Copenhagen was a dream

Lottie – University of Copenhagen

Semester 1, 2024

Bachelor of Laws (Honours) / Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology)

Going on exchange at the University of Copenhagen was an amazing experience, and one of the best decisions I have made. I am currently studying both a Bachelor of Laws and Psychology, but I was lucky enough to use my university-wide electives to study whatever piqued my interest that the University had to offer.

Arrival and Accommodation

I arrived in Copenhagen a week before my orientation began, giving me enough time to battle the jetlag from the 24-hour flight to Denmark. I was greeted by my parents who had already been in staying in Copenhagen in my apartment for 2 weeks. Finding accommodation in Copenhagen was not easy and was very expensive, but I was lucky enough to know someone who lived in Copenhagen who was renting out their apartment for the Semester. The apartment was very small (the shower head was literally over the toilet), but had everything I needed, including 2 bikes that were thrown in for free – an absolute necessity in Copenhagen. I got to have a real Danish experience living in a quintessential Copenhagen apartment.

Uni

As I was free to study whatever I liked, I chose to take Nordic Mythology and Philosophy of Love as my subjects. These were two double-weighted subjects that were credited in place of four law electives. To my surprise, classes were only on once a week, leaving me with a lot more free time than I had anticipated. Both subjects had mandatory attendance, with Philosophy of Love taking more of a high school classroom format than a lecture theatre. Having never studied philosophy before, the subject was initially out of my comfort zone. However, the topics covered were extremely interesting, looking at topics like Plato, the Romantic Era, the famous Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and love in the world of online dating.

Nordic Mythology quickly became my favourite, covering early Danish history and religion and the Viking Age. The course provided two non-compulsory excursions to look at Viking ships, burial grounds and monuments. The first trip was around Roskilde in Denmark where we viewed real Viking ships, as well as historically accurate reconstructions of the ships that you could hire to row yourself on the lake. The second excursion was across the bridge to Sweden, where we viewed actual surviving Viking burial sites, as well as a reconstructed Viking Feasting Hall which featured actors providing a historical role-play to really immerse us in the Viking Age. These excursions provided such a unique experience and were absolutely one of the major highlights of my exchange.

Language

It was really important to me to pick up some Danish. I had deliberately chosen a country that did not have English as its first language because I wanted to immerse myself into a different culture and challenge myself. However, it is worth noting that almost everyone in Copenhagen speaks impeccable English and it is definitely not a requirement to speak Danish in order to live there. As I only had Uni on a Tuesday, I decided to take a language course outside of the University twice a week. Fortunately, I also knew two Danish families who are Copenhagen residents who I would see frequently. This allowed me to pick up the language pretty quickly, even just from listening to their conversations amongst themselves. Danish people are culturally introverted and it can sometimes be difficult to infiltrate Danish social circles especially as an exchange student, so I felt lucky to form a lifelong bond with some Danes.

Travel

The benefit of staying within the EU was that it was very easy to do quick and cheap weekend trips around Europe. Funnily enough, it was the Aussies who seemed to be most thrilled by this opportunity due to travel from Australia being so long and expensive. I very quickly formed a tight bond with a group of girls that I had actually met at the Exchange workshop back at QUT. We did a couple of girls trips to Budapest and Switzerland together. These girls are some of my best friends and I am so lucky that I get to continue that friendship with them back in Brisbane.

I also was invited to stay in a holiday house in a small Italian town called Apricale for the Easter weekend with one of the Danish families I grew very close to. Apricale is a commune located about an hour from the boarder of France and Italy, with a population of about 600 people. They were also kind enough to tour me around Nice, Menton, and Monte Carlo.

Takeaways

Copenhagen is such a beautiful city, and given the chance, I would absolutely live there again. When the weather was not cold and wet (which I will admit – was a lot), it was like a fairyland with beautiful buildings, parks, castles, and architecture. On sunny days, the whole city was out and about riding their bikes, sunbaking in parks, and swimming in the canals. Even in bad weather, the Danes have mastered the art of “hygge” or “cozy”, with a ton of bakeries and bars lit by taper candles to help keep everyone warm in the cold weather. It is truly a magical place, and I could not recommend it more highly.