København Nightlife

As the saying goes "time flies." It's pretty amazing that we are already entering the six week of our time here at the Copenhagen Business School. It really feels as if only a few days ago I arrived at my first residence covered in sweat and tired from my long train ride from Paris. Having been in a conundrum in Hamburg after getting off at the wrong station and jetting to the train station with a new friend from Paris who also made the mishap.

So today after spending the week with friends and needing to work on my paper I instead decide to pour out the emotions, thoughts, and events of the past weeks into this little portal to my world. I have experienced a range of emotions. Having been happy, sad, ecstatic, angry, annoyed, overjoyed, etc... These last two and a half weeks have been the most rewarding. Having learned to survive while waiting for bank transfers on less than $5 a day and making the most of it. Walking the streets of Copenhagen when money was scarce and hanging out at a residence called Holger Danske with the Poles Karol and Filip, Marianne and Cristina from Norway, Justus and Roman from Germany, Mèlanie from France, David from Amsterdam, and of course the fabulous Tuesday night dinners with Brandon and Vaughan.

It's hard to encapsulate all the memories and friends that I have made in mere words on a webpage but everyone of those people has a special place. For instance on Wednesday night we decided to check out a little bar on the bank of the canal we heard about from David who had visited it with his girlfriend the week prior. Just as we are leaving we realized we were short one bike because the one I had been using had a flat tire. So we grabbed a spare that the Polish guys had left upon their departure but the chain fell off shortly after leaving. In a showing of solidarity everyone waited on me for about 30 minutes as Cristina decided to fix the bike she will be using for the next 2 years while attending the MBA here in Copenhagen. I chipped in on the 100 kroner cost since I get to use the bike until I leave. However, everyone decided to wait until I could make it even though it was getting late.

Finally the bike was fixed and we were on our way. We trekked across the city to Cristiania and beyond. Moving towards an old abandoned set of industrial buildings as we wound towards this place called Halvandet. David knew the way but we were all skeptical as we moved through this urban jungle wondering how this bar even existed. Then as if an Oasis in the desert of abandoned buildings we arrived a beach bar located on an old canal inlet used for shipping docks. We parked our bikes and strolled through the sand and found a packed bar open air bar complete with beds, tables, a volleyball court, sand soccer, and of course a spectacular view of Copenhagen.

We drank beers, lounged, talked about life, played some volleyball and soccer enjoying the new friendships we had created. It was absolutely fabulous. So fabulous in fact that we decided to return the following night for Cristina's Copenhagen birthday. Although it's hard to repeat a fun, rare night of beautiful weather and friends it turned out perfect. We had some dinner, which was expensive but I figured that I had been very frugal all summer long and I could manage one or two nights of R&R. After last night we headed to a farewell party at one of the dorms and even though we are at the final leg of this program I am still meeting new friends and faces.

There are always ups and downs in life and sometimes when you are living abroad they can be magnified. However, the people that I have met exemplify why, with all the problems in the world, there is still hope for humanity. Building lasting friendships across borders and cultures is one of the most amazing experiences. Maybe the world would be a little better if everyone got outside their comfort zone and learned a little bit about the neighbors past the fences. I look forward to seeing Prague, Warsaw, etc... but I must admit that I am already feeling a little sentimental for the great friends I will be saying goodbye to next week.