Arriving in Copenhagen - Welcome program
In the end of January 2015 I arrived in Copenhagen, my new home for the coming 5 months. As an Erasmus exchange student I'm taking courses at the University of Copenhagen. I study Management and Consumers Studies and I am in my third year. In Copenhagen, my courses are part of the Faculty of Science.
Before arriving, I arranged a room. It is in a shared apartment in Valby, a district in the South-western part of Copenhagen. The street where my building is located is a very peaceful, quiet street where mainly families live. Even though it is quiet, three S-trains stations are in walking distances and it takes 20 minutes by bike to reach the city center. My courses take place at the Frederiksberg campus, one of the campuses of the University of Copenhagen, and it only takes me 15 minutes by bike. 'Only', because Copenhagen is quite a big city, especially compared to picturesque Wageningen. A good thing about Valby is that there are many parks in the neighbourhood and the Copenhagen Zoo is also very close.
In the first week after I arrived, the welcome program of the Faculty of Science took place. It consisted mainly of getting loads of information about practical things, but there was also an amusing presentation about the Danes and Danish culture. Between all the information sessions, there was enough time to get to know all the other new international students at the Faculty of Science. They come from the whole world. Quite a lot from North America, but also from Australia, China, Japan, South Korea and Eritrea. Of course, most students come from Europe. Everyone is very nice and eager to meet new people.
Next to this introduction program, there is also a mentor program. New international students are placed in groups with one or more mentors, who can help you with everything. One of my mentors picked me up close to the airport, so that I did not have to pick up my keys and find my room by myself. The mentor program also organizes activities, for example a pre-party before the 'Welcome to Copenhagen' party at the Studenterhuset. The Studenterhuset is a bar where mainly international students come to meet their friends and have a beer. They also organized a swing dance tutorial. ESN is also organizing all kinds of activities. A welcome program, a city tour and visits to the highlights of Copenhagen and surroundings. But they also organize trips to Lapland and Russia, which I am keen on getting more information on :).
The days I have spent here in Copenhagen went very fast. I have already had two weeks of classes. The relationship between teachers and students is very informal here, more than in Wageningen. Students just call the teacher by their first name and there is a lot of interaction between teachers and students during the class.