Name: Simran Khadka
Home University: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Summer Session 1 Course: Health Delivery and Prioritization in Northern Europe
Summer Session 2 Course: Children in a Multicultural Context
Hej everyone,
Even though it has only been a week and a half of Session 1, my course on Health Prioritization and Delivery has been very fulfilling. Since I intend to major in public health, I realized that taking this course would provide me with the basic knowledge about the Danish health care system and the issues it faces. The public health courses at my home institution will be about the American health care system, but Morten, my instructor, integrates the American system to compare and contrast with the Danish system to engage the classroom.
Most importantly, being in a smaller classroom setting that promotes discussion really helps critical thinking. In addition, Morten is a very passionate lecturer, and the field visits have been very relevant to the content. Since he works as a health policy advisor and editor at the AIDS Foundation in Denmark, he was able to give the classroom a tour of the office and provide the history of HIV/AIDS in Denmark, current projects that include health promotion, and challenges that the foundation faces in counseling and reducing stigmas that HIV positive individuals face throughout their lives.
Since the class is usually early, I have the opportunity to bike there along my classmates who help me navigate through the traffic. With those classmates, I have been asking questions about the lecture, collaborating on the group project, reflecting on the field visits and exploring different parts of Copenhagen every day. The time spent here has taught me that it is possible to enjoy your study abroad experience through academic and non-academic activities with new friends, which is truly a privilege in this wonderful city.
