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copen’ with anticipation

I went to say goodbye to my grandparents today, and I was greeted by my grandfather handing me and atlas that was approximately 50lbs, he told me that it had all the information I needed to know about Denmark. I entertained the idea of bringing it for approximately 20 minutes, learning about the history(the history from 50 years ago; so more like history’s history) of the country I will soon be inhabiting, before I had to break it to him that the atlas wasn’t worth the $95 to check an extra bag and my iphone would just have to suffice.

If only the atlas had contained a packing list… I have been putting off this daunting task day after day. Approximately a month ago I pulled the bags I was planning on packing out of the closet and they have been sitting empty on my floor reminding me that at some point I would have to actually try to pack up my entire wardrobe and fit it into two tiny bags. I discovered this morning that I am far from an expert packer and would be far from fitting my entire wardrobe in my two bags. I threw in my rain coat and my rain pants and then began to go drawer by drawer deciding what I could leave behind, it took about 4 hours and my mom telling me that I could probably leave behind the tank top I bought at the beginning of last summer that still had the tags on it for me to be ALMOST packed.

All of this preparation has been distracting me from the fact that I really will be moving across the ocean at the end of the week. I haven’t even finished my internship, haven’t printed my boarding pass, haven’t figured out how to wear the 7 pairs of shoes on the plane that didn’t fit in my suitcases. What have I done? Basically blabbered to all of my family, then all of my friends, then the grocery store clerk, then the dentist, then my boss, okay you get it I blabbered to everyone about how excited I was and how I was about to have the time of my life.

Now as I sit here, leaving tomorrow my biggest worry is the flight, I have never traveled internationally before. Luckily I was added to a group chat on facebook with some other girls on the same flight as me from DIS, it definitely eases some nerves. Also the fact that I was told I will probably get vanilla ice cream on the plane 🙂

I am also worried about leaving my friends, having to find a pool to swim, and having a roommate who is not my best friend. On the other hand I cannot wait to explore and find out every little thing I love about Copenhagen.

Now I have a million other things to say but I am so scatter brained that I cannot manage to get it into one post. My dad is also calling me to help him with the vacuum bags for my suitcase. I plan to arrive very early at the airport tomorrow to ease nerves so I predict I will have time to write another post, and since I will be through security(hopefully) maybe it will be more straight forward and less word vomit.

xoxo a girl copen’ with anticipation

copen’ with new places

Hello!!!

The past few days have been a whirlwind. I thought I would have time to write in the airport… WRONG… my study abroad experience began immediately as I stepped into Logan Airport in Boston and met some girls that were also in DIS that were on my flight. They were all super nice and it was comforting to be traveling with others that would be going to the same place.

I had never been on an international flight before, and my first flight that went from Boston to Iceland went smoothly I was able to squeeze in a few hours of sleep curled up in my isle seat. I was VERY jealous of the little boy sitting next to me that seemed to be able to sleep soundly the entirety of the five hours. None the less when I arrived in Iceland I was still riding on the excitement of arriving in Copenhagen. I met up with a friend from Bates at the airport and seeing a friendly face definitely calmed some of the nerves that were still in the back of my mind. When boarding the plane in Iceland we got bussed to the airplane and I was excited to be able to say I was in Iceland for a quick second(maybe Ill even go back to visit!!)

The next flight unfortunately did not go as smoothly, I was in a middle seat and basically the entire flight was my head nodding forward as I was trying not to fall asleep on either person next to me. When I finally arrived and got my ONE (yes ONE to all the people out there who doubt my packing abilities) checked bag, I was happy to have a short walk across the street to the Hotel where DIS met us with snacks and our welcome packets.

As I was waiting for the bus that would take me to Nimbus (the Kollegium I will be staying in) I thought I would set up my new Sim Card for my phone. I managed to do it but in the process I also bought myself a new sim card(thats what you get for not clicking the translate button on google chrome I guess), but all said and done by the end of the day I had a working phone number and my Danish flat mates greeted me with Thai food that was much needed.

I slept amazing that night and began my next morning with a run to clear my head (they also say that working out in the morning helps with jet lag) and explored Frederiksberg Palace a park that is super close to my house. You could see the elephants from the Copenhagen Zoo and I think it is going to be a great place for me to clear my head as it has some beautiful trails for running. That night we went to Dina a local cafe and tried a Danish beer! It was delicious and a perfect way to end the first full day in Copenhagen.

Monday started orientation, and although 7am was a rude awakening, the Welcoming Ceremony was great and we got to enjoy some amazing opera in the Royal Danish Music Academy as well as listen to advice on how to best approach abroad. After that I walked with some new friends to get juice at a local cafe. Then I walked with some other new friends to Buzz Cafe, a local cafe to get some coffee(there are so many amazing cafes in Copenhagen I don’t know how I am going to try them all, they all seem amazing!) I also picked up all my books for my classes (not going to lie there were a lot) I am so excited for my classes, I get to explore topics I would not be able to take classes on at Bates such as Sports Economics and European Financial Case Studies!

Tuesday night I explored the night life with my roommate and some friends, it was a young crowd in downtown Copenhagen as there are also organized events for the students starting college here. I saw some friends from Bates and met some new people.

Wednesday I started the day bright and early with my Core Course orientation. I am excited to study Globalization and European Economies. I think studying globalization abroad will provide me with an angle I might not have gotten in America. I also cannot wait to travel to Vienna and Bratislava as that will give me even more opportunities to travel and explore the economics of Europe while I am here.

On simpler notes I figured out how to do my laundry and I have settled into my kollegium nicely, it feels like home. We even planned bi-weekly family dinners so I am excited for the Danish students to cook for us and I am excited to plan a dinner for them…I’m still deciding what I am going to cook! I have also figured out how to get from the metro to class without google maps! … just as soon as I got my bike… but that will be a whole other learning curve as the bike lanes here have looked pretty intimidating…but I cannot wait to give it a try!

xoxo a girl copen’ with new places

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