Madeline and Hannah Taub both studied at DIS for the Fall 2016 semester – but when it came to choosing their location, they attended DIS Stockholm and DIS Copenhagen, respectively. At the end of the semester, we caught up with the sisters to hear about their favorite study abroad moments.
In three adjectives, how would you describe Stockholm and Copenhagen as a city?
Madeline Taub: Stockholm is full-of-adventure, expansive, and interesting
Hannah Taub: Copenhagen is clean, green, bike-friendly.
Tell us about your favorite moment or a highlight of the semester.
MT: Camping with my Outdoor Adventure Living & Learning Community (LLC) weekend where we camped at Tyreso national park. I loved being in the Swedish outdoors and they were extremely beautiful, some of the most beautiful places I have been in my life. I made a closer connection to Sweden, and a closer connection to some of my friends at DIS Stockholm. We picked endless blueberries, climbed through caves, watched the sunrise on top of a mountain, and so many other amazing things. I will treasure these memories and experiences for years to come.
HT: One of my favorite moments was cooking a “Friendsgiving” dinner with some of my friends in the Green LLC. We each contributed a dish and got to enjoy each other’s cooking while getting a little taste of home and soaking up the hygge!
Why did you come to DIS, and more specifically, why DIS Stockholm or DIS Copenhagen?
MT: I came to DIS because it is a great study abroad program, allowing lots of travel with interesting classes and opportunities. I chose DIS Stockholm because I thought the smaller size would be more fun, allowing more opportunity to meet Swedes and a tighter, close-knit community.
HT: I came to DIS in part because I wanted to study sustainable development, and Denmark’s sustainability efforts are world-renowned. Additionally, I had heard good things about the academic rigor and organization of DIS.
What is your biggest piece of advice for future students studying at DIS Copenhagen or Stockholm, on how they can make the most of their time abroad?
MT: It is important to go out into the city and do things. Even studying, try to go to your local library or cafe because that way you can experience more of the city, instead of staying in wherever you live. The Visiting Host Program is a must – you meet such amazing people who are willing to share their city and culture with you and it’s one of the best ways to meet Swedes.
HT: To make the most of their time abroad, future students should take advantage of all the opportunities DIS provides that allow you to get to know Copenhagen, Danes, and your fellow students.
Madeline, you took a Swedish Language & Culture course this past semester. What is your favorite Swedish word?
MT: Snigel. It means snail and in my Outdoor Adventure LLC we would say it all the time, it was our word. It’s also really fun to say!
What was one idea about Scandinavia that you had before coming abroad that was debunked during your semester?
MT: I used to think that Denmark and Sweden were all pretty much the same in terms of culture and language. After visiting both I realized that while similar, the cultures are still quite different and the language may read similarly but Danish sounds nothing like Swedish.
HT: Before coming to Scandinavia, I lumped all the Scandinavian countries together and assumed they were all similar in culture. However, this was quickly debunked during my semester when I learned about the stereotypes and biases amongst Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes!