what is it like to study abroad in copenhagen

Student Writing Competition third Place Winner

Studying Away in Copenhagen, Denmark

Viking Kings and Little Mermaids

Rosenborg Palace and Kongens Accept ("The Male monarch's Garden") become grounds for play and picnics as soon as the sun comes out.

There is no i anecdote that quite captures my feel in Kingdom of denmark. The Danish language is repeating å, æ, and ø, but never getting them quite right. It is finding out from my host sister that ducks go "rap," not "quack." It is trying to pronounce the tongue-twisting rødgrød med fløde before excavation into my red berries and cream dessert. Denmark is studying Nordic Mythology in the Vikings' ancestral home, and elbowing tourists for a await at the famed Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) statue. Denmark is the crisp cold wind on my cheeks during my walk to the Metro station. It is fishing for herring off-shore from Hamlet's castle, and biting into the marshmallow-similar center of flødeboller. Denmark is beer and meatballs, and tiny Danish flags decorating birthday cakes. The Danes are toddlers waddling in snowsuits, and women in three-inch heels riding their bikes to work. Copenhagen is bakeries and shawarma shops, castles and cobblestones, and libraries made of glass.

My semester in Kingdom of denmark took the form of a collage of memories and sensations that will always stay with me. Culture shock tin be uncomfortable, but it is a small price to pay for months of countless learning. Each moment, each step, each word was an opportunity to find something brand new. Life in Copenhagen is not e'er a fairy tale, merely information technology is constant classroom.

Why Study in Copenhagen?

In some means, Copenhagen is like my hometown of Portland, Oregon. It balances the cosmopolitan atmosphere and cultural benefits of a major urban center with the intimacy of a smaller one; the population of the metropolitan surface area sits just below the two million marker. Copenhagen is considered an environmentally friendly city, and cars share the route with hoards of mode-forrard bicyclists even when information technology snows.

Scandinavians are well known for their blonde hair, but waves of clearing have added diverseness to Copenhagen's population.

For most students, Denmark offers new insight into many fields of study, as the country is often glossed over in loftier schoolhouse history books and global studies classes. The nation's rich history stretches far beyond what we learned in Lois Lowry's Number the Stars. From the Hanseatic League to H.C. Anderson to World War II to Denmark's current standing in the earth, there is much for the humanities student to uncover. Denmark is also an innovator in the fields of sustainability, compages, and positive psychology.

While there is plenty to practise in Copenhagen itself, the city also places students in a prime number location to explore the Scandinavian region and the rest of Europe if you tin can afford to practice and then. The cost of living in Kingdom of denmark is extremely high, even compared to Los Angeles, and so greenbacks-strapped students may detect weekend travel difficult to attain.

Before Y'all Go out

Danes are known for their most impeccable English, so if you know nothing just hullo in Danish earlier your inflow you will exist able to become by. You already know hello—hej is pronounced "hello." If your goal is to make existent progress in the language, however, y'all will demand to start before yous make it and put existent effort into convincing Danes to speak with yous in Danish. Whichever language materials you choose, a listening component is imperative. Danish is one of the easiest languages for native English language speakers to acquire, because of its Germanic roots, but pronunciation is a struggle.

Buy the clothes you know you volition need. Sturdy, waterproof boots, and a down coat are good starters. Layers are of import. Hats, scarves, and earmuffs will help keep you lot warm on the windiest days. Skilful walking shoes are a must; heels are nice, but much of Copenhagen is paved unevenly or with cobblestone.

If you never learned to ride a cycle, and yous have the opportunity before y'all leave u.s., practice acquire. Bicycles are an important manner of transportation in the urban center, and you will accept a much shorter commute if you find yourself in possession of a bike. But if you do non already know how to ride, y'all will not find much patience for your errors in the bike lanes of Copenhagen.

Arranging a Programme

Like many Americans, I spent my semester abroad through the Danish Establish for Study Away (DIS). Each semester, DIS enrolls more 700 students, virtually of whom are North Americans. If this sounds like a large American bubble, you lot are correct. DIS' size offers significant advantages for students, however, and the programme attracts those with myriad motivations for their months in Denmark. I chose DIS for the ability to customize my experience. A broad range of courses are offered, with 16 core programs, including Compages & Design, Biomedicine, and Sustainability in Europe.

If a program with other American students is not what you're looking for, you might study away through Danish universities. The University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School offer classes taught in English language. An hour-commute from the city centre, Roskilde University as well offers classes taught in English against the backdrop of a Viking-age town.

Accommodations and Transportation

Housing options are many at DIS. I valued immersive cultural exchange, and was placed with a host-family in the Copenhagen suburbs. Other immersive housing options include Danish and International dormitories (chosen kollegiums) placed around the city, or at a folkehøjskole, a uniquely Scandinavian youth community. Students seeking to live in the center of the urban center may choose to live in the DIS Residential Community with other DIS students.

Students wishing to arrange their own housing should research Copenhagen's network of neighborhoods and suburbs. Of Copenhagen'due south central neighborhoods, Nørrebro is popular with students for it's more than affordable prices.

Travel in and Around Copenhagen

Many airlines, like SAS Scandinavian Airlines, connect the U.Southward. and Denmark. If exploring Scandinavia is one of your priorities, check out flights to Copenhagen via Icelandair. The airline allows stopovers in Reykjavik at no additional cost.

