Today I write to you from the apartment I share with five lovely girls who have become my closest friends here in Denmark. My sense of community has largely been shaped by the home we’ve built here together. In just four months we’ve managed to create a safe space to return to on our best and worst days. Moving abroad alone means learning to let yourself rely on your community, whoever that may be. We’ve all learned that navigating a new space together is much easier than navigating a new space alone, and I can confidently say that there is no one I would rather have been here with. I’m so grateful that it will be hard to say goodbye. 

Living abroad has made me more conscious of the ways that I exist in community and how I choose my community. Recently in one of my classes, we did an exercise on living authentically and making decisions that align with your values. This exercise encouraged me to make a conscious effort to operate from a value-driven place in all of my interactions and relationships. When thinking about my relationship with the environment, I reevaluated whether or not my connection aligns with my values of mutual respect and gratitude. How do I show respect to the earth? What can I do to show gratitude to my environment? I’ve spent plenty of time nurturing the human relationships in my life, but I want to be sure I give the same attention to the earth. While reflecting on these questions, I thought of some changes I can make in the coming year. For one, I will make a conscious effort to reduce food waste by only purchasing what I need, sharing meals whenever I can, and composting whatever is left. In the U.S. alone, 60 million tons of food are wasted per year, almost 40% of the food supply. The organization I worked with over the past semester reduces food waste by collecting near-expired food and non-perishable items from local grocery stores and bakeries. Working with this organization taught me a lot about the importance of food waste reduction and how organizations such as theirs can help foster connection in the local community. Reducing my food waste is one way to show respect to my community, both human and non-human.