Starting a degree in another country is never an easy process, and Denmark is no exception. If you’re considering or have started applying to study at a university here, you are no doubt aware of the tedious, sometimes mind-numbing bureaucracy and paperwork you have to go through just to get one step closer to getting a temporary residence permit. I’ve been through the process twice myself, once to come to DTU on my exchange during my bachelor’s degree, and another time when I was applying for a full master’s here.
My first day in Denmark was particularly memorable. Just as I arrived in my dorm room and went out to get some groceries, I got soaked in the worst freak thunderstorm I have seen here (to this date) and was miserably lost trying to find my way back to my room. It was a less-than-warm welcome to the country. It might seem masochistic to inflict that on myself once again by coming back for a master’s degree but believe me when I say that Denmark has been full of sunshine ever since, and I don’t mean the weather.
In all my life, and all the places I’ve been, I have yet to encounter people as friendly, kind, and funny as Danes. It was meeting them and making friends that has made me want to make a life for myself here. They can seem a little standoffish, and it’s hard to get to talking to them (especially when they’re speaking another language), but once you make the first step, you’ll find them to be some of the best friends you can have. Their pursuit of happiness and sense of humour (often at their own expense) is inimitable and inspiring.
It’s hard to describe exactly why I love Denmark, with all its quirks. The public transportation system is scandalously expensive, and so is food, and accommodation, and just about everything except beer. Once you start working here, the taxes will bring tears to your eyes. The obsession with rye bread and leverpostej is incomprehensible, almost like the Danish language. But it’s something about the mindset of the people – their desire to do the right thing, their motivation to learn and be great at whatever they do, the focus on work-life balance – that makes Denmark great. Danes don’t settle for good-enough or just okay, they strive to be as happy and fulfilled as they can be, and the system they’ve built for themselves allows people to make mistakes and have a chance to find what’s right for them. They have a kind of freedom in their lives that most people in other countries (at least mine) never experience. It’s hard to not fall in love with that and want to be a part of it.
It can be daunting to hear Danish politicians talking about deporting immigrants and making the system much harder than it already is to live here as a foreigner. It can be difficult to navigate websites that are all in Danish and figure out what you need to do. It can be isolating and lonely to be in a room full of people speaking in a language you don’t understand and feel like you’re invisible. And you will feel homesick, because you’ll somehow always feel like the odd one out. But once you open yourself up to Danish society, and embrace the culture, food, and language, you’ll find some of the warmest and most welcoming people who will embrace you right back.