Week One: on Arrivals and Belonging

Where to start? I had quite a bit of anxiety about getting to Copenhagen without any complications, but I’m happy to report that I’m here, I’m safe, and I’m thriving. Everything went well with travel; all in all, it didn’t feel as long as it was. I was like a little kid in a candy store during landings, turning to my friend, Caitlyn, and exclaiming, “we’re in Germany!” and a few hours later, “we’re in Copenhagen!” 

The same excitement that carried me through my flights has stuck with me my first week here, mixed with a sense of being overwhelmed. I jumped right into the Copenhagen social scene by attending a hip hop concert with my host family my first night here. I hadn’t even been in Copenhagen for eight hours when I found myself jamming to Aretha Franklin, surrounded by hip-hop-loving Danes.

Despite being out with the whole family the night before, I woke up the next morning around seven. My host dad, Morten, showed me around the kitchen a bit so that I could make myself some breakfast. We then chatted over coffee and family photos for about two hours while the rest of the house woke up. I think this is one of those small life moments that sticks itself in one’s heart and memory— waking up early in Copenhagen, the morning sun reflecting around the clean, white house, a cup of warm coffee in my hands. I’m nervous and uncertain, but eager to learn and connect. Somebody’s kindness, generosity, and amiability makes my first morning in a new place one to set me at ease for the mornings to come.

The only way I can describe how I’m feeling about this transition is “natural.” In the span of less than a week, I’ve moved from nervousness to a sense of peace and belonging. Maybe it’s the rootlessness of my past happy to make an appearance once again, but I feel like I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Of course, I’m learning every day and I get excited about trying new things (today in the grocery store I kept asking my host brothers about the most Danish way of eating a breakfast meal), but this evening my host mom, Veena, said that she feels like I’ve been here much longer than six days. I hope this is because she believes I have come to occupy a place in the household and not because she can’t wait for me to get out of here.

I’ve done a lot of things this week. I moved in, learned to use the public transportation system, went grocery shopping three times, started classes, saw Rosenborg Castle, ate amazing pizza, visited the King’s Garden, learned my first Danish phrases, took pictures of Amalienborg Palace, made new friends, went swimming in the canal, and so much more. It’s all been fun, tiring, refreshing, and, at times, overwhelming. I’m eager for a sense of naturalness to extend into more of the relationships I form, places I get to know, and words and customs I begin to understand, but I’m thankful to be sitting in peace for now, knowing I am where I’m supposed to be, learning what I’m supposed to be learning.