International Internationaal Denmark is one of its earliest forms traces back to king Svend Tveskæg (Sweyn Forkbeard) in the first half of the 10th century. When people think about Denmark, they often still think of these Viking kings of old. My name is Niek and let me tell you how I almost became a Viking myself during my exchange semester in Copenhagen.
TEXT Niek de Jong DESIGN Caitlin Riesewijk
Life in Copenhagen, Denmark From September until December, I had the opportunity to go abroad to the capital of Denmark: Copenhagen. Most of you will know this city as the house of Vikings and perhaps the statue of the little mermaid (which is indeed very very little). However, Copenhagen has much more to bring! I studied at the Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) in Kongens Lyngby, just outside of Copenhagen. DTU
DTU is a very open and welcoming university with around 11.000 students and is located on a campus known as Lundtoftesletten. Since the campus mainly consists of low-rise buildings, it stretches really far. Luckily for me, Swapfiets is also active in Copenhagen.
SCOPE MARCH 2022
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The story goes that the previous kings and queens of Denmark didn’t want their view from the nearby hunting lodge ruined by higher buildings, which is why it was forbidden until recently to construct buildings with more than three floors in the area. The campus contains both educational and research buildings, as well as student accommodation. I also lived in one of these dormitories on campus. They strive to have a 50/50 occupation of Danish and international students, which is great for getting to know new people and at the same time meeting experienced students that know their way around campus and the city. I lived together in a house with twelve other people with five different nationalities ranging from bachelors to masters.
Together with 20 of such houses we formed the dormitory Hempel Kollegiet. Often, people were hosting parties that you could join, or you could go for drinks with some of your roommates. Besides, the DTU campus exploits six bars that open on Friday. Every bar has a different setting (from playing games to party mode) and the beer is a lot cheaper than in the city. Also, the (sport)clubs from DTU can bring you a lot of fun. It’s a great way to meet new people and maybe learn something new. I joined the Exiles Rugby Team during my semester. They trained two times a week and often had a game on Saturday. As you can imagine, it brought me a lot of bruises. Still, the fun was worth it all. Regularly, an Exiles kangaroo court was
