Denmark is completely different from Hawaii, the lifestyle, the clothing, the weather. There’s something so enriching about being in a place that is completely different from what I’m used to, and it’s exactly what I looked forward to when I applied for this study abroad.
Before embarking on my study abroad, I remember telling people about how excited I was to go to Copenhagen on a study abroad. They all looked at me in confusion wondering why on earth I would want to go on a study abroad in Northern Europe right smack in the middle of winter when I live on an island that’s known for its good weather year-round. I told them that I wanted something completely different from island life. As much as I adore living in Hawaii, it’s so easy to have what I like to call “island fever” because we are located so far from everywhere else in the world. Growing up attending an International school meant that after high school all my friends would be scattered around the world, and my family would stay in Malaysia. It’s hard not to feel homesick when you’re so far from the rest of the world. Being in Denmark has made it extremely easy to adjust, firstly because many of my friends from high school are European, and I’m quite used to their culture. Secondly, because I coincidentally have 3 friends from high school attending university at CBS as well. Everyone here is also friendly, welcoming, and speaks English, so it’s easy to get around.
The weather here is 100% different from being in Hawaii. It is not as humid and definitely not
as warm. It is essential to have a warm winter jacket that is waterproof with a hood because it does drizzle quite a bit and gets windy and cold. I would consider myself to be a very active person. Acclimatizing my body to the new weather and trying to motivate myself to go out for runs in temperatures that range from 7 degrees celsius to negative 1 degrees has not been an easy task. It takes quite a bit of time but what I’ve realized is that as long as you double up in your warmer workout gear, all that’s left is self-motivation to get out and get moving. I realized running in the cold and non-humid weather has helped me run longer distances, which is greater for exploring the setting and getting lost amongst the colorful buildings and hidden entrances to parks and running routes. On top of this, I’ve managed to find a group of people who play touch rugby (a sport that I grew up playing) every Sunday at a park called Faelledparken. My first time going out to play, everyone was friendly and welcoming, which was nice. I belonged to an immediate community just a week after arriving in Denmark, which I’m sure is not hard to find for anyone who enjoys sport or has a hobby they’d like to continue pursuing in Copenhagen.
Another thing that I adore about Denmark is how environmentally conscious everyone is. I heard from a friend that ¼ people bike in Denmark. I decided to rent a bike myself with a company called Swapfiets where the rental is only about $23 per month. It’s extremely convenient to get around, to get to school, go grocery shopping, or for any other activities, is definitely cheaper, and sometimes faster than taking the metro somewhere. On top of this Denmark really strongly practices recycling and tries to minimize waste, to create a more sustainable environment for everyone.
Overall Denmark really is completely different from Hawaii, but it’s not difficult to adjust to this new lifestyle. Although it is cold, and there are days that can be gloomy, you do get used to it and it’s not difficult to live an active lifestyle here when a lot of the time people spend their days biking to get around.