Originally, learning Danish was not in my plans; nevertheless, after my first year in Denmark, I realized the importance of speaking the native language of the country where I was residing. Mario Lago Benito
Who am I?
My name is Mario and I come from Spain. Curiosity and challenging myself, and the way Denmark is handling the transition to green energy, led me to study in Denmark.
Did you plan to learn Danish?
Originally, learning Danish was not in my plans; nevertheless, after my first year in Denmark, I realized the importance of speaking the native language of the country where I was residing. I started learning it on my own by reading books for children and then slowly modifying the degree of difficulty by reading newspapers, novels and listen to podcasts in Danish.
Would you recommend taking a Danish course to other international students?
Yes absolutely! Self-study can get you far. But during my fourth semester, I applied for and completed the Professional Danish Course. The course is for students that plan on doing their internship or applying for jobs in Denmark after their studies.
During the language course, I managed to increase my Danish vocabulary within my profession. It doesn't matter where you are. Because language is key to integrating. That is also why I always encourage internationals coming to Denmark to get familiar with the language.
Where will you do your internship?
Next semester, I will be carrying out my internship in the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, though physiographically it is a part of the continent of North America. I will be doing fieldwork and a lot of water sampling in laboratories. During my stay, I hope to learn more about the environmental challenges that climate change is bringing to Greenland.
What are your dreams for the future?
In the future, I see myself working and studying in Denmark. But a big dream of mine is to work and live in some of the lesser developed countries in the world. I would love to put my skills within climate- and supply engineering into use to make a real difference and help people.
What was the biggest challenge about going abroad?
The biggest challenge for me coming to Denmark from Spain was definitely the weather. Nevertheless, it has been a minor thing compared to the amazing people and experiences that I have encountered during my stay so far.
A great challenge as well has been the way our teachers bring the theory we learn into practice. I like it a lot, but that is something I was not used to from the Spanish education system.