Arianna Abroad

A Weekend in Düsseldorf

This past week has been a good one (who am I kidding, they’ve all been fantastic thus far!). Unfortunately, I don’t have much new information to share about Denmark this week. I attended classes as usual, hung out with friends, organized a few trips, etc.

The highlight of my week in Denmark was going to Tivoli Gardens for the first time. For those of you (likely most, if not all) unfamiliar with the name, Tivoli is a sort of amusement park located right in the middle of Copenhagen. The park is filled with all sorts of activities including rides, cafes, shows, concerts, garden areas, and more. It’s an adorable little destination for sure, and I’ve already got plans to go back this week! I wasn’t too occupied with taking pictures while I was there, so down below are the only three (low quality) photos I snapped.

However, although Tivoli was certainly the fun part of Copenhagen this week, I must say that my overall highlight was taking a trip to Düsseldorf, Germany for the weekend to visit with my dad! Even though it was a short trip, it was great getting to see him, while also getting to catch a glimpse of a new country. I’ll definitely be returning to Germany later on to see some more of it.

atop the Rheinturm, with Düsseldorf back behind us
posing with his Italian pizza

He even brought along a suitcase full of American foods for me! It’s nice having a familiar taste, but even more fun introducing the European students to some of my favorite U.S. snacks.

While there, we did some sightseeing in Düsseldorf along the coast of the Rhine River. We saw a lot of cool architecture and artwork around the town. The weather, although a bit fickle, was super pleasant in terms of temperature, which was quite convenient for our boat tour along the river! Down at the bottom of this page, you can see loads of pictures from our day around the city. That evening, after seeing the town, we drove out to Classic Remise, a converted warehouse that showcased tons of incredible classic cars. We even found a Stingray with a Texas license plate!

Needless to say, it was great getting to visit with my dad to ease a bit of homesickness, as well as a fantastic excuse to make an international trip. Now if only I could get the rest of my family here! Anyhow, I’ve probably already overloaded you with photos at this point, but if you feel drawn to seeing more of Düsseldorf, scroll down for plenty of additional photos.

Here, I’ll go ahead and end my entry for this week (my apologies for running a bit late on updating; I’ll be better this week :p). I hope you enjoy all these photos and keep checking in to hear about more of my experiences! Vi ses my friends. (:

we found a lot of beautiful artwork on the churches
Big Ben! wait.. wrong country..
the Burgplatz
some buildings were quite modern, others more historical
there was a lot of interesting art tucked around in the city
funky looking mural we saw while driving around the city
our cute little hotel in Neuss
gummy bears in our hotel! too cute to not share (:
the shadow of the Rheinturm hovering over the city

The Start of School

After the rush of the past few weeks settling in to Copenhagen and meeting other students at the social programs, this week was much more low-key. This past several days were the start of (the majority of) my classes:

Data Science: Data Driven Decision Making
Go-to Market Strategies for Start-ups
Marketing in Emerging Markets
Perspectives in Strategic Brand Management (which I won’t actually start until October)

Each of these classes thus far seem very unique and interesting, especially in an international context. The most challenging of these will likely be Data Science. I’m not quite an expert when it comes to computer science, but by the end of this semester, hopefully I’ll be much closer than before!

Otherwise, the rest of the classes don’t seem too far out of my expertise. It’s interesting talking about “emerging markets,” especially from a Danish perspective rather than that of the U.S. In the States, we see everything from a huge stance of power. Denmark, while very successful and very developed, is a much smaller world power, and thus brings some very unique perspectives. This is exemplified in many different ways throughout my classes.

Copenhagen especially is also very big on entrepreneurship. While many Americans view Denmark as a socialist country, it’s actually very much a booming capitalist hub, but with extensive government programs. It seems the Danes know what they’re doing when it comes to this. Innovation and disruptiveness is encouraged in the business world, as is evident through the many programs and conferences hosted here. An example of that is Techfestival, the conference “where humans and technology meet.”

https://techfestival.co/news/articles/thats-a-wrap/

Thousands of people gathered in Copenhagen to participate in this conference, hearing from keynote speakers, viewing exhibits of meaningful innovations in tech, and connecting with other likeminded individuals.

