Student stories

It was a true adventure being at VIH after high school. For me it was a great idea to take a year off insted of going directly to university, because I wanted to try something new and exciting. At Vejle Sports School you are greeted welcome by both students and teachers. You are always busy – whether you are doing sports, meeting new people or just hanging out in a cozy atmosphere – “hygge” as the Danes call it.  Fridays were my favorite days.

We started breakfast, then went for morning assembly at 8.00 with all the students and teachers of the school often with a song and discussion of some issues. After this I went to either yoga or crossfit.

Lunch was often a Danish rye bread with all the best of the Danes offer. After lunch we had sports again. I really enjoyed the sports like running in the woods, swimming or diving. In the evening we had “fredagsbar” (Friday bar night) and danced most of the night! I sincerely recommend Vejle Sports School. It is the best and most fun adventure I’ve had.

We have a lot of opportunities to try to new things at VIH. I tried adventurerace, kayaking and icehockey for the first time. If I stayed in Japan, I wouldn’t have a chance to do those sports. I also improved my English a lot. Although English is the second language in Denmark, all the Danish people speak fluent and clear English. I couldn’t speak Danish at all, so that was a good thing. I really enjoyed the stay here.

The atmosphere here is very cozy. It is called ”hygge”. Everyone interacts very well. But the best thing here is the friends you make. The school organization is very social and encourages strong relations between students, but also between students and teachers.  I also have to stress the adventure trip to Austria where you get to do canyoning, white water rafting and more crazy stuff. It was amazing. I never thought I was gonna jump from 4 meters,  but I did!

This school is different from what I know in the US. You are a lot closer to your teachers for instance. They are kind of like your friends and we mesh well all together.

To begin with I was shy and timid and I got a bit frustrated, because I didn’t understand any Danish. And even though all the classes are in English or translated into English, I felt it was a bit hard. But then I just made a conscious decision to be more outgoing and to ask people for translation when I needed it. I found out that there was really no reason to be timid.

I have definitely learned a lot about myself – and about my strengths and weaknesses. I am a different person now than when I started at the school. It got me out of my comfort zone and made me push myself.

The atmosphere here is great. It is very relaxed, but it can also be very intense at the same time. if you are a person who want to push yourself, sometimes it can be a bit demanding with all the sports.

The best thing is the people. Everyone is super nice and the environment is very supportive. It is more like a family since all the students live here and you get to talk about things that you normally wouldn’t talk about with your friends.

The school stresses your personal development. Discussion classes will sometimes focus on topics that we face in our lives. You will discuss these topics with people the same age as you and it is interesting to hear what they think about them and how to fix them.

It is very different from the schools I know in Australia. You have more of a connection with the teachers and the relationship is a bit like being friends as well. Especially with the younger teachers.
It is not like you are supposed to study all day. Instead, you do a lot of sports and get to do different classes that can inspire you or help you discover who you are.

The biggest challenge is actually staying fresh for all the stuff that’s going on here. There is so much happening. If you are afraid of the language barrier, my experience is that it hasn’t really been a problem. You hear a lot of Danish here and you pick up some of it. You can also take Danish language classes, but if you are not interested in learning Danish, everyone will speak English.

What do you get out of it? Great friendships, language competencies, overall wellbeing – both physically and mentally and you get the chance to focus on your interests and further yourself.

I came to Vejle Idrætshøjskole to get better at sports and to improve my language skills. It was a good choice, because I really like being here. I can do all the sports that I want in the classes or in my spare time and both students and teachers are very easy to talk to and extremely kind to each other.

The teachers are really open – also outside of the classes and if there is a problem of any kind, they are willing to help. If I have felt a bit homesick sometimes, then my roommates have been so kind.

There are other international students at the school, so people understand that you can’t speak Danish. Usually you will get a translation, but otherwise you can just ask and people will help you.

I can recommend anyone who likes to do sports and who is up for a new experiences and fun challenges to try a stay at Vejle Idrætshøjskole.

The best thing is the people. Teachers and students – because everybody is friendly and smiling. When I need something I can just say it and everybody will help me. Everybody speaks English well.

There are many different things I can do and many different classes and trips to do. And after class I can play different sports or music whenever I want. The school has a new music room.

My subjects were football, badminton & racket sports, Indoor cycling, pump & boxing. I have also had guitar lessons here and I never played before, but now I can play a little.

The food here is Danish. It means that lunch is often the same type of food (open rye bread sandwiches), but I love Friday’s lunch, because that is usually normal sandwiches.

I think it is perfect at Vejle Sports School.

It is awesome to be at Vejle Sports School. I was supposed to stay there for a half year, but ended up staying almost a year, because I liked it so much. I would recommend it to everyone no matter where you come from.

One of the best things was the first day when I came and discovered that people are really friendly and nice and talking to you. People help each other and have good energy. And the teachers are as a friend and they teach in a nice high level, so you can get more knowledge and more experience with your sports.

