Zealand Institute of Business and Technology, Denmark

Last December, when I decided to study abroad, it felt as if I had plenty of time, but suddenly the moment of my departure was close and I still had many things to organize. The most important thing for me was to find accommodation in Roskilde – incoming students get support from the Zealand University, which I didn’t know until 1 ½ months before my departure (I was worried a little bit about having to sleep under a bridge :).

If you choose to study in Denmark, you should be aware that the living expenses here are higher than in Germany. In addition you must pay the rent for your whole stay in advance. The rooms have en suite bathrooms (I didn’t even expect that). It is very nice not having to share it with someone else :).

Finally, the day of my departure arrived. The flight to Copenhagen took about 1, 5 hours. Of course I could have traveled to Copenhagen by car and ferry as well, but that would have taken me considerably longer. At the university in Roskilde, every exchange student is assigned to a buddy. Mine is called Cecilie, a Danish student. I got very lucky, because she even picked me up from the airport so that I didn’t had to drag my suitcase all the way! Soon, I noticed the unusual warm temperature in Copenhagen (everyone who did a little research on Denmark knows, that the weather here is usually a bit rainy and chilly). I felt stupid, not having checked the weather forecast, because I packed almost only clothes for a very cold winter. I don’t need a reason to go shopping, but this is definitely a good one! :)

The student residence is very well appointed. We have a fully equipped common kitchen, a fitness room, a home cinema and a ‘food hall’ where we can get breakfast, lunch and dinner during the weekdays. And on weekends we can use the common kitchen to prepare meals.

The first days were a little bit chaotic. Because I arrived on a Friday, there was no one at the reception during the weekend to help me with my plastic key. You need the key to get access to your room, the kitchen and the building itself. Alas, my key didn’t work at first. So when I came back from a walk on Saturday evening, I wasn’t able to open the front door. Fortunately some of the younger students let me in.

Anyway, I am very excited about the days and weeks to come.