The rest of my week, I’ve been settling down more, getting used to grocery runs, meal prepping for the week, and other typical college student activities. Below are a few sights around where I live. Earlier in the week, everyone on my floor of the residence came together and made a big dinner to share. It was great getting to hang out with everyone and get to know them a little better. We each shared music from our country, which was a fun addition to the party. We have people from the Phillipines, India, Italy, Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands. It’s always intriguing to interact with someone from another country, but even better when you get a whole group of people from all over the place. Regardless of where we came from, everyone came together in one place to have a great dinner and hang out with each other.

On a side note, I will admit that I’ve been missing home with all of my family and friends. Here I’ll drop a quick shoutout to the friends that FaceTimed me this week: Sarah, Chris, Isaih, and briefly (although not pictured), Nash. However, who I may be missing the most out of everyone back home is my niece and nephews. Yesterday, Amelia had her 3rd birthday party! She’s growing up much too fast for me to be okay with. In other news, I’m still quite sad that I have yet to meet our newest family addition, Charlie. But I can tell even from the other side of the world that this little guy is adorable and perfect as could be. And finally, little Benjamin’s highlight is his new A&M hat! It has been much easier to convince my brother to hop on board the TAMU train, but we’ll keep working on the rest of the family. 😉

Ben Ben and his new A&M hat!
An old but precious picture of me and my Milly bug
Little baby Charlie
Just a few of my wonderful friends back in College Station. Don’t have too much fun without me!

While my past week has been more laid back, the end of the week was celebrated with a mini vacation. On Sunday, we took a day trip into Sweden. The city of Malmö is only about an hour’s train ride from Copenhagen, across the Øresund strait, also known as “The Sound.” A great excuse to see a bit of another Scandinavian country! Malmö was a very fun city, with lots of sights to see and also some great food to be eaten. Top that all off with some great friends to accompany and I can wholeheartedly say that it was a fantastic day in Sweden! Scroll down to see a ridiculous amount of pictures.

This vegetarian lasagna was honestly one of the best lasagnas I’ve had in my life. Seriously.
Courtesy of “Raw Food House”
What’s better than ice cream? Ice cream in Sweden.

And with that, I’ll conclude my post for this week. So much has happened in the past three weeks and I expect so much more to keep happening. Great things are going on in Denmark and I’m so happy that I get to share my experience with all of you. For now, have a great week and don’t forget to check in next time for my weekly update!

Intro Week

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. (:

Settling In

My first week in Copenhagen has been quite busy, but full of fun times. Throughout the past week, I have been taking Danish lessons, so that I at least know a bit of the local language- asking for directions, ordering from a menu, introducing myself, etc. I even got a nifty certificate upon completion of the course! This week has flown by so quickly but simultaneously, it feels as if I have been here for ages.

During the past week, after my Danish classes during the day, we had social programs at night, where we could mix and mingle with some of the other exchange students. Those events provided fantastic opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Just in my Danish course alone, I got to meet people from England, Germany, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands. At the social programs, I met new people from countless other countries as well. Everyone has been very sociable and friendly thus far.

The first night, we all took part in Danish “hygge.” For those of you unfamiliar with the term (likely many of you, if not all), it refers to a general sense of coziness and wellbeing. The night was focused on interaction and getting to know one another, while trying out various types of “smørrebrød,” which is an open-faced sandwich made on rye bread. This was a nice introduction to some typical Danish food and also a great way to meet some of the other exchange students.

I discovered one of my new favorite flavors — elderberry.

The following day, we went out to a bowling alley. Apparently, Europeans expect Americans to be good at bowling, because they “see us do it in the movies all the time!” I found this to be a funny unexpected stereotype. For those of you wondering… no, I did not live up to their expectations. However, I did get to socialize with many more exchange students, as well as with some of the local Danish students from CBS.

