A Wave Goodbye

I took my bike back to the rental shop today.

It was white with light purple butterflies running down the side. It had a nice big basket on the front that fit my tote bag full of books perfectly. The gears were a little bit messed up — I never really knew which one I was pedaling in.

The first time I rode my bike to school, I got lost and three people yelled Danish curses at me (I take full responsibility; I was atrocious on the road).

The last time I rode my bike to school, I set record pace due to my late self missing the bus for class. It was 25 degrees outside, and I have never felt more thankful for a pair of gloves.

My white bike with the silly little butterflies took me all over town. I don’t think I would’ve been able to really understand the city if I didn’t use a bike to get around. The way people move around a place… it’s more important than you think.

Humans are always in motion. We just can’t seem to help ourselves! Even as we sit idle, something about us will be ticking — our tapping fingers, our shaking leg, our turning head, our crossed arms, our endlessly-firing thoughts.

I’ll be moving soon in quite a big way. It’ll be around 4,250 miles from Copenhagen back to Virginia. That distance seemed large, of course, when I first made my journey over here. But leaving, it seems even larger.

There’s something about making a home for yourself on one side of the world and then having to let it go…

But that’s humans for you! Moving all the time. In one way, it’s quite beautiful. My world has expanded tenfold (even twentyfold, perhaps?). I’ve never felt so happy with myself in relation to the world. A certain form of anonymity takes hold in such a state of flux. Copenhagen has enveloped me into itself so that I feel like I have begun to blend in with it. I feel safe in its vastness, like the city loves me for just existing within it and letting it shine. 

My favorite thing about studying abroad here? 

Coming into a place that I had no idea about, then letting it gradually take hold of me. The process of learning about Copenhagen, and more importantly understanding Copenhagen, has given me such an appreciation for the unknown. Like, WOW, Denmark. You beautiful, ridiculous, ultra-cool, hygge, clean, weird, multifaceted city. My biggest takeaway is that if you just go into a place with the hope to simply experience, so many glorious moments, people, and ideas will reveal themselves to you. 

If I ever suddenly possessed the ability to speak to a city, I’d say something along the lines of…

THANK YOU, COPENHAGEN! 

I LOVE YOU! 

WITH ALL MY HEART, 

I LOVE YOU! 

MY WORLD IS BRIGHTER NOW, 

YOU HAVE TAUGHT ME 

BRILLIANCE!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

So for now I’ll move on, because unlike cities, that’s what humans do. 

And I’ll leave you all with some fun facts I’ve learned about Copenhagen in my short time here:

1. The cold weather is the least of your problems, trust me. The wind is the real demon of Copenhagen.
2. This city’s flea markets are so ridiculously good. I got a Ganni t-shirt for $12, people!
3. The coffee is expensive but honestly you should keep it in the budget anyway. Cafes in Copenhagen are worth it.
4. Please, for the love of all things holy, find some gløgg. Cider gløgg, wine gløgg, sea buckthorn berry gløgg even. I have no idea why this isn’t popular in the US.
5. Many beautiful things arise from spontaneity. If you walk down a street and see some odd shop below street level, you should probably walk in and take a look.

My head is full of memories. Goodbye Cope, until we meet again!

All the best,

Copenhagen Ava