I won?t lie, leaving my time abroad was very difficult. I had the most wonderful time and made the most amazing friends. My experience abroad completely exceeded my expectations and ended up being the best semester of my time at college. I learned so much about the world and myself. I even learned about the US and how much of an impact it makes on the world, which I feel like I wouldn?t have understood if I had never gone abroad. It is hard to imagine myself ever having doubts about going, because I would give anything to go back!
I would have to say my favorite part of my experience abroad was the people I met in my time in Denmark. While I made lovely friends from the US, Korea, France, and Australia, my closest friends were from Denmark. They embraced me so warmly and made Denmark feel like home. They showed me parts of their culture, places they loved, and how warm Danes can be! I got to visit their hometowns and spend lots of time learning about what makes Denmark so special. The hardest part of returning to the US was leaving them and not knowing when I would see them again. I still keep in touch with them and will probably go back to Denmark in the summer to visit them.
I didn?t expect to find so many differences between Denmark and the US, however the more time I spent there, the more I understood how different they are. I found that Americans can be very individualistic and reward-driven which makes the US have the energy that Americans are so proud of. Denmark on the other hand is much more community-driven and focused on work/life balance. Danes expect to be brought into the lives of their coworkers in ways that Americans would find to be extremely unprofessional. For instance, in an interview in the US, it would be pretty inappropriate to talk about your family life and hobbies. However, in Denmark that would actually be encouraged. Also, Americans are more driven, in the workplace, by rewards like pay raises and bonuses. In Denmark, the number one reward is time off to spend with friends and family. I found these differences to make a very big difference on the way Danes and Americans interact in the business world.
From my time abroad, I will always feel like Denmark is a little piece of home and will always be extremely grateful for the experience. I would recommend spending a semester abroad to anyone who gets the chance, because as cheesy as it sounds, it is life-changing.