First Week in Copenhagen!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve only been in Copenhagen for a week! I have never fallen in love with a city so quickly and am already feeling at home here. Each day, I stumble upon a new batch of hip cafes and cozy study spots, and somehow, each of the city’s small and crooked streets is just as – if not more-- vibrant and colorful as the last.

{Nyhaven}

The school that I’m attending here- the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS)- is incredibly impressive.  It’s over fifty years old and seems to have study abroad down to a science. There are over 1500 US abroad students here (over half the size of Colorado College!) and 70 in my program—Sustainability in Europe.  I am taking a range of environmental classes including European Sustainable Development, Food Systems, Renewable Energy, Environmental Policy in Practice, and Business Strategies in Green Industries. 

{The King's Garden}

 {two high school best friends sign up for same program totally by accident!)

{Royal Palace}

 I am staying in what the Danes call a kollegium, which is essentially a dorm for students attending a number of different Danish colleges and universities.  My kollegium is a 25 minute bus ride from the heart of the city, but in attempt to embrace the Danish way, I’ve been biking the four miles to and from class instead.  Despite the city’s extensive public transportation system, nearly half of Copenhagen’s population commutes to work by bike! It’s funny- instead of gym clothes, the Danes wear their day outfits (heels and all!) to ride their bikes, and even in the rain the bike lanes are no less crowded. 

{a bubblegum pink bike for the girl who never wears colors!}

In the future, I will try to keep my posts short, but for now, there is too much to share!

"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward.  For there you have been, and there you will always long to return" 

-Leonardo da Vinci