Hej med
jer!
Welcome to
the land of Scandinavia, where the people are friendly, the alcohol plentiful,
and the bikes ubiquitous. Here, in Aarhus (pronounced somewhat like
"oar-hoose"), one can exercise in the rich, nearby forests, spend a
balmy summer day sailing in the harbor or walking on the beach, pet some deer
in the local Dyrehaven, or recess into the vibrant evening night life on the
canal. Known fondly as "The World's Smallest Big City," with 1/6th of
its inhabitants being students, I could think of no place I would rather have
made an exchange abroad. It does not get much better than this.
My past
two summers living in D.C. have taught me to hit the ground running, if possible.
And so when my flatmates welcomed me with open arms, I didn't waste time. The
45 hours straight I spent awake from my departure in North Carolina were well
worth it. Over the next few weeks, I spent every moment possible exploring the
city on my new bike (the cars of Denmark), meeting the incoming waves of
international students, and bonding with my 15 flatmates. In the two months
I've been here, I've cultivated more meaningful relationships than I can keep
count of, and have had a type of humility instilled in me only gotten from
being exposed to every nationality and culture in Europe. There is so much to
discover and learn that I could spend ten exchange semesters abroad and still
be left in want. Between trying to learn Danish, practice my Spanish, and pick
up bits and pieces of German, all while trying to learn how to cook dishes from
all over the world, I'd feel completely overwhelmed if I weren't so invigorated
by it all. Studying abroad has proved to be a test of cultural adaptability and
resolve on a level I couldn't have anticipated. Nothing really prepares you for
stepping out of that plane by yourself. Determination is your greatest ally.
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| Aarhus, Denmark AroS View |
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| Copenhagen, Denmark |
So, what has living in Denmark been like? Liberating. In every possible
denotative and connotative sense of the word. I came to Scandinavia as an
Environmental Economics student specifically to see the Nordic socio-economic
model of living in the flesh. A curious (to us) mixture of free market
economics, socialized medicine, and a welfare state, Denmark blurs the lines
between that which we oftentimes think of as incompatible in the United States.
And let me tell you: For the Danes, it works. Granted, it is far easier to
achieve ideological solidarity when you are only a country of 5.4 million
people. Danish students receive a non-loan stipend of approximately $820 USD
per month if they meet satisfactory requirements for their degree and work a
part time job (which they are also paid for). From living in the Sports Kollegiet,
I can retell several experiences where one of my flatmates injured themselves
and paid nothing to receive proper, timely, and quality medical attention. And
do you know what is absolutely nowhere to be found on the streets of Aarhus,
even in the darkest hour the night can offer? Homeless people. They have
adequate provisions to keep them off the streets; all of them. In return, Danes
pay taxes on a rate of 38% all the way up to the extremely rare and highest
bracket of 68% on their income, and also experience high taxes on consumer
goods (especially ones with sugar in them), making the cost of living quite
high. This is partially counteracted with relatively high wages along with a
minimum wage of about $20 USD, but nobody is making the case that the Danish
people aren't paying for their social and economic benefits in some way. In the
end, Denmark, and all of Scandinavia really, have a visibly enormous middle
class where most everyone gets to afford some luxuries in life while enjoying a
satisfactory and reasonable standard of life (NOT an opulent one). Small wonder
Denmark, Norway, and Sweden all make their way to the top of the global indexes
for happiest countries on the world. My anecdotal evidence confirms;
"hygge" is abundant, and I've met nobody who was dissatisfied with
where they are in life. "Hygge," by the way, is an untranslatable
word referring to the warm feeling of happiness and contentment found in a cozy
place or situation, oftentimes shared with the people you love. Think favorite
coffee shop or a night out with friends that turned out so great you could
never forget it. This is what it means to be a Dane. My only possible
comparative framework comes, of course, from the U.S., and I've spent a long
time pondering the differences and have reduced the comparison down this way:
What are the goals? If the goals of a country are to emphasis innovation,
competition, individuality, and wealth, then its priorities will necessarily
align to match these standards of success. But if a country's goals are to
champion quality of life, equity, humility, and equality of opportunity, then
its priorities will naturally look much different. Both country’s frameworks
are saturated to the very core of their respective systems. I would be tempted
to say there is no right or wrong choice, and that happiness can be found in
each system (which it most certainly can be), but I've looked into the eyes of
homeless people in Greensboro and Washington, D.C. and internalized their
stories, and I think the situation is more complicated than that. Is this just
my opinion? Sure, you could say that. And you'd be right. Yet the same phrase
has resounded in my mind over and over since arriving in Denmark: Surely, we
can learn something from all of this.
