I have been especially interested in sound and music, literally as far back as my memory goes. One of my favorite toys as a child was a toy recorder. Then, in my teen years, I started dabbling in music. Although I was decent as a performer and composer, I had been especially outstanding at math throughout my education. So I thought... what if I study something that involves both sound AND math? As soon as I figured out this was a possibility, I aimed for a master’s in acoustics or something related. I started to focus all of my efforts towards that goal, even driving my choice of electives and thesis topic during my bachelor in Electronic Engineering. Since there was nowhere to study acoustics in Mexico, I looked at universities worldwide, and DTU’s programme “MSc Engineering Acoustics” had the most attractive curriculum, even including the chance to do a project in collaboration with a music festival (Roskilde). When it was time to apply for a master’s, DTU was the only university I applied to. Thankfully I got accepted, and on top of that, I was awarded a tuition fee waiver. I felt like DTU and Denmark in general received me with open arms, valuing me for my skills and ambitions.
I always thought that whenever people said “going abroad will expand your mind” was very cliché, but honestly, that was precisely my experience. Moving to the other side of the world and experiencing a culture vastly different to my own, be it in daily life, school, or the work environment. I experienced these things in ways I couldn’t have even imagined. And the most fun thing was that I did not only get to experience Danish culture, but I got to know many cultures thanks to the international diversity at DTU. I became close friends with amazing people of various nationalities, which in a way made me feel connected to the world as a whole. As a species we all need more of that, and less cultural divisiveness.
For me one of the most unique experiences in Denmark was finding out that you could drink out on the street and that there were student bars at universities. Coming from Latin America this would be unthinkable, but grabbing a couple of drinks with your friends in times of stress or after a brutal exam was quite soothing. The music festival “Distortion” was also a very unique experience, it was pretty interesting to walk the same city roads under a completely different context. Finally, it was pretty curious to me when I found out that the autumn holiday period had its origins in the harvesting of potatoes in old times.
All in all, it has been a beautiful experience, and I feel a more complete human being after it.
Mario Alfredo Montoya Sandoval from Latin America Graduate DTU student in MSc in Engineering Acoustics