Full disclosure: I came up with this blog post title before I came up with the blog post itself.

Exactly one month ago—August 19—my plane touched down at the Copenhagen airport and this crazy adventure began.  After my core course yeterday, I was walking to my next class with one of my classmates and we were talking about how it seems like we basically just got here and yet at the same time Copenhagen feels like a home we’ve known all our lives.

In honor of having spent exactly a month here (and having less than three months left,  I don’t want to talk about it) I thought I’d share a list of 44 observations and reflections I’ve had in that time.  I wanted to do 30 (30 observations for 30 days, you know?) but then I kind of got on a roll.  Some are serious, some are decidedly less so, but I thought it would give you all some insight into what my life has looked like recently:

1. Ben & Jerry’s is really expensive here.  Has that stopped me or any of us from filling (literally) our freezer with it? Absolutely not
2. Just because I know how to cook a lot of different things doesn’t mean I do
3. I’ve gotten really, really good at making eggs
4. Impromptu group dinners are always a good idea
5. I am infinitely more scared of getting hit by a bike than a car
6. Biking is absolutely the way to get around this city
7. I’m a really, really slow biker
8. Spontaneous adventures are often the best kind of adventures—even for the most planning-obsessed people (me)
9. Living in the Outdoor LLC was one of the best choices I could have ever made
10. So was my core course, Terrorism & Counter-terrorism from a European Perspective
11. You only make the mistake of going literally anywhere—even across the courtyard to the grocery store—without your rain jacket once
12. It rains a lot
13. The Danes are not phased by the rain
14. The Americans are
15. When it is not raining, Copenhagen is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and everyone goes outside to enjoy it
16. When it is raining, Copenhagen is one of the most beautiful places in the world, and lots of people go outside to enjoy it
17. I could not be more lucky to have been placed with the visiting host family that I did
18. Climbing random church towers is a valid use of your time between classes
19. Every city needs a Papirøen
20. Café culture is wonderful and will also make every student here broke
21. You can actually manage bringing not that many clothes for four months
22. Classes abroad are not necessarily easier than classes at school, contrary to popular rumors
23. DIS classes are the. coolest. classes. ever.
24. I consider climbing the three flights of stairs to my apartment every day and the occasional church tower enough cardio to balance out the amount of pasta I eat
25. It is definitely not enough cardio to balance out the amount of pasta I eat
26. There is no one ‘right’ study abroad experience
27. Comparing your study abroad experience with the experience of someone else is a sure-fire way to not have an enjoyable time
28. The world is small and mutual friends can be found nearly everywhere
29. The world is large and it is our responsibility to seek out differing perspectives to create a more nuanced understanding
30. Danish is an immensely confusing language to try and speak—though I’m trying my best
31. When trying to pronounce a word in Danish, get rid of the last half of the word, don’t pronounce 75% of the consonants and 50% of the vowels and you’ll get close to the actual pronounciation
32. Sometimes you have to stay up until 3am to watch Wake sports games
33. The Danes are an impeccably dressed people
34. All colleges need to start doing Wednesday field studies ASAP
35. All colleges need to start doing study tours ASAP
36. Rural Denmark reminds me a lot of home in all the right ways (read: cornfields everywhere)
37. Just like in college, introvert moments can be hard to come by
38. There’s a lot of pressure to always be on some great adventure exploring the city, but if you need them, having quiet moments alone is totally ok too
39. There is nothing a good Ed Sheeran playlist can’t fix
40. Weekend travel is generally less glamorous and more stressful than it looks on Instagram
41. It’s totally worth it
42. That 70s Show is not available on Danish Netflix and Denmark is worse off for it
43. This has been one of the most challenging, exciting, inspiring, fulfilling, and exhilarating months of my life
44. I could not be more excited for the next three months
45. Jeg elsker dig, København ❤