Hej fra København!
It’s hard to believe that I am already in the latter half of my study abroad experience. Classes have long ago started; countless papers have been submitted; Danish pronunciations have improved (kinda?); suitcases have been unpacked, repacked, and unpacked again; weekend trips around Europe have been successfully taken. This semester continues to exceed all of my expectations. As cliché as it sounds, every city that I visit manages to take a part of my heart (and all of my wallet.) And, every time I return from traveling, I am so excited to be back in Copenhagen. Weird how this city has started to feel like home—my home away from home (Georgetown) away from home (California?)
The first month of the semester, I was still very much in the honeymoon phase of study abroad. It kind of felt like summer camp, or like new student orientation during the first week of freshman year, when you constantly feel overwhelmed and overjoyed by all the people you want to meet and all the things that you want to do. My first month abroad was filled with introductions—a lot of “What’s your name? Where do you go to school? What are you majoring in? Where in Copenhagen are you living?”—and a lot of tourism—being obnoxious and American, taking selfies (and yes, with a selfie stick) in front of gorgeous castles and and bustling streets.
As the semester progressed, I started to settle in. I had my favorite coffee shop, my go-to grocery store, and my reliable late-night eatery (shawarma, anyone?) I knew where all my classes were and how long it took to walk to each. I deleted the Uber app off my phone (illegal in Denmark!), mastered the public transportation system, and rented a bike, Copenhagen’s preferred method of commute.
I grew fond of the concept of hygge (pronounced: hoo-ga), a Danish word that roughly translates to coziness. Think friends, family, food, and good vibes. Hygge is the atmosphere of coziness created when enjoying food, drink, close friendships in the moment. “The warm glow of candlelight is hygge. Friends and family—that’s hygge too. There’s nothing more hygge than sitting round a table, discussing the big and small things in life. Perhaps hygge explains why the Danes are the happiest people in the world?”
And over the last month, I started to understand the difference between a weekend visit to a city and living in a city. I began to call Copenhagen home.
With a little over a month of my study abroad experience remaining, I want to continue to go beyond my comfort zone and seek new experiences. In a nutshell, Copenhagen has become comfortable. The good in that statement is obvious—it’s amazing how I can now say that I know a European metropolis considerably well! The not-so-good side is that it has caused me to trade in adventure for comfort; to put it bluntly, it has made me lazy. I have my favorite places, so I no longer frequent new cafes or restaurants. I feel that I have all the time here, so I’ll occasionally choose napping over exploring. I started to take Copenhagen for granted, so I became lazy.
I have fallen in love with the Copenhagen that I know—the people, the culture, and most importantly, the pastries (they’re called Danishes after all). But I also realize that there is still so much more to this city than what I have experienced. I love being a tourist, obnoxious selfie-stick and all. But understanding a new culture requires that I go beyond taking pictures in front of larger-than-life castles and churches. And I’m determined to make the most of my remaining time. Copenhagen bucket list, you’re on.
