Copenhagen. Where do I even start. I’m writing this post while sitting in the Paris airport, as I finally make my way home after two weeks of solo traveling. So, I’ve had some time to reflect (and freak out once it hits me that I’m not going back to my little kollegium on the harbor), and it is safe to say that I am overwhelmed and so incredibly grateful for my semester in the city of grey skies and colorful houses.
Let’s begin with the city. When I first got to CPH, it wasn’t love at first sight. My impression was that it was cute… cold and grey, but still cute. However, the longer I lived there, the more I began to fall in love with the city. I distinctly remember one moment that seemed so normal, that it was abnormal. I was biking home across the harbor at sunset, coming from the supermarket with a tote bag full of veggies ready to make dinner with my roommate. It was so picturesque, but it really got me because I realized that something as cool as that was part of my normal reality, and that it felt completely natural. That was the first time that it hit me that CPH had truly become like a home to me. In a place where bike lanes are as big as car lanes, where Flying Tigers are on every corner (and are literally the best thing EVER), and where design is practically a religion, I somehow found a way to carve out a little space to fit and feel comfortable.
While I fell in love with the city, the experience was undoubtedly, completely made by the people. I got incredibly lucky with my friends that I made, and I couldn’t imagine the experience without them. My kollegium-mates, both Danish and American, became some of my best friends. Not just people to travel and stress out over summer plans with, but people with whom I’d have dance parties in the kitchen while making dinner or binge watch Ru Paul’s with. Not to mention the amazing friends I made in my classes, and the fun I had traveling with them (whether it be class trips to Belgium and Germany, weekend trips to Stockholm or meeting up in Croatia). While some were temporary relationships, I am confident that others will last into the foreseeable future. When I think about my best memories from CPH, it always involves friends and my experiences with them, and so I am incredibly thankful for all my people.
The other really impactful part of Copenhagen for me was the academic growth that I experienced there (shocker… sometimes people study abroad and actually learn a lot)! This semester, I have learned to reevaluate the way I look at international politics, specifically the US and our role in the world. This is something I really could not have done without being in Europe, and the unique perspective I got from my Danish professors is something that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere but Cope. I am really excited to go home with this new perspective and to apply it to my studies at UARK.
I could go on and on about this semester and my experiences (but I did that enough in my previous posts). Instead, I am just going to end with this. There’s so many reasons why I logically shouldn’t have fallen in love with Copenhagen. I seriously can’t do the cold. I really don’t like rye bread, licorice, or mayo.. or honestly any of the traditional Danish food I tried. Plus, I don’t eat meat which is a huge part of the diet. I am low-key afraid of biking (since I was little I’ve harbored a small fear of things with wheels, like roller skating or biking). I didn’t even own black jeans before I came to Cope, let alone full black ensembles. I am super super stingy with money (and cph is insanely expensive). Yet, against all the odds, this place was an incredible home to me for the past four months and I will undoubtedly miss it. Hej hej for now.
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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
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