Hello all! My name is Diana and I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my experiences with you all through this blog. I’m a Business Administration major concentrating in Marketing and looking to pursue a minor in Rhetoric and Communications, although I haven’t declared it yet. As the title of this post suggests, I’m going to study abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark this fall and am experiencing a whirlwind of emotions because of it. I’m beside myself with excitement, eager to begin my journey, curious about what the experience will bring me, and anxious about not being the least bit ready.
A year ago if you’d asked me to imagine what I would look like one week before studying in Denmark for four months I would conjure up an image of chaos. Flashes of lists would overwhelm me: ones of what to pack and buy while others would detail planned adventures to explore the continent. In this vision my room would be littered with piles of clothes and adapters and I would be engulfed in the packing nightmare every twenty-something endures before an extended trip with limited packing space.
Instead, I am sitting in the administration building at my job at a YMCA residential summer camp in Wakefield, RI (one of the two places on the property with full electricity and WiFi) at 11 pm waiting to return to a cabin full of sleeping adolescents. Not a bag is packed, no lists are made, and I’ve had minimal available brainpower to even realize how close I am to having the experience abroad that I hope will change my life. This is my thirteenth year at Camp Fuller and my fourth working at the place marked by rustic buildings, cabins with no walls or electricity, and amazing people from all over the world.
Where I’ve lived for the past twelve weeks. There are only half walls so the sides open up as flaps.
Where I spend my mornings docking up after driving the water skiing boat for a few hours
I’ve made countless memories at this place and most can be attributed to the people who have found there way here from places like Australia, New Zealand, Poland, England, Ireland, Spain, and South Africa. Each year, people from every corner of the world somehow find their way to this run-down camp in the smallest state the United States and experience the culture here—my culture. I’ve grown used to being the host to these world travelers. I feel confident explaining how things work and am comfortable being the host and facilitator of their experiences in my country. As the summer is slowly drawing to a close though, I am becoming very aware of the clock ticking towards the moment when the tables turn.
Here I am with Sara, a counselor from Denmark I’ve known for the past two years. I can’t wait to have her show me around her home country now. We’ve already planned to meet up and cook authentic Danish food!
To be honest, I feel like I’m going into this experience blind, and that only intensifies my anxiety and excitement. This will be my first time having a single room in a dorm for example. Will I get lonely? Will I be able to go back to having a roommate after experiencing this freedom? Copenhagen is notoriously expensive. Will I be able to budget myself? Will I have enough means to do everything I want to do? I’ve never lived in a city before and am so attached to my GPS I’d consider naming my first child Garmin. How many times will I get lost? Will I end up loving the city and dread my return home to suburbia?
My questions are endless but I know in a mere number of days I will start getting answers. It’s crazy to imagine myself trading in my staff shirts and one-piece bathing suits for a passport that will take me across Europe, but those are just the facts. I’m ready to kiss my comfort zone goodbye and immerse myself in a new place just as I have helped so many others do before me. It’s my turn to learn, to grow, to explore, and to be the one enlightened by a new people and culture and I can’t wait to have that chance.
Stay tuned!
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