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Out of the Nest Summer 2023: Maddie albrecht

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

I chose to go to Copenhagen because I have always wanted to go to a Scandinavian country and had always heard that Copenhagen was an amazing city. I also was really excited for the study tour to Svalbard, which is a really unique place to travel to. I knew that the study tour would be a once in a lifetime experience, and I was looking forward to that part of the studying abroad the most.

I took an Arctic Ecology course while in Denmark. In this course, we learned about the plants and animals in the Arctic, and the special adaptations that allow them to survive there. We also took a study tour to Svalbard, Norway which is an island in the Arctic, and we got to see some of the Arctic species that we had learned about in class.

Three Highlights of Your Trip:

  1. Hiking to and walking on a glacier in Svalbard
  2. Exploring Copenhagen by myself and seeing some of the historical sites
  3. A canal tour with my classmates in Copenhagen
I first learned about the Denmark opportunity at the Study Abroad fair. I followed up with them to help me in the application process and making my decisions. I also spoke with former teammates about their study abroad experiences, and it sounded really fun.
Maddie and her teammate Kaylee Van Eps met up in Copenhagen and spent their afternoons walking around the main city of Copenhagen, going for bike rides, and swimming in the canals. Kaylee also studied abroad this summer, spending her time in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

2 Things You Learned About Yourself?

  1. I learned how to be independent and enjoy spending time by myself.
  2. I learned how to be okay with being uncomfortable. Going somewhere new, where I knew no one, was really out of my comfort zone. As I was experiencing it, I recognized what a good opportunity it was for me to meet new people and try new things that I would never have had the opportunity to do in the US.

Advice to future Lehigh student-athletes considering opportunities to travel abroad:

Go to the study abroad fair and talk to the study abroad office to help find what you are looking for. There are so many amazing options, but talking to them was beneficial when narrowing down my choices.

Appreciate