Budapest put lightly is a seriously great city. It has stunning buildings, great nightlife and an array of wonderful people you will quickly get to know in this small city. I would recommend it to anyone that would like to come on exchange here. The university is quite a lot different from UTS however they do have a big exchange program so are always extremely accommodating and willing to help you out. As I stated the exchange program, not just in BME but also all the other university’s is quite large compared to what I have seen in Sydney so there is lots of young like minded people from all around the world you will soon become friends with. Most of the courses you will study will be with only exchange students as they are generally the only courses taught in English.
Recreationally, Budapest has a great deal to offer. There are plenty of sports programs with the university, multiple parks, great architecture and a very unique nightlife. The main party district has an unbelievable amount of bars all within a super close proximity, with different things on every night of the week. Jam sessions, comedy, painting, exhibitions and much more. You will never be short of things to do. Another thing that will keep you active is the price of everything. Budapest is quite an inexpensive place, a beer will generally cost you about $2 out at a bar and $1 in a shop and a nice meal never more than $10. The cost of living also means you can travel a lot more. Hungary being in the middle of Eastern Europe means it can be super quick and cheap to jet off to other places for a weekend. I just got back from a long weekend snowboarding in Slovakia and plan on doing Poland and the Czech Republic.
Lastly though don’t forget to bring some warm clothes, it can get quite cold here in winter. We had a week of -10 straight and I can surely say that I’m not used to that coming from Australia. But I have been told that it will start warming up soon so pack a little of both. Also it is a good idea to enrol in the Hungarian beginners course as not everyone is great at English and locals always appreciate you trying.
Viszlat….
Jed Vernon 12615896 Bachelor of Design in Architecture Budapest University of Technology & Economics Hungary
So, you want to go on exchange to the Netherlands and think that Erasmus University, Rotterdam might be the university for you. But you’re a bit worried– going on exchange is a big commitment and involves a lot more than just packing your bags and flying across the world. You have to consider aspects such as finances, housing, visas and adjusting to a whole new culture when making a decision to go abroad and it can get quite overwhelming!
Though daunting, preparing for exchange is a lot easier than you might think! Erasmus University and UTS both have amazing resources to ensure that you are completely prepared for your trip abroad. In fact, even if you haven’t applied to go on exchange the Erasmus University website (which I have linked at the end) is a great start to get a grasp on what is involved when going on exchange including information on the cost of living, how housing is arranged at Erasmus and even getting a side job while you study. The website also has a cool “Scroll through campus” page which gives you a great insight into student life and the campus layout at Erasmus.
Once you’ve done your initial research and decided to apply for Erasmus, your main support will be the international officers at both UTS and Erasmus University. I was lucky enough to have Carlotta as my exchange officer at UTS and she has been amazing to me throughout the whole application process. She answered all my stupid and confusing questions as well as aided me in clearing up all the problems I had regarding subject selection. Ellen from Erasmus was also great as she quickly answered any questions that I had. After being accepted Ellen provided me with so many useful documents surrounding setting up all your university portal logins and a document that contained basic info on other students who are also on exchange. Erasmus also organises for you to have an exchange ambassador, a student who will help you get adjusted to life in the Netherlands and at Erasmus University. In addition, a brunch was held to introduce all the new international students to each other (which was an awesome way of making friends).
Also, as not all things can be answered clearly in pamphlets and websites I thought I would leave you some useful advice about studying at Erasmus University which I found quite hard to find:
Student housing is for students who will be studying for at least 4 months. As a trimester is only 3 months, it’s quite unlikely you will find accommodation at the university unless you are going for two trimesters.
As Erasmus operates under trimesters, they give each subject slightly less credit points than they do here at UTS. Typically, each subject is only worth 3-5 ECTS meaning that you will need to enrol into 4-5 subjects just to equate studying 3 subjects at UTS.
Beware that Erasmus University only offers specific subjects for each trimester. This means that your subject choice is limited as you must make sure that the subjects you choose are running during the same time of year.
Hopefully you found this blog informative and you decide to visit the Netherlands. It is a beautiful country which a different style and vibe in each city and it is so much more than just tulips and windmills. All the best for your time abroad =)!
There’s food everywhere! You can’t walk 5 meters without spotting another place to eat! It’s been almost three weeks since I arrived to Bangkok and for one, I can tell you I haven’t gone hungry.
