We are officially done with week two, which means that we are ONE EIGHTH OF THE WAY DONE, which is so crazy. I am already starting to feel nostalgic about leaving, and I just got here. This week has been interesting because I have finally started to feel like I am settling into a routine. I no longer have to google the location of my classrooms (which anyone that knows me, knows that is a big accomplishment. I am not exactly the most directionally blessed). Other than settling into classes, becoming better friends with the people in my kollegium (who I really have clicked with), and exploring more of the city, read below to check out my highlights for the week: A weekend in Sweden, a trip to the Danish Royal Arsenal Museum, and To-Do Tuesday!
A Weekend in Sweden
On Friday night, one of my friends asked me if I wanted to go to Sweden with her in the morning to go to a really cool bath house. Bright and early the next morning, I found myself on the forty minute train ride to Malmö. The city itself was like a smaller Copenhagen, with pretty buildings and canals everywhere. Although the bath house ended up being closed (so of course we are going to have to go back again later in the semester), the trip was a success. We spent most of our time in an adorable restaurant called Coffee and Simple Pleasures, which was raw and vegan and had the absolute nicest staff. I had some of the best hot (dark) chocolate I have ever had, and all in all it was an afternoon filled with hygge.
Just to be clear, I still feel super weird about being able to write “oh yeah, I just went to Sweden for half a day!” It’s still bizarre for me to fathom that I can just take weekend trips to different countries, but that is going to be my life for the next few months. I have already planned trips to Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels and Florence, and I am most likely going to Croatia, Austria, and the Czech Republic after the semester ends. So, many many blog posts about those trips are to come (Hamburg is actually next week).
Danish Royal Arsenal
One of the hallmarks of the DIS program is the fact that students don’t have class on Wednesday. Instead, we take a field trip with one or two classes to someplace around the city. Each class has two during the semester, so its possible that some weeks you don’t have any, and you just get the day off. This week, my EU-US relations class had a trip to the Royal Arsenal. Military history isn’t usually my favorite thing, so I wasn’t really enthused going into it, but it was really a cool experience. First, we watched a documentary on the Danish experience in Afghanistan, and then went to the special exhibit on it. The exhibit completely recreated a soldier’s experience, from right before they leave till they got home. They shipped everything in from Afghanistan (except the sand), so it was a really realistic experience. It was super interesting to look at the war from a non-American perspective (since Denmark was dragged into it as our ally). The entire point of me coming to Europe was to gain this differing perspective, so already starting to obtain it two weeks in, was really exciting.
To-Do Tuesday
Every Tuesday, since our classes end by 1, my friend and I have agreed to force each other to go out and explore something around Copenhagen (aka to-do Tuesday). Last week, two of my friends and I walked around Nyhavn, the beautiful canal/waterfront area that you will undoubtedly see in a picture from anyone who visits CPH. Then, we wandered around until we found the trampoline sidewalks on the harbor. Even though it was freezing, we laughed and jumped around for a bit. It’s amazing to me all of the cute/cool little things this city has to offer, and I’m excited that I am setting aside a day to really force myself to find them.
Other Highlights:
A few fun other highlights of the week included taco Tuesday (each week, my kollegium floor has a Tuesday night dinner and people switch off cooking. My roommate Olivia and I cooked for this week and made a yummy taco bar), cinnamon roll Wednesday (there is a bakery near my school that has AMAZING cinnamon rolls for only 17 kroner on Wednesdays… its definitely going to turn into a tradition), my visiting host family taking me around to an art exhibit in the old cisterns, and running around the harbor at night.
Fun fact of the week: I am now an official DIS student blogger. This means that I will actually force myself to post once a week, and I will do a variation of posts, ranging from how to be vegetarian in CPH to the experience of living in a Kollegium. Sooooooooo, that’s all for this week! Next week is my core course week, so I will spend half the week in Hamburg, Germany with my core class, and the other half in CPH doing more with that same course. So, plenty to look forward to in next week’s blog.
SEE YA IN HAMBURG!
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Maya is a senior International Studies major, spending the spring 2018 semester in Denmark through DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia.
Read more from Maya at travelingpapaya.wordpress.com
Don't miss your opportunity to study abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/.
Maya is a senior International Studies major, spending the spring 2018 semester in Denmark through DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia.
Read more from Maya at travelingpapaya.wordpress.com
Don't miss your opportunity to study abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/.
