It is crazy to think that a month from now, I will be packing up my ever-growing wardrobe into my two suitcases and heading back to the states. The past three months abroad have been the some of most memorable of my life. Between traveling all over Europe, exploring Denmark, and meeting people from all backgrounds, I have had endless opportunities to experience new things. To make the most of my last month, I decided to reflect on what I have done that has added to my experience so far and what I want to do with the short amount of time I have left. Here are some things that I will always think about fondly when I reflect on my time abroad:
- Meeting the Danes
Some of my best nights abroad have been when I meet and hangout with Danish people. I have found that the Danes are the friendliest people in Europe I have encountered so far. I always have the best conversations with them and found that they are just as eager to hear about my life and culture as I am to hear about theirs. I have gone to get drinks with Copenhagen Business School students, hangout with my friends’ Danish roommates, or even just had small talk with people I meet in a café. These encounters have been one of my favorite parts of abroad so far.
- Walking, Biking, Metroing
As an active person, I have found joy every single day in my daily commutes. Whether I am walking three miles around the city, metroing to school, or borrowing my friends’ bike to the grocery store, when I look back on my time in Copenhagen, I am going to remember all the time I spent by myself commuting to different places all around the city. I have some of the best memories with my air pods in, listening to my favorite music, walking around and soaking in my surroundings. I never realized how much of life I miss out on my being in a car, staring at a cement road. There’s so much to see in Europe, and most of my favorite sights have been seen during my casual walks to do errands or get to a class. I am also going to miss the company of being with so many different types of people on the metro. In a non-creepy way, I have loved people watching in the metro stations and observing what everyone’s wearing, doing, saying, ect. It makes me feel less alone when I look around and see people of all different races, ages, identifications doing the same thing I am doing; just getting to wherever they need to go. I am going to miss that feeling of community; it’s something I miss out on back home in my car by myself.
- Meeting up with friends
A highlight of abroad is visiting my college or high school friends in whatever European city they’re studying in, but I also have the greatest time showing my friends around Copenhagen when they visit me. I have noticed that my eagerness and enthusiasm for my city is uncontrollable when giving my friends a tour of my favorite places. Copenhagen has been a place that I am so proud to introduce people too. My high school friend stayed with me this past weekend and watching her compare Copenhagen to London (where she’s studying) made me see Copenhagen in a different light. I have found I am always learning more about Denmark the more I learn about other European countries. I may be biased, but I still think that Copenhagen is the greatest city in Europe (and I have been to a lot of cities!).
These are just three of the many things that have made my time abroad so special. With these still in mind, I also want to introduce new experiences to my last month so I can leave with no regrets or missed opportunities. Here are some things I hope to check off within the next couple weeks:
- Put my phone down
I feel like I have done a pretty good job of being off my phone and in the present moment during my time abroad. However, I sometimes find myself being anxious that I am not capturing enough of these moments for me to reflect on later in life. I am in a constant battle of wanting to live in the moment but also document the moment for the future. I hope that I learn towards living in the present moment during these next couple weeks. Deleting Instagram for days at a time is one thing I will continue to do to be more present.
- Make the most of my remaining trips
This weekend I am traveling to Dublin and the week after I will be in Paris for thanksgiving. After these two excursions, I have one more weekend in Copenhagen and then I am gone! My goal for these trips is to really absorb the culture I am currently experiencing. I hope to really be where my feet are and not think about my life in Copenhagen or any worries I have back home. These are two cities I have always wanted to visit, so I aim to channel all my energy into getting the most out of the moment at hand in these places.
- Explore outside of Copenhagen
As much as I adore the city, one of my favorite days abroad was when I rented a car and traveled along the coast to Mons Klint. During that excursion, I saw so much of southern Denmark and it inspired me to get out of Copenhagen and see other parts of the country. With one weekend left, my goal is to rent a car or take a train to another costal neighborhood in Denmark so I can leave my time abroad confident that I made the most of living in this amazing country.
Abroad Squad 