Velkommen to København

It’s now been more than two months since I packed up my life in Sydney and moved to Europe for a semester. After spending three weeks eating my way through sunny Italy and Spain, I moved to Copenhagen to begin the final semester of my law degree at the Københavns Universitet (the University of Copenhagen). It’s now been over a month since I arrived on a rainy summer afternoon in Copenhagen (standard), and I’ve loved every minute of it.

I arrived four weeks before my law classes commenced as I chose to enrol in a Danish language course. This is provided free for international students by KU, and ran for three weeks. While it was tricky, starting my exchange early by enrolling in this course was an excellent way to meet other exchange students from outside of law and settle into life in Denmark. It was also a rare opportunity to spend more time in Copenhagen before the end of summer. Exploring the city with new friends after class each day was great. A highlight included discovering the best cinnamon scroll bakery in Copenhagen, which bakes scrolls fresh on Wednesdays.

Copenhagen has a vibrant culture, and there always seems to be something going on. Each weekend a new festival/opening/event pops up. Thus far I’ve been to a free outdoor music festival set in a park beside a castle, a harbour festival involving free canal rides, and Copenhagen Pride, without any particular effort to seek these events out. It has been as easy as simply riding into town and seeing what’s going on.

Moving to Copenhagen has necessarily led to my first time living out of home. This was daunting, but something I looked forward to. I was lucky enough to secure accommodation at arguably Copenhagen’s prettiest hall of residence, Tietgenkollegiet. I share a kitchen with 12 other people, 10 of which are Danish. The opportunity to mix with locals has been a highlight of my exchange experience so far. I have found my kitchen-mates warm and welcoming, and full of tips and tricks for navigating life in Copenhagen – although Copenhagen is very liveable and easy without local knowledge.

For the rest of my exchange, I look forward to exploring Copenhagen and Denmark, planning trips around Europe, and hosting friends and family who visit. I am shortly going to Munich for Oktoberfest, and have plenty of more destinations on my list. While I am not looking forward to the cold or the Danish weather I have heard so much about (incessant rain), I am excited for my first wintery Christmas. Based on my experience in Copenhagen, I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone thinking of going on exchange in Europe. It is fun, safe, modern, extremely liveable, albeit somewhat expensive (particularly eating out), and an excellent place to spend your weekends – or to use as a launch-pad to travel around.

Scott Preswick
11688342
Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Laws
Københavns Universitet
Denmark