A home away from home away from home

When I came to Copenhagen, I was seeking a social experience. Of course I wanted to meet the Danes and experience their culture, but like so many of my peers, I really wanted to have fun and take a break from my hard-working-student life at home. Well, if you've been reading my blogs then I'm sure you have been able to tell that I've been living up to that dream, having both a social and a fun semester (it'd be pretty hard to miss...no reading between the lines needed.) But, DIS just happens to have this nifty thing called the visiting family program, where they set you up with a Danish family to hang out with on occasion; perfect for those of us who don't want a full-time host family but still would like some family time. Well, to add to the good fortune I have had this entire semester, I was paired up with the most incredible family, made up of a mom (Birgit), dad (Claus), two brothers (David and Daniel), and sister (Ditte.) Throughout the semester we have spent hours around their table, talking and laughing and eating delicious food, soaking in the hygge ("coziness") of their home right outside the center of the city. Early in the semester I went to Ditte's 18th birthday brunch, I spent a night out on the town with David and Daniel, compared musical tastes with Claus, and watched clips of Daniel playing handball with Birgit. From the start, I have fit right in and feel like I have gained a second family and a home away from my home away from home. Hopefully someday my two families will be able to meet on my side of the pond, but until then I have some great memories to go on.