I’ve been back in the States, as they say in Europe, for a little over three weeks now. I kept telling myself I’d write a wrap up post and now I’m finally doing it…

Let me start with a massive and forever lasting THANK YOU to Denmark, to København, to the people that made it possible for me to have an eye-opening and character building experience that compares to no other. To my parents, my friends (at home and abroad), my school (DIS and Bowdoin), my teachers. For good fortune, for gratitude, for an opportunity and adventure I will hold onto for a lifetime.

Exactly four weeks ago today, the DIS Spring 2015 semester concluded and the first friends headed to the airport for their long flights home. I was lucky enough to have a visit from my other parent–my mom–and extend my time in Copenhagen by three days. To put it simply, she LOVED my home away from home. She’s still talking about how much she loved/loves it. After those last days of Danish tourism, we got on a tiny SAS plane and flew to Stockholm. No offense to Sweden intended, but I’m definitely loyal to Denmark. I will say that Sweden was beautiful and a great way to say goodbye to my incredible time away from New York and Brunswick. 

Final thoughts and conversations broadly surround the institution of a Social Democratic System–this does not necessarily mean Danish politics is dominated by the Social Democrats, rather it refers to the system in which a democracy co-exists with a supportive welfare state. I’ve done a lot of talking about race tensions in Denmark–or lack there of? Jk there is A LOT of visible tension between the Danish and the immigrant/immigrant-background communities. They just don’t talk about it. The attitude tends to be “if we ignore the problem, it’s not a problem.” But we know that doesn’t usually, or ever work. 

The universal health care system that is characteristic of a welfare state is another interesting point of discussion. I got to experience it first-hand when a friend of mine decided to check herself into the emergency room at Bispebjerg Hospital, just across the street from my apartment/dorm. She’s fine now, and she was basically fine then but she was correct in thinking that she needed antibiotics. Hence the hospital visit. But what would have been a visit lasting a couple of hours in the United States, Carley spent three nights and four full days at the hospital, for a bacterial infection solved by four days of oral antibiotics. Maybe it’s because I’m a doctor’s daughter, as is Carley, but I cannot understand why a system that is supposed to support EVERYONE would want to keep patients with easily fixable illnesses/injuries for longer than necessary. Maintaining a hospital and caring for patients is expensive! According to the medical anthropology (in Scandinavia) readings, because neither the doctors/nurses nor patients is directly responsible for financing health care services, the system tends toward over-treatment–a “better safe than sorry” sort of view. So rather than quickly diagnose Carley’s bacterial infection, they ran tests, tried multiple painkillers, brought in like five doctors–all because there was no additional or extravagant costs to anyone involved. Except, of course, that Carley spent her last week in Copenhagen in a hospital bed…I don’t know–it seems dramatically inefficient to me. 

Let’s see. Elections are coming up–Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt called for elections three weeks ago meaning that Danes will be voting this week. Honestly, I have not followed the minimal campaigning at all. The more conservative parties were more popular than the reigning liberals when I last checked. Speaking of reigning, I’m still loving the Royal Family. I must say, I enjoyed visiting their palaces much more than I did the Swedish Palace in Stockholm. Though the Swedish Horse Guards did put on an elaborate show when we visited. I am wearing an elephant bracelet in honor of the Danish Royals (because they are the Order of the Elephant). AND I just saw a BBC magazine titled “The Secret Lives of Royal Women.” Granted it’s the British family, but they are still royals. Guess which princess is on the cover–