Zealand Institute of Business and Technology, Denmark

Last weekend we went on a trip to Lund, which is the 11^th largest city in Sweden. It is old, quiet and not so big after all. You can see many young people in town, most of them are students who live here.

It is really nice. It has many small alleys and beautiful houses, typical for most Swedish and Danish cities. We strolled through the city and rested outside a café to enjoy the sunny weather, which is rather unusual for this time of year.

Later we visited the Lund University botanic gardens, which are over 150 years old. This very large park is located at the edge of town. The entrance is free and it is open all year around. We also walked through the historic park “Lundagård“, which was built in the 18^th century.

Since there was not so much to do in Roskilde that evening, we went to Copenhagen to go to a bar. Like everything else, alcohol is very expensive in Denmark, which is why we do not go out every night. Danish and international full-time students, who have a side job receive “SU” (Statens Uddannelsesstøtte), a financial support from the state. However, unlike in Germany, they do not have to pay it back. Still, it is stressful, because you have to work at least 11 hours per week to receive SU in addition to your courses at university. Nevertheless, I think it is astounding how well the Danish state supports its students/families. It compensates for the extremely high taxes.

There is much to do at university before the Christmas holidays. Since I already wrote one exam in October, I only have to take one other exam now. In class, there are always exercises and we must present our solutions at the end of every lesson. It increases the amount of work and engagement in class, but I always learn a lot. Since my main goal for this semester abroad is to improve my English, it helps a lot to speak in front of a group of people. During the week, there is never much time for trips, but I spend a lot of time with two students from Slovakia and Latvia, who also live in Roskilde. Most students live in Copenhagen.

It is noticeable, that nightfall is earlier now every day, but I am looking forward to Christmas season, which will start next week.