Denmark: Jordyn Ginestra
Program: DIS – Study Abroad in Scandinavia, Summer
Jordyn’s Major: English and Zoology
What is your most memorable experience from your program?
My study abroad program was designed so that you spent 3 weeks in your host country and 1 week in another country. The other country I got to go to was Svalbard, a region off of Norway located in the arctic circle. For the entire week we got to hike around the arctic and identify species and their adaptations. It could be extremely strenuous at times as we hiked multiple days in a row for many miles. On our third day out in the field, we had the most memorable hike. We were to hike up the bird cliffs that contained the nesting sites of the most popular bird in Svalbard: the little auk. The hike was straight up a mountain with unstable footing and a path of loose rock. It was exhausting to climb up, but the view at the top was so worth it. At the top of the mountain you could see the ocean and tons of glaciers in the horizon. I stood there with the rest of my class in complete silence just taking in the view and thinking about how happy I was I chose to do this program and that all of my work to get to this moment was so worth it.
My advise to anyone who also feels like they need more experience to study abroad is that you just have to do it. You have to get yourself onto the plane, trust in the kindness of strangers, and fully believe that the hardest moments will make the best moments possible.
What is the moment you are most proud of?
The moment I’m most proud of from studying abroad was the first time I biked to class all by myself. Biking is such an important part of Copenhagen and DIS had us commute to class every day by either bike or metro. I was not the best biker when I first got to Denmark, so I was super intimidated by the amount of people on the road and how fast everyone seemed to be going. I had gotten lost many times and even showed up to class running a few minutes late, but one day it clicked and I got to class early and so proud of myself. I felt like I was finally adjusting to the city and becoming a part of the culture. Soon after that, biking became one of my favorite things about my study abroad experience and I’m so happy I chose to do it even though it was very difficult to start off with.
How did your identities impact your experience? What advice would you give to students with similar identities who are considering a similar experience?
Before studying abroad I had never left the country, or had even been on a plane since before I could remember. It was extremely intimidating to imagine myself all alone in an airport and living in a new country all by myself. There were many moments in the week before I left that I doubted my decision to go and my ability to actually get onto the plane. I felt completely alone. But that feeling went away almost instantly. The world is so much smaller than you think, and not only did I meet so many friendly people that were happy to help me get through the airport, but people who also stopped to keep me company and chat about travel plans. Not only that, but I came home with an incredible amount of pride that I was able to take myself on my study abroad journey with no prior travel experience. My advise to anyone who also feels like they need more experience to study abroad is that you just have to do it. You have to get yourself onto the plane, trust in the kindness of strangers, and fully believe that the hardest moments will make the best moments possible.