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...