Categories
Denmark Europe Study Abroad

Study Abroad: My First International Flight

I was going to write a blog post from the airport in Toronto, but the wifi was absolutely awful.  Now, though, I’m writing from my kollegium in Copenhagen!

Turned out Chris was flying into Denver at almost exactly the same time I was flying out, so he came to visit me at my gate, which was nice.

My next stop, Toronto, might have been the nicest airport I’ve ever been to, despite the terrible internet situation.  About half the stores sold designer purses and expensive items like that, and all of the chairs have iPads in front of them, which are hooked up to the nearby restaurants so you can order food and drinks.  Also, the sign in the store where I bought food was a little….stereotypically Canadian?

After the six hour layover there, I had my flight to Copenhagen, which was incredibly long.  I befriended a Canadian couple on the plane who were coming to Europe for a Scandinavian cruise.  My bag wasn’t lost and we were only half an hour late to arrive, so I consider it a success.

After arriving at the airport, we were transported to our housing (which, as you may recall from the last post, is a type of Danish dorm called a kollegium).  It seems nice, and I’ll learn more about it tonight when we have an info meeting.  Mine is the striped bed.  Orientation starts tomorrow!

Categories
Denmark Europe Study Abroad

Study Abroad: I Have A Place To Live

(Image from DIS)

I have my passport back from the Russian consulate, I’m mostly packed, and I only have about 9 days left until I leave!

I got information about housing today.  I’m living in a kollegium, which is basically the Danish version of a dorm.  The best part, however, is that I have a kitchenette in my room, so I can control what I’m eating and not have to worry about being on a meal plan or anything.  Mine is called Hoffmanns Minde Kollegiet, pictured above, and it’s in the suburb of Brønshøj.  It only has about 100 people total.  Half will be DIS students, and the other half will be Danish and international students.  According to google maps, it’s about 30-40 minutes by bus ride, or about 25 minutes if I get a bike.  Still deciding if I want to get a bike…. I’m not usually a very outdoorsy person.  We’ll see.

In other news, I’ve been in contact with my German relatives, who we lost contact with some 30+ years ago.  I felt somewhat creepy, emailing them out of the blue and telling them we were related, but they were incredibly nice and said that I was welcome to stay with them.  So, I will be flying into Munich and spending time with them in the small German town of Weißenhorn for a couple days this fall!

 

Categories
Study Abroad

Study Abroad: The Countdown Begins

In less than 6 weeks, I will be flying to another continent to start my semester in Copenhagen!

It’s a bit scary, because my passport is still in San Francisco with the Russian consulate and I’ve barely started packing.  Also, for my first time in Europe, it’s a little intimidating to imagine living in a country where I don’t speak the language.  I need to spend more time working on some basic Danish phrases so I’m not totally unprepared when I get there and have to buy groceries and other necessary things.  For now, though, it’s time to enjoy my last month and a half of summer break in the United States!

Categories
Study Abroad

Study Abroad: I’m Even Excited About Paperwork

I got an email today about starting the paperwork for my Russian visa!  Even though I still have about four months until I leave, the visa process will actually require me to be without a passport for some time so it has to be completely done before I leave for Denmark.  Luckily, DIS is going to help me through all the steps.  And despite the extra paperwork, it’s totally worth it to be able to spend a week in St. Petersburg!

Categories
Study Abroad

Planning for Study Abroad

I’m studying abroad in Copenhagen in the fall!  I’ve been accepted into the Danish Institute for Study Abroad, and I’m super excited about it!  Basically all I want to do is research the places I’m visiting when I should be studying for finals.

image

These are the places I’m for sure going to in the fall.  Which includes Western Denmark, St. Petersburg, Krakow & Auschwitz, hiking through the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Amsterdam, and Paris with an emphasis on museums.  Hopefully I’ll be able to arrange a couple other trips on the weekends, but this is most of it.

I’ve never been to Europe before so it’s been unbelievably exciting to plan out trips and look at pictures on the internet.  I still have another quarter of school here in Evanston, but shortly thereafter the official countdown will begin!