Hello everyone!

I’ve officially lived in Copenhagen for a full 4 weeks now, and I am loving this city more and more each day. It is so wonderful to be immersed in a new culture and learn new things every day, and I absolutely love walking around and exploring this adorable city. I am also so appreciative that I have been able to make some really incredible friends during my time here, many of whom actually live on the floor of my dorm!

I live in a residential community here at DIS Copenhagen, which is essentially very similar to a college dorm back in the United States. I share a bedroom with two other roommates, both of whom are also juniors at different colleges in the U.S. I was randomly paired to live with them both, and luckily, we have all bonded really well and become good friends. As far as my floor, there are about 15 other people I share my living space with. We have communal bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room area that we all use together. At first, I found this to be quite challenging, as I have never had to share communal spaces with so many people. At college back in the U.S., I have always been blessed with a dorm with a private bathroom and kitchen area that I only have to share with my immediate roommates. So, when I arrived here and saw that I would be sharing a bathroom and a kitchen with so many other people, I was quite nervous. However, all my floor-mates have been working together to keep our areas clean, and I have found that sharing spaces with so many people has actually been fun. It has forced us to bond and be more social, which I think has created a really comfortable living atmosphere. 

My building itself is located right in the heart of the city of Copenhagen, which has been such a blessing. Everything-from metro stops to restaurants to bars to our school campus- is right within walking distance. This has definitely made me love Copenhagen more, as everything I want to explore I am able to access so easily. Before coming abroad, I was not expecting this living situation at all. I had anticipated being placed in a dorm that was 20-40 minutes away from the city, from which I would have to commute to classes every day. I know many of my peers who are in this type of living situation, and have said that they are actually enjoying learning about public transportation in Denmark and living in a suburb that is not as busy as Copenhagen itself. Personally, I feel very lucky to have been placed in this location where I am able to walk everywhere at any point during the day and don’t have to worry about timing my schedule according to the trains or buses.

All in all, I think my DIS program did a wonderful job setting up our living situation. Everyone on my floor has gotten to know each other so well, and this has definitely made me feel more at home here. My roommates and I cook dinners together and many of my other floor-mates and I explore Copenhagen together on the weekends and even have travel plans to some other countries in Europe! Though it was incredibly challenging at first to adjust to living with so many people and having to be social all of the time, I am so appreciative of my situation and would not want it any other way.

I cannot wait to spend the rest of my semester here, and I look forward to writing more blogs as I go!

With love from CPH,

Kashvi Shah