This weekend concludes the “intro week” at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). If you thought my first week was busy, this week was even more packed with activities and events. Not only was there more for me to attend, but also, around 400 new exchange students arrived this week.
I started the week off on Monday, attending a “Comedy Night” led by two Canadians and a German. The night consisted mainly of jokes against different nationalities– mostly Americans. Unfortunately, we are an easy target, as it would seem. Although Americans were the brunt of the jokes that night, in all of my other conversations, I didn’t find that anyone held any real contempt for the U.S., which was a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t quite sure what people’s expectations and stereotypes of Americans were, but everyone I met either had positive or funny expectations about us.
Of course, being from Texas, I was asked about some very cliche perceptions. However, it did seem to delight some German boys that my family owned a pickup truck and a tractor, and that we enjoy having bonfires and dancing to country music. One of said German boys was absolutely taken with country music, and had even made a trip to Texas before to attend a music festival. He was so proud to tell me about his cowboy boots and bolo tie. I had a long conversation with these boys about various Texan stereotypes and traditions, and they seemed absolutely enthralled to hear about what I previously thought of as normal practices. It was fun to be a specimen of sorts to them, to explain a life that is unique from their culture and interesting to hear about. Not only have I learned about some very interesting experiences from people all around the world, but also, I have gotten to share a little piece of myself with these friends.
On Tuesday, I attended a Courses and Exams lecture, which described the format of courses here at CBS. Rather than the typical American structure (homework, quizzes, midterms, etc. all determining your grade), there is one final exam at the end of the course that determines your grade for the semester. Only slightly intimidating! A few of the pictures below show my views of campus on the walk home.
That night, we got to witness (and participate in) Danish Folk Dancing. Although the tradition is no longer common, there are some people who like to keep it relevant. This may have been one of the funniest events of the week, seeing everyone spinning in circles, skipping around, and swinging their partners to the old Danish band. Even as a dancer, I’ll admit I had a bit of trouble keeping up. Below, you can see a bit of the dancers’ performance to us.
Wednesday night’s Canal Tour… There’s just something about cruising through the canals of Copenhagen on a boat full of friends with party music blasting that does something absolutely fantastic for your mental state. Not only was it awesome to see some of the great sights of Copenhagen, but also, it was made even more fantastic by seeing the sun set over the city as we cruised around the canals. This city is beautiful, and unique in so many ways. As we toured the city from the water, I found myself immensely happy to call it home for this semester. This city will certainly leave an impact on me, and I can’t wait to see how it shapes my future.
Thursday afternoon started my first day of classes. I began a Data Science course, in which I’ll be learning R programming and various mathematical optimization models. How exciting does that sound? Aside from the grading structure, lectures didn’t seem too different from those I would sit through back home at TAMU, so I’m not too stressed about settling in to that. Tomorrow, I’ll begin some more exciting courses.
Thursday night, we had a “Buddy Party,” where we got to spend a great night out with our CBS assigned buddies: local students that volunteered to help study abroad students with settling in. This was a great night to get to know one another and experience some of the Danish nightlife. While the city may not be as loud and buzzing as, for example, New York City, the locals certainly know how to have fun on a night out.
The following night, we watched what I may consider the worst movie I have seen in my life. “Klovn,” a popular Danish film, is a sitcom that showcases the ever-eventful life of Danish man Frank and his friend Casper. I can say with all certainty that this film would receive immense backlash in the States, but likely have a group of viewers that found it to be the most hilarious thing they’d seen. An example I might use as a comparison is the U.S. movie “Dumb and Dumber.” While some people find it to be peak comedy, others find it gross and a waste of time to watch. I can guess that many people would likely have the same reaction to Klovn. Regardless, it was interesting to get a glimpse into Danish film culture, which incorporated many examples of what life is like in Copenhagen.
Saturday night, we finished off intro week with a fantastic event. First, we all attended a Great Gatsby themed dinner party, where we sipped champagne and walked the red carpet as if we were the classiest people in Denmark. After a fun dinner consisting of various Danish dishes, we headed out to an after party. One thing I can say about the social events is that no matter where you are from, in the end, we all know how to have fun with one another. This was perhaps the simplest, but most obvious example I saw that ultimately, we are all humans with a great capacity to love one another.
I have had a fantastic first two weeks in Copenhagen and absolutely can’t wait to see where the rest of this semester takes me. As for now, wish me luck on beginning the rest of my classes this week!
So long, Adios, Au revoir, and Vi ses to my readers. Stay tuned for an update next week. (:
Arianna Abroad 
Love these updates! ❤️
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