{"id":510,"date":"2020-03-20T14:40:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T13:40:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.swaplanguage.com\/?p=510"},"modified":"2020-03-20T14:40:06","modified_gmt":"2020-03-20T13:40:06","slug":"so-why-did-you-come-to-denmark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.claireb.dk\/index.php\/2020\/03\/20\/so-why-did-you-come-to-denmark\/","title":{"rendered":"So Why Did You Come to Denmark? A Dream Chasing Story of Pricilla Cheung"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cSo why did you come to Denmark?\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Moving
Me, at the PDX airport (Portland, Oregon, USA), embarking on my journey to Denmark.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo Why Did You Come to Denmark?” They Ask<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone, of course, has a different reason\u2014some come to study, for job opportunities, for cultural experience, for the love of their lives, for a better future\u2026or a mixture of different reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"So<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Short Answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To that, I usually answer, \u201cI have a short answer and a long answer,\u201d 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\u2019s here. <\/strong>And then we usually end with an \u201coh, that\u2019s cool\u201d or \u201cno wonder\u201d kind of response and move on to the next topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Long Answer: Story Time!          <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Nyhavn,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But if you are like most people who are interested to hear some story, then sit tight and read on! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cget out of\u201d America and brought me to this lesser-known country called Denmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inspiration from my 1st trip to Europe<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2013 because when you work full-time, that\u2019s the amount of vacation time you get. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pricilla's
My birthday trip in Matterhorn, Switzerland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So this trip in 2015 planted seeds in my heart to set foot in Europe again, but Denmark, specifically, hadn\u2019t come into the picture just yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Passion for traveling and cultures<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ever since I was a little girl, my one and only dream is to travel around the world. I didn\u2019t fancy becoming a doctor, teacher, or an astronaut, but a traveler. I guess it is in my blood and genes \u2013 thanks, mom and dad! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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)<\/a> that you only realize when you are outside of your homeland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(**By the way, if you are a language-learner & culture-lover like me, I highly recommend you to check out<\/em><\/strong> swaplanguage.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>!)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Logos
My time volunteering on Logos Hope ship during 2013-14. Can you find me? <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yearning for a new change<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2013 in my career plan but also life in general. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is a journey divided into different seasons. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At age 26, back then, I was pondering on the thoughts of moving onto another season of life. I asked myself a critical question: \u201cwhat do I want to do in my mid-late 20\u2019s that I will thank myself in my 30\u2019s?\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Europe\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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! <\/strong>I have lived & traveled in Asia, the U.S., and it was time to try Europe too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(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! ;))<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Academic goals: Going back to school<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Back in my bachelor\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was not completely close to the idea of going back to school \u201cat some point in the future,\u201d but it\u2019s unless I see it needed to advance in my career or find something I am truly passionate<\/strong> about studying. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as I said, there are different seasons of life, which means your perspective can change as you grow professionally and personally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After working a few years, gaining hands-on experience in Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (ED&I) work <\/strong>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\u2026in Europe<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

High university tuition in the U.S.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As low as a few hundred euro and no more than a few thousand per year!! I don\u2019t know why not more Americans would study in Europe (that\u2019s another topic for another time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, cheap tuition + desire to explore Europe = I began to research programs I was interested in all over Europe. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Application Journey<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u20ac, so it was impossible to apply to all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At that point, I knew very little about Denmark and ABSOLUTELY nothing about Aarhus, but the \u201cM.A. in Intercultural Studies\u201d program description was very attractive to me. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"story
Nyhavn was pretty much the only thing I knew about Denmark back then….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019t need to apply further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The applying and waiting process was very stressful because, as an American, I didn\u2019t know how competitive master\u2019s programs would be in Europe. I could be investing time, efforts and money to chase my dream for nothing. It was a huge relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Full Scholarship: The Game Changer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dutch master\u2019s program was only 1 year while the Danish one was 2 years. I couldn\u2019t imagine adapting to a new country, language, culture, transitioning from work to school, PLUS doing an internship and writing a thesis\u2026all within 1 year. I wanted to soak in, take it slow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aarhus is a smaller city, but it seemed cozy, calm, and cultural. When comparing the two M.A. programs, \u201cIntercultural Studies\u201d was closer to what I wanted than \u201cComparative Cultural Analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aarhus
Aarhus, Denmark<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Final Decision: Denmark<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was praying about it a lot, asking different people\u2019s 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 \u201cfeeling it a 100%,\u201d which scared me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few stressful and restless days, a random travel article pieced my torn heart back together. The last sentence says, \u201csmall town is more suitable for me after all.\u201d <\/strong>Boom. Mic dropped. The moment I read this, I felt as if a heavyweight was instantly lifted away from my heart. I can\u2019t even describe that feeling and assurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M.A., Intercultural Studies at Aarhus University, it is!
Denmark, it is! Two years it is!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 It was the weirdest feeling to turn down a 25,000\u20ac scholarship by UvA, but clicking the \u201caccept\u201d button of AU\u2019s offer signified the beginning of an exciting journey to Denmark! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"So<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Take Away Lessons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

 I told you it is a looooong<\/strong> answer to why I came to Denmark. \ud83d\ude09 If this is too much to take in, I would at least like you to remember 3 things from my story: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Always follow your heart and chase your wildest dreams. <\/strong>
2. Don\u2019t be afraid of stepping into unknowns. <\/strong>
3. Crossing cultural and language boundaries is exciting!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life is more fun this way! And moving from the States to Denmark \u2013 learning the Danish language, embracing hygge<\/strong>, having dated a Danish boyfriend, traveling around Europe \u2013 surely did and will continue to change my life forever! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aarhus,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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<\/em><\/strong> swaplanguage.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to meet more “Humans of Swap”, check out Kathryn Larsen’s inspiring story<\/a>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pricilla’s Profile:
I am a Hongkong-American living in Denmark. I moved to Denmark in August 2017 to pursue my master\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSo why did you come to Denmark?\u201d 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. \u201cSo Why Did You Come to Denmark?” They Ask Everyone, of course, has a different reason\u2014some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-community"],"yoast_head":"\nSo Why Did You Come to Denmark? A Dream Chasing Story of Pricilla Cheung - My new WordPress installation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pricilla Cheung shares her journey of moving from the US to Denmark, to pursue her dream of living and traveling in Europe. 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