Life as a poor college student

Tonight's dinner=plain fettucine pasta, carrots, and a banana. What a mix...

A good movie; Muslim integration

Last Thursday evening was another evening spent, in part, at the Copenhagen International Club, the organization I work with once a week. There I met a new, different, student Gulled. Twenty years old, he was born in Somalia and moved here after the civil war there in the early 1990s. He speaks good English, compared to the younger boys I previously helped. For two hours, we worked on his English, as he answered a series of questions related to the movie "Scent of a Woman" (a terrific movie). I don't know what class this was for, but it seemed like a strange assignment. Anyways, he answered questions like "who is the protagonist?" and those related to understanding the main ideas. Throughout the exercise, he had a lot of ideas in his head, but he had difficulty putting them down in words. His spelling is not good, either. I think he is bright, nonetheless. I discovered we both have a love for politics, and he lectured me quite a bit about American foreign policy (i.e. the Somali intervention in the 1990s, supposedly supporting the Ethiopian government in the invasion of Somalia last year). I like this guy because he has a lot to say and I like to listen. He wants me to think of ways to help him learn English; I'm certainly not a teacher, but I will think of something to help him with this. A Muslim, I am taken aback by his tenacity regarding the religion. It is Ramadan now, and he told me how he had not eaten or drank anything all day, presumably more than 12 hours, and that appalled me. It would be unbearable to go all day without water, let alone food. He remarked how he tricks his mind into not wanting these things. I understand the point of it, to focus on Allah and keep in perspective how rich he really is compared to others, but I think that the sunset-sundown extreme fast is too much.

I also want to write about immigrants and integration. In my neighborhood, kiosks, outdoor food markets, and kebab restaurants are abundant, almost to the point of ridiculousness. Think Starbucks in New York City. (I am saddened too by the fact that there is only one Starbucks in this city, and that is at the airport, not in the zone covered under my transportation pass). But other than at these places, and in government posts like bus drivers, I wonder where immigrants work. Even regarding the abovementioned places, I question how many are registered as legitimate businesses in the eyes of the state. Do they pay taxes and are they subject to inspections? They are not always the cleanest places, and the owners aren't always the most reputable, so one has to wonder. I question too whether the people who run these businesses actually want to integrate into Danish society. Or are they comfortable running their small businesses and staying within their families? With no empirical evidence, only observation and generalities, I don't believe many want integration. Norrebro (my neighborhood) is an ethnic enclave with immigrants from Somalia, Iraq, Turkey, and many other countries. It is a sheltered community, cut off from Danish tradition and society. I get the impression that Danes in general resent these people. I hear my teachers talk about them like they are an unnecessary burden. As one teacher always states, Denmark is a tribe and if you are not part of the tribe, there is no hope. Immigrants--particularly Muslim immigrants--will never be in the tribe so I find it difficult for nominally Christian Danes to want to integrate Muslims from Iraq, Turkey, etc. into their society. The reverse is also true as I think these Muslims will not feel a part of the tribe so they will never be in the Danish society.

These thoughts perplex me daily as I see life in Copenhagen unfolding. I could be wrong about everything, but I don't think I am. The difficulties of integration pose problems for Denmark in many areas: politically, economically, socially, geographically, etc. Any thoughts on this issue are surely welcome...

- TAD