Going Home for Christmas- Part 1

 I’m writing this entry whilst I’m traveling to Copenhagen to catch my flight home for Christmas. I’m sitting on the bus but we just came off the Jutland to Zealand ferry. Not too far to go now. As we drive through the Danish countryside on this grey, misty December day I’m thinking about my experience living in Denmark so far and how I feel about going home for Christmas and coming back again in three weeks.

Well I’d be lying if I said that my time so far hasn’t been turbulent. There have been some real, euphoric highs but also some pretty crushing lows. Looking back I’ve realized that there were so many things which I never expected to be challenging. I’m not saying that I’ve breezed through life up to this point, of course I haven’t, but I have always prided myself on being able to get along with people. One of my real joys in life is meeting new people and sharing good times. 

I’ve had some experience living abroad before but never for this long. Forcing yourself to settle in because you know you have to stay for a long time is a difficult thing to do. In my first couple of weeks, maybe the first few months, I pushed myself so hard. I’d already pushed myself out of my comfort zone by coming here, but I had to do it again and again as I made new friends and negotiated cultural differences. Things that I’ve taken for granted my whole life suddenly became somewhat irrelevant or challenged. Now, I’m finally beginning to see the benefits. I have had an incredible time getting to know my coursemates, I am so lucky to have the opportunity to study and make friends with people from 48 nationalities. I have learnt so much from them all and it has been great fun! I think that I put too much pressure on myself though and took things a bit too personally. 

So what have I learned so far?

About myself

I have learned to trust myself far more than I ever did. I have a higher stress threshold than I thought. Yes, there have been times, especially during my week-long exams, when I have seriously doubted myself and panicked. This usually ends up with teary or stressed skype sessions. However, I have now completed 3 week-long assignments! My first, was an essay about how globalization has affected war reporting. My second exam was split into two essays, one asked whether there is such a thing as a global journalist and the other explored the idea of citizen journalism. Finally, I have just finished a paper about world order and how it is likely to change in the coming decades. All three assignments covered topics that I had no real knowledge of 3 and a half months ago. But to have written all three and not just survived but actually produced work I am proud of, is one of my biggest achievements and gives me faith in my ability. 

I have also learnt that I am Strong (yes, with a capital ‘S’!)  I haven’t always been strong but certainly in the past 2-3 years and that strength is growing as I become more and more self-assured. I have learnt to deal with multiple things going wrong in one day, not always remaining calm, mind you, but getting through it. Also, there is strength in asking for help. In my first few weeks I felt very alone, especially as I kept getting horrifically lost everywhere, but, in the times since then I have begun to reach out to people and share things that I am finding difficult. I have, so far, overcome a lot of different problems and that gives me strength.

About bikes

What have I learnt about my bike? Well, I’ve found that it doesn’t really like me, but then that’s ok because the feeling is mutual. In Aarhus I am really reliant on my bike to get around. Buses generally stop running quite early, so if I want to go out in the evening I need to cycle. Also I don’t live with a big group of course-mates so I have to sort myself out, when it comes to traveling home from nights out. Most of my problems have been caused by my bike lock breaking or my chain falling off but I have now overcome both. A janitor sawed off my bike lock when the key snapped in it and I can now put my chain back on in less than two minutes. I have also learnt to cycle up hill in 4^th gear. Not in an attractive way, but who cares if it gets you up the hill. My bike likes to play games with me by refusing to change gear until I get over the top of the hill. It then changes to 1^st gear and my legs end up spinning around.

I’ve also learnt that people cycle very fast in Denmark, especially if they are late for lectures, but I can keep up! I’ve also witnessed my very first bike jam, every Tuesday on my way to running group I get stuck in a queue of cyclists on their way home. There’s even been a bit of bike rage!