“Adventure is out there!”

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been in Copenhagen for 4 days already.  And yet, I already love it here! (But don’t worry guys, I will be coming back!) Things are so different here, but in a good way.  For instance, everyone rides their bikes here. There are so few cars here! Also, public transportation is so clean and reliable here…if people don’t ride a bike, they use it! And no one checks your ticket there; they use an honors system, and people are expected (and do!) clip their tickets at the machine before boarding. But of course, orientation has also introduced me to the many beautiful sights of the city!

Monday started out with an opening ceremony at Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, an art museum consisting of the personal collections of Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of Carlsberg Beer. In fact, a share of the profits from Carlsberg beers goes to fund the Glyptotek. The ceremony consisted of four performances by the DIS strings and speeches from the director of the program, Anders Uhrskov, as well as some other people from DIS. Afterwards, we were all divided up into different groups of about 20 people.  We all met in one of the school’s classrooms, where we did a few icebreakers with one of the DIS teachers and our fellow group members.  We were then divided up into even smaller groups of about 6 or 7 people, and given an envelope.  Inside was: a map with 5 locations we had to find our way to and visit, a map of the city, 130 krone (the equivalent of about $26), a metro pass, a list of grocery items, and a voucher for a free pastry at a local bakery.

After looking at our map and seeing where we had to go, we headed first to the pastry shop! Of course, it wasn’t that easy! We first wandered around the surrounding streets, then up into an apartment, then finally to the bakery…where we realized half our group was gone! Luckily, we waited inside, and they soon caught up with us.  In the bakery, we were all treated to a Danish, called “wienerbrød” here.  It was honestly the freshest, most delicious Danish I have ever had!

Once we finished, we were off to our first stop, the Royal Library.  We found our way this time, and went inside, where an architect who teaches at DIS taught us a little about the library, which is also called “the Black Diamond.”  Built in 1999, it is an extremely modern building with large glass windows which overlook the harbor.  It’s also a source of pride for the people of Copenhagen because it was built by a Danish architect, who won a design contest, and also stands as a symbol of the Danes commitment to education (Danes have free education and healthcare!).

Church of Our Savior

Next on our tour was Christianshavn across the harbor (there are a lot of harbors and lakes here, by the way), a part of the city built by Christian the IV, to the Church of Our Savior.  The church is absolutely beautiful, as you can see, and is notable because its only one of two churches in the whole world to have a spiral spire (the other, in case you were curious, is somewhere in Italy.  Although we didn’t get to go inside because there was a funeral, I plan on going back in the nice weather, especially since you can climb to the top and get a fantastic view of the entire city!

We then ventured onto the metro and got off at Kongens Nytorv, or the King’s Square, which has a statue of Christian V (fun fact for you: all the kings are named either Christian or Frederick…it alternates) originally made of lead, but redone and now made of bronze.  The square was currently under construction because, in the winter, a large ice skating rink is place around the statue…so wish I had been able to go! Also located there is the New Harbor, most recognizable as the harbor you see in pretty much every advertisement for Copenhagen! It’s so pretty there…I can’t wait to go back!

Our final stop was Amalienborg, the royal palace and home of Queen Margrethe and her two sons, the Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim, along with their families.  The royal family originally lived in another palace (which is now Parliament) but for some reason moved here years ago and have stayed here every since.  The Danes love and admire their queen, who has been ruling for 40 years and was able to do so only because of a provision to the Constitution allowing a woman to rule.

Amalienborg

That night, Alex and I went with a couple of girls from our floor grocery shopping…it was very hard! Everything, of course, is written in Danish, and it was so difficult for us to figure out what everything was.  Some girls in my group ended up accidentally buying buttermilk instead of regular milk, and it took Alex and I a good ten minutes to figure out what ham was called! (It’s skinke, by the way.) Next time, I’m bringing a dictionary!

My next day consisted of some information sessions.  The first was called “How Not to Meet Danes,” and was given by two Danish students.  They talked about the various ways to meet Danish people over here, some suggestions for what to talk about, and even gave us some ideas for where to shop.  Next was one about Danish social norms, such as what to do at a dinner or a dinner party, and what might be considered rude. That night, I also had an information session about volunteering while here in Denmark.  I’ll be spending some time every week at a local primary school for Muslim students, helping the kids with their English.  It sounds like a lot of fun, and I am really excited for it to start!

Wednesday was our last day of orientation, and consisted of some practical information, such as information about housing and student affairs, as well as applying for my residence permit.  Afterwards, my friend Julie and I walked around the neighborhood, looking in all the little shops. Our school is right near Købmagergade, a pedestrian street lined with little boutiques and cafes…so cute!

Classes began today, and so far so good! This semester I’ll be taking Religion and Politics in Europe, Kierkegaard’s Authorship (a course at the University of Copenhagen!), European Storytelling: From Homer to Harry Potter, and European Memory and Identity, my core course which includes a three-day study tour to Hamburg and western Denmark, as well as a week long study tour to Prague and Cesky-Krumlov in the Czech Republic. I’m also taking two one credit classes, Classical and Renaissance Rome, which involves a week long trip to Rome and the Vatican, and Vienna: The Capital of Classical Music, which includes a three day weekend trip to Vienna, Austria! I’ll write a little more tomorrow, but until then…hav en god dag!