This weekend, I conquered the world of Danish public transportation.
By that I mean I successfully took the train exactly three times, but only after confirming with 6+ Danes each time that I was in the correct place. I may have stuck out as a confused American, but at least I made it to my destination! On Saturday, I went to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art with my friend Amelia, who also lives in the Culinary LLC. This was my first time outside of the city since arriving here, and due to the fact that everything is within a five minute walk from our apartment, I hadn't needed to use the trains at all. Thanks to google maps, we made it to Copenhagen Central Station, and from there rode up to a town called Humlebaek.
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The first few days here in Copenhagen have been a whirlwind. We had a few orientation events to learn about how to navigate the city and prepare for classes, but in between those events I got to explore with my sister and brother in law, who stopped by on their way back home to the United States. The first day they were here we went to the National Museum of Denmark and got dinner at a little cafe near where I live. After surrendering to jet lag, the next day was spent strolling along Nyhavn (the colorful buildings along the canal) and the sidewalk trampolines, and indulging in slices of cake at La Glace, the oldest confectionery in Denmark (founded in 1870)! I got a walnut cake - It had an almond bottom, crushed walnuts in cream, and mocha icing. 10/10, would recommend. While I don't know much about the area yet, Copenhagen is the perfect city for wandering without a destination.
I'm officially in Copenhagen!
These first few days have been absolutely surreal, and I'm constantly in awe as I walk around the city and happen to stumble upon all the cool destinations I've been reading about for the past few months. Although I've been here for less than 72 hours, I already feel so comfortable in this city - the locals are incredibly friendly and helpful, the architecture is stunning, the food is delicious and diverse, and DIS has done a great job of helping us get a good feel for the city we will be calling home for the next four months. Copenhagen is stunning, and so much of its charm is packed into the little details like the cobblestone streets, the street musicians, the truly unbelievable number of cafes and coffee shops, and the sound of spinning bicycle wheels. I've already conquered grocery shopping [I stared at shampoo for about ten minutes trying to do monetary conversions in my head...] and banking, and tomorrow I'll be attending another orientation event on the transportation system, so soon I'll be living like a true Dane... sort of? Still can't pronounce the street I live on to be honest... I am an American.
For the past 21 years, I have lived among people with a very similar culture to my own. Of course the U.S. is pretty diverse and every family differs in regards to specific holiday celebrations, family dynamics, and other elements of life, but overall almost everyone I've interacted with has lived a lifestyle influenced by American norms. Up until this point, my cultural identity has never been put into another context (at least for a very long period of time). That is all about to change because, as I'm sure you are aware of if you are on this blog, I am moving to DENMARK. Do you know what today is?!
The very first thing I did when I woke up this morning was to check my email. This is not a regular routine - I typically have coffee and breakfast and stay in bed for about a half hour trying to calculate how many times I can click snooze before actually getting up, but today was different because today we got our HOUSING ASSIGNMENTS! DIS really likes to build the suspense by not telling us where we are living until ten days before we arrive in Copenhagen. This is because they read through all housing essays to match students with the option that best suits them. While that is really special and ensures everybody has the best possible experience living abroad, it does take longer and I have been anxiously awaiting the news for months now. |
Hi Everyone!I'm Lydia, a 21 year old college student studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark for the spring 2017 semester. I'm excited to spend the next few months adventuring around Europe, and it'll all be documented here! Feel free to look around. Archives
June 2017
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