More importantly, I haven’t been dehydrated either. You’d think us Aussies would be well equipped to heat, but 33 degrees with high humidity is another ball game. Fortunately, where there’s food, there’s smoothies! And I’m talking about $2 smoothies of any fruit imaginable. I’m already a member of a local smoothie shop outside my apartment and I’m halfway through my stamp collection to receiving a free one. #savingthebigbucks
But let’s rewind a couple of weeks to before my smoothie stamp collection, before I started uni, before I knew what kob kun ka meant and back to my first weekend in Bangkok.
With no pun intended, my first weekend started with a bang. I had landed in the middle of the biggest festival of the year: Songkran, aka Thai New Year. This was the one weekend where you’ll see most shops closed and at least half of Bangkok’s 8 million population out on the street and armed with water guns. Songkran is a time of renewal, visiting the family and welcoming in the New Year. In other words, this means a city-wide water fight.. Actually make that a country-wide water fight. (Water = renewal = water fight? Obviously.) It’s three days of non-stop celebrating where the whole country comes out to play. I’m still surprised that only a month ago I had never even heard of such a huge celebration, one that I would easily put on par with Brazil’s Carnival or Germany’s Oktoberfest. I saw traditional dance, ate great food, played with complete strangers and really came face first with Thai culture.
Once Songkran celebrations had settled, it was time to get to more serious business. The start of the trimester. Being the only Sydneysider in town wasn’t a problem. With 40 other exchange students from around the world starting the trimester with me, Mahidol made the orientation process easy. They took us to a famous theatre show – Siam Niramit, which gave us an entertaining recap of Thai history. This included of course, plenty of food, and awareness into the Thai way of life. We were then given our timetables for the trimester, as well as our uniforms. (Yes I just wrote uniform.) We were all set for class.
So far class has been great! Firstly, I just have to mention my awe at the level of English the students have. These Thai-born students speak better than me! As soon as class starts, everything switches to English and out come the very clear American and British accents from someone who, two seconds previously, was making a joke in thai. So class discussion is easy and so is making local friends! I have plenty of group projects coming up and everyone is more than welcome to have me on board.
Now with a week of uni ahead of me, pad thai to eat and of course my smoothie stamp collection to grow, I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the trimester.
Oh and btw, Kob kun ka means thank you!
Jacinta Spies 11693759 Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) and International Studies Mahidol University Thailand
Australian Government New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient.
Why Denmark? I’ve been hearing that question a lot recently. Apart from the great architecture, the culture has always interested me and here’s some of the things I’ve experienced in my first couple of months of exchange.
The general culture of Denmark is quite laid back and it didn’t feel terribly foreign from what I’m used back home but the Danes have an extra layer of friendliness, most are more than willing to help you out – especially when you are lost in the Copenhagen metro/train station… You only have to ask and they are willing to lend you a hand.
I’m studying in Aarhus which is a smaller city north west of Copenhagen and it is honestly the most adorable place I’ve been to yet; the centre is so easy and nice to walk around and there are so many hidden gems. Even on the colder days there is always something cosy about the city. So far, the architecture school has been great; the tutors know an incredible amount and the studios are a nice environment to be in. The way in which the course is run is different to the way in which Sydney works; there is more time to work through the design, as well as the site study trip to Athens. It is one thing to design on a site but to go to it and experience what is happening in the city that it is in, is a wonderful experience and it is also very easy to fly around Europe.
Up to now, all the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had will definitely be fondly remembered to a long time to come. I have already learnt so much about the culture already and loving exchange, so why not?
Shauna Trengrove 98128147 Bachelor of Design in Architecture Aarhus School of Architecture Denmark
The opportunity to go on exchange is one that despite only starting 2 weeks prior to now, has already presented its unique challenges and opportunities. Such opportunities include that of language learning and cultural immersion. The Hakodate campus of the Hokkaido University of Education is very small compared to my home university in Australia (University of Technology Sydney). There are fewer students and classrooms, however I have noticed that this has resulted in higher levels of support being able to be provided to students. This is through wonderful programs such as student and tutor mentor programs. It also includes the presence of multiple teachers’ aides to assist those students whose first language isn’t Japanese. At first, the prospect of selecting classes seemed rather daunting (considering that the timetables provided were different and written in a different language), however the kindness and support provided by others diminished the perceived magnitude of such a task.
Living in a share house is another wonderful experience that exchange has introduced me to. My housemates are all from different countries around the world and so the only common language for most of us is Japanese. I have greatly enjoyed this challenge and have been trying to speak only in Japanese when talking to my housemates. It has enabled me to learn many new words and increase my listening skills despite being only 2 weeks into exchange.
