Welcome to Denmark!!
I am a Moscow State University student currently
in Denmark on a study
program. When I first considered the possibility of going to
Copenhagen for a semester I was somewhat uncertain about whether I
should go or not: I could not speak any Danish and knew very little
about the country. Eventually I decided that it's too small and too
European to be scary, and it will be OK.
Now I have been here for almost a month and let me tell you: it's not
OK.
Actually, it's wonderful!
Copenhagen is very tourist-friendly. It is a beautiful European city,
criss-crossed by canals and ornamented by spires (which come in all
shapes and sizes, and each has its own legend attached). The
population speaks wonderful English for the most part, and there are
plenty of places to get maps, ask for directions and get booklets with
useful tourist information ("Wonderful Copenhagen" is one of
them), or
just relax in the sun and enjoy the view. The city has character that
is unmistakable. It is everywhere, in the shape of its buildings, the
lakes surrounded by beautiful parks, and in sculptures that are all
over the city and that often reflect the Danish sense of humor. You
have to see them to appreciate them.
Public transportation is tough: if you don't know Danish, don't even
try to understand the names of the bus stops. It's better to simply
ask the bus driver or one of the passengers to show you the stop you
need. But be sure to have it written down: Danish pronunciation is
tough. Try saying 'Hovedbanegarden' as a 4-syllable word with one
primary stress and two secondary ones, and you will see what I mean.
Everything is expensive, but any McDonald's is a fairly cheap place to
eat, compared to everything else. Many museums have free admission
days on Wednesdays and Sundays, and the famous Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
is one of them.
The workday is usually over by 5 or 6, but some supermarkets are open
until 8 or 24 hours a day.
Learn to say 'tak!'(TAHK), it's 'thank you', a word you are likely to
need, because you will be meeting a lot of helpful people.
A habit Danish mothers have shows they consider this a safe city: when
the mother enters a shop, she often leaves the baby in a pram outside
unattended. Makes my mind boggle, but hey, that means that I can walk
the streets unattended too...
Well, I am enjoying this experience very much, and the tourists from
all corners of the world that I see around me every day seem to be
having a great time too.
So much for the language barrier...
Mila Koptyug, Russia
10th Grade, English School
# 130, Novosibirsk, Russia