If you knew exactly what kind of school this is, you would come.  I like this kind of system of education. Of course it is very different from Slovakia.

I will say if you don’t know what to do after high school and if you like sports this is a school for you.

You can do many kinds of sports. Don’t be afraid if you aren’t perfect. There are very good teachers who will teach you.

When I came I was very surprised about the relationship between student and teacher. I think that it is very good. Teachers are very open and funny. And students are very helpful…. like one big family.

You will get many new friends and a lot of experiences. You can also learn Danish.

I really like being at Vejle Idrætshøjskole. When I finished my education I need a break from work and wanted to do sports, music and other things that I like. And here you can play a lot of football, which is great. You can also take a trainer’s certificate really cheap. The certificate is valid in all of Europe.

Also, the best thing about being here is all the friends you get, when you are here. When you are not in class, you hang out with friends and have access to gyms and all the other facilities, so that you can be active whenever you want to.

I applied for the teambuilder course at Vejle Sports School where I have learned to carry out big projects and build up activities from bottom.

Personally, I have also developed. E.g. I am much better now at talking to people I don’t know.

Vejle Sports School is a type of school different from everything else that I experienced as a student in my life.  I chose to come to Denmark because I wanted to learn more about Danish culture and sports.

In Brazil we don’t have schools like that and once you finish your high school, you must choose an education, so there’s a lot of pressure to grow up as fast as you can and take the financial control of your life. Because we don’t have the support of the government, such as Danish culture, as everyone in Brazil I finished my Bachelor as a Fashion Designer when I was 21, after a couple of years working I realized that the office life wasn’t for me and that sports would always dominate my heart. Choosing VIH as a place to think and to give myself a time, at the same time being active and close to things that I like was the perfect choice.

I had a great time at VIH, I learned a lot about myself, my strength and weaknesses, how to break the wall of my comfort zone, how to slow down and set up goals and to fight for them without stress, but with plan and practice.

To become a “Fitnessinstruktør” was the highlight. It was a big challenge, primarily because the course is in Danish and before coming to Denmark I didn’t have any contact with the language. With focus and study I could make it, that was really awesome!

Mostly all the students talk Danish, specially in their spare time or ‘hygge’ (cozy) moments, and you will have to bring a lot of effort to make them feel relaxed with the English. At the same time it’s always a good opportunity to learn some Danish, which I think is pretty much cool. Besides that, all teachers talk English and you will have all the information that you need.

Spending time at VIH is worth, there are things that I can’t explain, there will be special people and maybe new friends in your stay and for sure if you want, you can take this experience to higher level and fall in love, for the Danish weather, for some sports, for yourself and maybe for somebody else…

I decided to go to Vejle Sports School, because I wanted to take a break after my studies in university and improve in sports as well. I have already known about this kind of school from my friend, who really recomended me to go there. I chose Vejle Idrætshøjskole, because I am interested in outdoor sports, mainly adventure race, in which I wanted to obtain better results. In VIH I liked Adventure race classes because of the teachers, Thea and Jeanette, too. They are very interested in this kind of activities and I liked their active attitude all the time.

In VIH I had opportunity to meet new friends from Denmark and other part of world, that I appreciated as well. I liked to talk with all of them in English and also was nice, that we -international students- had a chance to learn Danish too. All of the people in VIH were very nice, friendly, active and smart. I would like to thank all of the teachers for their perfect classes.

Almost five months in VIH was great exprerience in my life. I got to know new people, a different country, lifestyle and another kind of education, which does not occur in Czech Republic. I consider my stay in VIH like very beautiful part of my life, which I spend with nice people and lot of sports.

I’ve always been interested in knowing a culture completely different from mine. And at Vejle Idrætshøjskole I could practice activities that I enjoy doing. When I heard about Vejle Idrætshøjskole I thought it would be the ideal opportunity for me to do an exchange where I could combine the interaction and knowledge of another culture. And even more – perform the activities of which are my biggest passions. Sport and also music.

Arguably the structure of the school is ideal for the practice of sports. Also with a team of teachers who are very attentive and respectful.

The exchange with Vejle Idrætshøjskole is important, because it gives the young Brazilians and also young people from all over the world the opportunity to exchange experiences and develop more conscious citizens and understand the differences of nations and living healthy.

I had decided to study at Vejle Idrætshøjskole because I had always dreamed about studying a sport school and I wanted to go abroad as well. During my stay I had chance to meet a lot of interesting people from all over the world. For example from Iceland, Ghana, Greenland, Lithuania and Denmark of course. I also got to know Denmark, its culture and its language.

We practiced sports almost every day. I focused on outdoor sports mostly. Some sports like diving or handball were really new for me. In addition to sport opportunities this school also offers various music classes. I loved my music classes because I could practice my saxophone and learned how to play the guitar.

The teachers at this school are professionals and always available to help and give some advice. These five months were great and I will remember them for the rest of my life. I can recommend this school to everyone who wants to enjoy several moths of doing sport and having fun.