The roots

The calendar guided my days this week.

I think I’ve been pretty immersed in the experience of living in Copenhagen, although I’ve only just started to explore the extensive cafe culture here. But this week, I was jarred back into remembering that I am still American. The onset of the Super Bowl last week and the fact that my hometown’s team was playing (fly, Eagles fly) brought back a sense of American spirit that I hadn’t felt in some time, especially when I heard of the numerous plans made by my friends to watch the game late into the night, despite having 8:30 AM classes the next morning.

But combined with that was the surprise calls I received from my friends at home, asking to talk and hear about the goings-on in Denmark. It was a great chance to be able to see friendly, familiar faces, and helped to keep me grounded with the relationships I had built from back home. Getting their perspectives on the events happening here and hearing about circumstances back home in my absence was nostalgic and filled me with a sense of longing.

One of the things I enjoy most about living in a vibrant city like Copenhagen is a chance to do the things that remind me most of home. Perhaps I should strive to experience new, unique things rather than stick to my old haunts. But there is no right way to study abroad, and among the new trips and places I was exploring, I felt that I needed a dose of home, right here in my home (away from home).

Our dorm’s second hygge dinner was well-timed in that regard, and I’ve included some pictures of our RC’s awesome cooks (shoutout to my roommates) who put together a great potato-leek soup and dessert for the Danish holiday of Fastelavn. We cemented our American-ness by watching Ant-Man, went to my roommate’s birthday party, tried some new cuisine in the form of Korean BBQ (ft. Koreansk BBQ for the amazing vegetarian options), and even joined a BJJ gym for one of the most grueling workouts I have ever done (but one of the best as well).

Before BJJ

This week we also got our residence permits, which was such a breeze of a process thanks to DIS. In celebration of being a true Copenhagenite, I decided to tour the Kongelige Bibliotek, which is the National Library, and the Glyptoteket – a museum representing the private art collection of Carl Jacobsen, the son of the founder of the Carlsberg Breweries.

I think the past few weeks of exploring Copenhagen were ones that I really cherished. Taking the time to experience the sights and sounds of the city, and spending time in cafes with my friends and suitemates was a great experience that I took as a chance to build a great base here. It’s made me more willing to venture out again into the great wide world of Europe, which is just as well. My next weekend is going to see me go to Barcelona, and then our first long Travel week is coming up. Stay tuned for more.