Reader,
Today marks a week since I left for Copenhagen and, needless to say, so many exciting things have happened since then.
My flights went quite well (minus the man in the seat next to me who took off his shoes and announced “These sure are stinky!” — I can assure you, they were). However, my nasal receptors soon fatigued and I was able to focus on reading Chelsea Girls for the majority of the flight. I made it to my second flight with time to spare, bought a chai tea, and ate a PB&J. Needless to say, I was pretty darn content.
The next few days were filled with orientation events, housing meetings, and hanging out with my new housemates in the Visual Arts Living and Learning Community. To be honest, after I submitted my housing preference for an LLC and receiving the news that I would be in one, I was a little bit nervous. I’m a quite shy and independent individual, so I don’t always thrive when I have to be around a lot of people. However, it has turned out to be a wonderful living arrangement. We have had game nights, gone out together, and enjoyed the everyday encounters that accompany a shared a living space. I definitely came out of my shell a lot faster than I usually do. The space and location are also perfect. It is in the heart of Copenhagen, so it is only a few-minute walk to each of the DIS buildings, grocery stores, bars, restaurants, shops, and the metro station. My room has beautiful wooden beams across the ceiling and an abundance of windows. It is slowly helping me achieve my dream of finally becoming a morning person (or maybe that’s just the jetlag).
I started the readings for my classes yesterday and they are making me so excited for the first day. The assigned reading for my creative writing course is what inspired me to stay home and write last night—that, and one of my subscribers contacted me about missing my posts this week (shout out to you mom!). Yesterday was also the academic orientation with our core courses. Tired but excited, I found or maybe lost my way to N7-A23 to meet my Professor, Salman (aka Salmon or Salamander) and the rest of my classmates. As an English major, I was nervous to take a Psychology Core Course because it mostly consists of Psychology majors and I have written very few formal psych papers; however, it was almost like Salman was reading my mind. He told us about how the papers would largely be based off of our own personal experiences rather than just other psychological research papers. He also talked about empathy and storytelling, which are the exact reasons I wanted to take this course. It could not be a better fit! And he’s a vegetarian! He definitely gave me some ideas of places to feature on this blog. We finished class with meditation and then telling stories to each other and identifying the values within them. After that, I couldn’t wait for the rest of my classes to start.
In addition to getting settled and going to DIS events, I’ve spent a lot of time walking around, taking photos, and venturing to various grocery stores (tbh sometimes five in a day). As I get more familiar with the city, I’m excited to explore the club/bar scene, hit up the English poetry slam cup, go to museums, take yoga classes, teach Balkiss (my SRA) how to make @addicted_to_oatmeal porridge, find local concerts, go to the Ungdomhuset, and meet other students as well as locals!
I have to head to class soon, but stay tuned for Copenhagen adventures and the stories that I promised!
With love,
Shelby
Comments