Where I'm going...and why

While the plane issue resolves itself (a.k.a. I browse through pages of possible flights and try to make a decision) I better fill you all in on the background that led up to this adventure. I never really dreamed of going abroad the way some children did...until my roommate innocently asked if I'd go with her to the Study Abroad fair. Of course I went (because I am an awesome roomie, right Emma? ;) and I was actually taken aback by how cool the programs looked, especially the ones where I wouldn't have to learn another language. I would absolutely love to be fluent in Spanish and go to Costa Rica, but honestly, certain neurons just haven't connected well enough for me to do that. Therefore, I pretty quickly narrowed it down to an Australia program and Danish Institute of Study Abroad (DIS) in Denmark. Unlike other programs, DIS is not a university and it is only for students studying abroad, so I will be studying with other Americans, not Danes. The professors are mostly Danish, although some are visiting from American universities. All the classes are taught in English, except for the Danish Language and Culture course which is highly recommended but not required. Students have the opportunity to go to nearby Danish universities for certain classes, but all of mine are located at DIS, which is in the heart of Copenhagen.

DIS offers multiple housing options and I have chosen to live with a host family. About 10 days before I leave I should get an email telling me the family I have been matched with and I think I will be free to contact them. I barely remember what all I listed as preferences when I was filling out the housing information but I know I said I would love to live with a family that has children. Honestly though, I will be happy no matter what type of family I get. I am just so thrilled that people are willing to open up their homes and share their culture. I will live with them the entire 4 months.

So I basically chose Denmark because it has DIS and DIS was everything I wanted in a study abroad program: awesome classes to choose from, built-in study tours and independent travel time, lots of social opportunities and chances to integrate in the culture and meet Danes. But the more research I have done, the happier I am that DIS is in Denmark. Denmark is a cozy little country, about 1/3 the size of Maine (which means it's also smaller than IOWA!) and it has a population of about 5.5 million. Copenhagen is the capital and is home to 1/5 of all the people living in Denmark. The currency is the kroner (or the DKK). Denmark has incredibly high taxes that pay for awesome benefits like free health care and free education, although perhaps I should wait until I need to make use of this free health care to see if it is all it's cracked up to be. Denmark is one of the happiest countries in the world, but I'll talk about that more when I discuss my classes, one of which is Psychology of Happiness. Denmark is a leader in sustainability and I am hoping to take part in the famous 'bicycle culture', where people ride bikes in rain or snow, morning or night, no matter what.

Well I should probably call it a night, sorry for this terribly long post. I hope you know now everything you wanted to about Denmark, DIS and why I picked this particular place to spend 4 months of my life. I will write all about my classes in another post one of these days.