10 – Farvel

Chewie, we’re home.

— Han Solo

To be honest, I’d been saving that quote since week two of the semester. I have a document on my computer where I kept ideas for future blog posts and relevant quotes. I thought that that line from Star Wars was going to be the perfect tone for how I wanted to return home after a semester of adventures. I never planned on needing to use that quote so early, but because of COVID-19, I woke up last Thursday to an email from DIS that said our program in Denmark was cancelled.

The next couple of hours were a blur. I kept getting texts from friends who were finding flights home or already boarding them and I called my parents several times to try to figure out when and how I should get home as I helplessly watched the prices for flights soar. My whole world in Denmark had just collapsed around me and the only thing I could think of were the people—the friends I was never going to see again, the host family I was being pulled away from, and the greater Danish population. At the end of the day, Denmark is just a place. What makes Denmark an amazing place are the people. I am truly sad that I won’t be able to spend the rest of the spring with the wonderful individuals I met in Denmark.

Although I am certainly looking forward to going back to my school in the fall, DIS has changed my outlook on how academics can be taught. I really enjoyed the emphasis on in-class discussion—even in my (often very) technical computer science classes. And while I wasn’t able to go on a study tour to another country (mine was going to be this week), I only heard wonderful things from my friends who went.

All I know is that DIS is doing something right because they’ve been around for over fifty years. And though I can’t speak for DIS Stockholm, I would hands down recommend DIS Copenhagen to any interested students. This has been the only semester of my college career where I can say with certainty that I have loved every single one of my classes.

Keeping with CDC guidelines, my first (and soon-to-be second) week at home has consisted of a self-quarantine. This has given me a lot of free time to reflect on my time in Denmark and I know that I would do it again in a heart beat. No place outside of my hometown (including my college town) has made me feel quite as comfortable or at peace as Denmark. The attitude of the people here, their way of life, and the government’s attitude towards carbon neutrality are just a few examples of the myriad that have made my time in Denmark one I will remember for years to come. There is a reason that it is considered one of the happiest places in the world.

And sadly, as my time in Denmark has come to an end, it is time for my blog to do so as well. I want to thank each and every one of you who joined me on my journey. If you ever want to talk, please feel free to leave me a comment below or reach out to me at slyons.social “at” gmail.com. I am sorry that things were cut short, but sometimes that’s how life is. In the words of Dr. Seuss,”Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

Mange tak og farvel.

– Sam