Name: Corinne Goudreault
Home University: University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Summer Courses at DIS: Human Trafficking in a Global Context, Sustainable Food Systems: Ecology, Economy, and Ethics
Hey everyone!
I can’t believe the first week of second session is already coming to a close – this week has flown by faster than any of the others! My new class is amazing – we’re learning an incredible amount of information about the different ways food is produced, distributed, and consumed all around the world! Wednesday we had a field exercise to compare our own observations with some of our readings – some students visited Danish grocery stores, and my group went to a McDonalds here in Copenhagen! My instructor is really engaging and with only 14 people in Sustainable Food Systems, our discussions always involve everyone and are full of great insights between classmates. All of the students and both of our professors have unique backgrounds, and the mix of perspectives borne from that is exactly what a multidisciplinary and hands-on class like this needs! Plus, DIS offers so many opportunities for classes to really get involved! Here’s my group reading up on McDonaldization: (Mary Hogan & Allison Winstel)
One thing that has been great since being back is how much my classmates and I really feel like we have a place in the city that is uniquely ours. Studying abroad is both challenging and rewarding, especially in a city like Copenhagen. Personally, my biggest obstacle has been being homesick for my friends and family back in the states – I keep wishing they were here to experience all the adventures and memories I’ve been taking and making. But that’s one of the things I love so much about DIS – everyone here makes a makeshift family of amazing students from all across America – and we love adventuring, from visits to Christiania, to Danish soccer games, to climbing the spiral tower!
The city is full of things to do and see, and being abroad is the one time we all have the opportunity to enjoy it all!
Another challenge in studying abroad has been balancing class and school work with getting to explore and see as much as possible – but that’s where Copenhagen is the perfect city. There are so many things to see, but they’re all close, quick, and fun tours. In between a morning and an afternoon class session is the perfect time to tour the Christiansborg Palace, for example, since it’s just a few blocks from class and is a main tourist destination (and a must-see!).
Along those lines, I could talk about how incredible it feels to find my place in Copenhagen all day long – but our first paper is due tomorrow! There’s never a dull moment in study abroad – which is probably the most challenging and most rewarding thing about it all at once!
I can’t wait for our next blog – the study tours next week promise to be amazing!
–Corinne