Helpful Danish Information!

One of my friends from American recently sent me a Facebook message asking me about DIS, knowing I would tell her more than she needed to know! She's currently studying abroad in the Caribbean. Here's her questions and my very long reply! Feel free to ask me anything, but remember I'm only one out of 900 DIS students! We all have unique experiences and different views on things. These are just mine.

"hello lady!! i hope you are having an absolutely fabulous time abroad! i am actually messaging you to ask you about your experience in copenhagen and in denmark in general-i know you're studying something very different from me, but i'm looking into study abroad programs for next fall in europe and seeing which one most strikes my fancy...i'm getting a very unique, particular experience here, and i hope to get something on the other end of the spectrum next year if all works out...how do you feel about the city in general? the culture? the music scene? the food? do you feel that people are in general socially, politically, and environmentally aware? is it easy to meet and befriend locals? are people friendly? is it an artsy place? how are the volunteer opportunities? really whatever information you can give!"

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DIS AND DENMARK!

Copenhagen

• Quiet compared to other cities people are studying in (Prague, Madrid, Rome)
• Very quintessentially Danish, tons of bikes, very few cars and everyone follows traffic rules
• Public transportation is so great, everything runs on time (also very Danish)
• Good amount of tourist activity, not overwhelming, they are mostly from Asia and Italy
• EXPENSIVE. Like as in more expensive than London.  The conversion rate is about 5 kroner to 1 dollar, but that makes things like coffee $6 and a sandwich $12.

Culture

• Oh Denmark. These people are so nice; I may get my feelings hurt when I go back to DC. A stranger won’t come up to you and help you if you’re lost, but the minute you ask for directions they will walk you to your final destination. No joke.
• Very young population in Copenhagen, tons of babies. University of Copenhagen is the best university in the country, so a ton of college students are here. And there are lots of things to do and trendy neighborhoods because of this.
• Denmark is cozy. This sounds strange, but it is. Everyone is warm and helpful, things are never stressful (they are so prompt that you can never worry about being late, you always have to plan ahead) and I find I am much more organized and active here.
• There are great traditions and I like that it’s not a popular country because you get a unique experience and really learn about new things.
• You can go out every single night if you want, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. There are plenty of other ways to get involved and meet people. One of the girls on my hall here does swing dancing! And there are good bars too if you don’t feel like dancing and just want a low key night with your friends.

Food

• So basically kebab stands are king. Well, that’s not true, hot dog stands are truly king. The Danes love a good hot dog. But the Turkish immigrants have brought kebab and schwarma to the country and everyone loves it.
• There are great vegetarian and vegan options in the city. My sister is a vegan and she hasn’t had much trouble finding things. I haven’t seen soymilk… that’s possibly only available at the nicer grocery stores I can’t afford.
• Dining out is expensive. Really expensive. But fresh produce is everywhere and a sit-down dinner is really important to Danes, so they always have good options at the grocery store and nice kitchens to cook in.
• DIS has a discount program with a lot of the places around the classrooms, so you can easily grab something for cheap! Sandwich Pidgin and Chilli Milli top my list!
• 7/11 is the best place on earth: cheap croissants, cheap coffee, cheap candy, and cheap drinks. Hands down my best friend here.

People being aware:

• People speak their minds. When a chain store opens on a street full of independent shops and markets, there will be opposition guaranteed. 
• Denmark is a social democracy, so everyone follows the government closely. They are all affected by the changes much more than we are in the US and feel like they have every right to get mad when something happens that they don’t like.
• Denmark recycles, but not like we do in the US. It’s really sad, they burn most of their garbage, even plastics! But they do recycle bottles (very well, with great deposit returns) and cardboard.
• The country is very green to begin with, and has a ton of wind turbines (even in the ocean) and solar panels (I saw a field of sheep with random solar panels in it). They also reduce home sizes and utilities to ensure energy preservation. They have hot water containers (I don’t really understand them) to cut down on water heater costs, and most homes only have one bathroom.
• Socially Danes can come across as rude, but it’s only because they are very reserved. Once you get to know them they are fabulous! Sure some of them are mean, but Americans can be too, right?
• I feel like Danes care a lot about things because they are a small country in Europe and don’t get their voices heard as much as some of their larger EU counterparts. They follow all EU news and updates, make sure they know what’s going on, and prepare themselves for what’s next. They also only do things because they’re in the EU. They have a few thousand troops in Iraq right now, and they are paying them more to be there because they really don’t want to go. Denmark doesn’t like war because they always lose.

