Week One

Personal Experiences

The name of the university I will be studying at.

Exams over, assignments handed in and it was finally time to head off on ERASMUS to Blaagaard, just outside Copenhagen in Denmark.  Having been told very little about where we would be staying or doing, I was nervous upon leaving, unsure what to expect or what it was going to be like.  However, I knew that no matter what happened this experience would have a lasting impact on my personal life as well as professionally.

As we stepped off the plane in Copenhagen the realisation that I had left the comfort of home for four months kicked in, and I began to worry if I would be able to deal with all the different challenges that we would face here.  Seeing a smiling, familiar face at the airport definitely began to ease my worries though, as Soren picked us up showing us the university and brought us to where we would be staying in Ballerup.  This university does not have accommodation on campus, and instead aims to put students up in shared houses, either with families or with students.  This year seemed to bring a lot of confusion for the accommodation office here, and Alison and I were lucky to be placed anywhere, never mind being lucky enough to be placed together! The pictures of where we would be staying totally did not do the rooms justice, as we had imagined we were going to be staying in a cold, dark, small basement of somebody’s house, and in actual fact we were given the entire downstairs of a lovely old lady named Kirsten’s house.  She welcomed us in, giving us breads, cheese and meats which we ate while getting to know her, she told us about the surrounding area, including how to get to university. This helped calm my nerves, as I realised we were going to able to make it our own space and once I got photos up on my walls, it began to feel a bit more homely!

Me outside my home for the next 4 months!

Not only did Soren pick us up from the airport, his parents also welcomed us both, along with Kerri, Fionnuala and Trish to their house for tea twice over our first weekend. Both times they gave us different traditional Danish meals consisting of pork, potatoes and vegetables. This was great as it meant we got two nights off trying to figure out how to cook food for ourselves, especially as all the cooking instructions are in Danish! We had the opportunity to visit Copenhagen, which is a beautiful city, although a lot colder than we had anticipated, to meet the other girls from Stranmillis, along with Soren and his sister.  We managed to figure out the train, with a little help from a local. I have noticed here how well everyone speaks English, and it makes me realise how bad I am at learning other languages, and I am determined now to learn some Danish before coming home!

All of us in Copenhagen visiting Amalienborg Palace

Already this week has encouraged me to step outside my comfort zones, with trying different foods, and moving into a new country.  As we begin class, and meet new people I am excited for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and wait in anticipation for what these next four months will bring!