Students traveling to Denmark with DIS receive visa back up and guidance from the program, and students volition obtain a residence permit from Immigration Service later arriving in Copenhagen every bit a tourist. Students arranging to spend a semester or year through a Danish university should apply for a residence permit from the nearest Danish embassy prior to their travels. This process is straight-forrad and tin exist done via mail. You are not required to physically announced at an embassy or consulate, as with some European visa applications.

Though Denmark is non centrally located inside Europe, it is still a proficient base of operations from which to explore the region. Copenhagen is part of the Eurail organization, despite being located on an island. Long-distance trains and International buses depart from Copenhagen's Central Station. A popular daily ferry runs between Copenhagen and Oslo. Poland and Germany are also attainable past ferry. Copenhagen'due south airport connects the urban center to Europe at large, and students regularly travel to destinations as far away as Greenland, Morocco, Russia, and Turkey during breaks.

Inside Copenhagen itself, travel is easy and convenient. A complex organization of buses, metros, trains and water taxis make public transportation attainable for all. VisitDemark has peachy data most transportation options including a tool to help map your route and determine difference and arrival times. Ease of public transportation is just one way that Denmark has made its reputation every bit a "green" country.

A culvert tour is a dandy mode to see Copenhagen's most picturesque places.

Jobs and Volunteering

Young Danes often work while attending schoolhouse, and international students meeting certain criteria are invited to do the aforementioned upwards to fifteen hours per week. International students searching for a office-fourth dimension task should consult WorkinDenmark for communication on eligibility and the job search. DIS offers limited work-study allotments to incoming students. Some students occasionally discover work as English language language tutors or nannies and are paid under the table.

DIS arranges interested students with volunteer opportunities with Danish nonprofits. Students may also join CPH Volunteers to assist with events like the Chocolate Festival or Copenhagen International Fashion Off-white.

Practicums are also offered to DIS students in some academic tracks to piece of work in Danish pre-schools, after-school programs, and mental health facilities.

Cultural Differences

Denmark consistently tops lists of the world's happiest countries, but you're non likely to run across many smiles in the street. Different the U.South. information technology is unusual for strangers to smile or speak to each other in passing, unless intoxicated or attending a festival. Small-scale talk is rare, and a question like "how are you?" volition provoke either a foreign look or a long-winded answer about a person's 24-hour interval and well-being.

Danes appreciate promptness and follow-through. If yous commit to attending an event, even if you merely clicked "attending" on Facebook, you are expected to show. At that place is no Danish equivalent to "fashionably late," and then plan to arrive on time. If yous're attention a dinner party, bring a souvenir for your hosts. Fresh flowers are e'er appreciated. Set to spend several hours at dinner, as social events can move slowly and often end in hygge, a "cozy" atmosphere typified past candles, drinking and comfortable conversation.

Alcohol plays a meaning part in the social life of Denmark, and information technology has for many hundreds of years. It is legal to potable publicly in the street and in parks, and the city is home to many eclectic bars and cafés. By tradition, many Danes are introduced to booze at their confirmation party (age xiii), after which indicate information technology becomes socially acceptable for them to drink. Denmark is dwelling house to international beer brands Carlsberg and Tuborg. Small glasses of Danish snaps are sometimes sipped over dinner or a traditional lunch of smørrebrød, an open-faced sandwich.

Don't Miss!

Copenhagen is a beautiful and easy city to explore. A walk or stroll downwardly the street volition inevitably lead to a garden, statue, museum, store or café of some interest. The National Museum of Denmark is gratuitous, and located a brusk walk from DIS in the Latin Quarter of Copenhagen. The museum spans Danish culture and history from the Vikings to present day. Another museum in key Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek houses collections of Danish, French, and Ancient Mediterranean art. Adjacent to the Glyptotek is Tivoli Gardens, the amusement park that purportedly inspired Walt Disney. A visit to Tivoli can be an expensive suggestion, especially if yous eat in the park, so check for special concerts or fireworks to make the near of your visit.

Whatever you do, don't leave Copenhagen without sampling their cakes and pastries. Amusingly, the pastry nosotros know equally a Danish is called Wienerbrød ("Vienna Bread") in Denmark. Bakeries with fresh muffins, drømmekage, croissants and teboller are arable. Conditori La Slippery is known for its corrupt cake and pastries, and is worth an indulgent visit.

Upon Return

When I came abode to Portland, I institute myself missing the lilt of my host-mom'due south Danish accent. I missed the fresh-cut flowers sold on the streets side by side to the hot canis familiaris vendors. I fifty-fifty missed my 45-minute commute from abode to schoolhouse. I did not purchase many souvenirs, but that was ok, because I left Denmark with a new perspective on the world, a broadened sensation of global politics, and virtually importantly, a Danish family. As I pursue a career in higher educational activity administration or international instruction, I tin can only promise to help students searching for personal and academic growth past going beyond our borders.

Ariel Bloomer, afterward her studies in Denmark, taught for a year in Bulgaria as function of the Fulbright Program. She graduated from Scripps College in 2012 with a major in creative writing and minors in European studies and religious studies. She now lives in her hometown of Portland, Oregon where she works at Powell'southward Books.

henrybracithad.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/studentwritingcontest/study-abroad-in-copenhagen-denmark.shtml

Share this post