Smiths Overfor Hygge

By: Sydney Fowler, Douglas College, winner of the Spring 2024 BC Study Abroad: Stories from Abroad Scholarship

Study Abroad Destination: Denmark

Finding housing in Denmark as an international student had proven to be quite the challenge. But once I settled for a room in the Smiths Overfor collective, I couldn't be happier! At first, I had no idea what to expect… I sent off my application and did an interview in front of 8 potential housemates and hoped for the best. Luckily, I was accepted and welcomed warmly upon my arrival.

Smiths Overfor is an international student collective currently hosting people from Denmark, Canada, Brazil, Malaysia, France, Germany and Italy. To us, living as a collective means that we don't just share a living space, we choose to hang out, cook, study together and do many more activities. Although this way of living might not be for everybody, I thought it was the best way to make new friends and feel more comfortable transitioning from the Canadian lifestyle to Danish.

Some of our common house rules are that the scheduled cleaning rotation is to be completed each week, grocery shopping is done daily and each person is responsible for cooking at least 3-4 times a month. For me, the biggest adjustment was learning how to cook vegetarian-friendly for 9 people at every meal. During the first few meals that I made, I was paired with a buddy so that I could be taught how to budget for the communal groceries and prepare dinner. Having a partner for these basic tasks makes doing chores more manageable and fun. The house feels more like a family when we all get together every weekday to sit down and share a meal.

Before traveling to Denmark I had never heard about what it's like living in a collective, so I wouldn't even consider it as an option back home. To my surprise, I enjoy this collective living experience because I get to work on my intercultural communication skills while building lifelong friendships. Even though each person has their differences, we all get along, share laughs and create memories together. I have no regrets about choosing Smiths Overfor as my home during my semester abroad, they have only made my time here in Denmark that much better!