Blog #1 A Turbulent Start

Hej everybody,
my name is Lily, I’m 18 years old and one of the new volunteers at Kulturfabrikken!
Earlier in September I packed all my things into a backpack and a suitcase and traveled from my 
hometown in the south of Germany here to Nykøbing. That was the start of the big adventure this 
next year is going to be. I’ve now been here for one month and to be honest the first few weeks in Danmark felt like a big rollercoaster.

First I met Hanna the other volunteer and my new roommate. We had only send a few texts 
before, so there was a lot to catch up on and to get to know each other. From the beginning on 
we got a long very well and it’s great to already have a friend by your side when stepping into a 
completely new environment. 

Mette and Guna made sure we were welcomed with open arms not only in this town but also at 
Kulturfabrikken. Everyone was very kind and helpful so our first week was full of amazing new 
impressions and people.
We got to see all the rooms in Kulturfabrikken, the cafe and our office. We also met a few of the 
Skaters and youngsters during the „open workshop“ on Mondays, who were all super nice.
It’s exciting and overwhelming at the same time. While we took the last few weeks to settle in and get used to the new city and the new culture, we also had to figure out living on our own. But I think we can now say we’ve done a pretty good job, from finding the best grocery stores to doing the laundry and keeping our beautiful apartment clean. 

But there was a setback. Just one week and a few days after the arrival in Danmark I got sick. 
Without having kissed a single Dane I caught the kissing disease (Mononukleose), which had me 
lying in bed for the last two weeks. 
To be honest most of those days I was very frustrated. Not being able to participate and explore 
everything but instead being at home alone most of the time wasn’t necessarily how I imagined 
spending my time here. Luckily after our wifi, which decided to stop working for five days, was 
fixed I was able to FaceTime my friends and family back home again, which gave me comfort and 
hope.

I mean at least this way I got a taste of danish healthcare and for now I must say I am very 
pleased. 
Today I am feeling a lot better again and will hopefully be back at work on Monday, just in time for 
the autumn holidays, where I hope to meet even more of you.
Even though I couldn’t do a lot in my first few weeks here, I am now more excited than ever to get 
back to Kulturfabrikken and am very much looking forward to what the next month will bring.
You will here from me, till then farvel
Lily