On summer bliss and social awareness

The moment I found out I had received full funding from my college to study abroad with DIS, I opened TikTok and searched “Copenhagen.” My screen filled with with idyllic photos and videos of Copenhagen, from Nyhavn to local museums to bakeries. “Top 5 Eats in Copenhagen,” read one tagline. “How to Spend a Perfect Weekend in Copenhagen,” read another. On YouTube, too, people eagerly shared their experiences eating, sightseeing, and exploring. As is often the case with any popular study abroad destination, the narrative of what it was like to live in Copenhagen was overwhelmingly (if not exclusively) positive, highlighting the best of what the city has to offer.

Articles and videos lauded the country for its high levels of social trust, its progressive social policies, and its famously high quality of life. Denmark consistently ranks among the happiest countries in the world, and anecdotes about leaving babies unattended in strollers outside cafes with peace of mind seemed to epitomize the safety and trust ingrained in Danish culture. Admittedly, when I first arrived, I took everything I was reading and hearing about this seemingly perfect country at face value, eager to immerse myself in what I imagined would be an ideal, almost utopian experience.

I appreciate the relatively small class sizes at DIS; my class has only 18 students. This provides ample opportunities for everyone to contribute openly and ask questions throughout class without the fear of being a little fish in a big pond.

During first few days of my session 1 course, Social Change and Active Citizenship, we discussed the concept of folk high schools and the ideas of N.F.S. Grundtvig. These optional schools (often attended during post-high school gap years) are designed for personal enrichment without grades or exams—why don’t we have something like this in the U.S.? I would love to have the opportunity to learning for the sake of learning, while living with my best friends and without the worry of an upcoming exam looming over my head.

However, as the course progressed, we began to dive deeper into more complex aspects of and (unspoken) issues within Danish society. We heard from Luiza Scalco about her work leading the social project Responsible Refund and its collaboration with the upcoming Roskilde Festival to improve working conditions and support for refund collectors. Refund collectors are individuals who collect and return empty bottles and cans for a refund, a system known as “pant” in Denmark. We critically examined how the stigma against refund collectors is deeply rooted in systemic racism and xenophobia, as these collectors are predominantly immigrants of color.

One of the first things I noticed about Copenhagen was how clean the city is, much of which can be attributed to the hard work of refund collectors.

We continued exploring these themes through conversations with Özlem Cekic, a former member of the Danish Parliament, who is also Muslim. Özlem’s efforts to foster dialogue between people with opposing views shed light on the significant challenges faced by immigrants and minorities in such a homogeneous country. Our discussions about readings on the Muslim experience in Denmark were further enriched by a conversation with Catherine Marstrand Loyanae, who spoke about the Afro-Danish experience.

It’s easy to romanticize the city in which you study abroad, as well as the experience of studying abroad itself—and I was guilty of doing so. Equipped with the insights gleaned from my teacher and my peers, I was reminded that every city, no matter how beautiful or progressive it seems, has its own set of challenges and imperfections.

With this in mind, my class set out for Ollerup, Denmark, to participate in the annual Democracy Festival in celebration of Constitution Day. Throughout our first day, we partook in activities at and engage with students who attend both Gymnastikhøjskolen (Ollerup Folk High School) and The Independent Academy for Free Schools.

After lunch, we went on a tour of Gymnastikhøjskolen. As the name of the school implies, the school specializes in physical education (specifically gymnastics and dance).

We began the following day at The Independent Academy for Free Schools, where we created posters for our DIS festival booth in our respective podcast groups: Equality, Social Trust, Active Citizenship, Democratic Education, and Sustainability. The festival provided an opportunity for us to both engage with participants about our topics of focus and converse with the various political parties present about their visions and values.

My podcast group focused on social trust. Our conversations with festival participants echoed our classroom learnings that while Denmark indeed enjoys high levels of social trust, this trust is not uniformly experienced by all residents. We discussed how social trust can sometimes be wielded to advance political agendas, particularly in debates surrounding immigration and integration. This nuanced understanding was deepened by an interview with Pelle Dragsted, a prominent figure within the Red-Green Alliance (Enhedslisten), a left-wing political party in Denmark. Dragsted articulated how the concept of social trust is often used selectively, reinforcing existing power structures and marginalizing those who do not fit one’s idea of what it means to be Danish.

Surprisingly, most participants responded “No” to “Do you trust your government?,” citing increasing levels of corruption and the decline of the welfare system.

I am grateful for the opportunity my class and the Democracy Festival alike have provided to discuss and question the Danish ideals I had initially (and dangerously) romanticized. By speaking with local students, political figures, festival attendees, and my classmates, I gained a deeper understanding of the lived realities of marginalized communities in Denmark.

It’s okay to enjoy the beauty and fun of a new place, but it’s equally important to engage with and understand its sociopolitical challenges. This balanced perspective not only allows me to appreciate my time here in Copenhagen more fully but also helps me grow as a more informed and empathetic global citizen.