Almost three months ago from today I finished my first semester with DIS. My memories from Copenhagen in the fall are dazzling: I had an incredible core course, I was lucky enough to travel with some of my best friends, and in just twenty-four hours I fell completely in love with the city. But throughout all of my adventures, there was one guiding link that shaped my experience above all else: my housing. From the months of August to December I called Nimbus Kollegium, an apartment-style building shared by Danish and American students, my home. I was a fifteen minute bike ride from DIS, had a wonderful roommate who understood my addiction to desserts (and mercilessly facilitated that addiction), and generally really enjoyed the Frederiksberg area. In other words, I was exceptionally lucky. 

But as the semester drew to a close and I was presented with the option to change my housing for the spring semester, I knew there was really only one choice for me. Living in Nimbus was a fantastic experience for the sheer accessibility and location, but the interactions I had with authentic danish culture always left me wanting more. Furthermore, I knew that I would inevitably end up comparing my spring semester housing with my fall semester housing (of which, as I explained above, was incomparable), so my only option was to radically switch it up. Originally I was conflicted: on the one hand, I was comfortable in Nimbus and felt like I had a handle on my danish lifestyle, but on the other (and much more convincing) hand, I felt that being abroad was a time to challenge my comfort zone and embrace the danish way of life. Ultimately I decided to test my definition of comfort and sign up for the homestay program— without expectations, judgements, or apprehension.

Which brings me here, to the now, where I am living in a homestay in Nærum, about an hour north of the city. I felt confident in my decision to pursue a homestay, but especially in the days leading up to my departure it was difficult to ignore the tiny voice in my head: what if I don’t make any friends? How will I navigate the transportation? What if I made the wrong decision? What if they don’t eat dessert and I have to hide candy in my desk? The list goes on and on and on. I knew from the fall how important housing was to my experience, and I was anxious to put down roots and figure out a routine.

Two months after moving in with my danish homestay family I’m happy to report that it is, without a doubt, one of the best decisions I have ever made. This loving family unit opened their home to me and brought me into their routines and traditions as if I had been a family member all along. Even from just the last three days, the highlights include going on a run with the family and Fiffi (the amazing pup), sleeping with the cat snuggled up at my feet, and meeting up at night to eat dinner together and talk about our days for almost two hours. It almost feels like I’m living what I always imagined the idyllic danish life to be, and I pinch myself to prove that this is actually real life. I feel unbelievably grateful for the opportunity to see Copenhagen and Denmark from the perspective of an authentic Danish home, as well as experience the warmth and coziness of a family first-hand. To keep myself actively thankful, every Friday I will make a blog post with my favorite experience with my host family from the week prior. Check back in a few days for an update!

Last Thursday I had a (crazy) reality check from my Travel Writing professor: “Wow… 105 days ago we were all sitting in this classroom for the first time, just getting to know each others names.” 105 days! That makes for 151,200 minutes, and, by the time I’m writing this blog post, that metric has even grown to 155,520 minutes. In the beginning of my DIS blogging career I wrote that my days were feeling more like their weight in hours… now my weeks have felt more like their weight in months. I feel like I’m only grasping a fraction of the wonder and significance that these final weeks have, and while the days are long, the weeks are painfully short. Check out my weak attempt to capture these wondrous moments below!

My fellow-medieval-art-enthusiast and partner-in-consuming-excellent-desserts came to visit me last weekend, and wow did we succeed in packing in Copenhagen’s greatest treasures into just 72 hours! We went to Rosenborg Castle, The Kings Garden, the holiday markets at Kongens Nytorv, Nyhavn, the Black Diamond, Christiansborg Palace, Torvehallerne (the Glass Markets), and Tivoli. We even managed to visit to Roskilde, a smaller city about 30 miles east of Copenhagen home to Scandinavia’s largest music festival and (more importantly) (maybe) the UNESCO-listed Gothic cathedral that houses 39 tombs of the Danish monarchs. It was so much fun to play tourist in my own city, and when I tearfully said goodbye to Emma Claire on Sunday I was reluctant to get back into the academic groove. .

