Copenhangin’

Now that I’ve had a little over a week to take in my neighborhood, new people, my classes and ways to get around- I can actually say I LOVE it here. So many parts of my transition were so fluid and felt so natural, I am just really grateful for the love and hospitality I’ve experienced.

For students who arrived within a certain time frame, DIS provided travel accommodations to their housing. Aware of my lack of Danish and Denmark landscape/town layout, I opted to arrive within this time frame to spare myself some stress. While waiting for the buses, I met a couple people who lived on my floor and in my housing. (I’ll take this moment to adamantly state that the DIS Housing Team REALLY knows how to group people… and it’s super impressive.) Between the wait, the bus ride, and figuring out a system so everyone could take their belongings up the stairs, I found people I could joke with and laugh with all semester. Living in an Residential Community (RC), made me comfortable with some DIS faces and especially my floormates. We live on the fifth floor and all have our own rooms so hanging out and spending time with each other has never felt forced which is very important to me.

Living on the historic Store Kongensgade definitely has its perks. The New Yorker in me sees it as the Financial District/ Wall Street energy everywhere in this neighborhood. It is a beautiful scenic environment to be in. From the fast paced rush hours to rambunctious night life and city scooters and bikers, I feel so immersed and ready to learn as much as any of the locals have been willing to give me. The area is relatively pricey but budgeting has been helping me keep track of what I am purchasing and where and why.

Classes have also made my introduction to Denmark all the more amazing. My professors are all really well-versed in their subject matter and their credentials and resumes are so impressive! Some have worked with the United Nations, some have done research on egg donation, and it genuinely excites me to be around such great minds. Some of the projects already have me stumped,but I am always ready for a challenge.

Waking up for 8:30 has been my biggest test so far, but with Denmark treating me as nice as it has been, I figure I can definitely train my body to get used to early morning hours.