Studying abroad in Copenhagen during fall as a High School student 2024

Written by: Gracie Russell - High School Student in Copenhagen 2024

It’s been about two months since I first flew from Alaska to Denmark, making it my exact halfway point for my Danish foreign exchange. It feels like time has gone by very quickly.

 I have been very busy with my host family and school doing many different activities and trips. Fall in Denmark is very pretty; I already miss it even though it’s not even gone. Some of my favorite highlights of autumn include taking the train to Copenhagen and exploring the city. 

The University of København (Copenhagen) has a beautiful library that visitors can see throughout the day. It was founded in 1482, making it the oldest library in Denmark. This is definitely one of my favorite places that I have been to so far.

  On October 11th, Copenhagen hosted “Kulturnatten” or “Culture Night” Many buildings and businesses in the city stay open for people to visit where they can learn about how they operate and have some activities. This is a very special night, since many places in Denmark and in Europe don’t stay open very late.

  My host family and I explored some parliament and judicial buildings, and also enjoyed a really nice dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe. There are still a lot of aspects to Denmark and Europe that are very different and hard to adjust to, but it’s definitely gotten easier.

Copenhagen is an amazing city with interesting history and sites to see; however, it’s also nice to come back home to Haslev (the town where my host family lives). Even though it’s not as big as Copenhagen and some of the other cities, I love coming home and spending time with my host family and friends.

My host family and I recently traveled to the most Northern part of Denmark, Skagen in North Jutland, where we got to see the Northern Sea and Baltic Sea meet. This has been one of my favorite places I’ve visited in the country.

I am still trying to learn more Danish, and more words are becoming familiar. However, it will take me a little bit to speak it. 

Students at my school have continued to be so nice, and I really enjoy learning about Danish culture and education. The school systems are very different, but it’s fun to compare and share differences. 

My host family has taken me to a lot of amazing sites, such as Møns Kilt, which was a beautiful beach, and a Cold War museum. I also went to a church built in 1250 that is still standing today. It was probably one of the oldest buildings I’ve ever seen. 

We have also been to a few soccer matches to watch the professional women's team in Køge play. It’s fun to watch, but also really cool to be able to play soccer in matches and practices with the team I’m on.

One aspect of studying abroad in a foreign country that comes along with the amazing experiences is realizing and being grateful for everything you have at home. I really never appreciated how nice it is to be around your native language and the importance of being able to communicate. I’m very lucky, since most Danes speak very good English, so I can get by, but if I had traveled to a different country it would be even more difficult. 

In school, it’s kind of a weird feeling when everyone is speaking Danish, and I don’t understand most words. Whenever I have a soccer game, it gets difficult since I don’t know what my coach, teammates, or refs say, and I have to try and figure it out or ask if they can repeat it in English. It’s a weird feeling when mostly everything is different.

For example, I never thought that I would miss our Safeway. Being in a store where you don’t recognize many items is something I am still getting used to. However, even though there are a lot of difficulties, I think the experiences and learning opportunities easily balance everything out. 

By studying abroad, I feel I have become a lot more confident and independent. One aspect that has helped me is having an amazing host family. I think my experience would have been a lot more challenging if I didn’t have them.

I am looking forward to being here during the winter, since there are lots of Christmas markets all around Europe. Everyone takes Christmas very seriously here. There are some people that already have decorations up.

My host family and I celebrated a little Christmas a couple weeks ago since my host mom’s sister came to visit from Wisconsin. Denmark has so many fun traditions that I have loved learning about. I’m still amazed that I have been in Denmark for over two months. Even though I have visited a large portion of the country, it still feels like there is so much more to see. Before I know it, I will be headed back home to Alaska.