I took the polaroid on the left at Torvehallerne. Even in the darkest, coldest days, the glass markets manage to bring a splash of color and light into my day! I took the photo on the right because (big news!) the sun was shining (!!) and I had to memorialize the blue sky. In all seriousness, even though the winter months have grown overcast and chilly I have continued to love Copenhagen through it all. I have found a certain kind of joy in the sophistication and elegance of the minimalist fashion, silvery skies, and drizzly days. 

Taksgiving! My wonderful roommate Cynthia made a feast for my apartment on Wednesday, making me question if this friendsgiving is maybe the most delicious of all of my thanksgivings ever! We all sat around the table and caught up on the last few weeks, and when it came to say what we were most grateful for I didn’t have to look any further than the wonderful souls that make up Nimbusparken 32. 

I think I’ll dedicate more time and words to this space at a later date, but in the meantime this is all I have to show for my favorite place in Copenhagen. Known by locals (aka my friends) as the Secret Garden, the area between Christiansborg Palace and the National Library is a magical suspension from the buzz of the city. There is abundant green space throughout the city, but this one is by far my favorite. 

More scenes from Copenhagen! I took these polaroids on Nørrebrogade, a road that connects the northern neighborhood of Copenhagen and the center of the city. Again, any day that the sun is shining is a monumental day for my Polaroid!

Cynthia’s friend came to visit Copenhagen for a few days, so of course we had to show him the most important part of the city (brunch). We gave Mad & Kaffe in Amagerbro a 10/10 in flavor but an 7/10 in overall value (the portion sizes were just a bit too small for the steep price!). But most importantly I would rate the company at a 15/10. 

Thanks for following along! With only one more Friday left in Copenhagen, check back for an in-depth review of my favorite spot in Copenhagen, what it means to live through dark days, and my final fuji film Friday. 

With only three Fridays left in Copenhagen, the pressure is mounting to explore anything and everything. A lot of my conversations have gone like this: what, there’s another Christmas market? Okay let’s do it. Bakery 45 minutes away? Already on my way. In other words, my motivation to fall in love with Copenhagen and call it home is as present as ever. Unfortunately, the light has become so scarce that my polaroids can barely capture my last adventures here, but I’m trying my best! Take a look below for my week of ice cream, spontaneous road trips, and wonderful friends.

I started my Saturday before dawn (although, now that the sun doesn’t rise until after 8 A.M., that isn’t really saying much!) and made my way to the airport to meet Laura, Berit (friends from my core course), and Berit’s friend Annika. We were out the door by 7 A.M. and ready to take on the day with zest and spirit! But please, coffee first. We secured our car (rented for the day from the lovely Europcar) and drove out of the city, bound for Camp Adventure and Møns Klint.

I could break down this day scene-by-scene, but that won’t capture what made this day so special. My “moment” came at some point in the drive between Camp Adventure and Møns Klint— I looked around the car at my friends and at the passing scenes out the window, feeling overwhelmingly content: we’re all here, listening to music, hanging out, sharing the beauty of the Danish countryside. I remember feeling so happy in the car with Berit, Laura, and Annika; it was the kind feeling that makes you pause and appreciate every moment that led up to this one. I’m so lucky to have found people who bring out the best in me; I feel more confident, engaged, inspired, and motivated than ever before.

It was too dark for my polaroid, so I attached some real photographs from the day below!

After a long day of journaling and studying, I gave myself a break to met Sofia and Grace at Ismageriet for ice cream! This place is seriously incredible. I would recommend getting the cheesecake (yes, it’s much better than it sounds!) and nutuella/oreo/vanilla. Even though it’s freezing outside, we always seem find room for ice cream. 

