Goodbye

Closing Ceremony

As the week continued, my days in Copenhagen were narrowing down. May 17th, was the day to start the goodbyes. That day our school, DIS, gave us a closing ceremony, which was at one of the theaters near our school. Before the ceremony started, they showed pictures they purchased from students throughout the year (I made about $80 for the semester by doing this). As the slide show went through the pictures, I saw 6 of the pictures I had taken on the screen, which was cool and weird at the same time. Once the ceremony started, the realization that I was leaving the next day really hit me. As I sat there listening to the DIS String Orchestra and the CBS International choir play sad songs about good times coming to an end, I began to reflect on my semester. I thought about all the great times I had with my new friends, the many different sights I had seen, and many other wonderful times. All I could really think about was, where had 4 months gone? I couldn't believe how fast time had flown! After 2 hours, the ceremony had ended, which meant we were now alumni at DIS. Afterwards, my friends and I went over the the champagne party to get our free drink and snacks. Our next stop was home so we could finish packing and get ready for the night. That night most of went into the common room to celebrate one last time. During our celebration, we spent most of the night taking pictures and talking about all the good times. The whole night our whole group was sad that we would be leaving each other.

Some of the group

We had grown into one big family, the Tåsingegade (T-Gade) family. Later in the night, we went to the after party being held by DIS. The party was a lot of fun. 

The next morning was one of the saddest mornings I have had in my life. It was the day to say goodbye to Copenhagen. I finished up packing and said goodbye to friends. I knew I had to leave and I was sad about it, but the tears didn't hit me until I had to say goodbye to my friend Ari. As Ari and I were saying goodbye, we both started to cry. I couldn't believe my time was coming to an end when I felt like it just started. Once she left I was in even sadder mood. At noon, my time had come. With my 100 pounds of luggage and one duck taped suitcase, it was my turn to leave. I took one last look around my new home and prepared for my goodbyes. Saying goodbye to my friends and SRAs was hard. Of course, I started to cry again. Leaving Copenhagen was a bittersweet moment. With my bags packed in the taxi, I took one last look at my home and left. During the car ride I took in the beauty of Copenhagen one last time...sadly with tears filling my eyes.

While I was excited to go home and see everyone, I was sad to be leaving Copenhagen. This city had become my new home. Leaving the T-gade group was also sad. All of the good and crazy times we had together will always be in my heart. When people ask why did you choose Copenhagen, all I can say is why wouldn't you choose Copenhagen!? This city had given me the best semester I have had in college and many memories I will never forget. Copenhagen will always have a special place in my heart and I will forever consider it a home. 

NY Carlsberg Glyptotek and Louisiana

Before leaving Copenhagen, I had to make sure I made a stop at the 2 most well-known museums, Glyptotek and Louisiana. On May 14th, I went to them. My first stop was Glyptotek. I spent about an hour there, which was a good amount. When you first walk into the museum there is this very weird fountain of a woman feeding many children. Strange. Then I saw the main statues, such as the Wounded Amazon. The special exhibit there was Cleopatra's World, which was interesting.

Part of Cleopatra's World

Wounded Amazon

Later in the afternoon, my visiting mom picked me up so we could go to Louisiana Modern Art Museum. The rest of the family couldn't make it because of other things going on. When we went to the museum, the special exhibit was Picasso. The special exhibit was really nice. We spent around 2-3 hours walking around the museum. Afterwards, we went to the cafe to get a dessert and enjoy the view. The view was of the sea. In one corner, I was able to see Sweden. It was so awesome. Around the museum, there is also a garden, so windows throughout the museum show a beautiful sight too. Sadly, this was the last time I got to spend time with someone from my visiting family. It was so sad. They were such a wonderful family. The mom told me when I come back to Copenhagen, I must contact them!! 

My visiting mom and I

 

The Final Week

With my finals finally over on May 13th, the time to explore and see Copenhagen had finally come. Most of my final week was spent with friends and seeing the sights I wanted to. I went shopping for jewelry that would always remind me of Copenhagen, went back to the Little Mermaid Statue, walked around the area by where I lived, picked up multiple pastries (leaving Denmark would not be complete without them), Stopping by Nyhavn at night, and many other things.


A part of being with DIS is we got a food stipend. During this last week I had about $200 left. What did this mean? Time to feast and buy the most expensive food and drinks. My friends and I had a large expensive meal almost every night. It was a great way to leave Copenhagen.


