What am I doing?

I am embarking on one of my long-term dreams: living in a foreign country.

My mother has shared stories of her junior year abroad in London where she met a long-haired, foul-mouthed brit (oh hey, Dad). The lessons she learned there not only enriched her as an artist, but as a person. After hearing these experiences, my pre-teen self made a promise: I was going to study abroad, no matter what.

Fast-forward to now: I am six weeks away from beginning my journey to Copenhagen, Denmark. As I gather up all my forms and purchase my plane tickets, I keep asking myself "is this real?"

How did I get from dream to reality? I was lucky enough to be accepted into the Danish Institute for Study Abroad (DIS). For a month and a half, I will be taking two classes: "Human Health & Disease: A Clinical Approach" followed by "Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development." Below are the two course descriptions:


Human Health & Disease: A Clinical Approach (first half):
"This course offers an introduction to the most important human diseases, their diagnoses and treatments, and to the clinical practice of physicians at a Danish university hospital. You will be taught by several different physicians at different University of Copenhagen hospitals throughout the greater Copenhagen area."

Medical Biotechnology and Drug Development (second half):
"The emphasis of the course will be on biomedicine, drug discovery, and development, showcased through a focus on the European pharmaceutical and biotech research community. You will learn about the general principles of drug discovery & development, including safety, toxicology, formulation, registration, and clinical trials. The course will explore the opportunities and challenges biotechnology has for medicine; among them the different new types of biotechnological drugs, gene therapy, personalized medicine, stem cells, genetically engineered animals, among others."

Here's to dreams coming true.