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Counting down the hours

Four weeks ago my mom was leaving as my classes were wrapping up and I was beginning to prep for exams. The time since has gone by in what feels like 4 days. The time that I thought would feel the longest has gone by the quickest, and now that I’ve stopped to look up, I’m packing my things to ship out.

I don’t know if I could ever say I’m ready to leave. The past month has been the best one yet, and I think it’s because it was the only month I really spent completely in Denmark. It began with a visit from three friends, David, Jessika and Jan. While I wouldn’t be downtown every day of the week ordinarily, it was so nice to have a reason to be down there every day. From the great meals that we had, to the experiences like Captaining Go-Boats through the canals, I truly enjoyed every moment. While I will be heading back to Michigan for one more year of schooling, my housemate David (for the first semester at least) graduated while we were gone with the rest of the Class of 2018.

To David:

There is no one I could think of that I believe is more prepared to take on the real world than you. I am so happy that you got to come spend time with us in Copenhagen this past month, as those are some experiences that we’ll be able to laugh about years from now. I appreciate everything you have done for me and for our house this past year, you’ve been an all-around great friend (hopefully HQ2 gets placed in Atlanta and we can share a house in the future again some day). Until I see you back in the states this summer, I just wanted to say Congrats and good luck!

After our friends headed out, the Campus Village crew at DTU had one more get together, and this time it was at the France vs. Austria hockey game, as the IIHF World Championships are going on here all over right now. It was such a great send-off, as I got to see some familiar faces, as well as some faces I had barely seen.

I’ve just finished packing up, and will be heading to the airport soon, and its just hitting me that somehow these 4 months have come and gone. Copenhagen has become home. The shipping containers that we live in have grown on me. The 5am walk across campus after a night out to see Campus Village in the rising sun has really come to make me happy, not because of the accommodation itself, but because of the amazing people that I met. The amazing people that all come together from a huge array of backgrounds, that are all so open to listening, because we were all in the same boat that was studying abroad in a country most of us had never been in. As I don’t think it has really set in yet, I’ll debrief a little more later. All I can say for now, is that I could not be happier that I made the last minute decision to study abroad, and that Denmark surprised me beyond my beliefs

Alex Krivan

Industrial & Operations Engineering

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) in Lyngby, Denmark

#UmichEnginAbroad #IPElyngby #AlexKrivan #IPE Winter 18

A taste of Japan in Denmark

When I was younger, I was lucky enough to have the chance to live in Japan for two and a half years, which is probably why I’m here in Denmark now. Back to the story - all throughout Japan are these cherry blossom trees. You wouldn’t really notice them for 11 months of the year, but the one month in the Spring when they are blooming, they are beautiful. During that time these plants are worshipped; they are sacred and festivals are had to celebrate the Spring and their bloom. Perhaps, one of my favorite memories from Japan were the days during these times where we would go to the park to just sit underneath the rows of cherry blossoms with the other expat families and grill all day. That all came back to life this past week. Copenhagen hosts their own Sakura Festival, complete with the local food, beer, and performances to match the plants. Sitting there, in the park on a warm, Spring day, I might have been the most content I’ve been this entire semester. I could have stayed there for hours.

Right after reminiscing on those times with my family, I got a call from my little sister on the way home, all excited for me to be coming home in two weeks time. While I’ve loved my time here, I think that had me almost ready to come home.

These next two weeks do have a lot in store, however, with old friends from Michigan visiting, and plans with new friends here. These last days will not be dull, that is for sure. Today, I’ve been relaxing watching the Champion’s League Soccer, after handing in two, huge group reports. Those group reports wrapped up two of my four classes. Two down, two to go.

While there is lots of fun to still be had, I still have a thesis to hand in, and an exam to prep for. Its safe to say this exam is going to take some serious prep, as it is for my class that has Monday morning lecture. While I am definitely a morning person, flights are just wayyyyy too cheap to fly back on Monday rather than Sunday. My attendance in that lecture suffered because of it, and now its time to pay the price by going back through the lecture slides and teaching myself what I have missed. Looking back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing, despite the work I have coming up. I have enjoyed every single moment so far.