Helloooo! So it's a Sunday night and I just returned from my first weekend trip to Stockholm, Sweden. I'm definitely happy that I went but being in another city also made me appreciate Copenhagen so much more. What I quickly realized about Stockholm in comparison to Copenhagen is that it's a much bigger city. We definitely walked a lot but also had to take the subway to get around. Overall there were a lot of cool things about Stockholm but here are some highlights of our trip...
Gamla Stan (Old Town) On Saturday we took a boat tour of the islands of Stockholm, which was really cool but a little chilly! After the boat tour we walked around "Gamla Stan" which is known as the "Old Town" of Stockholm. This area was so cute and looked like it was straight out of a movie. The cobblestone streets are only for walking and the buildings are so colorful. It was kind of like it's own small island in between the busy city part of Stockholm and the more suburban part. The streets were full of traditional Swedish restaurants, souvenir shops, cafes and more. We also stopped and had a late lunch which included traditional Swedish meatballs, which were the best meatballs I've ever had (sorry to be a foodie for a minute, but check out my abroad food Instagram for pictures of the meatballs @annieeatsabroad). Ice Bar-Stockholm We also took a trip to the Ice Bar in Stockholm. If you've never heard of an "Ice Bar" it's basically a bar made completely of ice (I know it sounds insane but yup, it's real)! The Ice Bar is kept at 19 degrees fahrenheit and they even serve drinks in glasses made of ice. They also give you a warm poncho sort of thing with gloves attached to stay warm inside the bar. If you go to Stockholm definitely take a trip to the Ice Bar, but don't expect to stay for long because you would freeze! VASA Museum Stockholm is home to the VASA Museum, which you've probably never heard of. Don't worry I had never heard of the VASA before I visited Stockholm either, but going to the museum was actually really cool! The VASA is a 17th century Swedish war ship that sank only 1,300 meters after it left. The ship is HUGE and in great condition. I was really shocked that they were able to recover the entire ship. I loved this museum for two reasons. First, it is very under the radar so it wasn't crowded and there weren't long lines. Secondly, there is so much history behind this ship, and as a bit of a history nerd I was really interested in learning all about the VASA. After my first trip I've become very excited to continue traveling throughout the semester. However, I'm also so happy to be back in Copenhagen! I'm beginning to learn why this is "the happiest place on earth."
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Hey there! So...I've officially been in Copenhagen for one full week as of today. Even though it's only been one week it feels like it's been forever! I've pretty much mastered public transportation and I've gotten to know a bunch of kids on my floor. Here are some updates on some of my favorite things from this past week...
Favorite Class: Holocaust & Genocide This past Thursday was my first day of school here in Copenhagen, yay! I had four classes starting at 8:30 in the morning and ending around 17:45 (5:45), I've started using a 24 hour clock because that's what they use in Denmark. I got to my first class, Modern European History, a little late because obviously I got lost. But it ended up being fine and I really enjoyed my first core class! Next I had a long break so I ventured over to a coffee near school shop called, "The Living Room" it was so cozy. After a little break I had my other 3 classes one of these being Holocaust and Genocide. I'm a little bit of a history nerd so when I saw this class I knew I needed to sign up. The first day reassured me that I made the right choice. My professor seems really cool and we take a trip to the Neungamme Concentration Camp in Hamburg, Germany. Taking this class is very important to me as a Jewish woman studying abroad in Europe (okay technically Scandinavia). I am extremely eager to see where this class takes me! Favorite Street: Strøget After my first day of classes on Thursday I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday to explore Copenhagen. Since I've only been here for a week you could say I'm still basically a tourist. Some of the places I've seen are, Nyhavn (area with really colorful buildings), Strøget (long shopping street), Torvehallerne (glass market) and more! So far Strøget is definitely my favorite street, it's so long and has all different kinds of shops and food, I tried a waffle on a stick, it was amazing. Favorite thing about going out: I'M LEGAL! On Saturday my floor had a party to get to know each other a little better. We played an interesting Danish drinking game that involved a soccer ball and laying on the floor, I honestly couldn't explain it. One of the biggest cultural differences I've noticed while in Copenhagen is the going out culture. Being from a Big 10 school I'm used to big parties like tailgates and the Little 500 but here drinking is much more relaxed (probably because the drinking age isn't 21). My RA's were telling us that a typical night Danes could start drinking around 9 or 10 and not get home until 5 or 6 in the morning?! To me this is crazy because at IU the bars close at 3 so staying out that late is unheard of! I also don't know if I'll be able to keep up with the Danes because I personally love to sleep. That's all for now, stay tuned for my next blog after my first weekend trip to Stockholm, Sweden! P.S. I started an abroad food instagram (annieeatsabroad) so feel free to follow me (I follow back and I'll throw you a like or two) Hey! I'm here, I've arrived in Copenhagen! Also whoa, I'm 4,079 miles away from home and it's all starting to become so real. After flying in from Rome I split up from Mom and Dad and was directed by DIS staff to wait for the bus to my new home, Tasingegade! After arriving I was greeted by one of my three SRA's (Social Residential Advisors) who gave me my room key and arrival folder, woo! I proceeded to unpack and get settled in my new room. Later that night I met the rest of the people on my floor at our first floor dinner, which made me really excited for the rest of the semester! My floor has about 50 people so it feels similar to my freshman year dorm, but it's better because everyone is coming from different schools and has a different story.