We have our last study break this week, and while a lot of my friends took the opportunity to do some last travels, I decided to stay and soak up Copenhagen. Luckily I was in good company! Berit and Emma (both from my Core Course! Are you sensing a theme here?) and I travelled to Hellerød to see Frederiksborg Palace on Thursday morning. Even at the height of “daylight” my polaroid could barely pick up the silhouette of the castle! You’ll just have to take my word for it: it was incredible. Between the three of us, countless gasps and “oh my god this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen” were exchanged. After a tour of the castle, we strolled through the baroque gardens until we were shivering, eventually surrendering to a nearby cafe in town. 

Berit and Emma in all their glory! We are much happier with coffee, beer, and French fries to share. I wish there were more daylight and jackets to go around; I would have loved to stay in Hillerød and explore the adorable stores and restaurants!

Pictured above: the view from a bridge connecting Nørrebro and the center city. The surrounding water is known as “the lakes” in Copenhagen. I’m trying to remind myself to get out of Frederiksberg, my wonderful neighborhood, and photograph everything while I still can. Check back next week for another week in Fuji film!

Hey Fuji Film Friday, its been a minute. Since I last posted a polaroid update I’ve been pretty busy: I’ve stepped foot in four different countries, lost my phone, and taken over 5,000 photos. I feel like I’ve lived five lifetimes in the last two weeks and all I have to show for it are these modest polaroids (literally, when my phone was stolen I also lost 20,000 of my digital photos). In all seriousness, I have spent as much money on these polaroids as I would on round trip flight to Paris, but ultimately I have no regrets- take a look at the past few weeks below!

The first stop on my European tour was Amsterdam (technically it was just a 30 hour layover, but that still counts!). How am I managing all this traveling while still being enrolled in school, may you ask? Well, its partially because of the DIS calendar and partially because my friends and I are determined to cram in every adventure possible. In the fall DIS has two week-long study breaks; one of those weeks is spent with your core course (like when I went to Ireland), while the other week is free to travel, catch up on work, or just relax. I chose to pack in the travels with Silke, my friend from my core course, and Grace, her flatmate. 

After our day-long tour of Amsterdam we touched down in Marrakech, Morocco, on the morning of Sunday, October 27. The first day was a blur— we were only running on two hours of sleep but we managed to explore the sooks in the Medina, join a three hour food tour, and consume enough tea to last us weeks! I also managed to have my phone pickpocketed, but thats a different story. What a day!

Day two in Morocco: we slept in and ate a delicious brunch at our Riad before heading out to explore the city. What was at the top on our list? The Yves Saint Laurent Museum, of course! This exhibit is one of two museums in the world dedicated to Yves Saint Laurant, located just outside of the Medina in Marrakech. It is built next to the Majorelle Garden (Saint Laurent’s residence in Morocco), and displays the lifelong works of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. 

For our third day we decided to get out of the city and tour the Atlas Mountains, a mountain range in the Maghreb about an hour away from Marrakech. On our way there we stopped at a local market, said hi to some camels, and ate lunch in a tiny town. We hiked through the mountains and watched the sky turn from blue to a dark purple haze. Being out in nature, especially in the Agafay Desert at sunset, was profoundly beautiful. The landscape moved me to tears. 

It was during our final day in Morocco that we really grasped the meaning of bargaining— I watched with pride as Silke bargained a purse from 350 dirham down to 50 dirham! I also bought a purse, a belt, a ring, and too many other things to mention. A trip to Morocco is not complete without visiting a traditional Hammam, so we closed out our trip with a relaxing afternoon at the spa. And then, perhaps this is even more authentic than the Hammam, we made the thirty minute walk back to our Riad through the Medina without directions. We’re basically locals now!

I flew home to Copenhagen from Marrakech on Thursday for just one night before heading back to the airport, this time en route to Estonia. The freezing climate of northern Europe was seriously unwelcome after spending a week in Africa, but I rallied to explore Tallinn’s Old Town (mostly because I would reward myself with coffee or cake every few hours). I was only in Tallinn for just over 36 hours to visit family friends, but we still managed to eat two dinners, visit the photography museum, and hang out in a secret speakeasy.

