Hej! I can’t believe it’s the end of the semester. I’m reaching the end of my last full week in Copenhagen, and it feels like I’ve only just gotten here. It’s funny how time works that way. At the beginning of the semester, it felt like I had all the time in the world, and now it feels like it’s gone by so quickly. It doesn’t even feel real yet. I feel like it might not really hit me until I’m boarding the plane, but who knows? I’ve written about a lot of random things on this blog, experiences, classes, topics I hope could be helpful to someone. Now that it’s the end of this study abroad experience, my last few posts will probably be mostly reflective. I’ll take this moment to look back on the classes I took this semester, what I think I’ll take from them. And to any future DIS students contemplating taking these courses, hopefully it’ll give you some insight into what they’ve really been like for me. CDD: CMC I honestly had no idea what to expect when I signed up for a Core Course called Children in a Multicultural Context, but I can honestly say I am so glad I chose this to be my Core. I feel like I got to see a side of Denmark that other students didn’t. I wouldn’t have thought of this as a country where multiculturalism was a relevant topic, but it is in so many interesting ways. This class taught me how to think in new ways, how to always ask more questions, and how to appreciate fun and creative ways to engage with learning. Our two teachers, Maja and Amana, are absolutely amazing. I would take the class ten million times over just to have them as my teachers. It’s also been a really good group of students, and I was surprised at how well we bonded as a class. Maybe it’s a product of how DIS is structured, with so much travel with your Core Course. Maybe we were just the right group of students to put together. I don’t know, but I know that I learned so much about the world and about myself, and this experience would not have been the same had I not taken this class. Danish Language and Culture So, taking a Danish language class was interesting. To be honest, I probably wouldn’t take it if I could do it all over again. I absolutely love learning languages, and if you’re coming in with absolutely no knowledge of the Danish language and little opportunity to get exposure to it, then the class can be helpful. I, however, being the ambitious person that I am, actually taught myself a considerable amount of Danish before I got here using DuoLingo. It made it so that the first half of the material we learned this semester was actually stuff I already knew, so I was a little bored during parts of the class. I also felt like being in a host family helped me pick up even more of the language fairly quickly (so if you’re looking for plenty of opportunity to practice your Danish, this is the housing option for you), so sometimes it felt like the pace of the class wasn’t helpful for me. I did like some of the field studies we had, such as visiting Christiansborg Slot (the castle). I had a really nice teacher, and she really helped us understand the feeling of ‘hygge.’ I also bonded with some of my classmates over the shared frustration of trying to pronounce certain Danish words, because they can sound really weird to our American ears sometimes. In the end it wasn’t the class for me, but I did do well and now I am capable of having a very simple conversation in Danish, so that’s pretty cool! Developmental Disorders Because it’s very relevant for the field I want to go into, this was probably my favorite class content-wise. I not only got to learn about the different developmental disorders children can have, but I learned about how psychologists look at individual cases and have to make decisions, how to think about treatments for children versus adults, and more. The field studies we went on were interesting, getting to experience to some level how certain treatments and activities can be beneficial to people struggling with different types of issues. I liked that the class was a good balance of lecture and group work - too much of either one is not so much fun. We also had great guest speakers who brought in really cool perspectives. For me it honestly felt a lot like my classes back home, which was really nice. I mean, it’s cool to be pushed out of your comfort zone every now and then, but it’s also good to have something feel a little familiar. The one thing I will complain about, though, is that somehow every time I stepped into that classroom, the desks were arranged differently, and some arrangements were not conducive to the work we were trying to do. That aside, if you’re a psychology major, especially if you’re interested in being a clinical practitioner, I would definitely recommend taking this class. It’s really interesting. European Documentary Film This class was cool because it brought together people from a more theoretical film background, a more practical film background, and no film experience at all. We were also a class of only eight, which I thought would make me nervous but actually ended up being really great. It’s easier to get comfortable with a smaller group, and in my opinion comfort is very important when you have to show creative work to people. This semester we all made short films. I’ve taken film production courses before, but this one was a very different experience. We basically did several little assignments throughout the semester, then towards the end we took the shots that we had and edited them together to create short documentaries. When I first looked at the seemingly random series of clips I had, I didn’t think it would be possible. I ended up very satisfied with how my final product turned out. Making this film actually allowed me the opportunity to really reflect on my semester. Early on I would measure how things were going by comparing my experience to that of others. It took a moment for me to realize that I have my own goals for traveling, and I’ve gotten some amazing things out of the experience. My five minute film is simply a reflection on these thoughts, and I’ll end this post by sharing it with you. Hopefully it does a good job of summing up my positive takeaways from this semester. Vi ses!
1 Comment
Sandy Wilda
12/8/2016 06:55:50 pm
Awesome!! Love this!!
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AuthorOn ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. Part of my heart I'm leaving behind in the United States. Join me as I take the rest on an amazing adventure to Copenhagen, Denmark! ArchivesCategories
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