Photo Diary: 4 Weeks in Copenhagen

Since I've seriously been slacking on the blogging game so far this semester (oops) I have a pretty big backlog of pictures from my first few weeks in Copenhagen. I want to remember all of the things I did during my first month here and share the memories with you - so with out further ado here is a big update of everything I've been up to so far this semester! Keep an eye out for weekly update posts coming soon I promise :)

August 23, 2017: Orientation and the Round Tower

Following academic orientation, a few of my classmates and I decided to pay the $2 fee and climb to the top of the Round Tower. This 17th-century tower is located just around the corner from DIS and it was built by Christian IV as an astronomical observatory. Instead of stairs it has one giant winding ramp all the way to the top!

August 25, 2017: Islands Brygge

One day when we didn't have class, a few of my friends and I decided to go to a diving area on the side of the harbor. Thankfully we made it there on one of the last nice days of the summer so it was the perfect weather for a swim (ok so the water was actually freezing but according to the Danes this was perfect swimming weather). There were three levels to dive off of: 1 meter, 3 meters, and 5 meters. It was crazy to see the fearless Danish children jumping off the high dive like it was nothing! I started out with the 3 meter dive - which was was already pretty scary - before climbing all the way up to the high dive. It was seriously terrifying but I'm so glad I literally took the leap and tried it - it was so fun!

August 29, 2017: Exploring & Paper Island

The weather during my first week in Copenhagen was literally so beautiful that I started to doubt what everyone had said about it raining all the time (which was later proven wrong because it now rains pretty much everyday). This day my friend Carly and I biked all the way over to this cute brunch restaurant on the water only to find out that it was rented out for a corporate event. So we biked over to Paper Island and I got to try the pulled pork everyone had been recommending (definitely worth the hype) and sat in the sunshine along the harbor. It was actually so sunny that I ended up getting pretty sunburnt! But it was a perfect way to spend the last summer day in the city.

September 1, 2017: Botanical Gardens and Go Boating

After Maddie got out of class I met her at Rosenborg Palace, a renaissance castle that was originally built as a country summerhouse in 1606 for Christian IV. We walked around the palace grounds and then went over to the University of Copenhagen's Botanical Gardens and Conservatory. The Gardens reminded me a lot of Longwood Gardens! At the conservatory you could climb a spiral staircase up to the very top and get a great view of all of the gardens. Afterwards we got ice cream and then headed home. That night I met up with some friends to go Go Boating! Go Boats are solar powered boats with tables in the middle that you can rent to ride around in the harbor. You can bring your own snacks and drinks (read: cheese and wine) and they only go about 2mph so they're pretty easy to drive. We went right as the sun was setting so it was a beautiful ride!

September 2, 2017: Louisiana Museum of Art 

This was one of my top Copenhagen bucket list items! It's a modern art museum about an hour outside of the city that's known for its interactive art pieces. Most famous is probably the Kusama Installation, a mirrored room full of changing multi-colored lights. They had a special performance art exhibit going on as well which was interesting to say the least. The museum is right on the water so you can actually see Sweden from the museum grounds!

September 3, 2017: Getting a bike!

After a week-long saga of attempting and failing to rent a bike for the semester, I was finally successful! I'm now the proud owner of a spiffy used bike which makes me feel like a true Dane. Like I said before, they bike everywhere here, no matter the distance or the current weather situation. I'm definitely still working on motivating myself to bike in the rain :) but it's seriously the best to not have to rely 100% on the buses anymore. I don't have any pictures of me riding my bike (safety first!!) but here's one of my new ride.

September 6, 2017: First Field Study!

DIS structures our program so that we don't have any classes on Wednesdays! This day is reserved for field studies for our elective courses. On this particular Wednesday I went to TwentyThree, an advertising software startup here in Copenhagen. They showed us around their very modern office and gave a presentation on the company and how we'll be using their platform. My Digital Media in Marketing class is working with the agency this semester to make promotional videos for the American Pie Company, the second destination of our field study. I spotted this pie shop while we were walking around during our first few days in the city and knew I needed to try it! Luckily for me we got to try all of their sweet pies on this day :) I'm definitely going back to try their savory pies too (if you know me you know my love of chicken pot pie). The shop was started by an American living in Copenhagen who missed having the pies she grew up with at home. Our mission for the semester is to promote pumpkin pies to the Danes, who aren't familiar with the traditional Thanksgiving concept.

September 9, 2017: Ice Bar!

