Random Observations and Tips

Here are a few random observations that I remember, looking back on my time in Copenhagen (and the rest of Europe). Some of these are REALLY random, but I'm just saying what I noticed.

- People don't chew gum a lot. A nice side benefit of this is that there isn't any gum stuck on tables.
- Similar to the US, many people don't look at notes, but just look at the PowerPoint slides later. This is partially because of the European way of structuring a course.
- Although the quality (and cost) of living is high, there were surprisingly few Apple products in use. Back at UIUC, a large portion of smartphones and laptops are iPhones and Macbooks. It could be because of high import costs.
- Majors and concentrations seem to be different here. I met someone doing a Masters in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), and he did his thesis on air flow in medieval churches. How cool is that?!
- A4 paper. The typical letter size of 8.5"x11" is not a thing in Europe. It gets to be a little annoying when your folders only fit letter.
- Buildings are very low in Copenhagen. Most aren't allowed to go past 3 stories because of an old mandate saying that the church should be the tallest building in the city.
- There are many refugees from Middle Eastern countries in Denmark.
- Revolving doors in Europe move automatically. It's one of those small things.
- More people walk on escalators than just stand. If you're going to stand, stay on the right, and leave the left open.
- The only places you'll really see graffiti is along the train tracks. Other than that, everything is very clean.
- SO MANY SMOKERS
- UIUC was surprisingly known.
- Driving is the same as the US. The driver is on the left side of the car, and the car on the right side of the road. The main difference is probably being that the cars are manual (stick shift) instead of automatic. For some reason, I always thought all of Europe was like London and that the US was just doing its own thing.
- Toasters are one sided. It's more of a grill shape.
- They take their shoes off inside their house, which is obviously the superior way of doing things.
- Gasoline is close to $8 per gallon. You think that gas is expensive in the US? Imagine paying more than twice what we pay now. Granted, people use more public transportation there, so that accounts for part of the difference.
- You don't exit buses through the front entrance. People only exit through the back.
- A great thing I noticed about lines in many stores and offices in Denmark: there are none. Everyone takes a number, and wait for it to be called while you do your own thing. It's nothing new, but the US can definitely use this.
- Professors are called by their first name. In one sense, people are very informal there. Just because someone holds a doctorate in something and they teach you doesn't necessarily mean you have to be extra formal with them.
- Fast food there is relatively upscale as compared to fast food in America. The places are cleaner, prices are higher...
- ...Portions are so much smaller in Europe. Or, it's just that portion sizes are massive in the US. Take your pick. For example, the "large" fries at Burger King in Europe is in between the small and medium in the US.
- Denmark is filled with 7-11s. They sort of died out in the US, but they're going strong in Denmark. Major transportation hubs will have multiple inside and nearby.
- Street stoplights go not only from green to yellow to red, but also from red to yellow to green.
- Government is organized an centralized.
- Work hours seem minimal and the pay (and taxes) are high. No wonder Danes are the happiest people on Earth!
- Germany is filled with Turkish food places. There are kebab shops everywhere!

Tips:

- DTU is really great for studying environmental engineering and wind energy. Fun fact: There's an off short wind farm in the Oresund, between Denmark and Sweden!
- The Elektrovej bus stop is right by Campus Village. It's perfect for going to Lyngby Station, from where you can take the S-tog (train) into Copenhagen.
- Bring actual shoes. I only brought my (thin) Pumas with me. It's not fun walking a lot with those.
- You can buy clip cards for cash in 7-11s (but I don't think they exist anymore...).
- Danes are really good at foosball. Like, it's practically a hobby/pasttime for them. Unless you're really confident, don't play for money against them.
- IMPORTANT: if you buy power plug adapters (which you'll probably have to), don't buy square shaped ones. All outlets that I saw in Europe are circular, so the square ones will have a hard time working.
- Grades and transcripts get processed by DTU in August/September.

Miscellaneous

- Denmark actually does have vegetarian food. Being vegetarian in a country where meat is pretty central to the locals' diet was naturally a concern for me. However, if you look in the right places (like the DTU canteen where there's a vegetarian meal option every day), you'll be good to go. Worst comes to worst, just buy some pizza!