I am writing this blog post on my way out of Copenhagen and can’t help but feel sad that the course is over. It is hard not to miss Copenhagen after spending a month here. Going into the trip, I believed that a month out of the country was enough and that I would be ready to go by the end. “Why would I want to spend any longer than a month out of the states?” I asked myself. I thought that I would be missing out of enjoying W&L if I left any longer than that. I had this irrational fear of missing out and I am not sure why I felt this way but this course has made me wish I spent a semester abroad. I have always loved meeting new people, seeing new places, and getting out of my comfort zone and I guess I just never connected the dots until now that studying abroad is all that and more. Although I am bummed, I am glad I got to experience aspects of studying abroad through this course.
I realized that I thought of Copenhagen as home when I was leaving Vienna with Cole to return to Copenhagen. The same feeling of relief I get when I arrived in Phoenix or Lexington rushed over me when I arrived back in Copenhagen. I was confused why I felt this way considering I only spent a month here but I realized that it’s because I have the same routine and comfortability with this city as I do at home. There wasn’t a moment in Copenhagen where I didn’t feel safe and happy to be there. Although I could not say that I gained the ability to navigate around the city, besides a few memorized routes, I felt comfortable walking/biking around the city.
Although there were times I wish I was back in Phoenix, I really enjoyed the overall experience. Some of my favorite experiences include eating at Nyhavn, The Glass Market, and Paper Island, taking a day trip around Denmark and a walking tour around Copenhagen, going to the top of The Church of Our Savior, visiting Sweden, having dinner with Danish families, going out with friends, biking around Copenhagen, and last but not least working with Claus. I am extremely grateful that I took this class and can’t wait to tell my family about my experience. I hope to visit Copenhagen again in the near future and find myself missing this place I called home for the last month. Hej Hej for now København!