Studying abroad has, without a doubt, been one of the most exhilarating and fulfilling experiences of my entire life. But by no means has it been one of the easiest, nor did I expect it to be.
As I write this, I’m sitting in the Victoria coach station in London, waiting on my bus to Stansted Airport to fly back to Copenhagen this afternoon. I’m not entirely happy about all this.
I’ve spent the past five days in London and they’ve been some of the best days of my entire semester. I’ve spent time with my best friend, Lauren, and several new friends from my school that I’ve only recently met, but already consider great friends. I’ve explored this great city even more than I did in October, and at my own pace which has been a nice change. And I’ve been able to relax a little. I’ve been catching up on West Wing with Lauren every night I’ve been here and just last night we all cooked a magnificent (belated) Thanksgiving feast, and it was a blast.
And now, I’m headed back to Copenhagen. I love Copenhagen, I really do, but I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel now and I’m ready to run for it. Copenhagen’s weather is getting to me. Classes are bringing me down. The Danes on my hall, frankly, still haven’t quite opened up to me–part of which may be my fault for being so busy, but disappointing, nonetheless. In other words, I feel like I really have nothing to look forward to by going back.
Am I still going to have fun these last three weeks? Of course! I plan on getting my work done as quickly as possible and spending as much time with my new friends through DIS as I can. I’ve made amazing friends in Copenhagen–friends for life–and I’m going to make the most of our last little bit of time together before we head back to our respective schools in our respective states (not all of which are close together).
Kongs Nytorv (the Kings New Square) opens up for ice skating soon, and that should be a great time. Next Sunday, I and a few friends are planning on having an “American Day” in my kollegium and inviting a few friends over for some American TV and sports, hamburgers, hot dogs, American beer and some fun bonding over OUR culture. And finally, in the coming weeks the COP15 will consume the city, and I certainly plan on being involved in the activism in pursuit of a meaningful agreement at this conference.
I know these last three weeks will fly by. And I’m kind of glad, because I’m ready to head home. And being with my friends from school, in an English-speaking country, has proved that to me even more these past few days. I know that come December 20th I’ll probably have a lot of mixed emotions, but that’s always how these things go. Saying goodbye to your best friends, leaving a city you’ve come to know and love, readjusting to life in the U.S.–I know none of this will be easy either. But it’s just another part of the challenge, and one I’m ready for.