Hokkaido University of Education- Hakodate Campus
Before coming on exchange, I was aware that a big aspect of Japanese Culture is dedication in relation to both study and work. However, since coming to Japan and experiencing the Club (or ‘circle’) Orientation Day, I have realised that similar emphasis is placed on extra-curricular activities. Everyone at my university seems to be a member of at least one club or society and at yesterday’s Orientation Day, each club presented to the first years and exchange students with videos, performances and demonstrations, showcasing their passion for their particular club or society. Dedication is a value that I have realised permeates every aspect of Japanese life. To fully immerse myself in university life I have decided to enter two ‘circles’, the Children’s Volunteer circle and the Basketball circle. The Children’s Volunteer circle engages with local children in various activities, games and events. I thought this would not only be very enjoyable but beneficial for me as I would like to become a primary school teacher.
In addition, I am greatly enjoying being able to focus solely on learning Japanese and studying it as my major this semester. In Australia, my major is Primary Education and I study Japanese as a concurrent Diploma and so I am greatly enjoying this opportunity to fully immerse myself in Japanese life, language and culture!
Hakodate Port Area
Rachel Foster 99144812 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education Hokkaido University of Education Japan
Australian Government New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant recipient.
If you were to ask me why I would return to Shanghai, my straight up answer would be for the food.
$6 for 12 steamed pork, soup dumplings (Xiaolongbao) from Jia Jia Tang Bao
It was delicious, as well as cheap. $4 for fried rice prepared right in front of you, $6 for 12 traditionally-made dumplings, $13 per person for Korean-BBQ, and the list goes on. Why would you need a kitchen inShanghai when there’s so much good food around?
Besides the food, travelling to Shanghai was an experience of a lifetime. Not only because this was my first time away without parents (freedom!), but because of the amazing things I got to see and learn. You realise how much more independent you have to become, like packing your bags to make everything fit, trying not to get lost and (attempting) to keep a budget. But hey, that’s all part of the fun and adventure. And once you get a taste of exploration, you’d want to be arranging your next travel plans very soon.
MODULE
The ‘Doing Business in China’ module broadened my understanding of the country’s business environment. Our lectures were on Chinese Business Culture, Economics and Innovation and Entrepreneurship, followed by site visits to three Chinese incubators. I learned that there are over 500+ incubators in Shanghai alone, with the government encouraging its citizens to take on entrepreneurship as a career path. Even the teachers were passionate about connecting with SILC-UTS students and prompting them to start a business in China. It would be a crazy mission to find something that would suit a population of over 1 billion people, let alone Shanghai’s population of around 24 million people (equivalent to Australia’s population), but who knows what the future holds. With big risks come (possibly) big fortunes!
I also had the chance to meet new people and make friends from UTS, Shanghai, UK, and Germany universities. They were great companions to venture out with to restaurants, shopping centres and pretty much anywhere in Shanghai. Plenty of laughs and fun to share!
TRANSPORT
Inside their trains during non-peak hour
We also had tours and lots of free time to explore Shanghai on our own will. In terms of transport, buses were hired for tours, but we mainly used the efficient metro system to get around the city. Trains came every three minutes, cost less than $1 and they were extremely fast. Let’s hope CityRail reads this too.
There were also cheap and quick taxi services, with DD being the main application to order taxis (it is like Uber). They have lots of great applications but most of them require that you can read and understand Chinese.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
Shanghai offers a range of wondrous sights, ranging from their main tourist attraction, The Bund, to the bustling markets near Yu Gardens. For me, everything was a sight to see as the environment is very different from a typical Sydney street. There are many small stores, different types of restaurants and food choices and sometimes you wonder if you will ever see blue sky (and yes, we eventually did). Some places I went to include…
The Bund
A waterfront area looking over the Huangpu River towards Shanghai’s financial hub. The best time to visit is on a clear night, where you get to see all the bright coloured lights, glimmering over the water’s edge. I went on a very smoggy day, so I wasn’t able to get the best panorama shots, but it was still worth the view.
East Nanjing Road
Shop ‘till you drop along Shanghai’s main shopping district. Here there are many major fashion brands including H&M, Uniqulo, Forever 21, Nike, Adidas, etc. You can spend an entire day here just roaming through the stores, seeing what China fashion has to offer.