Music

• Hmm well I’d say you’d like it. Kind of alternative, Danish bands are a little strange (a mix of insane heavy metal in Danglish - Danish mixed with English, what most young people speak with their friends) but good. I am seeing Foster the People in November, Maroon Five is coming in December, and a lot of other American bands have European tours that come here. There’s always a concert to go to.

Befriending Locals:

• Danes are very nice. I suggest living with a Danish roommate or host family if you really want to meet Danes. You can also meet them in kollegiums, but not as well. I don’t recommend Folkesjoles (or however you spell it – folk high school basically) because they are WAY out of the city and everyone I know that live there hate their commute, it’s like an hour and 15 minutes.
• DIS has great programs for getting involved – visiting family (you get a family you don’t live with, but visit as much as you want, they match you according to interests) and buddy network (a huge group of Americans and Danes, seriously it is so much fun) so you can always get involved!

Is it artsy?

• Yes and no, I was surprised by how trendy it is here. Danes have amazing fashion sense. Like amazing. Yes, there is that Scandinavian influence of fur and long blonde hair, but there are also very trendy people. And all men dress amazingly. But I guess there is a hipster-grunge-rolled out of bed look that’s pretty popular too. Lots of people like to shave half their head. I don’t get it.
• TONS of lounges, bars and hangouts that have live music and cheap drinks. You just have to connect with the right people – I know some if you end up coming

Volunteering

• This is actually very interesting, Danes don’t really understand volunteering like we do.
• Because of their government structure, they see a need being solved by a job. So if a charity needs more money, someone can be hired to fundraise. And if you do volunteer, they treat you more like a paid employee and aren’t exactly grateful for your service. It’s more like, why weren’t you on time today?
• If you have a specific interest in mind, go for it. Danes love volunteers because there aren’t any so if you want to you will definitely find opportunities, you may just have to bug them a little.

HOUSING

SO IMPORTANT, in my opinion.

• Residence Community: nicest housing (DIS decorates really well, most are like an Ikea catalogue), shortest commute to class, right in the city, basically like living in a dorm again, you may or may not have a roommate. Remember: boys are messy, people abroad like to drink a lot, some people don’t know how to cook and you will have a communal bathroom.
• Kollegium: kind of like a residence community, but you live with Danes, have a shared kitchen with small kitchenettes in your rooms, are a bit further out from the city but still close enough to go out a lot, may or may not have a roommate, rooms are usually pretty nice, sometimes they split up DIS people for better immersion.
• Danish Roommate: usually live in the city, pretty independent (just you and the roommate), close commute (same as kollegiums on average) and freedom for meals, going out, having personal space. But your roommate could be a lot older than you, not want to hang out with you (some do it for the money, it helps pay rent) or have very different interests, or could be fabulous and create an amazing friend group. Hard to say.
• Host family: people I’ve talked to with families that have kids love it. People I’ve talked to with families without kids don’t like it as much. There’s no family environment so it’s you and them and you’re not near your friends. Possible long commute (up to an hour or an hour and 15 minutes, usually 30-45 minutes though) but worth it in the words of my friends. Takes time to adjust, but if it clicks you will love it.
• The Green House: a residence community option focused on sustainability. So awesome. You have to apply, there are recycling teams, and you go on field trips learning about being green in Denmark. I’ve heard its fun but people are messy… depends on who’s there I guess! Sounds very cool.
• Folk High School (Folkeskojle or whatever): basically what the DIS website says, very long commute, I knew it wasn't right for me, but the people who sign up for it do it because it's exactly what they wanted. And I think they enjoy it!

DIS!

EXCELLENT PROGRAM.

• I love everyone that work there, they are fabulous and can help you with anything and everything. Absolutely great.
• You can find classes here you would never find anywhere else, especially in the US. Worth the time and money.
• Study tours are fabulous, and very well planned.
• The semester is planned really well, they give you breaks every few weeks, with a perfect amount of time to travel.

Last thing:

• Denmark is expensive - you must have a budget.
• It’s cold and dark here, love the country for what it is, the weather isn’t like Costa Rica, but it fits. Bring rain boots/umbrella/rain jacket
• People are very friendly
• It’s more expensive than you’d think to fly from Copenhagen, you can’t really take trains because Copenhagen is on an island with lots of ocean around it. Also Germany is in the way of everything. Just fly somewhere, and then take the train.
• Scandinavia is amazing, take advantage of how close you are to Norway and Sweden, they are fabulous!
• I love it here and think you would love it too!!!!