"Study" Abroad

For those of you starting to wonder whether I'm really on a four month long vacation...I'm not. Here is a quick run-down of the classes that I'll be taking this semester.

Positive Psychology - This is my "core course" at DIS which involves two study tours (one to Western Denmark and a longer one to Madrid). The professor is a self-employed executive coach and consultant in the combined field of positive psychology and design thinking. I'm not quite sure what this means yet although I do know that he works closely with the LEGO corporation which is pretty cool. Denmark is consistently rated one of the happiest places in the world so it seems like a fitting place to study the science behind happiness and well-being.

Danish Language and Culture - Pretty self-explanatory, however after being here for only a week I can already tell you that Danish and I are not going to get along - they have nine different vowels. I have to introduce myself in Danish in class tomorrow and have been practicing with some of the Danes that live on my hall so hopefully I won't butcher it too badly. For the cultural component of the class we have already had a cafe night (free dinner and wine!) and explored a Danish supermarket.

Hans Christian Andersen and the Danish Golden Age - I wanted to take a few classes while abroad that I knew I wouldn't be able to take at Wesleyan and this one certainly qualifies. We will be reading around 30 fairytales by Hans Christian Andersen as well as parts of his diary and autobiography. It has been really interesting so far just realizing how many of the stories I listened to growing up were written by him. The best part about this class is that we are literally living in the middle of Hans Christian Andersen's world (he is everywhere here!) and the professor is very committed to using the city as our classroom. Last night we went to Tivoli, an amusement park and garden in the center of the city, to see a performance of Thumbellina in the Pantomime Theater and today we had a two hour walking tour to see places relevant to the author and time period.

The Psychology of Leadership - This class looks at the psychological and social processes that characterize effective leadership. The professor is big on group work (not my favorite) and field studies, but she brought us delicious pastries on the first day of class so I like her already.

Public Health Ethics - Maybe my favorite course so far, especially because we really have nothing like it offered at home. The class is co-taught by two Danish professors and will cover major issues in health politics and the ethical dilemmas surrounding prevention and health promotion.

Frederiksborg Slot

Unfortunately people were telling the truth when they warned me about Denmark's damp and rainy weather. The last few days have been pretty soggy and gray. Luckily this did not stop us from driving to Hillerød on Saturday to visit Frederiksborg Castle. The trip was one of the optional day trips organized by DIS and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see an area outside of the city and maybe even learn something about the country I am living in (I really regret not reading anything about the politics or history before coming!)

The castle was built in the early 17th century as a royal residence for King Christian IV and is now home to Denmark's Museum of Natural History. It is the largest Renaissance castle in Scandinavia, sitting on three small islands in the middle of Palace Lake and surrounded by beautiful, formal gardens. I was bummed that the weather stopped us from spending more time outside because the grounds looked almost as incredible as the castle itself.

If only it hadn't been raining...

...and I had really taken this picture

I didn't want to be taking photos during the whole tour and realize that there is really only so much entertainment value in pictures of old castles. That being said, my favorite part was seeing the detail in the art and architecture of the ceilings in each room. These pictures hardly do them justice but it was the best way I could think of to document the trip.

Commuting

The past week has been hectic to say the least. I have met so many new people and seen so many exciting things that I don't know where to begin in writing it down. The one thing that has anchored each of my days in Copenhagen so far is my commute into Kobenhavn (the city center) on the metro. A proper Dane would probably tell you that commuting is something done on two wheels but for now I am sticking to public transportation. More to come on biking later but for now just know that the Danish take their cycling very seriously - the commuter "super-highway" is no Lexington bike path!

My mornings start in Amagar which is slightly South of the city center. I am about a five minute walk from the nearest metro station, ten minutes on the metro, and another five minute walk to the DIS classrooms. The commute has been easy and one of my favorite parts of the day so far (which is not to say that my days haven't involved anything more exciting than a train ride if that's what you're thinking).

 The courtyard outside my building and bike path that runs next to the complex. Note: this is not one of the intimidating and crowded bike lanes I mentioned earlier!

Walk through Amagar to the metro station

All of the stations I have been to have been architecturally really interesting and well-designed. There are two different train lines serving 22 stations throughout the city and both lines run continually on an automated computer system. I have yet to wait more than four minutes for the next train which is wonderful as patience is not my strong suit.