Shanghai World Tower
The world’s 2nd tallest tower, with 118 levels. I went right before sunset to catch a glimpse of Shanghai while there was still light and I stayed until night fell and the city lit up.
A quick tip – make sure to bring your Student ID as you get tickets for 50RMB cheaper!
Yu Gardens
Built more than 400 years ago during the Ming Dynasty, this garden puts on a display of natural beauty and artistry. If you love getting up close to nature, this is the place for you! Beyond the garden, there is a bustling marketplace where you can get a taste of street food, see Shanghai’s traditional buildings and perhaps grab some souvenirs. I was able to eat a crab soup dumpling and Tang Yuan (sweet rice balls with black sesame filling). Heaps to eat and heaps to do!
Tianzifang
A residential area within the French Concession (originally designated for the French), this place is home to restaurants, bars and small shops (great for souvenirs). I devoured their fried cheese and sausage hot-dogs, a whole coconut cut out of its shell and long potato chips drizzled with tomato sauce – all DELICIOUS! There were also some creative dumplings shaped like animals, flowers and other objects; I never got to try them but they looked cute and sweet!
Disneyland
In all honesty, all your Disney dreams won’t come crashing down if you don’t get a chance to visit Disneyland. Since it was peak season (summer holidays for Shanghai students), the waiting lines were crazy (about 8 hours of my day was spent waiting in line). Not to mention the searing heat and amount of people that were there, my Disneyland fun was slightly tainted. Even getting there at 6.30am in the morning didn’t save my friends and I from the crowds, and by the end of it we had become pools of sweat and we were exhausted. There were still heaps of great things to experience like the night-time fireworks and the awesome animatronics, but if you are a thrill-seeker like me, perhaps Happy Valley would be your amusement park of choice instead.
FOOD
My motto in China: “If it looks good and its cheap, get it”. Food was the least of my worries in Shanghai – walk down the street and there was bound to be something tasty. Their popular convenience store chain “Family Mart” was everywhere, selling bread, fish balls on skewers, steamed buns, drinks, ice-cream, microwave-meals and much, much more. My food highlights included…
Yi Dian Dian
Best. Bubble. Tea. Ever. I had it about 5 times because it was so damn good and cheap (about $3 for a large). There were also other sweets you could add to the tea like ice-cream and cream cheese, which I suggest you try (cause they’re good too!). Coming back to Australia, I am now disappointed with all bubble tea stores 😥 .
Hidiliao
Never have I had such an amazing hot-pot place in my life. This place provided one of the best restaurant services I had ever seen, offering drinks and snacks while my friends and I were waiting for a seat, hand massages and a chance to make paper crane origami (for everyone you make, you get 0.5 yuan off your meal). When we got our table, we were given an apron, glasses wipes, a hair-tie and a seal-lock bag for our phone. Staff always tended to our needs and the food was delicious. Though, be careful when selecting a spicy hot-pot – we ordered the least spicy pot and it still burnt our throats!
Shanghai’s Starbucks Roastery
If you’re a coffee connoisseur, check out the largest Starbucks in the world! This two-level building offers much more than your regular expresso – mouth-watering pastries and desserts, different fusions of tea and coffee + ice-cream. It’s definitely a nice place to go with some mates to chill and chat over some good food and beverages.
More Random Food Pics to Make You Hungry
SUMMARY
Shanghai offers many sights and activities so you won’t get bored (or hungry) during your stay. Something I regret is not being able to travel to the outskirts and see the traditional life of Shanghai in comparison to the bustling city life. You will be limited on time (I was lucky I had booked for another week) to see more of Shanghai, so either spend a few more days before or after the program if you want to experience more of China or choose wisely where you really want to go.
It’s been just over two months since I arrived in Uppsala, after a long 42-hour journey from Sydney to Uppsala. The first craziest moment I had was leaving Sydney on one of the hottest days at 40 degrees Celsius and then arriving at Arlanda Airport, Sweden, at -5 degree Celsius, just a little shock to the system you could say!
The first day in Uppsala
Uppsala University is Sweden’s oldest university and is located in the 4th largest city. It’s such a gorgeous city; full of history, and everyone is friendly here. It was a big shift from Sydney to Uppsala, with the biggest shift in climate. SNOW! I saw snow for the first time here, which was one of the most magical moments of my life! It was fun playing spot the Australian, cause every time it snowed just the slightest, all the Aussies would be out taking photos and playing in the snow. If you plan on coming here in the winter, make sure you have good shoes with you, I brought my 6-year-old doc martens (the soles were completely worn) and you could say I slipped a lot on the snow and ice. One of my favourite Swedish traditions that I love is fika, basically taking a break and having coffee and cake with some friends.
