Denmark – Hayden
Student: Hayden
Course: Bachelor of Communication (Advertising)
Program: Trimester exchange T2 2023
Describe the city you were living in: the landscape, the culture, the weather etc.
Aarhus was an absolute hidden gem. The small student town was bustling upon arrival with so much opportunity for meeting new people and making new friends. I had never heard of Aarhus before I looked into the exchange, but now I can't wait to go back. The culture was laid back, and everyone was so nice, generating a warm and safe vibe throughout my entire stay. In saying that, the people in Aarhus knew how to party and every night out would bring new adventures and fun, amazing memories. the weather was actually pretty nice to start with, and then turned cool, but was not at all a problem, you just have to not let it affect you and keep a positive outlook!
How did you make friends and what sort of things did you do together?
The day after arriving I attended a social football game organized by some boys on the 'Goin' app. I was on the fence about attending as I was very tired after a long journey to Aarhus. I hadn't anticipated just how important going to that football game would be as I met and soon became great friends with a couple of boys there, through which I made many other friends. We would go out every Wednesday night for karaoke at a bar called 'Waxies', which we called 'Waxies Wednesdays'. On top of that, we would occasionally attend uni events such as parties or trivia, as well as occasional nights of mini golf, bowling, poker, board games etc.
What's your one piece of advice for a student who is preparing to study abroad? How should they prepare?
My one piece of advice is to let things happen to you. It's so important to go with a positive and open outlook and be open to going to and doing things that you might not necessarily feel like you want to do. There were some nights I really couldn't be bothered going out or heading to a friend's house because maybe it was too cold or I wasn't feeling great, but sometimes those nights left me with the best memories. You should prepare to embrace and adapt to the culture of wherever you are going on exchange because it is such a great feeling when you feel like you are thriving in a culture that you aren't used to. Just remember that even though it might seem ages away, the experience will come to an end... and it will be very sad, so try to make the absolute most of your time there.
What is the one big thing you will always remember from your experience? Or one big lesson that you learnt?
There were so many everlasting memories I will take away from my exchange experience that it is so hard to narrow it down to one big thing. But if I had to narrow it down to two things that I will always remember, it would firstly be the amazing friends that I made along the way that I continue to be in touch with. The nights out with them, the laughs, the travelling, the op-shopping, the hangovers, the dinners, the study sessions. I was so lucky to make friends so quickly and to build great friendships throughout my time in Aarhus and learned so much about myself through making new friends in a place where I knew nobody. Secondly, I will always remember how beautiful Aarhus is. Whether it was the stunning, warm atmosphere of summer or the chilled, white aesthetic of Winter, people were always out and about and decorating the city with their warm ambience. I sincerely consider Aarhus a home outside of Australia.