Viborg Day 6 Alanna

How are you feeling about being away from home?

I feel fine being away from home. I’m usually not home during the summer so this is not out of the ordinary. There are a few things I miss at home though, namely food, family, and friends but I know it will all be there when I get back. The Nørresø Kollegium, our housing facility, is very much a community and every Wednesday we eat dinner together. The students here are friendly and very welcomining, which makes our stay more enjoyable.

How are you feeling about being where you are located now?

Although Viborg is a small town, it has much to offer. The center of the town is filled with small shopping and grocery stores. I enjoy the beautiful scenery and slow paced lifestyle of Viborg. I can finally relax a bit.

What have you had to do to adapt to living and working there? How are you coping with those changes in your day-to-day behavior?

There were a few things I had to adapt to living in Viborg. As silly as this may sound I had to seriously practice riding a bike. I usually depend on a car or walking, but here in Viborg a bike is an everyday part of life. The hardest thing out here is finding cheap food. Food here is expensive and the quanities are small. Learning how to conserve your money and how to spend it wisely is key. At work the only thing I had to adapt to was the coffee breaks and a foreign keyboard. I’m not use to having two breaks in the middle of a workday. Their concept of the coffee break is NICE. Not only do you get to converse with co-workers otherwise not seen, but you also get to take a break from the mayhem of science. I finally got use to the keyboards as well. There are extra letters and symbols on the keyboards here. It’s a bit difficult to navigate. With some time and practice though, it's easy to master the Danish keyboard.

Is there anything knowledge that you would like to contribute to our program’s Survival Handbook for that country.

I recommend bringing food from home. Food here is expensive and sometimes the grocery stores are closed when you least expect it.