until next time, cope // week eighteen
This was my last full week in Copenhagen until I save up enough money to fly back as quickly as possible. To describe the trip as (insert any positive adjective here) just sounds foolish. I don't know if there will ever be a time that I can fully explain how much Denmark means to me, which is why I always resort to posting a string of photos instead. Over the last eighteen weeks, I immersed myself in a new country, gained a new family, and picked up enough Danish to get me through the oral exam, read some street signs, order a little food, and play a recess game with the grade 0 kids at Ingeborg's school. I took four incredibly diverse and eye-opening courses in digital and collaborative communications, international advertising, climate change planning, and Danish language and culture. I have a newfound appreciation for flexible workspaces and an even greater skepticism for the government and media conglomerates and the violation of our on and off-line privacy. I learned how to develop my own creative briefs and confirmed my hopes of truly becoming an account executive. Although a very large percentage of my drive for coming to Denmark for the semester centered around its commitment to sustainability, I now have such an expansive knowledge on how the city has begun completing climate adaptive initiatives, how they create so many green spaces, and why July 2, 2011 is one of the most important days in environmental history (spoiler alert: cloudbursts). One of the most important and valuable classes, however, definitely had to be my Danish class. I have never been the biggest history buff, but I am beyond infatuated with the Danes. I loved learning about how this pacifistic country transitioned over the last couple hundred years, losing a lot of land, pivoting its place in the world ("outward loss is inward gain," as in after 1864, DK only had 1/3 of its population and thus focused on creating a solidified and culture-heavy tribe), to becoming one of the happiest and successful countries in the world. While I immediately learned how much of a coolness the Danes appeared to posses, I was even more intrigued in learning more about their social demeanor. Although not practiced religiously, the term Janteloven means something to everyone. This concept, which was initially created by Danish author Aksel Sandemose essentially guides the way Danes view success: they never let one's personal gain supersede that of society's. Instead, people are a bit more reserved with their accomplishments and have greater respect for their surrounding environment. While this is a mass generalization, I think this philosophy persists throughout daily life.
Aside from the academic focus of the semester, I also got to travel to more places than I ever would have imagined. For someone who has never left North America, experiencing a handful of European countries with such an inquisitive lens was so whimsical and utopian. While I was fortunate enough to meet up with Celia for a couple of the travels and go to Budapest with Madden and Libby, I also got to experience new places with new friends. DIS opened me up to a whole new circle of people, some of which so happy I will be able to stay in touch with back in The States.
Although these past four months were hands down the best four months of my entire life, I am excited to return to the sunny Florida for a few days and then begin interning in DC. This is such an important summer for my undergraduate career, and I truly hope the work I do this summer will make me a competitive candidate when I begin looking for a full-time job in the fall.
I didn't start this post thinking I would actually write some kind of reflection. Instead I planned to post some photos from the Design Museum, Albertslund, and Stevns Klint, which were my last big adventures in the most amazing country in the world. So, since I'm awful at goodbyes and hate to fall back on my personal objective, without further ado, here's my last collection of photos from DK!
the design museum
the sweetest sara i've ever met
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albertslund + the hidden giants
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stevns klint
until next time.
elle