One of my flatmates' friends was visiting Copenhagen and happened to be staying at the hostel here that has an ice bar! I've always wanted to try an ice bar so when she invited me to come with her I couldn't pass it up. The bar is 19 degrees Fahrenheit and and you're only allowed to stay in for 45 minutes. Everything, from the bar to the shot glasses, is made of ice! You get a giant parka when you go in but I was still freezing by the time we left. Another bucket list item accomplished!

September 10, 2017: FC Copenhagen Soccer Game

DIS got us free tickets to a FC Copenhagen vs FC Midtjylland match last Sunday. I'm not the biggest soccer fan, but I am a fan of free activities :) Soccer is such a big part of the European culture and I think half the fun is seeing all of the die-hard fans cheering on their team. After raining the entire week, we got a beautiful day of sunshine and the game was the perfect way to enjoy it. And Copenhagen won!

September 11-15, 2017: Core Course Week

My Core Course went on a trip to Western Denmark! You can read my post about it here.

September 16, 2017: Church of Our Saviour

This weekend Carly and I ventured over to the spiral tower at the Church of Our Saviour. This tower was opened in 1752 and for $5 you can climb the 400 steps to the top. The first part of the climb is inside the bell tower and the last 150 steps are on the narrow spiral staircase on the outside of the spire. The view at the top is insane - nothing beats seeing Copenhagen from almost 300 feet in the sky! I didn't think I was that scared at the top but once we got back down to the ground my legs were shaking for a good 30 minutes.

September 17, 2017: Go Boats (again!)

We were blessed with beautiful weather again this Sunday so my flatmates and I rented Go Boats again! This time we docked at Paper Island and got food to bring on board. I don't think Copenhagen by boat at sunset will ever get old!

I hope everyone has a great week! More adventures to come, so stay tuned :)

Adventures in Western Denmark

This past week I embarked on my first trip out of Copenhagen! My program includes something called 'Core Course Week' where we get to travel to somewhere in Western Denmark or Germany to visit companies and places that are significant to our Core Course. My course, European Business Strategy, traveled to Ribe and Haderslev!

Bright and early on Monday morning we boarded a bus to Ribe (about 3.5 hours outside of Cope), where we had our first company visit to Blue Water Shipping. This is a family owned shipping, energy, and logistics company. There we had an information session, followed by lunch and a tour of their huge industrial complex. Highlights included seeing one of the worlds largest wind turbines!

Wind turbines being assembled, and the largest wind turbines in the distance on the left.

Afterwards we headed for a photo op at an art installation called 'Man Meets the Sea'. It's exactly what it sounds like - four giant statues of men looking out into the ocean - kind of odd. Then we took a short drive over to a local curling club for a lesson on how to play this traditional Danish sport! I had only ever seen curling on TV during the Olympics and it is definitely harder than it looks. But after a little bit of practice we actually weren't all that bad at it and it turned out to be pretty fun! I shockingly scored one of the two points for my team :) After finishing up our game, we headed to a cute 'resort' in town where we checked into tiny cottages for the night.

Probably one of the strangest things I've ever seen

Catch me at the Winter Olympics 2018!

After raining literally all day, we got to see a beautiful double rainbow over Ribe

The next morning we headed to what was possibly the most anticipated company visit of the week: Lego! Lego was started in Billund, Denmark and is still a family owned business headquartered there. And it is the location of the original LegoLand (which we unfortunately did not visit). We had an information session, lunch, and then got a tour of the Lego factory! We weren't allowed to take photos in the factory but it was SO cool to see how all the different kinds of bricks are made. Some fun facts from the visit:

• The name Lego comes from the Danish phrase "Leg got" which means "playing well" but it also happens to mean "I put together" in Latin
• Lego mini figures make up the largest 'population' in the world
• Legos haven't been changed much since they were first created and they are made with such precision that bricks from 50 years ago can be clicked into bricks made today
• Six 2x4 bricks can build over 9 million different configurations
• Lego Ninjago wasn't supposed to be as successful as it is now - Lego only anticipated it to last for a season or two but now it's on track to be a part of their 'evergreen' collection (the Lego sets that are likely to be produced forever)
• The company makes 1/2 of its total yearly sales in the 9 weeks leading up to Christmas

Outside the Lego HQ

There were four huge buckets of Legos in the lobby right when you walked in!