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| Aarhus, Denmark (Cooking) |
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| Aarhus, Denmark (Beach View) |
Studying
abroad has also been personally liberating. A friend of mine who was calming me
during my pre-study abroad anxiety told me some very important words I needed
to hear. "You get to be anyone you want over there. Nobody knows who you
are. Who do you want to be?" And that got me thinking a lot about who I
wanted to be. As it turned out, given how hard the last couple years have been
on me, I needed to leave a lot behind. My exchange semester has brought many
experiences and people to my life, but perhaps the most needed thing was the
chance to leave it all behind, if only for a little while; to allow myself the
opportunity to accentuate the attributes I'm proud of and redefine who I am as
an individual. I suppose you can say that's another way of saying
"discovering oneself," but I do think there is something unique about
being dropped off on a continent where you don't know a single other soul. I'm
grateful to my friend for helping me frame the experience properly. Studying
abroad can truly be transformative.
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| Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden |
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| Møllestein, Aarhus, Denmark |
Transformative,
it has been. In two short months, Aarhus has come to feel like home. I've
familiarized myself with the city's culture by exploring every inch of it, have
toured all of the museums and sites, and have spent afternoons socializing on
the beach, having picnics and spontaneous BBQs, and have embraced the Danes'
fitness and exercise culture. My studies in my discipline have brought me new
understanding and the European perspective I was looking for on a host of
environmental issues. I've done a fair bit of sharing and talking about my own
culture, but far more listening, observing, and appreciating. And, of course,
I've taken advantage of being able to travel so easily since coming here (I'm
on a train bound for Stockholm seeing the gorgeous Swedish countryside rush
past me as I write this sentence!). Before I return to the States, I'll have
seen Berlin, Göteborg, Stockholm, Oslo, the Norwegian fjords, the Northern
Lights, Glasgow, Barcelona, Budapest, and Prague. There're still so many places
in Europe alone I want to see, especially with all my newfound friends telling
me of their lives back home. As I said, the opportunity for discovery is
endless.
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| Brandenburger Tor, Berlin, Germany |
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| Dyrehaven, Aarhus, Denmark |
My final
message is nothing you haven't heard before. It is cliché, trite, and
overstated. But it cannot be overvalued. Studying abroad just may be the most influential
and important experience of your life. Don't put it off like I did. Don't be
afraid of it like I was. Believe you're strong enough, brave enough, and ready
like I did not. If you have the right perspective on what it could mean to you
and how it could enrich your life, it will be monumental. There is a time and
place, and admittedly a certain beauty, in finding solace in the now; in the
comfortable and the familiar. But don't let yourself become caught in the trap
of feeling like that time and place sets in after an exhilarating first year of
university. The world is far wilder and expansive in all directions, and it's
waiting for you to discover it. I can only hope it means as much to you as it
has to me.
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| Göteborg, Sweden |
Tak fordi
du tog dig tiden til at læse min artikel! Farvel og god vind på rejsen og held og
lykke i fremtiden.
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| Aarhus, Denmark (University View) |
P.S. Here
are two Scandinavian songs that I’ve really enjoyed since coming over here, if
you are interested in getting a feel for the pop music scene over here. The
first is a Danish artist, and the second, a Norwegian one.
