Written by Jackie Johnson Studying while studying abroad: To be honest, I didn’t know much about Denmark before I went to Copenhagen. It was my first time leaving the continent, my first time in Europe, and I had never experienced actual seasons. Growing up in southern California, I was not used to gloomy, cold days or snowy weather and hail storms, but it became my new reality while living in Copenhagen. Although the Scandinavian winter was hard to deal with at first, as I adjusted, the most challenging part of studying abroad became balancing my time. I struggled with balancing gaining new experiences--by exploring the country I was now living in and other countries in Europe--and a full course load at Copenhagen Business School. CBS was very different from my experience at University of Hawaii at Manoa because students are graded on only one final exam per class and are expected to learn the content independently. Due to the lack of structure, I felt like I was free to travel Europe, with minimal limitations. However, I soon realized that the fast- paced, independent study was not as easy to manage as I expected. So, other exchange students and I began study groups with the local Danes and I made sure to set aside the time I needed for quality study time. This turned out to be some of my favorite memories because I got to know the local Danish students and other exchange students by bonding over our stressful work loads. People often said before I left to study abroad that studying should be secondary to the overall experience-and in some ways it was, but it is a myth that any school load will be easier to manage when you enter an exchange program. The rigor of classes does not make exceptions or exemptions for exchange students, and you must respect the school, University of Hawaii, and your own academic goals by trying to find a balance. Then you can look back at your time abroad with true satisfaction that you were able to travel, have fun, and gain new experiences and perspectives without hindering your long-term goals. Figuring out my host country: Copenhagen Business School had great orientation week events where they took us around the city to view famous landmarks, offered Danish language lessons, hosted a traditional Danish folk dance, held a welcome dinner, and threw an after party at a local club. Yet, the times when I felt I learned the most about Copenhagen, and Denmark in general, was when my friends and I would literally get lost in the city and stumble upon a cool café, museums, landmarks, and restaurants. We would take the wrong train or metro and end up five stops passed where we were supposed to go. Although it might have made us late to a few classes, these mistakes were so valuable because we were able to truly learn our way around rather than just being guided along by our Danish Buddies (our personal CBS student guide). It helped that Denmark is one of the safest countries in the world. Of course, still be aware of your surroundings, especially if you aren’t in your host country, but don’t be afraid to get lost.
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