DIS Official Opening

Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS) plans an orientation for all of the international students each semester. This orientation included speeches from Anders Uhrskov, the Director of DIS, and Helle Rytkønen, Program Director of Communication, and tunes played by members of the Royal Danish Symphony Orchestra. Each speaker had a unique and different message to share with us, but also a similar theme of challenging and encouraging us to discover our personal reasons for studying abroad, especially in Denmark, and what we want to get out of this experience. I've always had a passion for traveling and experiencing new cultures different than my own, which is part of the reason I traveled from California to Vermont for college. I wanted to study abroad for an entire semester during my four years in Vermont, but after changing my major, committing myself to four jobs, and being a Grand Officer for Rainbow Girls, leaving for a semester became nearly impossible. Because I couldn't go away for a semester, the summer was the next best option. When first considering why I chose to study abroad, my initial response was to travel. After considering what Denmark had to offer my study abroad experience, I was inspired by how Danish people teach by viewing their students as equals who engage in the learning and critical thinking process together. It isn't about who is right and who is wrong. It isn't about who is better and who is worse. It is about recognizing differences and accepting them for what they are.

The University of Vermont has a diversity requirement and the Social Work program has a core value of cultural competence. Understanding diversity and cultural competency is discussed in every single social work class, which is strange to me because it is not something you can learn in a book. This understanding is an ongoing, never-ending process in which you must step out of your comfort zone to make significant progress. You don't have to like what you see, and sometimes you don't even have to understand it, but it is important to accept the realistic differences of the diverse world we live in. As for Denmark, I must say, I like what I see.