My polaroid and I took a bit of a break after the intense travel week to settle back into a routine. Just as the Copenhagen weather took a turn for the worst, the Christmas Markets opened up! Specially, the Nyhavn Christmas Market (allegedly the best one in town) opened its doors on November 8, giving way to infinite hats, scarves, and delicious Gløgg (mulled wine). Cynthia and I were the first in line— is anyone surprised?

Now that its mid-November, the Scandinavian winter is starting to take root. The sun sets before 4 P.M., it is cold, and almost always cloudy or rainy. So you can imagine how exciting it is when the sun comes out; I had to take advantage of the vitamin D on Thursday and take a photo walk around town!

You know what they say, something about how all-good-things-have-to-come-to-an-end and nothing-gold-can-stay. On Tuesday, November 12, those cliches finally caught up to me: my wonderful core course, led by the incredible Dorte, officially came to an end. Because of all the time we spent in Ireland and Sweden, this class ends earlier than my other ones. Tuesday was truly the end of an era— we all did a final group hug and tearfully promised to see each other before we left for home. The class was fascinating, made up of lovely people, and full of awesome field studies, but what really made it phenomenal was my teacher, Dorte (pictured above). Dorte believed in me, challenged me, and made me a better scholar and person. She prioritized kindness and facilitated an authentic, focused environment for learning; she has changed the way I visualize New Media, and I can’t wait to utilize the skills I’ve learned from her at my home university.  

I’m writing to you live from my cozy bed on Wednesday, November 13 (or, as the Danes would say, the fourth day of week 46), ready to get serious about something near and dear to my heart: the wonderful world of Instagram. These past three months have been jam-packed with adventures and profound beauty, and nowhere is it represented better than in the tiny squares on my profile. It was only a few days ago that I realized the detrimental routine I’ve fallen into: photograph my adventures, edit them, filter them, upload them to my social media, and sit back to watch the likes roll in. This cycle causes me to curate an ideal experience abroad that is inextricable from the moment at hand; it is like the joke that people make, “if you go to another country but don’t post something from it, did you even go?” Except the joke is on me and I’m not kidding— if I go to another country but don’t post something about it, I feel like my experience is somehow incomplete. 

The past few months on my instagram are truly something to behold: I’m traveling, I’m happy, and the sun is always shining. According to this narrative there are no bad days— I mean, obviously I’m not going to go out of my way to post a bad photo, but there is a certain sweetness to my digital life that is unattainable in real life. Social media is already rampant with traps for unhealthy comparisons and insecurities, but I find that the person I stalk most on instagram is myself. This digital curation of my best moments, an endeavor that started out so wholesome and casual, has morphed into an instagram monster that haunts me through all my experiences.

I have this constant internal dialogue about the person I’ve created online and the person I actually am: on instagram, I travel everywhere, I always smile, and I never stop. So why can’t I keep up? The version of myself on Instagram would never sit in her bed on a Wednesday afternoon, she would jump up and make the most of the day (cute outfit and camera in tow, of course). The Finley on Instagram (the ~FINstagram~ if you will) is light, bright, and airy; she is calm, cool, and collected. She is the fashionable, more refined version of the real-life Finley who lost her headphones, forgot to call her dad, and turned in her paper late. I find that I return to this narrative again and again— the situation in which my instagram makes my good experiences public and shiny, but my careless moments that much more shameful and lonely. 

With only one month left in Copenhagen, I feel more pressure than ever to live up to lifestyle I recount on social media. But with this passing of time comes an unavoidable feeling of exhaustion; while I may not have been able to fill every moment of the last three months with action, I came pretty damn close. I’m burned out, and waking up in the dark for my 8:30 class, biking in the rain, and modest nights in don’t necessary make for the most glamorous instagram posts. Does the fact that I’m aware of my unhealthy relationship with Instagram make it okay? It doesn’t, but it makes these last winter weeks that much more bearable. I have to remind myself that there are two sides to every coin; that my travels are only as rewarding as my resilience to withstand the struggles that accompany them.

