It’s seven weeks before I take off to Copenhagen and I’ve never been more excited or nervous in my life. I know logically that it will all be fine, that I’ll adjust and learn new things, and eventually I should have the time of my life. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m pretty terrified of the first few weeks.
There’s a lot to think about before I leave and it’s a struggle to try preparing for every difference I can anticipate ahead of time. And yet at the same time, I know I cannot possibly foresee all, or really even many, of the obstacles I will face. But that’s half the fun, isn’t it? I can’t wait to experience everything for the first time, to see everything for the first time and be overwhelmed with that sense of entering a new place. I’ve never been to Europe before and I can hardly believe I get to spend four months of my life not only visiting, but living in a beautiful Scandinavian country. Denmark has always been the place I most wanted to travel to for a myriad of reasons, one being the architecture. I’m downright giddy at just the thought of setting eyes on the unique buildings of Denmark that I’ve seen in pictures, so different from those of the U.S. Everyone I’ve spoken to about the upcoming opportunity, guidance counselors, advisors, and members of the International Programs Office, has said that the first part of studying abroad is “euphoria”, then followed by culture shock. Hearing this definitely makes me nervous for the obstacles I know I will inevitably face but I also can’t wait to experience the euphoria at first. It’s been so long since everything around me has felt so entirely new and unfamiliar. I can’t wait to be mesmerized by it.
But, of course, I believe spending some time thinking about how I will face the problems I can foresee now will hopefully make the transition a little easier. First, there’s a nine-hour time difference between Copenhagen and my family and friends. I know that will be really hard for me, trying to work around their schedules and mine along with being nine hours ahead. But I also know that the best thing for me will be to get as involved as I can with this new life so that I won’t feel the homesickness as often. As of right now, that’s easy to say, but I wonder how easy I’ll find it when the time comes. And then there are my classes and new people and new places. New streets and transportation. New living situation. I’m pretty nervous about the different currency system too. It will definitely be an adjustment paying so many kroner for so many small things (since 1 krone is about $0.15). If that’s even the grammatically correct way to talk about kroner. Which brings me to the foreign language obstacle. As someone who has studied French and Spanish my whole life, it has certainly been interesting to look up Danish phrases. There is definitely a ginormous shift between speaking romance languages and speaking Germanic languages. But I view this as just another way to get out of my comfort zone and start getting ready for this amazing opportunity.
As for classes, I am nervous about focusing on academics while so many other things are taking place simultaneously but I could not be more excited about my courses. For one, I’m taking Kierkegaard’s Authorship. I have always wanted to learn about Kierkegaard and I can’t believe I get to do it in the place where he was born. I’ve also always been interested in mythology but I’ve mostly only studied Greek and Roman so the chance to take the Nordic Mythology class is something I could not pass up. I really am both thrilled and terrified about this upcoming trip. Really, I think the most terrifying part for me is starting over again. Every freshman is nervous when they move away from home to start at a brand new school. And while I have already had a great experience settling into college and I know it worked out really well, I remember how nerve-wracking it was too, as lame as that may be. So the prospect of entering such a new atmosphere without anyone I feel close to is really the scariest part for me. Who will I turn to if I freak out in the first few days? Despite all of these fears, I know this will be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. At least, I’m pushing myself out of my comfort zone. And despite all of my attempts to get as ready as I can be, I know that I cannot possibly know what study abroad has in store for me and I just have to be open to these new experiences. I have to take every new encounter one by one. And I can’t wait to see what Copenhagen holds…
thecopenhagenexperience 