One Big Happy Family

These past few days in Copenhagen have been incredible to say the least. I am meeting tons of new people and learning so much about Danish culture. It's almost hard to believe that its not just a vacation to another country. We were essentially dropped off by busses with our SRA's (residencial advisors) and had to adjust rather quickly; you either sink or swim. At this point, I would consider myself to still be "doggy paddling" all over the city. 

Even though I have only been here for less than week, it feels like I've been here for several months. Everyone on my floor is really nice and we all bring something different to the table. In the picture above, is one of our so called "family dinners," which usually consists of pasta or something else that is easy and inexpensive to make. After everyone's classes are over for the day, the evening is usually spent lounging in the common room together and watching tv or a movie, or just simply talking. Currently, my floor is planning a small weekend trip to Berlin for June 8th-9th, which I'm very much looking forward to.

These are some of the people I hang out with, or that live on my floor of Skindergade 14. It feels as if we have known each other our whole lives, but it's been 6 days.

For my Human Health & Disease class, so far we have learned about the general examination procedure, clinical signs and symptoms, and the gastrointestinal system with its corresponding disease processes. On some days, we have extra class sessions over different aspects of the material taught by other instructors. Monday's supplementary class was over the Danish health system from an American perspective. Today, our extra session was over IV's and sutures. 

I completed my first successful peripheral IV on a fake arm today! This was something I had always wanted to try out, especially after hearing about the existence of simulation arms with veins flowing with artificial blood. I had the chance to try it on a real person, but I opted out because none of us had enough experience to be extremely confident with our technique. Then we switched rooms to practice suturing. Above, is my handiwork at a simple interrupted suture.

After doing what we did today, I know I made the right choice coming here. And it's only going to get better from here.

Where am I?

I came here not knowing what to expect. I wanted to experience Copenhagen first hand, while taking classes that would apply towards my future. I wanted to learn more about myself and make new friends, all while having the experience of a lifetime.

 My journey began with a flight from Denver to Toronto, there which I had a 6 hour layover until my evening flight to Copenhagen. It was somewhat tricky navigating the Toronto airport, being in a foreign place. When I finally made it to my gate, it was nice to see other DIS students sitting around with their backpacks, passports, and anxious appearances. Most of us chatted for a while and got to know each other a little bit before boarding the plane, which was enormous. Luckily, I had a window seat, but I slept most of the time which sort of defeated the purpose. One thing I enjoy about international flights is the food that we are served on board.

We were given a small dinner which consisted of beef with noodles (or chicken if desired), a roll, small salad, a chocolate-like dessert, and a bottle of water. Overall, the food was pretty good, and then several hours later we were given a small breakfast. As soon as we landed, it seemed as if the runway came out of nowhere. The weather was kind of gloomy with occasional rain showers around the airport. It finally hit me that I wasn't in the US anymore; I was in Denmark. Everywhere I looked, the signs were in Danish and didn't look in any way similar to English. We found our way to the baggage claim, picked up suitcases and other belongings, and we're escorted to the exit by DIS representatives. After being grouped according to housing assignment, we boarded the bus that would take us to where we would be living for the next six weeks. After driving for a while in the city, I realized that the Danish really prided themselves with their way of architecture. The buildings an on a whole new modern appearance, yet still maintain a historical feel. When we arrived a block from our dorm building, everyone picked up their suitcases and began the walk on the rain-soaked cobblestone street to Skindergade 14, our DIS residential housing. By the way, the -ade ending isn't pronounced as you think it would be; it's more of an -ale sound.

After attempting to recover from jet lag with a good night's sleep, we went to our opening ceremony the next morning, followed by a Copenhagen version of the Amazing race. This is definitely a challenge when you have only been in a foreign country for less than 24 hours, and you are only given a Danish map of the city. Somehow, my group managed to make it to every location in our booklet, all before our first session of classes. The next day was just as hectic, trying to find our way around to different parts of the city to find some groceries and other necessities for our rooms. The next day was the canal tour for many students, which I was really looking forward to.

The canal tour was definitely a cool experience, because we had the chance to see Copenhagen from a different perspective while learning the historical background of the region.

The first few days of my trip were a little rough, due to the jet lag and the fact that you get a ton of information thrown at you all at once. My class this session, Human Health & Disease, will definitely be interesting for the next few weeks, mainly because the material applies directly to our future medical careers. The first time I tried walking around the city center, I kept thinking to myself, "where am I?" Now, I dont even have to use a map. It's safe to say that Copenhagen is starting to feel like a home away from home.