Uppsala cathedral and Fyris River that cuts through Uppsala
Settling into uni life couldn’t have gone any more smoothly. Uppsala Uni has the famous student nations, which are student-run societies that organise all sorts of activities and nights out, and you can become a member of a nation/s to receive benefits. The first nation run event I went to was the walking tour of Uppsala, where I met most of my friends! Definitely a must if you plan on coming here. I ended up joining Stockholm and Södermanlands-Nerikes (Snerikes) nations. I was also able to attend my first Gasque, which is a formal dinner where you sing songs, eat traditional Swedish food, and there are some strict rules you have to follow, such as the certain way you clink your glass.
Ice Skating at Selknä with some of the friends I made on the walking tour
It’s been an absolute blast these past two months, meeting so many people from all over the globe. I’ve been away to Gdansk – Poland, Swedish Lapland (On my birthday woo), Narvik – Norway, with people I’ve just meet and soon to be going to St Petersburg, Helsinki and Tallinn in a weeks time, something I would never have dreamed of doing! I would highly recommend doing the Lapland trip, it is honestly amazing – dog sledding, snowmobiling, northern lights, arctic swim, feeding reindeers, meeting the sami people, ice hotel, something you can’t experience any where else in the world.
Gdansk, Poland – such a beautiful city, would definitely recommend visiting
Swedish Lapland
Swedish Lapland
Narvik, Norway
If you are worried about exchange cause you’re shy or nervous, don’t worry, I was in the exact same boat and it couldn’t have gone any better, I made friends very easily and settled in just fine! I was very fortunate to have three other UTS students at Uppsala as well, so we all had each other.
Just do it, you won’t regret exchange, I promise you! If you have any questions, send them to me at: Marnie.R.White@student.uts.edu.au
P.S. Remember to bring Vegemite.
Walking in Abisko National Park
Marnie White 99144646 Bachelor of Environmental Biology Uppsala University Sweden
I am writing this blog exactly 2 months into my exchange at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and I could not be happier! Bike-riding, snow, blue skies, stroopwafels, a lot of beer and easy access to the rest of Europe – I have experienced it all! Tilburg is a gorgeous small town situated in the south of the Netherlands very close to the Belgian border and only about a 1.5 hour train ride to Amsterdam. Situated in this university town you quickly get to know both the locals and your fellow exchange students. There are 272 exchange students at Tilburg University this semester (and usually about 450 in the summer session) so there is always someone new to meet and never-ending social activities. The I*ESN club throws parties every Tuesday night (so try to not plan any classes for Wednesday mornings) and multiple trips throughout the semester including ski trips, trips to Poland and trips to see the famous Dutch tulips and windmills. Orientation week in Tilburg consisted of TOP week where we had a different themed party every night, pub crawls, multiple daytime activities and a crazy cantus (a typical Dutch tradition of a huge room filled with 1,200 young people drinking endless jugs of beer at long tables and singing along to a live band).
If you are going to come to Tilburg then you must stay at the international housing, Verbs (book your room as soon as the opportunity arises as they fill in minutes!). With 17 people per floor, 3 showers, 2 toilets and 1 shared common room/kitchen you are certainly in for a treat! Before coming here I thought HOW AWFUL and whilst the floor may always be a little sticky from beer, there are constant arguments over who left their dishes in the sink and endless messages about who can buy more toilet paper, Verbs is the best place to meet people from all over the world! With 17 people it is never quiet or lonely as there is always someone to chat to and a party at Verbs almost everyday of the week. On my floor I am lucky enough to live with people from Finland, Norway, Slovakia, Brazil, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Spain, Hungary, Sweden and Mexico! We have regular cook-offs where people share their favorite dishes from home (including a lot of taco nights) and there is also a resident mouse called Jepotto (he is very cute I promise)! Verbs is about a 15 minute bike ride into town, a 3 minute walk to the local train station and a 2 minute bike ride to the university (and the local Albert Heijn supermarket making for perfect late night snacks or alcohol runs) so it is so cheap to get around. Everyone rides their bikes into town and back home (somewhat straightly) when we go out for dinner, parties, pubs, clubbing and cantus’ which is always a barrel of laughs and so much fun (although a little freezing in –2 degree weather). There are so many pubs and clubs in town so you will not get bored of going out (including the exchange association run club, Carpe Noctem).
