Skip to content

Study Abroad Round Two

By ZoNaseef

I am studying with DIS- Danish Institute for Study Abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. I have been studying here since August, but by October I loved it so much that I decided to stay. I went home for winter break and have now been back for about two weeks. I am still adjusting to returning and having to make new friends all over again since most of the friends I met last semester were only here for the fall.

At first being abroad was a pretty lonely experience, even though I made new friends right away, it was hard to be so far from my family and friends who I had known for longer than a week. I felt a lot more comfortable and connected to Copenhagen when I began to meet and hangout with Danes. I went to improv comedy workshops at the Improv Comedy Copenhagen (ICC) Theater and I’ve made great friends from there.

The ICC Theater and Café is a café by day and an improv training center, and theater for shows by night. The café and shows are volunteer run from making coffee, to selling tickets and operating the lights, etc. I am volunteering with them by photographing/filming the shows, as well as working at the café during the day. The purchases from the café go to the costs of maintaining a theater space.

It is very important for me to give my time there because it has meant so much to my study abroad experience. The people I have met there have really become like a family to me. Many have invited me over to have dinner with their actual family. It has really helped me acclimate myself to being here and have a more authentic experience but learning from the locals. It is also a very important part of the local community since it is the only English speaking comedy space in Denmark and provides a lot of fun for tourists, and immigrants, from all over.

Overall, Copenhagen is a great place to live and study. The DIS campus is in the heart of the city with plenty of shops and cafes in walking distance. The Danes are pretty reserved people so public spaces such as cafes and the metro are often much quieter than what I am used to from being in major U.S. cities. Some people complain that they find that hostile but I really like the laid back and quiet nature of the city. I am very excited to be back and have four more months here!