The sign is made of over 1,500 Lego mini figures

After we each picked a free Lego set to take home, we headed to a hostel in Haderslev for the night. The next morning we drove to the headquarters of the leather shoe and accessories company, Ecco. What makes this company unique is that they control each step of their supply chain - from 'hide to high street' as they put it. One interesting fact they told us is that they sell half of the leather they produce to other luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Burberry. We got to see prototype shoes and do a little (window) shopping at their onsite store. After that, we drove to Danfoss, an engineering and technology company. They started out making refrigerator parts and thermostats, but now make thousands of different 'behind the scenes' parts that improve efficiency and energy use. Their building was probably one of the coolest we saw - there was a spiral staircase that went up all 10 stories and each level was a different color of the rainbow so when you looked up from the bottom you saw the full rainbow effect. After a jam packed day, we found out that the ferry we were supposed to take back into the city was cancelled due to hurricane warnings, so we started the 4 hour drive back to Copenhagen.


On Thursday morning we had a recap session in the classroom before heading to Maersk, another shipping and logistics company. They told us about their newest venture of investing in unique and 'disruptive' start ups in the shipping sector. On Friday we headed to Carlsberg for a behind the scenes tour of the old brew house guided by my professor - who happens to be the head of the Danish Brewers Association (no biggie). We saw the largest collection of unopened beer bottles in the world and learned about the history of the brewery. Fun fact: the name Carlsberg comes from Carl, the son of the founder, and 'berg' which means on the hill, because the original brewery is on a hill. After the tour, we had lunch followed by the presentation of the case study we'll be working in this semester! Our task is to educate consumers about specialty beers through digital marketing campaigns. I think we'll have to start with a little field research first ;)

Over 22,000 beer bottles!

I got to pet one of the Carlsberg horses! According to our tour guide they occasionally get to drink some beer ;)

Inside the original brew house

I think the most surprising part of the week was how many large companies are a) family owned and b) started and still based in Denmark! It's a little crazy to think about how this little country is home to such well known global brands. I really am learning something new every day!

A Very Danish Birthday Weekend

Hello everyone - long time no blog! I've been busy exploring the city, starting my classes, and learning how to keep up with the locals on my new bike (more on that later). But even more exciting, I got to celebrate my 20th birthday last weekend in true Danish fashion.

On the morning of Saturday, the 26th, I applied for my Danish Residence Permit. It was a surprisingly fast process and I will soon receive my CPR number (kind of like a Social Security Number) that will allow me to access free healthcare and other fun welfare state perks :) Later that afternoon I met up with Maddie, one of my high school besties, who I coincidentally share a birthday with. We headed to Frederiksberg Palace for a picnic with my flatmates and enjoyed some bread, cheese, and wine in the beautiful palace grounds. That night we met up with a bunch of friends at one of the main squares near DIS and celebrated the clock striking midnight as it became the 27th. Then I took the train back with Maddie to spend the night at her homestay.

The picnic spread

The birthday girls!

6 of the 8 of my flatmates

Maddie's sweet homestay family (Peter, Heidi, and their 3 daughters), gave us the best birthday morning, starting at around 8:30 when they all came into our room singing happy birthday and giving us presents. I was completely surprised and so touched when Heidi gave me a beautiful pair of earrings that matched the pair that Maddie got! We then had some time to get ready before joining the family, as well as two other families from their neighborhood, for a brunch feast. They really pulled out all the stops, cooking up eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade bread, crepes, fruit, cheese, and more. I literally thought I was going to explode from all the food and then they brought us out a birthday cake!! What happened next is kind of hard to describe but all of the families (16 people in total) sang us the Danish version of happy birthday. Before they began, they asked Maddie and I to each pick an instrument - she said trumpet and I said guitar. They all broke into the most energetic and lively song with sound effects of the instruments we had picked. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced and definitely much cooler than the American version ;)

Opening birthday presents with Maddie's cute host sisters

The table for our birthday feast - featuring the Danish flag (a classic birthday decoration here)

Making a wish!

After brunch I headed back to my apartment for a quick nap before joining my flatmates and SRA for a birthday pizza dinner! They sang happy birthday and got me delicious macarons and little cakes from a famous bakery here in Copenhagen called La Glace. I ended the night with a family FaceTime sesh and responded to all the lovely birthday messages from my friends and family back home.

A sweet ending to the night

10/10 would recommend

More birthday wishes!

I have to admit that I had pretty mixed emotions about spending my birthday so far away from home this year. But thanks to Maddie's host family and all of my friends, celebrating in Denmark ended up being an amazing way to kick off my twenties. I can't wait to see what adventures this year has in store.

Best belated birthday gift from the best family ever!