On Sunday we did an activity as a floor called the "get to know your neighborhood challenge." Personally I loved this because I know nothing about my neighborhood and I don't live directly in the city of Copenhagen. I live in a town called Østerbro which is about an hour long walk from the center of the city and a 30 minute train or bus commute, which is not bad at all! I've loved learning how to use the public transportation in Copenhagen because I've never actually lived in a city before! We were split into groups and given a list of tasks to do. My group discovered a bunch of great restaurants and coffee shops in our neighborhood and then learned how to take the train into the city from where we lived. It was a great way to learn about my new neighborhood! On Monday we started our orientation with DIS. We attended a great opening ceremony and heard a cool Danish band perform. Next we ventured over to the DIS class buildings to attend a transportation info session. This was amazing because I learned all about how to travel around Copenhagen using public transportation. A lot of danes bike around the city and I'm thinking about getting a bike, if you know me you know that I'm not the most coordinated person so wish me luck! Later I met up with my parents because it was their last day in Copenhagen. My Dad was dying to have Smørrebrød otherwise known as an "open-faced sandwich" which is a traditional Danish meal. My parents both loved there sandwiches, me...not so much. They did look beautifully put together though! I am someone who has wanted to study abroad for the longest time because it looks amazing and I've only heard great things about it. However, what most people don't tell you is that studying abroad is not at all easy. If it was easy than everyone would be doing it! Change is not always easy for me and studying abroad is a huge change. Adjusting to a new life in a new city that also speaks a different language is definitely challenging, and saying goodbye to my Mom and Dad was the most challenging thing I've had to do (yes, there were tears from all three of us). Thankfully I've had a lot of great friends to talk to about this adjustment because they have done it before, so I know that I'm not alone in this journey. The beginning of study abroad feels a lot like the beginning of freshman year, and although I didn't think this at the time going to IU is one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know that studying abroad will be an unreal experience, and I can't wait to DIScover new things (see what I did there)! My very first stop on my study abroad journey was Rome, Italy. Now I understand that this is confusing considering that Copenhagen is where I'm studying so you may be asking, what is Annie doing in Rome? Well I'm in Rome on a trip with my parents before I arrive in Copenhagen because they won't be able to visit me during my four months abroad! In the past 4 days we have covered so much of Rome and we've been eating amazing food too. Some highlights of our trip so far have been...
After doing a lot of research on what to pack for four months abroad I came up with ten essential things to pack...
Everyone has a different reason for studying abroad. Mine came from a trip I took in the summer of 2015 to multiple countries around the Baltic Sea. This trip visited cities including St. Petersburg, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden, Tallinn, Estonia, Copenhagen, Denmark and more! This trip was my first opportunity to experience traveling and I loved it. When we visited Copenhagen I was blown away. Not only was the city beautiful but Tivoli Gardens and Nyhavn were amazing, I knew that I wanted to go back. After this trip I realized that studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Why Copenhagen? I chose to study abroad in Copenhagen because I was in awe of the city after just one day! Some of the other reasons I decided to study in Copenhagen are...
One of my reasons for studying abroad in Copenhagen was the DIS program. After doing a lot of research on many different study abroad programs all over Europe I decided DIS had eveything I needed. Some of the reasons I chose DIS are...
Overall I am extremely excited to embark on my study abroad journey in Copenhagen, Denmark, otherwise known as the happiest city in the world! |
AuthorHi! My name is Annie and I am studying abroad for four months in Copenhagen, Denmark!
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