Tilburg has given me the opportunity to travel almost every weekend. So far I have been to Amsterdam, the Hague, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Cologne, Antwerp, Bruges and the UK! I have plans to travel to Spain, Morocco and Malta soon so save your money as you will have plenty of time to explore Europe with your newfound exchange friends!
Tilburg is small with a big heart and a whole heap of wonderful exchange students and I could not recommend it more. I am so grateful to be here and LOVE everything this beautiful town has to offer! So get on your bike and come see Tilburg, I promise you will not be disappointed and you will make friends for life!
If you have any questions at all please feel free to send me through an email (Isabel.p.owen@student.uts.edu.au) and I would be more than happy to help!
Isabel Owen 12401636 Juris Doctor Tilburg University The Netherlands
Guten Tag. I’m currently on Global Exchange at Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany and have been here for just under 2 weeks now. It’s a small town located 3 hours south of Berlin and is famous for its arts, music and literature culture. Weimar towards the end of the 18th century was the centre of German arts and culture and is also famous as it held one of the biggest concentration camps in Germany called Buchewald.
Bauhaus University has made the experience of moving to a new country an easy transition with many welcoming events including a pub crawl, a trip to the Buchewald concentration camp, Trips to neighbouring cities and many more group activities.
At the moment all the international students are taking part in a three week German intensive course and before our classes start. I’m really looking forwarded to starting my Masters of Architecture here at the Bauhaus after being inspired by all the history that surrounds the city and to collaborate with other international architecture students.
For a small Town the nightlife in Weimar is very fibrate with something different on every night ranging from small Jazz bars to large clubs and everything inbetween. The local beer can be as cheap as 1 Euro and a bratwurst sausage is never to far out of sight for 2 Euro.
At the moment the weather is around –8 to 0 degrees and makes for a interesting walk to university in the morning. When the weather warms up, the city of Weimar comes alive and many locals enjoying playing games in the park and having barbecues. I’m really looking forwarded to the summer here in Weimar.
Lachlan Mclean 12020727 Masters of Architecture Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany
Without realising, almost two months have passed since I first began my semester abroad in Copenhagen. Since then, I’ve adjusted to the chilly weather, the steep costs for everything/eating out (not really, I’m still shocked), and become quite fond of this gentle city.
I’m studying Graphic Design at DMJX’s (Danmarks Medie-og Journalisthøjskole/Danish School of Media and Journalism), Copenhagen campus. The classes at DMJX are small; my cohort has 22 students, including me and an exchange student from Montreal. The class is cozy, everyone is welcoming, and since we spend a lot of time together (at least 25 hours a week), we’ve gotten to know each other quite well. Danish people are known to be shy and reserved, but after some time they begin to open up. Being surrounded by local students has been a precious experience, as I have been able to learn a lot about Denmark and its culture through them. They’ve also been sharing the intricacies of their language, such as how pronouncing Ø is like saying “o” while being hit in the stomach, and that Danish sounds like someone has a hot potato in their mouth. On the other hand, I’ve been providing quality entertainment by absolutely butchering the language when trying to pronounce words.
Before arriving in Copenhagen, I was warned by friends and family of the rainy skies, and harsh winds here. They were not exaggerating – SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder, ‘Winter depression’) is extremely common here! It’s normal to not see the sun for days, but when it does peek out from behind the clouds, Copenhagen is aglow, soft, and beautiful. The Danes are a lot happier as well! Now that it’s spring, the city has begun to brighten though it still feels like winter as the temperature is still in the negatives – the first proper snowfall this year happened in March!
Despite the often gloomy weather, Copenhagen really is beautiful. There is a lot to do and see here, whether it be modern and historic architecture, museums, cute design stores and more. Unlike in Sydney, design is deeply embedded into daily life in Copenhagen – the Danes put of lot of care into looking stylish (usually an all-black ensemble), and making their living spaces as hygge as possible.
The frequent advice “just wait until Summer” and “this will be better in summer” has hyped me for seeing how Copenhagen will transform as the weather warms up. But for now, I’m happy to soak in the winter vibes while they last.
If you’d like to ask me anything or simply follow along my exchange experiences, don’t hesitate to contact me via @chieoni.jpg (instagram)!
Christy Chan
12575179 Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication Danmarks Medie-og Journalisthøjskole (DMJX) Copenhagen, Denmark
