By David Langran
dl@adm.au.dk

Time for a quick introduction. My name is David, and I am to be your guide to all things international for the foreseeable future. I am a British student currently studying for a Master’s degree in International Studies, and I’ve been living in Denmark for around seven months now. Back home I lived in a sleepy country village in south-east England, about 30 minutes north of the coast – pretty, but not the most exciting place to grow up.

Why Denmark?
The answer to the question “Why Denmark?” is pretty straightforward – firstly, I knew I wanted to study International Studies or something similar, and it seemed like a bright idea to study my degree abroad. Secondly, my parents lived in Denmark some 30 years ago and often talk about how much they enjoyed their time here. Lastly, there are no fees for studying here, whereas the cost of a Master’s degree in England is very high, more than off-setting the increased cost of living in Denmark.

A safe choice
I will freely admit that Denmark was a safe choice for a Brit, with the two countries having a lot in common. Our national stereotypes mostly match up – reserved with those we don’t know (at least until we’re full of beer), appalling weather, bad food, and so on. Also, if I struggle with the language I can rely on being able to be understood in English. For international students, the fact that Denmark offers a lot of courses in English, without the high costs of studying in a country where English is the first language, is a major draw.

Anything else?
Other than studying for my degree and writing for UNIvers, I am trying to get the hang of Danish. I’ll be here for two years at least so I felt it was only polite to at least try and learn to talk with the Danes in their own language – even though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say ‘rødgrød med fløde’.