Submitted by Katie Maimon on the 2013 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…
It’s easy to forget the “study” aspect of “Study Abroad” at first while studying abroad, because you get caught up in living in a new county, adjusting to a new culture, getting to know fellow students and future friends, exploring the area during any and all free time, trying out local restaurants, contacting family, attempting to understand public transpot, trying to figure out how to live on your own in an unfamiliar setting, among many other obstacles. It finally has hit me that it is very important to me to make sure that I am on top of my studies while I am here because I am still going to school, and grades are still important to me. Striking that balance is an obstacle which, I have found, many students who study abroad must face. I have to admit that reading for my school abroad is not too, too challenging because the courses offered at my school are so fascinating, but having to balance my workload while trying to enjoy my new city has been an adjustment, to say the least. This week I have been planning various trips to different European countries. I have one booked to Prague and Berlin in the coming weeks. I am extremely excited to experience the different cultures and see what these beautiful, old cities have to offer. I feel very fortunate to be on this trip at this point, because the experience I am having will only come around once in a lifetime, and many people I know will never come close to experiencing what I will experience on this trip. I consider myself very lucky and look forward to my future experiences of traveling.
Some sort of cold, or virus is going around my school because everyone seemed to be sick this past week. I had a cold, but I did my best to stay out of the actual cold during these past few days (because Denmark is quite chilly right now, to say the least), and I think it was effective overall. This past weekend I went to Prague and I refused to be sick for it, so staying in when everyone was exploring and going out in Copenhagen was well worth it. Prague was one of the most beautiful cities I’ve seen so far, and I had the most fantastic and fun time with the 6 girls I went with from my housing. From free walking tours, to meeting fellow world travlers, to souvineer shops, to trying local food at dirt cheap prices, Prague was a trip to remember. It was the first trip that my friends and I planned on our own, and it was a giant success. We found and booked hostels on our own and planned our days on our own, based on what we wanted to do that day. It was the kind of experience that makes you feel like an adult, while still feeling youthful. I am starting to reflect on my experience, and it keeps setting in that I am actually here, and what exactly I am doing. I constantly remind myself that I am on a trip of a lifetime which will end eventually, and I must be appreciative. This next week I will be in Sweden studying cross-cultural communication, my core course, and I will be visiting news stations, victims of hate crimes within their local culture, practice local customs of Swedes which are unfamiliar to me, such as sitting down for coffee, sweets, and conversation- which is an activity which friends get together to do- and much more. I am ecstatic to be here and the feeling keeps growing. I get homesick from time to time , but I see past the homesickness and realize that before I know it I will be home and have study abroad sickness, missing my experience and wanting to come back.