One last big event I did with my floor was hold an "Around the World Event." Groups of us had to make a certain drink from a different country. My friends and I had to make mojitos. Sadly, they did not turn out well. The event was so much fun. It was a great way for all of us to be together. I am going to miss the group!

Kings Garden

Nyhavn at Night

Carlsberg Brewery

After my European Business Strategy presentation on May 5th, all of the International Business classes had the chance to go to the Carlsberg Brewery. As a group, we headed over to the old house of the founder. There we had free pizza and beer. Once we finished that, we went to the old brewery. We got to see the Carlsberg horses. Some of my friends and I were about to take a picture with one of the horses and the horse started to eat my friends hair. We saw the an old car used for the brewery, the mansion the founder used, and the old brewery. Our tour headed over to the new factory, which was started by the son of Carlsberg after disagreeing with his dad on the brewing process. The elephants that are by the new factory are the 2nd most photographed sights in Copenhagen, behind the Little Mermaid Statue. Sadly, we couldn't get into the new brewery since it was after 7pm. Instead we headed over to the Jacobsen Brewhouse where we got free drinks for 3 hours. Going on this trip was a nice chance to say goodbye to all my class and spend one last time together.

Carlsberg Elephant

Jacobsen Brewhouse

As My Time Comes to an End

As of May 6th, I no longer have classes to attended at DIS. The moment was bittersweet. On one hand I was happy because I didn't have to go to class, but sad because it was more realization that my time in Copenhagen is coming to an end. The experiences I have had here and my love for the city are not going to make leaving Copenhagen easy. While I am excited to go home, I am sad to be leaving Copenhagen. The city has grown to become a part of me. I find myself doing traditional Danish things, such as not jwalking. 

The weather isn't helping my feeling of not wanting to leave the city. This spring is the warmest spring Copenhagen has had in 22 years!! Most days are filled with sunshine (the sun rises at 5am and sets at 9:30pm) and in the 60s. Since the weather is so nice all I want to do is explore the city. My visiting family has told me a few times that Copenhagen is much better in the summer. When I got back from my study break, I could see the difference in the city with the nicer weather. This nice weather makes leaving sadder because I want the opportunity to leave the city during its best season.


While I am sad about leaving, I will continue to reflect on the many wonderful experiences I have had here and the more that will happen within the last week. Now, it's time to finish up my Copenhagen to do list!

May Day

On May 1st was Copenhagen's May Day. For countries in Europe, this day is synonymous with International Worker's Day. As a way to celebrate, the city enjoys a day at Fælledparken, a local park. The day in the park isn't just a normal day where people have a BBQ with friends. Instead, the park is filled with thousands of people, food stands, several concerts, a few amusement rides, and people having a great time with friends. The day is also filled with drinking. Since the park is down the block from my housing, a few friends and I decided to go experience May Day. When we got there, we were surprised at how big of a deal this celebration was. Once we got there, we walked around and went to see the reggae band. After spending a few hours in the park, we headed back home. Another great cultural experience in Copenhagen.

Tivoli

China Town in Tivoli

While living in Denmark, my time here would not be complete without a trip to Tivoli. Tivoli is the second oldest amusement park in the world and is the most visited theme park in Scandinavia. Since the park opened while I was on spring break, my fellow floor mates and I have been anxiously trying to get to the park. On April 29th, a group of us finally went. As we got to Tivoli, I felt like a little kid again. I couldn't wait to step in the park and start going on the rides. When we walked into the park I was already in love with it. Like the rest of Copenhagen, Tivoli was quaint and adorable.
 Trees, brightly colored flowers, and arches with colored lights adorned the paths of Tivoli. As soon as all of us were in the park, we headed for a ride. The first ride we went on was a little roller coaster that had a track that was built during the 1800s. The breaks of the ride were controlled manually by a man who sat in the middle of the ride shifting the gears. The next ride we went on was the swings. The view from the swings was amazing!! I could see most of the city! During my time at Tivoli, I was reunited with my love for cracklin' fresh (the crispy outside of the pork) that I had in Berlin. My friend and I were so excited for it because we haven't seen cracklin' fresh anywhere since we went to Berlin. Of course, the pork sandwich with it was delicious! As our time continued at the park, we went on more rides. When the sun went down, my love for the park intensified. The different colored lights in the trees, on the rides and on the arches were so pretty. Around 10pm, the free concert came on, which we stayed to watch for a little. I loved my time at Tivoli and can say it was one of the best things I have done here!!

Entrance to China Town

View from the line of Demon

Gardens