On Thursday, I started my volunteer work with Kobenhavn International Klub (KIK). It did not start out well. My partner Emily and I arrived at 5, and waited around until 5:30 when the chairman of the group told us we had to leave. Ok what's going on I thought. We had to leave for the library nearby where students would come for help. Okay....Apparently Said (the chair) had a meeting scheduled, although it had nothing to do with KIK, it was "for something else we are working on" (paraphrase). I don't know about this group. I like the mission--assisting Somali children by tutoring, playing games, English-language, etc.--but the leaders of this club are questionable. The organization seems dysfunctional and unorganized. It's still early for me though, so I should reserve further judgment. I did get 10 minutes with a 12-year old boy named Supeer (pronounced Super). He read a story by Roald Dahl out loud while I helped with any problems. Then we talked for a few minutes about his life: he has three sisters, he was born in Denmark, his parents are from Somali, he enjoys football. His English was fair/poor but he did okay with the story. I am going back to KIK on Tuesday, and I have been assured by Said that more students will come. Let's hope.
On Saturday, I traveled with my friend Alex and his friend Diane to Helsingor. It's in Northeast Denmark and just 2.5 miles from the coast of Sweden!! What a view! We ate lunch at a nice cafe. I ate Danish food finally! I had three small smorrebroad (open-faced sandwiches): fish, roast beef, and ham. They were on dark bread with tomatoes, a sauce, and some spices. They were terrific. We toured Kronborg Slot, an old castle used for regulating trading to and from Denmark. It is huge! I decided that I support monarchy as long as I could be king. Imagine sitting in a castle all day, eating and drinking, my servants waiting on me, watching ships pass. I could do it. It was nice to get out of Copenhagen for once.
I explored my neighborhood, Norrebro, on Sunday. It has a lot of character although much of it seems the same. There are countless kebab/shawarma restaurants, kiosks, and fruit stands along the main road, Norrebrogade. The neighborhood is an ethnic enclave, and I found few stores run by native Danes. I found a store with some kitchen/house goods. I bought a cezve, a Turkish pot used to make coffee. The Iraqi owner, Fadhil, was very nice and I spoke with him for a few minutes. He even charged me less than the marked price. I bought some turkish coffee across the street. So far, I have made three cups and it certainly is a different taste! I like it though as I missed drinking coffee, even if this is different than normal.
I also went to Mass at Sakramentskirken, the church in Norrebro close to me. It was a wonderful experience. The church was packed, almost predominantly Filipino. Participation seemed universal, with all praying and singing. The priest, Father Carroll Parker delivered a great sermon. I met a young woman from CBS (Copenhagen Business School) who is here for the semester. She is from El Salvador. I imagine I will see her often. Overall, I am glad I found a church with an English mass. The community is wonderful there.
This weekend, I am traveling to Hamburg and Kiel, Germany on my short study tour. Wohoo! I can't wait! I have today and Wednesday off; only classes on Tuesday. I need to get going with studying.
Thought for the week:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
- John 13:34, my favorite verse.
- TAD
I explored my neighborhood, Norrebro, on Sunday. It has a lot of character although much of it seems the same. There are countless kebab/shawarma restaurants, kiosks, and fruit stands along the main road, Norrebrogade. The neighborhood is an ethnic enclave, and I found few stores run by native Danes. I found a store with some kitchen/house goods. I bought a cezve, a Turkish pot used to make coffee. The Iraqi owner, Fadhil, was very nice and I spoke with him for a few minutes. He even charged me less than the marked price. I bought some turkish coffee across the street. So far, I have made three cups and it certainly is a different taste! I like it though as I missed drinking coffee, even if this is different than normal.
I also went to Mass at Sakramentskirken, the church in Norrebro close to me. It was a wonderful experience. The church was packed, almost predominantly Filipino. Participation seemed universal, with all praying and singing. The priest, Father Carroll Parker delivered a great sermon. I met a young woman from CBS (Copenhagen Business School) who is here for the semester. She is from El Salvador. I imagine I will see her often. Overall, I am glad I found a church with an English mass. The community is wonderful there.
This weekend, I am traveling to Hamburg and Kiel, Germany on my short study tour. Wohoo! I can't wait! I have today and Wednesday off; only classes on Tuesday. I need to get going with studying.
Thought for the week:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
- John 13:34, my favorite verse.
- TAD
1 comment:
Tage,
What an interesting conversation you must have had on one of the most complicated subjects around - separation of church and state.
It is the basis for the First Amendment of the US Constition.
Famous British philosopher,John Locke, whom Jefferson studied,said that government lacks authority to the individual conscience, your personal relationship with God.
Think of the voluntary nature of religion - if you didn't go to Church this past week, is anyone going to throw you in jail? NO. But if you break a government law, they would. Think what happens when you mix the two. If you don't follow a religious idea, THEY SEND YOU TO JAIL, MAYBE EXECUTE YOU.
Pretty complicated stuff, keep talking with different people and learning. I enjoyed your blog
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