Six days.
There are six days until I arrive at CPH International Airport, until I step into my DIS housing, until I walk up and down the canals of Copenhagen. I’m feeling excited, a little nervous, but mostly ready. I’ve been ready to go back to Denmark since I was there in 2015.
Before, I saw many of the popular tourist spots: the little mermaid, the crown jewels, the round tower, Tivoli – the list goes on. What I didn’t get to experience, though, was living in the city. I’ve lived in a city in the US: I spent last spring in Washington, D.C. It was one of my favorite things I’ve ever done. I’m sure Copenhagen will be no different and hopefully even better. I’m most looking forward to stuffing my face with smørbrød, exploring side streets, drinking Carlsberg on the canal, and biking up to Bakken.
Besides, I can’t wait to take classes in another country. I’ll be studying Danish Language and Culture, Podcast Production, New Media and Changing Communities, Creative Nonfiction, and International Marketing and Branding. Outside the classroom, I get to travel to Brussels and Sweden on study tours and take a field trip (almost) every Wednesday. I plan on flying over to Italy, Amsterdam, Germany, and hopefully some other sites on my own.
With a new decade at my feet, I have the chance to start fresh. Spending the first part of the new year in a new environment feels about right. Almost everything about this experience will be new: new friends, new food, new challenges, new growth. I’m not afraid of the transition, as I’ve adapted so many times before. No, I’m already afraid of the way I’ll feel when the program is over, when I say goodbye, when I have to come home.
But until then, I plan on taking advantage of these next four and a half months abroad. I vow to see, try, and do as much as I can, to say “yes” to every invitation, to take the leap. In more quantifiable terms, I want to befriend five people, visit five countries, and take 500 photos (at least). I want to fall in love – with the people, the culture, the feeling of just being there. And I’m certain I will.