PREPARATIONS
It was March 2019 when I formally applied for a master’s degree in Denmark. At the time, I was in Australia, working as much as I could in order to save enough money to finance my forthcoming student life. To be quite honest, I didn’t know much about this Nordic Country, besides its Viking blood, the beauty of Copenhagen and its bizarre cost of living. I had also heard that higher education is free for Europeans, but I never truly explored the option because I couldn’t yet recognize where to go next career-wise.
However, all the travelling and the diverse people I met along the way made me realize how important cultural diversity is to me. When living in Sydney, I discovered that I relished hearing multiple languages, tasting distinct cuisines and looking at varied skin colours. I firmly believe that cultural pluralism, if managed properly, is a gift for any given society, and we all should embrace the creation of a world of equals, in which everyone matters everywhere.
Luckily enough, I found a master’s degree in Intercultural Studies that caught my attention. It was (and still is) offered by Aarhus University, a Danish world-class college. The course offers specialized training in intercultural communication and cultural diversity management, among other things. Students can choose between four different tracks (English, German, French and Latin America and Spain) that provide them with further expertise in the picked world-area. After I weighed the pros and cons, I applied and, a few months later, I got accepted into the ‘Spanish’ option.
As I said, the degree is free. Gratis. COMPLETELY. No fees nor hidden charges. But that’s not all. All Danish students get paid for studying, because doing so is considered a full-time job. European nationals who come to Denmark are also entitled to receive this sort of student salary called SU (700 euros + regular stipend) only if they work 10 hours per week. Unbelievable, right? After having sorted all the paperwork out, I finally travelled to Aarhus, another city that, unscrupulously, has managed to win my heart.
DENMARK
On August 24, the departure date arrived. I checked in my robust 25 kg suitcase, kissed my mum and finally embarked on a new journey abroad. Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark and it’s known for its vibrant student life. Sara and I stayed for a week in the centre, while waiting to move to our 2-room apartment in Gellerup, one of the so-called ‘ghettos’ of the country. We had no problems whatsoever with the inhabitants of the neighbourhood and I recommend settling there if you fancy a multicultural vibe.
We lived in a dorm called Aarhus Kollegiet, 6 kilometres or so away from the city centre. I cycled every day to uni, even when raining, not an oddity in Denmark at all. I used the first months to study hard and I spent most of the time closed in the library reading hundreds of papers about colonialism, cultural diversity and interculturalism, among other subjects. Every Friday, we would go to our faculty’s Fredagsbar, a weekly poor-friendly party that sold warm 5 kroner beers.
It was not hard to make international friends, since everyone was extremely keen to socially connect with others. Even Danes, stereotypically known to be a little private. If you are affable and respectful of their culture you can easily create meaningful friendships with the local residents. English is widely spoken in Denmark, so not being able to communicate in Danish isn’t an issue, at least in the beginning. However, they are really proud of their language, and they expect you to learn at least some phrases to get by.
Soon after Christmas, I started searching for a job, which, thankfully, wasn’t as difficult as anticipated. There weren’t many open positions and some of my friends didn’t succeed in their job hunting endeavour. I sent countless emails to innumerable restaurants, a strategy that eventually worked. I was hired as a dishwasher by a chain of restaurants called Smag & Slægt, which allowed me to secure enough hours to apply for the aforementioned ‘student salary’ and get to know the Danish cuisine, famous for its pork and boiled potatoes.
Everything was going well until Covid-19 came in March. Denmark shut down almost everything surprisingly fast, without having many infections, compared to other European countries. My restaurant closed its doors and I remained jobless until May. Consequently, like many others, I found myself taking online lessons and losing my SU. We didn’t go through a traumatic lockdown, because we were relatively free to go wherever we wanted. However, we tried to socialize within the boundaries of our dorm and I personally took my baking skills to the next level.
When the peak of the pandemic was overcome, Denmark started easing some of the restrictions and most of the restaurants began serving food again. I worked full-time for a month and a half and I enjoyed very much returning to normality. Also, the days got longer and brighter, a weather change that we all appreciated after months of darkness and rain. When the sun shines, Denmark is a totally different country and you can feel that everyone is happy and good-mooded. Without even realizing it, summer came as well as our time to go back to Italy.
GOING BACK
I didn’t really want to, but I needed to spend some time with Sara and her family in Perugia. And, to be honest, I had been missing pizza since I left Bologna some years ago. We sold all our stuff and left our flat in mid-June. We stayed for a week in the city centre at a friend’s place and then travelled to Copenhagen to fly out. We saw the very first face mask in the metro while going to the airport. It came as a shock to us, since covering both mouth and nose was not mandatory in Denmark during the pandemic, not even in public spaces. Inside the plane, we felt like humans in Mars, not being able to sight smiles around us. We arrived in Italy dead tired. We were picked by Sara’s father, and he drove us to Perugia, two hours away from Rome.
My master’s is a two-year degree course, but if everything goes as planned, I’ll be spending the remaining one first in Belgium and then, hopefully, in South America writing down my thesis. I’m missing Denmark already and I recommend everyone to study in Aarhus, not just because it’s free, but mainly because it’s an amazing city.
Tusind tak, Danmark.
07/08/2019