First month in Copenhagen, Denmark
Hello! I am currently writing to you from Copenhagen, Denmark on my Spring 2022 study abroad semester. I have been in Denmark for just over 1 month at this point and have absolutely loved it so far. Living in Denmark has been a big change so far, from the cultural differences to the food to the academic lifestyle, everything is different.
Diving into the cultural differences, it is clear to me that although many aspects of Denmark are similar to the United States, the way that the people function is dissimilar. Denmark is a country built around trust. Trusting your neighbor and your community is deeply rooted in the lifestyle of Danes. There are many ways in which you can see the trust of the community play out in daily life. From the minimal security used to lock your bike on the street, to leave babies outside in their carriages while their parents go inside the stores to shop, Danish people are very trusting of their surroundings. Related to the trust aspect of Danish people, it turns out that they have good reason to trust! Copenhagen is consistently ranked in the top 3 safest cities in the world. The crime rates are extremely low here, and I have never once felt unsafe walking alone in the daytime or even nighttime. This isn't to say, though, that being cautious is unimportant. Another cultural difference that I found extremely interesting was how rule-based Danes are. This goes very hand in hand with the idea of a trusting society, but the people here follow the rules on everything. The main example of this is crossing the street/J-walking. No one and I mean no one ever J-walks here. You may find yourself alone at a crosswalk in the middle of the night in Copenhagen, with a few other Danes and not a single car in sight, and they will wait for the walk sign to turn green. Having such a rule-based society has its perks and makes for an enjoyable and safe experience.
Anywhere you go in the world, countries will have a lot of cultural identities tied to the food that they eat. Here in Denmark, I have found that there are some interesting food options. One of the most famous Danish foods is the open-face sandwich. This masterpiece comes with a smorgasbord of different items from cold cuts to fresh veggies and toppings. For someone that does not eat meat or fish, I was initially upset when I was unable to try a traditional Danish open-faced sandwich, but luckily, I quickly found out how vegan and vegetarian-friendly Denmark is! Being one of the most sustainable and progressive countries, Denmark has a plethora of vegan and vegetarian options in almost any restaurant or café that you go to. This has been a huge change from back home, where there are little to no options for someone that does not eat meat or fish.
Experiencing a university in a different culture has opened my eyes to different ways of learning outside of our traditional sense. The learning experience here in Copenhagen values absorbing the information and using it in a practical manner to demonstrate that you know the content, instead of strictly. When it comes to learning the information, the professors here advocate the idea that learning should be done in the classroom, and not when you are home alone doing homework. That being said, professors provide you with many academic readings each night to familiarize yourself with the topic and then use that introduction that you had the night before, to grow your knowledge in the classroom. Comparatively, at home, we are introduced to a topic for the first time in class, and then learn while we are at home doing homework. On top of the teaching styles, the classes that I am taking have been extremely thought-provoking and have real-world implications for them. It seems that in every class that I take here, there is some sort of connection to the surrounding world and current event that is taking place which makes the content more interesting to dive into, considering that it is related to real events that are transpiring around us.
My time in Denmark has been unbelievable so far. Although there are countless differences in the ways of life, I have embraced each one of them, and feel that I have learned a great deal of cultural knowledge from being here for just over a month. I am so excited to continue my time here in Copenhagen, and I cannot wait to share all of my experiences with my fellow buckeyes and other students who are interested in taking advantage of Fisher’s study abroad programs.
