Finally Here!

My host family: Lisbeth, Jan, Jose and Emma

Well, I have had my first full day as a Dane! My host family, the Larsens, picked me up from the airport around 4:30pm last night. I literally could not stop smiling on my flight from Amsterdam to Copenhagen because I was so unbelievably excited to finally reach my destination. I could not have asked for a better host family than the Larsens. They have been nothing but warm, welcoming and helpful since my arrival and I already feel like I'm part of the family. Currently the Larsen household has six people living in it. My host mor and far (mom and dad) are Lisbeth and Jan. I also have two søster, Josephine (21) and Emma (18). Emma's boyfriend, Rasmus, lives with us as well and Jose's boyfriend, Simon, visits often so it is a full and lively house.  For dinner we had flæskesteg, which is a very traditional (and delicious) Danish pork roast. It was fun to have so many people sitting around the dinner table (even if I couldn't understand most of what was being said). I am determined to be able to contribute to the conversation in Danish by the end of the semester! For those of you who have ever heard a Dane speak understand just how ambitious this goal is :) 

All moved in to my new room! 

Today was an orientation day and was spent getting my Danish cellphone, picking up my schoolbooks and listening to multiple talks about the Danish culture and DIS (Danish Institute for Study Abroad). Although it was a bit draining, today made me even more excited for what is to come. I learned that the Danes are not the most approachable people at first and that small talk is taboo (which was hard to comprehend for a Minnesotan). However, once you crack their shell, I am assured that I will have some of the best conversations of my life. I also learned that financially Denmark is the most equal country in the world. All Danes have universal healthcare and education. They are one of the most eco-friendly countries and have the highest biking population per capita. Over 1/3 of Danes commute by bike daily. It was fun to see a rush hour of bikes on my ride into the city today. I plan to bike to class once I become better acquainted with the city, but until then I will take the metro. 

Denmark is not only one of the greenest countries in the world, it is also one of the happiest. My core class at DIS is called positive psychology. In this class I will explore and learn about what contributes to a person's psychological well-being and how where you live can affect your happiness. As part of my class I will participate in a couple field studies in Copenhagen and two week-long study tours to Western Denmark and Milan, Italy! I am still overwhelmed by all of the new things that I will be fortunate enough to experience in the upcoming months and how truly blessed I am to be here. I am so grateful for my mom and dad for making this opportunity possible. This is without a doubt going to be the experience of a lifetime.