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Saturday, July 27, 2024

Reflections of Scandinavia – DISCOVER STUDY ABROAD

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Similar to that, my time finding out overseas is over. On this weblog put up, I’ll speak about my impressions of Copenhagen and Stockholm, how they’re comparable and completely different, my lessons, and my greatest takeaways from my travels.

Copenhagen

One factor that’s onerous to overlook in Copenhagen is all of the biking. Bikers are given a number of area on the roads since so many Danes are commuting to and from work by bike, which was very fascinating to see since I’ve solely been round car-centric infrastructure. The swarm of bikers going to work within the morning seemed fairly intimidating to me, however my classmates who opted to bike for his or her transportation all had nice issues to say about it.

Bikers and automobiles sharing the highway in Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s metro system was my favourite method to get round whereas finding out overseas. With the metro, I may reliably journey anyplace within the metropolis in a short time, and I’ll miss having the ability to use it. This effectivity is one thing that caught out to me when first arriving in Copenhagen. Whereas I really feel there may be plenty of wasted area in the US, the streets of Copenhagen are very condensed; there are such a lot of companies on each avenue, so you possibly can by no means actually run out of issues to do. And with how walkable the streets of Copenhagen are, I bought the prospect to do plenty of issues. 

In Copenhagen, I took Behavioral Economics: European Case Research which mixed human habits and psychology with financial principle. I’ve written earlier than about how this course gave me a distinct perspective on economics, and I’m glad to say that I believe it has given me some doable concepts for analysis tasks I can do to finish my diploma again at Purdue.

Stockholm

Stockholm instantly felt a bit extra like dwelling to me with its many parks and exquisite pure websites. This will not be the case for everyone, although, since my housing web site was situated in a borough recognized for its nature. In all, Stockholm is made up of 14 boroughs, and every has completely different qualities. So whereas I spent plenty of time within the components of Stockholm that had been extra residential and had many open areas, there are different components of Stockholm that jogged my memory of Copenhagen with slim cobblestone streets.

In Stockholm, I took Comparative Economics: World Dangers and European Responses which in contrast how Europe and the U.S. reply to financial challenges. This course allowed me to have a look at financial points from a wider perspective than I’ve earlier than, and discussing urgent world points from a global perspective was significantly becoming for a examine overseas course.

Evaluating Copenhagen and Stockholm

Copenhagen and Stockholm differ barely within the varieties of public transportation provided. Whereas Copenhagen has an especially accessible and reliable metro system in addition to buses that different of their punctuality, Stockholm has a punctual metro system (or tunnelbana, aka “the T” as some college students would name it) that isn’t all the time inside a handy strolling distance in addition to buses that I discovered to be extra dependable than these in Copenhagen. Figuring out which is best actually relies on the place you reside inside every metropolis and, specifically, how shut you might be to a metro station. Total, although, I used to be impressed with the general public transportation in every metropolis. 

Moreover, Copenhagen appeared way more densely populated and felt extra like a giant metropolis than Stockholm. Whereas some areas of Stockholm really feel just like Copenhagen, Stockholm provides extra selection and the town appears extra unfold out total, which I most popular.

One other side of those cities that varies (and that I’m solely noticing in hindsight) is the quantity of historical past that you may see. In my first weblog put up, I talked about how I stumbled upon a fortress in Copenhagen — and this is only one instance of the quantity of historical past you possibly can see and really feel within the metropolis. That distinction of previous and fashionable was one thing I appreciated about Copenhagen, however I didn’t see that a lot of it in Stockholm. Whereas I’m certain there are some nice historic websites in Stockholm, they don’t appear to be built-in into the modern-day metropolis.

Last Ideas and Takeaways

By way of teachers, taking lessons at DIS was an amazing alternative. The workload of my lessons was by no means an impediment as my professors understood {that a} massive a part of our expertise is participating with the town we live in. Somewhat than having plenty of homework, lessons had been centered on in-class actions and discussions, which was one thing I wasn’t used to doing however discovered invaluable.

On a private stage, examine overseas has given me a way of confidence that I wouldn’t have been in a position to get every other method. Research overseas confirmed me simply how a lot there’s to study and discover and, by doing so, emphasised the necessity for being adaptable. With this expertise beneath my belt, I do know that I can adapt to new conditions and thrive in new environments. Now I really feel that I can take advantage of no matter my future brings.

And, after all, DIS has left me with many nice reminiscences. I’ve already written about a number of of those in my previous weblog posts, from enjoying pickup in Copenhagen to exploring the Parthenon in Athens, however I may by no means discover the time to write down about all of them. I’ve taken extra footage up to now six weeks than I ever have earlier than, and I hope to have a look at them sooner or later and be reminded of the nice experiences I had finding out overseas.

It’s been nice sharing my experiences by the DIS Summer season Author weblog!

Tak!

Kevin

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