Why did you choose this program? I chose this program because of academic requirements and the location. I was very interested in traveling to Scandinavia. I also chose DIS because it was not exclusively an IU program. I was able to meet people from schools all around the United States.

Describe your favorite class abroad. My favorite class abroad was my Children with Special Needs Practicum. I traveled to the suburbs of Copenhagen once a week to work at a preschool. I spent the entire day there teaching children how to speak English and learning about their education system.

What was the housing like on your study abroad program? I lived in a dorm of about 60 students on my program. I lived in a room with one roommate and a shared bathroom and small kitchen. We also had a common living room and kitchen. On each floor were also two Danish RA's.

What advice would you like to give to future study abroad students? Explore as much as they can while they are there and learn about the country they are living in. Talk to locals and don't be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. The experiences you have abroad will stay with you forever.

What was your biggest surprise about the location, culture or other aspects of your program? DIS has a program that allows you to have a visiting family. This is a local family that has agreed to meet with you and help you through your time abroad. This is a great opportunity to meet locals and get to experience what it would be like to have a host family while not having to live far from campus. This was one of my favorite parts of DIS, I became very close with my family and I still keep in touch with them.

Describe your experience with culture shock or reverse culture shock. I experienced more culture shock coming back home. Before I left I prepared myself and my expectations for what was to come. When I came back, I assumed everything would go back to normal, I underestimated how much I had grown used to living abroad.

“If I could do it over, I would…” I would not change a thing!

What do you know now that you didn’t know before you went abroad? How independent I can be. I was nervous traveling to a new country, knowing no one, and not speaking the language. I came home with new friends, speaking some Danish and the ability to travel to different countries by myself. I am much more confident than I was before I left.