy, however I’ll have to resist my temptation and the desires of my taste buds until I can travel during my Spring break. Instead, I’m not sure what to expect of the Danish cuisine. Based on several google searches, the cuisine consists of an abundance of pork dishes. Hot Dogs wrapped in bacon, sausages, pork chops, pork tenderloin – almost anything that can be done with a pig, as I have been told, the Danes will snack on it. But for my first night in Copenhagen, I joined about 40 other DIS students who I live in Tasingegade (a DIS Shared Housing residence hall), for some Thai food! Thai food must be one of the most universal cuisines – everywhere I go, people can’t get enough of it. It was indeed delicious, as always. Although, due to jet lag, I took a nap and slept through the group’s departure from my building to the restaurant so when I woke up 20 minutes late, I had to google the restaurant name and use my keen mapping and directional skills (none) to find the group – it was painless, proud of myself!
Tomorrow we have orientation starting at 11. It’s an all day event, including a scavenger hunt and I’m sure many other little ice breaker activities. I’m looking forward to seeing the other parts of the city and where I’ll be taking classes and spending most of my time. So far – it’s excellent, I can’t wait to see more.
My journey to Copenhagen will be an adventure to say the least. The uncertainty and ambiguity of the trip is incredibly exciting and I expect nothing but the opportunity to explore, learn, and enlighten myself through the thrill of a completely new culture and world.
Why Denmark? The initial appeal: a predominantly English speaking country making it possible for me to take Journalism courses and continue working towards the completion of my major. Also, while residing in Europe, I will be able to travel and experience several different countries and cultures over the course of the next semester. As I continued to research the benefits of residing and studying in Denmark for the semester, I also discovered the prevalent international aspects of the country that will provide me with a unique education and contribute to the ultimate quality of my Journalism major and International Business minor.
I have always known I wanted to study abroad but never had a set destination. Freshman year I would occasionally sit in the back of certain classes and could not get my nose out of the study abroad booklets that I picked up at the fairs in Alliot. I was convinced I would have to decide between New Zealand, South Africa, or Greece. Funny, when it came down to it, I was deciding between England and Denmark. It’s a very long and complex process to decide where to study, it can go in one million different directions before the final decision is made, but I’m sure it’s going to be worth every ounce of effort.
The program I chose to enroll in at DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad) is Communications and Mass Media. The courses I am taking are Current Trends in New Media (the core program course), International Marketing, International Reporting, Journalism and Public Relations, and European Storytelling: From Homer to Harry Potter. I am considering making some alterations to my schedule because once I arrived here, I realized I want and need to know more about the history of Copenhagen and look more into the Danish language. I have a couple of weeks to decide that so I’ll figure it out soon.
Aside from the educational aspects of my study abroad experience, for the cultural immersion and discovery of European life, I’m not sure what to expect. This will be an adventure. I know the basics that I found on the DIS, but other than these few helpful hints, I’ll be constantly observing and learning about the Danish culture from today, day 1, until May 17th when I fly home. What I know so far…
The Danes:
“Denmark is full of ridiculously attractive blondes.” –DIS website. Yes, no problem, I can deal with that. Also, DIS noted that Copenhagen is the “world’s most livable city and Danes are the happiest population in the world.” What a fabulous combination. The Danes are very tall! Also, I think almost every child I have seen is in a one piece snow suit. It’s precious – they have great little accents.
The City:
“Copenhagen is the second safest city in the world.” –DIS website. My mom was happy to hear that. It’s clean, it seems easy to navigate, and the buildings I have seen so far are very cool – uniquely designed. I have a neat dorm room equipped with my own bathroom (SO GREAT), a stove top, sink, mini fridge, and some cabinets. There’s a common room with couches, TV, and an oven, coffee maker, and toaster open for the other DIS students and I to use as we please. I’ll be grocery shopping at the supermarket called Netto that’s down the street, and cooking all by myself every day for the whole semester! I’m so very excited about that. I’ll be exploring the city more tomorrow and will have more to report on my observations then! My building is located in Osterbro, a borough within the city of Copenhagen. It’s about a 20 minute public transportation ride to my classes at DIS – much different than life at SMC but it’s going to be thrilling. Do one thing every day that scares you, right?
The Food:
Well…with my personal addiction and obsession with Italian food, the idea of indulging daily in authentic Italian cuisine is mouthwatering and arguably a reason I would have chosen to study in Italy, however I’ll have to resist my temptation and the desires of my taste buds until I can travel during my Spring break. Instead, I’m not sure what to expect of the Danish cuisine. Based on several google searches, the cuisine consists of an abundance of pork dishes. Hot Dogs wrapped in bacon, sausages, pork chops, pork tenderloin – almost anything that can be done with a pig, as I have been told, the Danes will snack on it. But for my first night in Copenhagen, I joined about 40 other DIS students who I live in Tasingegade (a DIS Shared Housing residence hall), for some Thai food! Thai food must be one of the most universal cuisines – everywhere I go, people can’t get enough of it. It was indeed delicious, as always. Although, due to jet lag, I took a nap and slept through the group’s departure from my building to the restaurant so when I woke up 20 minutes late, I had to google the restaurant name and use my keen mapping and directional skills (none) to find the group – it was painless, proud of myself!
Tomorrow we have orientation starting at 11. It’s an all day event, including a scavenger hunt and I’m sure many other little ice breaker activities. I’m looking forward to seeing the other parts of the city and where I’ll be taking classes and spending most of my time. So far – it’s excellent, I can’t wait to see more.
My journey to Copenhagen will be an adventure to say the least. The uncertainty and ambiguity of the trip is incredibly exciting and I expect nothing but the opportunity to explore, learn, and enlighten myself through the thrill of a completely new culture and world.
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