The time has finally come! I have been eager and anxious to start my experience in Copenhagen since about four days in to winter break and Saturday's flight is no longer a distant mark on my calendar. Now that my upcoming semester is becoming to set in as a reality, as opposed to simply the reason my inbox is always full and my to-do list seems to have no end, I have really started to think about all of the things I am going to get the opportunity to do and how best to utilize them.
To tell you a little about myself, I'm a junior management major from Arlington, Va., where I grew up with my parents and three siblings. On campus, I play club soccer, volunteer for Head Start, and am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. While I came to Bucknell not really knowing anybody, I have had the best time thus far in college that I could ever imagine and will miss it a lot this spring. However, I am pretty confident that the world outside of Lewisburg may have a lot to offer.
Last summer I read about numerous abroad programs and finally found DIS Denmark. This program met my criteria of speaking English, ending in time to intern this summer, offering an amazing and interesting list of courses, and is a program run independently of Bucknell, forcing me to once again to leave my comfort zone and meet new people. The more I have read and heard about DIS and Copenhagen, the happier I am about my decision. Hopefully my entries will make us all decide I made a good choice!
I am going into this experience with a very open mind, and while I am up for anything that comes my way, there are a few things I really want to get out of this. As I mentioned earlier, I want to meet new people, both American and Danish. Since I know very few people in the program and don't desire to live the semester in solitude, I'm pretty sure I can handle this one.
I also want to find a good balance between living in and learning Copenhagen, and traveling to see other parts of Europe. The list of places I would love to see in Europe is endless so I am hoping to pick a few really desirable ones and spend the rest of my time feeling as though I really live in Copenhagen. I want to leave in May having mastered the transportation system, learned my way around without a map, been mistaken for a local (with my blonde hair I'm already halfway there!) and located my favorite bars and clubs. I guess I should mention that I hope to have learned some important things in my classes too...
As for my fears, I don't have too many. I have always been pretty independent and while I am sure there will be some exceptions, I expect to be able to handle most all the situations I have control over. That, however, excludes the weather, which is undoubtedly my biggest fear. Coming from a person who had to force herself that Bucknell was the best school despite its northern geography and temperatures (relatively speaking), the cold weather of Denmark terrifies me.
Assuming I survive it, I'll be sure to keep you posted on how many jackets I wear each day while you play outside in shorts come April. The other thing I'm a bit reluctant for is the food. I'm not an extremely picky eater but I have a horrible aversion to condiments and apparently Denmark's specialties are open-faced sandwiches with a variety of sauces and such. Yeah, good luck, Kels.
Now that I have successfully procrastinated packing (which I am convinced may be the most difficult task this semester abroad will bring me!), it's time to wrap this up. I just want to say I am extremely grateful for having been given this opportunity to study abroad and to document my journey. Thanks especially to my family and friends and everybody else who will be following me along my way this spring - I'll do my best to make it worth while! Next stop ... Copenhagen!