Reflection

This is now my 6th week in the land called Denmark. I think it's time for a short reflection back on my time here.

I have to remind myself every day that I'm in a foreign place. I have a routine for the most part and with that sometimes I feel like I'm just a college student again, rather than a traveler. Some days it feels like I have on my blinders, causing me to only look down at the sidewalk so then I have to remind myself to look up and admire the European architecture and notice the sights around me. Whenever I look up at the beautiful clouds, hear Danish, smell pastries, and look at the modelsque Danes, I remember where I am. A couple times now, I'll wake up in the middle of the night because I don't remember where I am. It just takes a few seconds for me to remember why I'm not at my home but it's still a little frightening to have that split second thought of, "Ah, where am I?"

One thing I've struggled with recently is comparing my experience to others. This isn't a new struggle for me because I do it at Denison too but I find it more noticeable here because I hear and read about all the other things my friends are doing. I wonder, whether I'm studying abroad right? Am I traveling enough? Going out enough? Realistically,  I know that there is no right way to study abroad in Copenhagen and that I should not be comparing myself or my experience to others.  Everyone's experience is unique and that is sort of the point of study abroad.

Some days I'm really busy and it feels almost like I'm back On The Hill because I have a To Do List and am feeling overwhelmed. But other days, I can sleep in late and enjoy coming home around 3pm to spend the rest of the evening reading for the next day. Both feelings of being busy and lazy are concerning too me. When I'm busy, I think "If I wanted to be busy, I could've just stayed in Ohio to do that." and when I'm lazy I think, "Shouldn't I be at a museum or taking a tour of something?" I think like the last paragraph, this just reveals my insecurities about my time abroad. Totally normal.

To be more positive, I'm growing closer to my host family and am adjusting to Danish life. In fact, I'm already wondering how I will adjust to American life back in Ohio. I've gotten used to eating bread every morning, having a sit down family breakfast and dinner,  and eating these thin chocolate squares that are pictured here.  I think I'm going to miss all of them when I go home.

I've enjoyed being in a city for school because it's something I've never experienced on a daily basis. Until now, I only walked in a big city when I had to for some reason. Even then, I felt uncomfortable and scared in the city. Being in Copenhagen every day has given me confidence about knowing I can handle big cities. They aren't as scary as I thought. Yes they can be loud, crowded and smelly but they can also be exciting, fun and unique.

I've also grown more comfortable using public transportation. I know the basics of using the trains here in Copenhagen. I haven't mastered the buses yet, only because I rarely take them but I'm sure if I wanted to master them I could. Trains and buses are not has hard as I thought they would be.

I couldn't title this post Reflection without
making a reference to the Mulan song. 

So that is a short reflection of my time so far in Copenhagen. At times I've been insecure and sad but at other times I've been full of joy and confident. Ups and downs are just a part of life.

I hope you enjoyed all of the awesome pictures I found using Google Images. Except the one of the street in Copenhagen, I took that picture and I want credit for it.