A Very Warm Welcome
One of my biggest anxieties about studying abroad in Copenhagen was what my roommate situation would be like, and how I would get to know entirely new people. I was assigned to live in a kollegium, which is student housing with both DIS study abroad students as well as local students. That was my first choice, so I was thrilled! However, I wasn’t sure how many roommates I’d have or who they’d be, so I was hoping that they’d be nice.
From the very first moment I arrived at the kollegium, my hopes were fully met. I ran into one of my local roommates, Marie, in the stairwell as I went to find the room, and she was incredibly warm and friendly from the very first moment. As she opened the door to our apartment, she revealed chocolate chip muffins that she’d baked to welcome us new DIS students! I ate one right away, and then only afterwards remembered to take a photo to document the good memory.
Over the rest of that first day, I got to meet my other roommates as well. Iniya and Annie are the other DIS students in the apartment, and Isabel is the other local student along with Marie. The second day after our arrival, Marie took us on a walk by the Frederiksberg Palace and the zoo, and then grocery shopping. After that, we all gathered to cook dinner together.
While making pasta and a salad, we had a lot of fun chatting and getting to know each other better. And the food turned out delicious! Now, meals continue to be an opportunity to gather in our apartment. Even when we aren’t cooking together, we often run into each other in the kitchen and get the chance to catch up.
Food has served as a great way to meet people in other circumstances too. My desire to try all kinds of new Danish delicacies has aligned perfectly with my desire to spend time with new people. The very first day we met with our core courses, my professors provided us with smørrebrød (Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches) for lunch. Though I expected it to be good, I was blown away by just how good it was. I got to know my classmates better as we compared notes on the different types we had all tried. Several days later, I simply had to go out in search of more with a new friend.
Bakeries abound in Copenhagen, and I am making it a personal mission to sample as many baked goods as possible. One day after orientation events, I stopped by a bakery along with some people I’d run into at the talk to try fastelavnsbolle, a seasonal pastry. With the tasty treat, warm atmosphere, and good conversation, we didn’t want to leave.
Just a couple days ago, a class of mine went out on a walk to look at examples of climate adaptation projects in the surrounding area. In order to keep us fortified, our professor bought us all coffee and pastries from her favorite bakery! I asked if she had any recommendations, and she told me that the best strategy was simply to choose what appeared the tastiest that day. When it was my turn to order, I pointed at and described a certain pastry without a label that had caught my eye. Once I received it, my professor noted that I’d chosen a fastelavnsbolle. It was such a different variety from the one I’d previously sampled that I hadn’t even realized what it was (I’ve since learned that the traditional and modern forms completely diverge). Nevertheless, it was also delicious.
Whether in my apartment or out and about, food has served as a constant opportunity to get to know new people in Copenhagen. It has felt like a very warm welcome indeed!
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