A friend recently asked me what my snow globe moment from the semester would be, an experience I’d want captured forever. the question really made me reflect. so in honor of my time in Copenhagen, here are some my of snow globe moments from the semester:

January: a cool conert

One Thursday, I saw an ad for a 3-day concert series a local music collective was putting on. Each night had a different set, showcasing three different bands from various genres. While I could not go on Thursday, a friend and I decided to go to the Friday shows. Coincidentally, the building where it was being held was only a 15 min walk from where I lived! We arrived at an auditorium and to the right of the space, a shimmery, silver sheet was hung. The lights changed colors between sets and reflected beautifully off the sheet. I’m not quite sure what genre the music we heard was but I enjoyed it. The musician had incorporated a really good saxophone solo into his set that I really enjoyed.

February: stargazing.

The northern lights are visible in Denmark! My friends and I attempted to verify this, traveling two hours north of Copenhagen to Tisvilde in hopes of seeing the lights on a beach. we also decided to go winter bathing.

we failed both missions. Apparently, the northern lights were only visible on long-exposure cameras. The water was FREEZING. Yes, this was expected but I did hope it’d be a tolerable cold. I am proud to say I made it in the furthest (my knees) before calling it quits. We resolved to lay on the dock a bit until our train back. We saw two shooting stars! This was my first time seeing them. A peak study abroad experience.

March: an Amsterdam reunion!

A core part of DIS s the travel weeks, Each DIS student travels with their core course. While my trip was wonderful, that was not quite my snow globe moment. One of my best friends from middle school joined me in Amsterdam for the weekend! I got to our hotel a little earlier so I waited outside until they arrived. I screamed as I saw them walk around the corner. I wish I could bottle the feeling of hugging them again for the first time in so long.

April: sunset in Madrid.

April feels like it flew by. I spent a good portion of this month traveling, as we had both easter break and travel week 2. My class traveled during travel week 1 so I was off this time. during this time, my friend Maya and I visited Madrid for a few days. A close friend from home is currently studying there so we got to see her! On our first night there, we met in a park overlooking the city with a phenomenal sunset view. A musician playing some of my favorite songs by Lewis Capaldi, making for an even better ambiance. Between the joys of good weather, a beautiful park, and good conversation, it was a great night.

may: renaissance.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour kicked off this month! for some reason, Stockholm was the first stop. an odd choice in my opinion but definitely not one I’ll complain about as it made going to the concert so much easier.

My best friend is studying abroad in London so we went to the show on May 11th together. The entire day leading up to the concert was surreal. the last time Beyoncé went on tour u was in 8th grade. I could never have dreamed that I’d be seeing her here nearly 8 years later.

The show was incredible. I won’t spoil anything but for any beehive members out there just know she doesn’t disappoint. everything from the visuals to the setlist was better than I could have conceived. visuals for Renaissance are coming! and they’re magnificent. be the perfect ending note to my time in Europe.

An extra: on our last night in Copenhagen, my friends and I went one final walk around the lake across from Stads as the sunset. The sky was beautiful. It was bittersweet to know it was the last time but very grateful for the memory.