On Wednesday, we all took part in an International Buffet, where we brought foods representative of our country (or state if you chose to be specific). Being the proud Texan that I am, I made queso and guacamole, which frankly stood out a bit from the rest of the American dishes. However, not 15 minutes into the buffet, I noticed that every last bit of my guacamole was gone, and I continued to receive compliments on both dishes throughout the night and following days!

an interesting mural near my student housing

Thursday night was more low-key; we had a game night and more opportunity to converse with others. I recognized very few of the games, so I suppose Europeans have different interests in that area.

Finally, on Friday, we had a fantastic time hanging out at the Generator Hostel. The place had shuffleboard, pentanque, and other games to play, but more importantly, the hostel featured an “ice bar.” One room in the bar was made completely of ice. Even the glasses that they served drinks in were made of ice. A few of my recently uploaded Instagram photos showcase an ice throne as well (sneak peek below). Needless to say, this was quite an interesting experience for this warm-weather Texan. I definitely was impressed by the design and upkeep of this “ice bar,” but was very happy to exit back into the comfortable Copenhagen weather (which usually lies in the 60s, or 70s at the hottest).

suffered through the cold to get this picture..

It has been an incredible first week and I can’t wait to see what this semester has in store. Even just my first experiences have been amazing, and I am confident that I will certainly learn many things from this trip and from the people I meet. This next week starts orientation activities and my first class on Thursday! Wish me luck. (:

For now, vi ses!

First Impressions

Hello all!

My last few days have been a whirlwind. On August 13, I set off on the beginning of my adventure, flying first into London. This city, while incredibly busy, was so full of life and culture.

This past summer, I visited New York City. After that trip, I realized why people say America is a melting pot; but, in London, there really are people from anywhere and everywhere all in one place. It’s incredible to see the different cultures all coming together. It’s also very humbling to realize how small your own culture is when there are so many others out there. Makes me very excited to be in a new place experiencing a new culture!

While in London, we didn’t have much free time between flights, but we did get to do a bit of sightseeing. The photo below is my view from the London Eye (a huge observation wheel that gives a stunning view over the city).

All I can say about this is: wow. Incredible sights of an incredible city.

Unfortunately, a key piece to the London skyline- Big Ben- was under construction. So, while we didn’t get to see that, we did stop by Westminster Abbey and, of course, had to take that ever-classic telephone booth photo.

While our stay was only a couple of days, it was a great glimpse into the buzzing city of London. I look forward to visiting this town more later on!

Earlier this morning, we hopped on a plane and completed the journey to Copenhagen. I have since moved into my apartment and explored a bit of the city around me. I am so very excited to really experience the Danish culture over the next several months. It’s a bit intimidating to be in a completely strange place with no previous connections, but it’s really an opportunity for me to break out in new ways. Photo below is the building I am living in.

Here goes the beginning of a crazy new adventure!
Stay tuned ’til next week for more details about my first week here in Copenhagen. (:

Welcome!

Howdy! Welcome to my travel blog.

I am Arianna, a student at Texas A&M University, currently studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. I am originally from Texas, USA, but have discovered an incredible love for travelling and experiencing new cultures. I have gone on several study abroad trips in the past, visiting Ecuador, Lithuania, and the Dominican Republic. Through those trips, I have grown in ways that truly shape me to be who I am today.

Because of this newfound love, I have developed a passion for international experience in the workplace. I am currently in a Master of Science in Marketing program, but am additionally getting certificates in International Business and International Communication & Public Diplomacy. Due to my international background, I now have a desire for a career that employs my love of new experiences and challenges as well as my business expertise.

Now, I am embarking on a new journey in Denmark. I’ll use this blog to post regular updates about my experiences in Copenhagen, as well as the other countries I’ll visit during my time in Europe. I hope these posts give you a glimpse into the unique cultures around this incredible world that we live in.

I’m very excited to share this experience with you! Thank you for reading. (: