Hello from Copenhagen! As I write this article reflecting on my study abroad experience thus far, I find it extremely hard to believe that I’ve been in Denmark for only three weeks. Those of you who know me well probably know that I’m not one to exaggerate—okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. But it’s no lie when I say that the country of Denmark is a place that you never want to leave.
This is probably especially true for those who have health issues. Danish citizens and Danish residents have free access to a superb health care system. Even study abroad students like me have access to free health care once registered with the state. As a matter of fact, just yesterday I made an appointment with the local ophthalmologist for a free check-up.
The full benefits of being part of the Danish system don’t end with free health care. In my opinion, the most notable is that university students not only get to go to school for free, but also get PAID monthly to attend. You should have seen the faces of my host siblings, who are also college students, when I told them the annual cost to attend Wesleyan.
These benefits do come at a heavy price, though. Danish citizens and residents all pay between 40 and 65 percent income tax to the state. Some Americans may argue that this high level of tax isn’t worth the full assortment of state benefits. But most Danish people, regardless of which class they belong to, seem more than happy to pay these high taxes. This attitude mainly stems from the fact that the Danish people have core values that could be best described as a “no man left behind” attitude. Folks here have a very strong sense of collective well-being and aren’t really all about that “getting ahead of everyone else” attitude that we have in the United States.
On the dietary side of things, I don’t think that I have ever been eating healthier than I am now. Everything here is organic. Of course, if one really wanted processed food, one could find it, but things sold here in the markets generally tend to be organic. Lots of families also opt to have their own gardens in their backyards where they grow fruits and vegetables. My host mom has her own huge garden in the backyard and gets everything she needs to cook from back there.
The city of Copenhagen is comparable to our City That Never Sleeps. There is always something going on, whether it be a reggae festival or an international food festival. It’s not very hard to pass time in the city, because all you really have to do is walk around to find something that is going on. Street by street, the architectural uniqueness of Copenhagen proves fascinating.
During our orientation for the program, we were told that Danish people are particularly shy of foreigners. I haven’t found that to be the case at all. The people of Copenhagen are extremely friendly. On my first week in Denmark, I got lost on a run. It was an extremely long run and so I got pretty lost. I asked two high school students for directions, and they were super helpful. When I realized that I was far away from where I was staying, one of the high schoolers offered to pay for a bus ticket when I told him that I left my wallet at home. Imagine that happening in the States!
All in all, Copenhagen is a great place to be. If you ever consider studying abroad, you should seriously consider a trip or a semester here.
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