Greetings from Copenhagen!

I have officially arrived in Copenhagen to begin my fall semester with DIS! These past few days have been a whirlwind of travel, unpacking, orientations, meeting up with friends new and old, and lots and lots of walking. As the sun sets on my fourth day in Denmark I thought I would share some photos of my new home for the next four months and what I've learned so far!

On my first day here, I arrived to my flat in Frederiksberg, which I share with eight other DIS students (5 girls and 2 boys). I got unpacked and my SRA (kind of like an RA) took everyone to the grocery store down the street to pick up some essentials. Afterwards, we ordered pizza, hung out in our living room, and got to know each other a little bit. Later that evening I met up with some friends from Villanova and we explored the downtown area where we will be taking classes. 

On Sunday, a few of my flatmates and I walked around our neighborhood and went to the local pharmacy to pick up some more items for our apartment. Then, we completed a scavenger hunt that led us around the city completing tasks like riding the bus and learning some basic Danish words and phrases. That evening, our SRA took us out to dinner with the other students he is in charge of for the semester (our 'sister' apartment). He brought us to a place called Absalon, which is an old church that has been converted into a community center. It has a very unique set up - there's no menu, everything is cooked from scratch and served family style, and everyone is seated at long tables with other random people. That night they were serving homemade bread, roast chicken, a tomato salad, and potatoes. It was so good. After dinner there is always some sort of activity (yoga, bingo, live music, etc.) and on Sunday it was a jazz band. I thought this was such a cool concept and I'm definitely going to bring my friends back there during the semester. The best part? Dinner is only 50 dkk per person (about $8) which is very affordable and rare for Copenhagen. 

On Monday morning, we had the DIS Opening Ceremony at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. There were performances from Danish opera singers and the program director spoke about what to expect during our time in Copenhagen. That afternoon I picked up my textbooks and headed back to my flat for lunch. A few of my flatmates and I took a walk to a park in our neighborhood. It is apparently one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the city and it did not disappoint! There were lots of trails, a fountain, a palace, and a zoo! We barely got to explore the whole thing so we are planning to go back again soon. 

The park reminded me a little bit of Longwood Gardens

The park entrance - the buildings in our neighborhood are so beautiful!

Later that afternoon, our SRA took us on a walking tour of the city center, where he showed us the best shopping, bakeries, restaurants, and study spots near the DIS campus buildings. It was a great way to learn more about the area and help us get our bearings. European baked goods are my weakness so I made note of a few places I need to visit soon. All of the streets and storefronts here are so quintessentially European and some are very reminiscent of Paris - I love it!

My ideal front door

Cobblestone and colorful houses are found on every little side street

One of the main shopping squares in the city center

After our tour we got sandwiches and had a housing meeting with our sister apartment. That night, I met up with some friends at Paper Island, a food market alongside the harbor. The market is made up of lots of different food stalls and there were so many delicious options! There is currently an art installation by Yoko Ono called the Wish Tree Garden on display outside the market. According to its website,

"On a slip of paper, a so-called ‘wish tag’, anyone can write a wish which is afterwards hung from the branches of the trees. All the wishes are regularly collected and sent to Ono’s Imagine Peace Tower on the island of Viðey in Kollafjörður Bay, Iceland...The wishes are buried around the Peace Tower along with the millions of other wishes that have been collected since 1996 from other places in the world."

Yoko Ono's display at Paper Island

This morning, our flat had a DIScover Copenhagen Tour, where we went around to different spots in the city where DIS representatives gave us history about important locations and attractions. Each walking tour leaves me feeling like I am slowly but surely learning my way around this place. My favorite place was the Black Diamond, a library on the waterfront. They have lots of great study and work spaces as well as rotating exhibitions on display. I'm sure I will be spending time there later on in the semester. Afterwards, I met up with my friend Maddie and we went to Nyhavn, the place most people probably think of when they think of Copenhagen. It's a picturesque stretch of harbor lined with colorful row houses and beautiful sailboats. We of course had to snap some photos and try out the trampolines built into the sidewalk nearby!

I was so happy to finally find these trampolines after hunting for them all week!

A classic Cope photo ft. BSHS alums :)

Tomorrow I have academic orientation and classes start on Thursday! I'm super excited for all of my classes this semester and I can't wait to explore the city even more in the coming months. In closing, here are the top 5 things I've learned about Copenhagen so far:

1. They have peanut butter here! It's not Jif, but its actually not too bad. 
2. Pretty much all Danes use bikes as their main mode of transportation, bikers even get the right of way over pedestrians.
3. You can never know what to expect with the weather here - once second its pouring rain and the next second its sunny blue skies. 
4. There were several fires in the city in the 17th and 18th century so most buildings in Copenhagen aren't actually that old!
5. Danes love to badmouth the Swedish - I'm not quite sure why yet so updates to come on this. 

