“So why did you come to Denmark?” has to be the #1 question that Danes are very curious to know when they meet internationals or expats. I get asked that a lot too in my 2.5 years in Denmark.
“So Why Did You Come to Denmark?” They Ask
Everyone, of course, has a different reason—some come to study, for job opportunities, for cultural experience, for the love of their lives, for a better future…or a mixture of different reasons.
Even as an international myself, I am also curious to know why other internationals choose to come. Because, if you think twice about it, it is mind-blowing for two persons from two completely different countries and cultures, with different motivations, to end up in the same social space in Denmark. It is a question worth asking, and it usually leads to an exciting storytime.
The Short Answer
To that, I usually answer, “I have a short answer and a long answer,” and I will decide which version to tell depending on the setting or the time we have. Today I will share both; first, the short answer: I got a full scholarship to study my master’s here. And then we usually end with an “oh, that’s cool” or “no wonder” kind of response and move on to the next topic.
The Long Answer: Story Time!
But if you are like most people who are interested to hear some story, then sit tight and read on!
To really answer why I will have to give some background of where I was (in life) back in 2017 in the U.S. There is always more than one reason for things, and my case was not an exception. When I look back, there were different things that influenced me to want to “get out of” America and brought me to this lesser-known country called Denmark.
Inspiration from my 1st trip to Europe
Back in 2015, I had a dream-come-true birthday trip to Europe, well, the UK, France, and Switzerland to be exact. It was my first time in Europe, and the trip was only 2.5 weeks – because when you work full-time, that’s the amount of vacation time you get.
Even though I had an eye-opening trip, spending a few days in each city was not enough. I wanted more. I wanted to go back and have a deeper-dive experience in Europe, genuinely absorbing the culture, the history, the atmosphere, and everything.
So this trip in 2015 planted seeds in my heart to set foot in Europe again, but Denmark, specifically, hadn’t come into the picture just yet.
Passion for traveling and cultures
Ever since I was a little girl, my one and only dream is to travel around the world. I didn’t fancy becoming a doctor, teacher, or an astronaut, but a traveler. I guess it is in my blood and genes – thanks, mom and dad!
My passion has always been in traveling and learning about different cultures, languages**, and meeting people from different backgrounds. I love exploring new, unknown places, seeing them with my own eyes.
There is something genuinely fascinating when I can build a relationship with people across language or cultural boundaries. You not only learn about others/ other cultures but about yourself, your own identity(ies) that you only realize when you are outside of your homeland.
(**By the way, if you are a language-learner & culture-lover like me, I highly recommend you to check out swaplanguage.com!)
Yearning for a new change
As I said, I was working full time in a nonprofit organization before I moved to Denmark. While I enjoyed my workplace, my bosses and colleagues, and the meaningful purpose I served, I felt that I have learned almost everything I could in terms of perfecting my performance.
There also wasn’t much upward mobility with my specific position. The organization was undergoing significant leadership changes at the time as well. In short, different factors drove me into looking for a change – in my career plan but also life in general.
Life is a journey divided into different seasons.
At age 26, back then, I was pondering on the thoughts of moving onto another season of life. I asked myself a critical question: “what do I want to do in my mid-late 20’s that I will thank myself in my 30’s?”
The idea was brewing in my heart over some months, and eventually, on January 1, 2017, I announced to myself and others: I wanted to quit my job and study in Europe! I have lived & traveled in Asia, the U.S., and it was time to try Europe too!
(Yes, I know, Denmark was still not on my mind yet, but I promise it is coming. That also shows how unexpected my encounter with Denmark is, right? Read on! ;))
Academic goals: Going back to school
Back in my bachelor’s degree, when I was done with my 66-page honors thesis, I was SO DONE with school. All I wanted was to take a gap year to travel and then to work, which I did.
I was not completely close to the idea of going back to school “at some point in the future,” but it’s unless I see it needed to advance in my career or find something I am truly passionate about studying.
But as I said, there are different seasons of life, which means your perspective can change as you grow professionally and personally.
After working a few years, gaining hands-on experience in Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (ED&I) work and in mediating between cultures in an organizational setting, I became very interested in gaining further knowledge in a related field. I was once again open to the idea of going back to school…in Europe.
High university tuition in the U.S.
