DIS Blog
Saying hello to Copenhagen
Published
July 18, 2024
Copenhagen
Summer at DIS
Summer Writer Natalie (she/her) recaps her first few weeks in Copenhagen, sharing first impressions.
Read Natalie’s start to summer in Copenhagen.
After three incredible weeks in Stockholm, I was nervous about coming to Copenhagen. Many of my friends were not joining me for session three and the thought of exploring a whole new city was intimidating at first, but when the DIS bus picked me up outside of my home in Stockholm on Mix & Match day my fears eased. Seeing so many familiar faces traveling to Copenhagen with me turned my worries into excitement at the thousands of new possibilities and experiences waiting for me.
The bus ride, while long, was filled with talking to new and old friends, researching the best things to do in Copenhagen, and planning for our first weekend there. Stopping for lunch to meet the students traveling in the opposite direction, we got recommendations for day-trips, cheap meals, and must-do sightseeing. With pages of lists of what to do, see, and where to eat, we set back off for our final destination of Copenhagen. And it didn’t disappoint.
My first night in Denmark was chaotic in the best way. After dropping our bags in our new rooms, we didn’t even have time to make our beds before one of my roommates dragged us out for a walk around our area. We were shocked that we lived only ten minutes from the vibrant canal we’d seen in so many photos. We also stopped in three different grocery stores to really weigh our options before buying different things at each one. The one closest to us, SPAR, had the best bananas by far, but Netto down the street had the best deals on frozen meals and Fotex had too many options to count for canned coffees. Spending my week’s budget on bananas and garlic bread, I finally felt satisfied with my two full bags of groceries and headed home for a movie night with my new roommates.
The next morning, I realized how lucky I was to be in Store Kongensgade, my DIS housing. We are located close to everything I imagined wanting to see and do in Copenhagen. And, only a 20-minute walk from our classes, I’m able to get my steps in every day to and from class. However, on the days I’m running late, the metro station less than two blocks from my apartment can get me to class in less than 10 minutes.
With so many things to do within walking distance, my first week in Copenhagen was filled with exploring, sightseeing, and eating out a few too many times. We visited several castles, the Little Mermaid statue, and took a boat tour of the canals all before our first day of classes started.
This session, I am taking a class called “Children in a Multicultural Context.” It’s an education and human development course focused on diverse upbringings and educational systems, specifically in Denmark. So far, I have been really enjoying this class. As a Secondary Education major, I find the ways different upbringings impact a child’s schooling incredibly interesting as well as something that needs to be studied further so we can work towards reaching a more equitable school system for all children.
Through class and free time, my time in Copenhagen so far has been nothing short of incredible. I cannot wait to spend the next two weeks exploring everything this new city has to offer and, of course, keeping you all updated on the best things to experience.