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Study Abroad Survival Guide: Packing

Hello everyone! As the countdown for my departure to Copenhagen comes to a close (3 more days!!) the process of packing my life into suitcases has officially begun. I will admit to being both a procrastinator and an over packer - pretty much a deadly duo when it comes to travel preparation - but I'm going to try my best to prove myself wrong this time around and actually get all my packing done more than 3 hours before I board the plane. Having gone through this experience once before, I now know what I really need to bring with me and what can be left at home. I hope you find this packing list useful in your abroad preparation, and may the baggage weight requirement be ever in your favor ;) 

• 1 Large Checked Bag
• 1 Carry-on 
• 1 Personal Item - Backpack

I’ll also be packing a large Longchamp tote and a cross-body purse. Bags with zippers are best to avoid pickpocketing.

Tops

• 3-4 long sleeve t-shirts
• 3-4 short sleeve t-shirts
• 2 tank tops 
• 5-7 sweaters (turtlenecks, crewnecks, cardigans)
• 2 flannels
• 1 button down 

Bottoms 

• Jeans (1 blue, 3 black)
• Denim skirt
• Corduroy skirt
• Leggings (2 pairs)
• Sweatpants

Dresses

• Denim overall dress
• Long-sleeve casual dress
• Short-sleeve casual dress
• Business casual or other formal dress for special occasions

Outerwear

• Denim or leather jacket 
• Parka or other heavy winter coat
• Raincoat 
• Blazer
• Sweatshirt

Shoes 

• Athletic Sneakers/Tennis Shoes
• Adidas sneakers 
• Chelsea boots
• Bean boots
• Ballet Flats

Accessories

• 2-3 Scarves 
• Winter hat
• Tech gloves 
• Belt

Sleep & Undergarments

• Underwear (at least 10 pairs)
• Athletic socks (at least 10 pairs) 
• Wool socks (3 pairs)
• Black tights (4 pairs)
• Pajamas (at least 2 pairs)

I find it helpful to keep a specific color scheme in mind when I'm packing for an extended period of time. This makes it easier to create outfits, as everything tends to go together already. Luckily for me, my existing Fall/Winter wardrobe will fit in nicely with the Danes' affinity for black, grey, and other muted colors. This is what my study abroad wardrobe will look like (give or take a few items): 

Pack travel size versions of everything you need (shampoo, face wash, contact lens solution, etc.) in your carry on. You’ll be able to shower as soon as you get there and figure out where to buy full size bottles later on. Keep the travel size items for weekend trips.    

Must Have

• Canvas tote bags - Grocery stores abroad will charge you for plastic bags so I would recommend bringing a few of these if you want to avoid the fee. 
• Outlet converters - A must have for charging your American electronics. I would recommend bringing two or three. 
• Cold Medicine - Pharmacies abroad won’t have the exact same medicines you use at home. It’s a good idea to toss a box of Dayquil/NyQuil/Tylenol in your suitcase. 
• Prescription Medication - Have your doctor prescribe enough medication for the time you are abroad.
• 'Travel Folder' - Bring a double pocket folder with copies of your passport, insurance card, ID, proof of university acceptance etc. every time you travel.
• Hand Sanitizer and Disinfectant Wipes - Good to have in your purse/carry-on. 
• Reusable water bottle
• Portable phone charger
• Travel-size Umbrella 
• School ID

Optional 

• Small Padlock - Lock the zippers on your backpack or other bags for additional security when staying in hostels or AirBnbs.
• Pillow case - A small and easily packed reminder of home. 
• Hair turban towel
• Bathing Suit
• Mesh laundry bag
• Travel luggage scale
• Journal
• Photos from home/Small room decor
• Flip flops

• US straightener or curling iron - They don’t work - not even with converters! Plan to buy any hair tools upon arrival.
• Rain Boots - In my opinion, these take up too much space and aren't worth bringing for the amount of use they may or may not get. 
• Hangers - Your apartment/housing might provide these! If not, save space and buy some when you arrive.

If you have any suggestions for things I missed be sure to let me know in the comments below! If you want to read the first installment in my Study Abroad Survival Guide, click here. Happy packing!