After I get off at Norreport station it is another five minute walk or so to the area where most of the DIS buildings are located. So far I have tried to take a different route every day but we'll see how much longer I can keep that up. For now I prefer taking pictures of the pretty bicycles to actually riding them.

"It's Dark in Here"

It's Dark in Here

Shel Silverstein

I am writing these poems

From inside a lion,

And it's rather dark in here.

So please excuse the handwriting

Which may not be too clear.

But this afternoon by the lion's cage

I'm afraid I got too near.

And I'm writing these lines

From inside a lion,

And it's rather dark in here.

Ok, so I am not really writing this from inside a lion. I'm in Copenhagen! Finally! I'll spare you the details of my last 24 hours of wakefulness - yes, I'm running on empty - and just have you know that I am happy and safe and about to have the best night's sleep known to mankind. And while I am not in fact inside a lion, my room is very dark. This is a) because it is nighttime and b) because I mistook the electricity box in my room for a safe (as if they would really provide us with safes in our rooms! What was I thinking!?) 

The first thing that caught my attention walking down the hallway of my apartment building this morning were the Shel Silverstein-inspired murals and poems decorating the walls. I have fond memories of reading his books growing up and for some reason this was very comforting. It is always nice to discover familiar things in unfamiliar. This particular poem, "It's Dark in Here," came to mind as I scrambled around for half an hour trying to figure out how to turn the electricity back on. I really did not want to navigate my first shower in Copenhagen in the dark (trust me - in retrospect, this would have been ugly).

Besides sorting out my lighting situation, I spent my first day settling in, meeting other students, and exploring the neighborhood around my kollegium. Some highlights: 

• The terrace with picnic tables off of my hallway
• Cool Danish furniture in my room
• Bicycles everywhere!
• Being able to say that I've been to Iceland
• Teaching myself to fix my leaky toilet
• Lots and lots of closet space
• My $10 raspberry-orange smoothie at an outdoor cafe
• One of my best friends from school (Hannah) living five flights up the stairs
• Trying to buy yogurt and winding up with cottage cheese (OK so this was a low-light, and for those of you aware of my deep fear of cottage cheese, almost disastrous)

Here are a few pictures of my home for the next four months...

Before (above) and after (below)

View into the room from the outside hallway and bedroom door

Desk and pictures

Closets...

And more closets!!

Bathroom

View from my bed - each of the nine window panes opens out!

I guarantee you my room will continue to be a work in progress for a while. I want to make it feel cozy and as much like home as possible. Plus, I inherited the Martha Stewart decorating gene from my mother :)

Packing in Pictures

I hate to admit it but packing was much more difficult than this nifty collage might lead you to believe...

Even Izze was exhausted from helping me.

Unfortunately I didn't have room to squeeze him into my suitcase, but lucky for him I was feeling generous and treated him to a facial instead. If he can't come to Europe he at least deserves a spa day right!?

Happy kitty.

IntrØ

A week from today I will be leaving to study abroad in Copenhagen for the fall semester of my junior year. I am writing this blog primarily for myself as a way to organize my photos, memories, and travels for the next four months. But in case anybody else is interested in these things, I wanted to have a way to share what I hope will be a life-changing and fulfilling, if not a little (OK, a lot) scary, experience with my family and close friends. Yes mom and dad, this is for you, the last two people I know without Facebook.

I will be studying (hopefully not too much!) through the Danish Institute for Study Abroad which is a program connected to the University of Copenhagen. DIS is located on Vestergade in the heart of central Copenhagen with its offices housed in two historic buildings in the city center. This will certainly be a change from the suburban campus that I am used to but I am looking forward to the opportunity to explore the city streets and soak in the culture between classes. Apparently DIS is only a two minutes' walk from City Hall Square and the central pedestrian and shopping street, Strøget - exciting for me though probably not so much for my wallet.

I will be living in a kollegium or the Danish version of an American dormitory. Because European universities usually do not have campuses, the kollegiums used by DIS are shared between many Danish universities and colleges and therefore are located outside the city center area. The particular kollegium where I will be staying is called Øresundskollegiet. It is the largest kollegium in Scandinavia with more than 1,000 rooms and apartments. I was fortunate enough to get lucky in the housing lottery and am relatively close to the city center as well as the Metro and bus stops. Obviously there will be more to come on this later but for now here is a map showing the locations of DIS (upper left) and the Øresundskollegiet (lower right).



Now if only I could figure out how to pack four months (and three seasons!) worth of clothes into two suitcases...