I’ve been in Denmark now for close to 2 months now and just- wow. With almost two months left until my departure, the pressure is definitely on to keep enjoying my experiences and make the most of everyday and connection I can.
My goals coming into the semester were to challenge myself to be the as receptive as possible to cultural differences and embrace the changes that might accompany my transition. And I believe I’ve been successful. Classes definitely helped me explore in the first half of the semester. In my Virtual Worlds and Social Media course, my group and I have started a Facebook Group coined ‘HiddenHagen’ where we explore parts of the city that may not typically show up in Google searches, and I will be dedicating a blog post to that. Dim-sum restaurants, community spaces, Thai supermarkets, and beauty supply stores are some of the few things that Denmark has a pretty decent presence of.
During my travel week, I stayed in Denmark and enjoyed a Stormzy concert, biking around (when its not rush hour lol), and taking the time to get ahead on school work and prepare for midterms and mid semester evaluations/exams. Later this month, I will be traveling to Belgium with my Core Course and my family will be visiting Denmark, so I am very excited.
In some ways abroad has been everything I hoped for it to be, and has even proved to be even more than I knew that it could be. My classes are some of the most thought provoking and enlightening settings I’ve been in throughout my undergrad. They challenge me to find ways to contextualise the lessons in regards to my everyday life and observations. One example is my Health Economics and Health Policy in Europe class where we compare the healthcare system of Denmark, to other EU countries, the US, and healthcare systems outside those realms because of a classmate from Morocco. By creating scenarios where the similarities and stark differences between systems are apparent, I’ve started to consider ways I can be more mindful about healthcare policies and practices as I prepare to begin adulting.
All in all, I am so at peace and very happy I chose to study abroad in Denmark with DIS.
Two months in and two more to go, I’ll be leaving my new home before I know it but I also know I WILL be back. I’m ready to see what the rest of my time has in store for me.
From the Bronx to the World 