I am not in Stockholm!

Three days ago, I thought that I would be studying in Sweden this semester. The universe had other plans. My Swedish residency permit application was denied. And since I have already been in the EU for over a month traveling, there was a possibility that I would not be allowed to enter Sweden at all. Not ideal! DIS offered to switch me to the Copenhagen program to avoid such a sticky situation, and – much to the relief of my very worried parents – I accepted. With all of the extra paperwork and changing plans, I didn’t have time to write a pre-departure post. But since I have only just begun to process the change, I think this counts. 🙂

When I arrived, I knew one thing about Denmark: it is, according to the World Happiness Report, the happiest country in the world. I’m all for happiness. In fact, my first email address was happyfacegrl@gmail.com because I love smiley faces so much. I learned today that Danes bake notoriously delicious pastries. (Maybe that’s why Danish people are so happy all of the time). Plus, the nationalized healthcare system that I was so excited to study in Sweden is almost identical to the healthcare system in Denmark. Score.

I am still choosing classes and shaping my life for the next four months. I have many supportive people guiding me through the process. For now, I am happy. I am excited. I am ready to learn about Denmark and eat lots of pastries.