copenhagen has a very special place in my heart. i lived in this beautiful city for just under half of my 20th year and it is not an understatment to say that i came one person, and left another. it is a city that inspires metamorphosis. i have never experienced any other place with energy like this. you look around and see a city full of creatives chasing their passions, there is somehow no such thing as a rushed morning coffee, and everyone is or seems to be, simply, happy. that is not to say it isn’t a city filled with complexity, but rather, in spite of that and even with all of its challenges and impossibly dark winters, to me, copenhagen’s word is metamorphosis. it is a city of self-expression and life.

it is home to an abundance of smiling children running through parks and swimming groups that linger with one another on the docks after their morning plunge and gardens full of butterflies. care is put into every detail: cafes supply their mugs and bowls from local ceramicists and every day you pass by others bringing a fresh bouquet of flowers home to set on their kitchen, dining room, living room tables. everyone wears their sense of self on their sleeve, and is proud of the care that was taken to dress each day, whether a 23 year old woman or a 57 year old man. this pride translates directly into the care that goes into the city itself, whose curb appeal is overwhelmingly charming and whose water is not only clean and swimmable for city standards, but enticing and refreshing. it translates into the way the danes treat the winter months— not as something to fear and push through, but as something to indulge in— christmas markets begin in november and hot chocolates and warm cardamom buns are a staple of each day, chairs and tables are not brought inside, but rather, thermal blankets and heaters are brought out, so that the focus on outdoor living might remain year-round despite the city’s very northern climate. back in november of 2023 i wrote, ‘i’m looking back through my film from copenhagen and realizing how much green there is— a testament to the fact that the city may have an industrial rep but really it’s full of nature and color that lasts well into the fall and comes back even brighter in the spring.’ this is both the beauty of copenhagen, and the beauty of the transformations within its inhabitants and visitors that the city inspires.

my months there were happy ones. i sat notetaking by beautiful old classroom windows and i went to the same pho restaurant each week and i biked home listening to harry potter on audible. i had my coffee spot and my favorite pastries and beautiful people around me to share them with who are still some of my closest friends today. with the perspective that comes with a new environment, i turned inwards, and worked through quite a few layers of old false protective padding and felt my heart soften and my eyes open. i have gone back a few times since and each time feels increasingly like a return to home. i patiently wait for the day i might call it that again.