Submitted by Kristen Pruett on the 2018 spring semester DIS (Denmark’s International Study Program) program in Copenhagen, Denmark…
My birthday recently passed and I was fortunate enough to spend it in the traditional Danish fashion! My host family had a party for me with some of their family and my new friends from school! We started by eating homemade buns fresh out of the oven that my host dad made, accompanied by hot chocolate topped with whipped cream. Then, we had cake! They said that they always have dessert first for birthdays! I think I might adopt that custom! We spent the next couple hours just talking and enjoying everyone’s company. Then, we got ready for dinner. They cooked a feast with as much food as you might see at an American Thanksgiving! We had salmon, stuffed pork, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, salads and homemade focaccia. Our stomachs were full to the brim! It was so fun that I could celebrate my birthday with my new family here in Denmark and see how they throw a party!
On a free day, my friends and I decided to take the opportunity to do some exploring around Copenhagen! We started at the University of Copenhagen Botanical Garden. They have a beautiful indoor section with such an amazing variety of plants, trees, flowers and more. Next, we made our way to Statens Museum for Kunst, or the National Gallery of Denmark. We must’ve spent hours there. It’s a huge museum with Danish and Nordic art from as early as 1750, to French art from the 1900’s, all the way to modern art from only a year ago. This museum really took us through the different time periods and styles of art all over the world. Our last stop for the day was at the Christiansborg Palace for a tour of the royal reception room. We got to see about a dozen rooms elegantly and elaborately decorated that the queen sometimes still uses today!
Later in the week, I left for my core course week! DIS students pick one course that is the main focus for the semester. With my Cultural Diversity and Integration course, we had a short study tour in Sweden for three days! During our days in Malmo and Gothenburg, we visited a variety of organizations that ranged from educational programs for minority youths, to meeting politicians who spoke about their party’s views on immigration. It was a very informational, but also very fun program, with time to bond with my classmates who I will spend the rest of the semester with. We had gourmet meals at upscale restaurants and even saw an acrobat show at a quaint theater. We also stopped at the Louisiana Museum on our way home which I had heard great things about so I was excited to see it for myself!
