Name: Jennifer Yip
Home University: Hunter College
Summer Courses at DIS: Livability in a Modern City, Sustainable Food Systems: Ecology, Economy, and Ethics
I can’t believe it’s finally over. Sorry guys, this blog post is slightly overdue so I’m blogging post-Copenhagen back at home so I’m feeling rather melancholic. It’s hard to realize how attached you’ve become to a place until you’re finally removed from it. I’ve become so integrated with the Danish lifestyle, I’ve totally forgotten what it’s like to live in New York City. To sit passively on a train rather than actively ride my bike to school.
Throughout the six weeks in Copenhagen, I had felt pretty stable—not indifferent but everyone around me was exclaiming about how their time in Copenhagen had changed them as people. I was feeling pretty nonchalant, I loved Copenhagen, the classes we were taking and the people we had to meet but I felt… the same. I felt like I was the same person, I definitely appreciated the environment and the opportunity I had but I was still Jennifer Yip from 6 weeks back.
…Until the last week. It wasn’t until I arrived home that I realized I missed it all. Not only did I miss it, I had new standards and new expectations. Copenhagen taught me how a well-planned city truly flourished, apparent in the supportive infrastructure and its happy residents. I began to critically assess my surroundings in New York City instinctively from its public space to the terrible placed bike lines. I ranted to my friends back home about how the street hierarchy will never lend itself to become a bicycle-friendly city like Copenhagen and found myself comparing every aspect of life to Copenhagen.
I miss the wonderful outdoor parks where friends sit around casually at 3pm on Mondays just reflecting and talking about life. I miss riding my bike around Copenhagen at all times of the day. I miss the many friends I’ve made and the wonderful experiences I’ve had. I miss the vibrant, lively outdoor life and culture that makes Copenhagen so lovely. I definitely miss it all and am so happy I’ve had the opportunity to learn in such an amazing city.