Why Europe? A significant reason was that tuition is crazy expensive in the U.S. I heard tuition in some European countries like Germany, Norway is free. In others like Denmark, France, or Austria is relatively affordable even for non-EU citizens.
As low as a few hundred euro and no more than a few thousand per year!! I don’t know why not more Americans would study in Europe (that’s another topic for another time).
So, cheap tuition + desire to explore Europe = I began to research programs I was interested in all over Europe.
The Application Journey
Because of my work experience that allowed me to use my intercultural communication competences and just my love in this area of knowledge, I was looking for programs that suited my interest.
I found more than 20 programs ALL ACROSS Europe and made a list on an Excel spreadsheet. Bear in mind I worked 40 hours/week; writing applications is super time & energy-consuming and the application fee for each was 50-100€, so it was impossible to apply to all.
I narrowed it down to 6 that I would apply to. They were in Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Norway, and Austria. I applied according to the deadlines, and Aarhus University (A.U.) in Denmark was up first.
At that point, I knew very little about Denmark and ABSOLUTELY nothing about Aarhus, but the “M.A. in Intercultural Studies” program description was very attractive to me.
I also applied to the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Utrecht University (U.U.). And by the time I was about to apply to the 4th one in France, I got an offer from all three of them, so I didn’t need to apply further.
The applying and waiting process was very stressful because, as an American, I didn’t know how competitive master’s programs would be in Europe. I could be investing time, efforts and money to chase my dream for nothing. It was a huge relief.
A Full Scholarship: The Game Changer
To top up the good news, both A.U. and UvA actually offered me a very generous full scholarship package. Worrying no school would accept me was terrible, but having sweet options almost felt worse. No matter what I decided on, it would literally change my life course.
I made a wish list earlier, but both programs hit some of my priorities; both have pros and cons. The Netherlands is in Western Europe. It’s geographically better for the sake of traveling (only a bus/train ride away from other countries). Amsterdam is an international and cool city, but it could be too touristic for my taste.
It’s also important to consider other factors like school ranking, program content and length, and the weather or vibe of the city. UvA has a higher ranking than A.U., but both are top 100s.
The Dutch master’s program was only 1 year while the Danish one was 2 years. I couldn’t imagine adapting to a new country, language, culture, transitioning from work to school, PLUS doing an internship and writing a thesis…all within 1 year. I wanted to soak in, take it slow.
Aarhus is a smaller city, but it seemed cozy, calm, and cultural. When comparing the two M.A. programs, “Intercultural Studies” was closer to what I wanted than “Comparative Cultural Analysis.”
The Final Decision: Denmark
I was praying about it a lot, asking different people’s opinions, and researching both programs and countries more. Though my heart leaned slightly towards A.U. and UvA had one huge obvious drawback, I was not “feeling it a 100%,” which scared me.
After a few stressful and restless days, a random travel article pieced my torn heart back together. The last sentence says, “small town is more suitable for me after all.” Boom. Mic dropped. The moment I read this, I felt as if a heavyweight was instantly lifted away from my heart. I can’t even describe that feeling and assurance.
M.A., Intercultural Studies at Aarhus University, it is!
Denmark, it is! Two years it is!
It was the weirdest feeling to turn down a 25,000€ scholarship by UvA, but clicking the “accept” button of AU’s offer signified the beginning of an exciting journey to Denmark!
Take Away Lessons
I told you it is a looooong answer to why I came to Denmark. 😉 If this is too much to take in, I would at least like you to remember 3 things from my story:
1. Always follow your heart and chase your wildest dreams.
2. Don’t be afraid of stepping into unknowns.
3. Crossing cultural and language boundaries is exciting!
Life is more fun this way! And moving from the States to Denmark – learning the Danish language, embracing hygge, having dated a Danish boyfriend, traveling around Europe – surely did and will continue to change my life forever!
If you are looking for language partners to improve your foreign language skills, or new international friends in your local community, check us out on swaplanguage.com.
If you want to meet more “Humans of Swap”, check out Kathryn Larsen’s inspiring story!
Pricilla’s Profile:
I am a Hongkong-American living in Denmark. I moved to Denmark in August 2017 to pursue my master’s degree and explore Europe. I am the Content Marketing Specialist, a.k.a. a story-collector and storyteller, at Swap Language. I hope you have been enjoying our articles on the Swap Language blog.