This has been a difficult post to write, and I can almost feel the conflicting narratives in my head. Its as if now that I’ve spoken this truth I’ve admitted defeat— I am not, as much as I might like to believe, not as sophisticated as the version of myself online. But perhaps there is a lining of comfort in that dark cloud. Perhaps now that I see both sides of this coin, I can use these next four weeks to embrace the exhaustion, the nostalgia, and the discomfort that comes with living abroad. This is a regular Wednesday, I haven’t cleaned my room, I need to do my laundry, and I have an exam to study for. It is not filled with sunshine, but it is gloriously normal.

I know that I have a unique relationship with Instagram and this is an extreme situation, but maybe other people can take comfort in my efforts to accept these next few weeks for everything they are. Its okay to take a day for yourself, its okay to just make pizza for dinner. Not everyday has to be instagram-post, telling-stories-at-Christmas-dinner worthy because the experience of challenging yourself, pushing yourself into the great unknown, and living abroad is so much more than just the sum of the beautiful moments.

Another week has come and gone in the flash of a camera shutter, so it is only right that I only have polaroids to show for it. Before I came to Copenhagen, I remember looking at the DIS semester calendar thinking “huh, I can do this! A week of travel here, a week of chilling there, no problem!”

That schedule turned out to be… false. Every week has brought upon its own series of adventures and challenges; each “chill” week as eventful as the following travel week. Which explains my weekly polaroid update. So take a look below; somehow this week was just as exciting as my core course time in Ireland!

Last weekend (Friday, October 11), I had just arrived in Prague to meet my friend Megan (who I know from my home university, William and Mary), and Ludy (also from William and Mary, currently studying in Madrid. Hear about when she visited me in Copenhagen here!). Meg and I arrived before Ludy, so to pass the time we went to Letna, a beer garden overlooking the city. We drank radlers (beer mixed with sprite) and watched the dreary afternoon transform into the pink sunset. What a magical first night! And just look at Meg— how could you not fall in love with Prague right then and there!?

On our second day in Prague we basked in the midday sun and had a picnic. This picnic was partially planned and partially forced… when Ludy and I were left alone in the farmers market we bought literally every snack offered to us. Before we knew it we had cheese, prosciutto, Croatian clementines, and Megan supplied the fresh bread. All we needed was the $1 wine from the Vinoteka across the street! 

Our air bnb was tiny but lovely. So lovely, in fact, that a tiny bird tried to get in through these very windows early on Sunday morning! One of the windows was closed, however, causing the tiny bird to get stuck in between the panes. To make matters worse, a ginormous hawk kept diving in from the roof across the courtyard to… kill this tiny bird!? It was a traumatic morning. We don’t remember much. But the view was nice!

I returned from Prague to my beloved Copenhagen early on Monday morning. I missed the warm temperatures of the Czech Republic but I fell in love all over again with this danish city in autumn light. I wouldn’t change this view for anything. 

Thursday was a big day because my dad arrived in Copenhagen. I met him at the airport at 7:50 A.M., little danish flag in hand, ready to start our weekend of sightseeing with gusto. 

And so the Copenhagen-in-72-hours plan was put into action! We started with my favorite cafe (Paludan Cafe, about a 5 minute walk from DIS), walked around some museums, checked out my Kollegium, and ate an incredible dinner at Mission (if you’re looking for somewhere to eat, I highly recommend this place. They describe themselves as ~Mediterranean food with a Californian twist~. Take that as you will). Thursday swept away from me before I could grab a picture, but come Friday I left nothing to chance. We went to the glass markets and got the traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches (pictured above, in all their over-exposed glory). Later we went on a biking tour of Copenhagen and saw all the big sites (more on that later!). 

For dinner we went truly international and bought pies from… the American Pie Company. How brave of us! But in all seriousness, the American Pie Company paints an interesting picture: founded by two women, one from Denmark and one from Illinois, the Pie Company is refined, famous, and equally rooted in Danish and American foodism. 

Is foodism even a word? Like being a foodie, but describing the movement as a whole? If not then it should be, and it should be used to describe the experience of eating a pie from the American Pie Company.