Senilna – University of Denmark
Semester 2, 2023
Bachelor of Design
Hej! It’s Senlina here, and I’d love to share with you some of my adventures, tips and things I wish I knew before embarking on my a year-long exchange in Copenhagen. I’m a Bachelor of Design student at QUT and was hosted by the University of Denmark for two semesters (their fall semester first, then their summer semester – it’s an opposite order to Australia!).
The first semester in January (fall) came with a wealth of challenges and first-times. The hardest of which was associated with living out of home for the first time – I didn’t know what to expect with housing, having roommates and overall budgeting. The first semester at Basecamp City Campus was perfect for navigating the city centre and being within close vicinity of grocery stores, uni classes, events and tourist attractions.
The second semester living at CPH Village was my personal favourite, as I gradually familiarised myself with wider Copenhagen, and was able to experiment with living in a shipping container-built tiny house (14sqm) for the first time! Finding accommodation can be quite difficult in Denmark, so I highly recommend doing as much research as possible beforehand – it can influence your experience! Having a farewell dinner with my neighbours in our tiny house village’s common room was so bittersweet, but a lovely atmosphere.
Caption: The view from my tiny house apartment, when my mum came to visit me.
Studying in Denmark was certainly a cultural shock, in the best way possible. The University of Denmark offered an early start course with cultural studies and foundational Danish – this was super helpful later on when I pursued further Danish language modules, and I made some of my closest exchange friends here. Bending your tongue to pronounce Danish correctly is often likened to having a potato in your mouth! The classes were very hands-on, participatory experiences that included so many field trips and off-campus opportunities to learn straight from the country itself. Our trips included museums, viking ships, parliament house, design exhibitions, biking trails, and so much more. I felt like our classroom became the city!
Caption: During class we were encouraged to go for a dip in the harbour (with pizza), and be part of the urban life!
As my love, familiarity and understanding of the city became broader and deeper in semester two, my relationships with people outside of university also solidified through regular involvement at local book clubs, volunteering at bars and cafes, festivals and events. Here I made some incredible friends who I still keep in contact with today, and even hosted back here in Brissie when they came to visit!
Caption: At Studenterhuset (student house in Danish), we hosted jazz nights, held Tuesdays, community dinner Wednesdays and karaoke nights.
Caption: At Copenhagen Fashion Week, I got to attend various shows for Scandinavian brands, including Marimekko!
Majoring in Architecture, Copenhagen happened to be the UNESCO 2023 World Capital of the Year, so it was beyond being the perfect destination for me. During the year I had the pleasure of participating in the 2023 UIA (Union of International Architects) World Congress in Copenhagen as a ‘Next Gen’ speaker and back of house volunteer where we heard from and learned from some amazing architects. Copenhagen Architecture Festival was another highlight that offered a colourful cultural cross-section of Copenhagen represented through the arts, food, anthropology, architecture and urban design – Denmark’s finest!
Caption: Thousands of people from around the world attended this year’s conference, focussed on sustainability.
Caption: Volunteering around the city for the Copenhagen Architecture Festival whilst doing uni and travelling on off-days was hectic but so rewarding. Here, the venue was Parliament House (Christiansborg).
I can’t forget to mention that being a part of the celebrations of King Frederik II and Queen Mary’s coronation was absolutely one for the highlights!
And last but not least, I can’t stress enough the joy of biking around this charming, (flat) ever-evolving city with trusty steed (Vera). After getting Vera, my perception of the city changed again – everything was even more accessible than before!
I also had the incredible pleasure and luxury to travel around Europe particularly during the summer break, seeing bucket list cultural and architectural sights – sometimes solo, other times with friends or people I’ve met on my trips.
But despite my travels elsewhere, Copenhagen – in all its quaintness, vibrancy and charisma – became home for me.
I’m so thankful for this opportunity through QUT Exchange.
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website
