Monday, February 19, 2007 – Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The days are becoming rather routine and mundane, so I haven't seen the need to write in this journal daily. Perhaps I should be more disciplined, but oh well. Monday was pretty laid back, until the end of the day. We were scheduled to have our meeting with Nedret at 4pm, but she claimed it wasn't on her calendar, and we would have to wait. So we wait until after 5pm. Then we sat there, and hashed out this program agenda, but it devolved into a discussion that sounded like strategic planning for the next five years. They also wanted to micromanage the exact content of the talks after agreeing upon the topics. I did not get out of there until after 6:30pm. Considering that should have been my day off for President's Day, I was none too thrilled.
Tuesday, I was greeted by news of the Communique from the Primates meeting of the Anglican Communion in Tanzania. I have lamented completely on this topic already, and I will likely keep doing so as events unfold. However, it is unnecessary to rehash it here. Just know that much of Tuesday for me, other than revising that program draft, was dealing with the emotional reaction I had to the communiqué and what it means.
I came back to the hotel to wait for my mom to call. She had promised to call during her lunch, and I ended up falling asleep. She did not call until about 8pm, which is 2pm in Lexington. Her new job is going well, although she is nervous that she won't regain her computer skills. I do not think that will be a problem, but she will have to get past her nerves.
Wednesday, I awoke to snow. It was coming down fairly steadily and with lots of wind. As the day progressed, the snow kept coming down, and the winds gusted to 30 mph. I had thought of going to Ash Wednesday service at the one Anglican church in Denmark, but decided against it. The public transportation (buses, trains, etc) stopped working as the storm grew worse after dark, so I made the right call. At one point, the wind knocked the umbrella I was using as a shield against my forehead and cut it. Once I made into my room, I stayed put.
Wednesday also saw my first P-staff meeting. It was interesting to watch. Nedret runs it like school marm. She is barely prepared herself, but goes after others. One guy, who I think does surveillance (his name is Andrian) was just savaged. Something about a list of contacts in countries, and the way she talked to him openly in the meeting about, it was obvious she felt he was too stupid to figure out how to make sure he had the right list. It probably did not help that he is obviously scared of her, and it was very much like watching an abused dog get scolded. If he had been a dog, he would have submissively peed on the floor. I don't mean to sound like I am making a joke. Then another guy tried to throw Eric under the bus on some issue by bringing up Eric's terms of reference. I later found out from Jim that there is history there, and that this guy used to be Nedret's favorite whipping boy until he learned to fit back and go after others. Now Nedret leaves him alone in meetings. It is a very interesting management style to watch, especially after working in AFRO. AFRO is much more in your face about things. This place is hierarchal, but it tries to give the illusion of being collaborative. Both require people who are willing to stand up for themselves and not take crap, even from supervisors. It is a very interesting dynamic indeed. I am amazed that WHO gets anything done with this kind of management practice.
Thursday, February 22, 2007 – Sunday, February 25, 2007
What a weekend this has been. I finally got the basic program for the program managers meeting approved and sent out. This means they have now committed themselves to this basic outline, although details can be tweaked. The aftermath of the snowstorm meant that much of the city shut down for the morning. I was surprised to discover that Copenhagen really does not get that much snow. The kind of snowstorm we had this week was rare, and getting that much snow in one day made everything, including the trains, shut down for a while. But the plows and the salt were applied quickly, and by midmorning, things were moving again. Since I walk to work, I did not have to worry about having a car snowed in. The 30 mph winds coming off the sea cut through your clothes and were quite nasty, to say the least.
Friday, we started to discuss who would present what presentations for the meeting. It is nice to attach names to things. We also went over the responses we have received, and it will soon be time to start badgering the laggards who have not responded. Things are moving nicely in that regard.
I left just after lunch to go to downtown Copenhagen and change out my paper ticket for the trip back to Atlanta. That was quite an ordeal. First, the poor Delta people here are using an archaic DOS-based system for reservations. I could not believe they forced them to use that! I thought Delta would surely have long ago moved to a web-based system, or at least a graphics based interface. Apparently, the Atlanta people have just moved for a web based system, but the foreign offices have not. No wonder Delta went bankrupt if they haven't even updated their reservation system!
The poor girl had to call for help, and it took over an hour for them to figure out how to get the computer to make the change that had been entered. Eventually, though, they did get it done, and I am set with my new ticket home on March 28. I did not approach the question of using miles to upgrade to first class, but I will try later J
After the ticket change adventure, I stopped by Hard Rock Café for lunch. I just felt like eating a good old fashioned American hamburger. The lunch was nice, and when I paid with my credit card, the server came back to ask me if I had gone to Virginia Tech since my Visa is branded with Virginia Tech. I told him I had, and he said that he had gone there too, graduating in 1999 with a marketing degree. We were on campus at the same time, since I graduated in 1997. He lived in Pritchard though, and quickly moved off campus his sophomore year. It was really cool to run into a fellow Hokie in Copenhagen. How random is that? Turns out, this guy's dad is Danish, so he came back to get an international marketing degree at the university here.
Next, I walked around downtown some and ducked into some pubs for drinks. Through a random series of events, I met this really cute Danish guy named Ole. The pronunciation is nothing like it looks in spelling. It is a very Danish name, and it is pronounced "Oooooooo-luh" Kind of like saying moo without the m and a quick "luh" at the end. This oooooooo sound is quite important in the Danish language, although I have trouble with it. But when Ole told me to think of the sound a cow makes, and take away the m, I got it. That trick has been quite useful.
Anyway, Ole is from Odense, which is about an hour by train to the east of Copenhagen. Copenhagen is on the island of Zealand, and Odense (the 3rd largest city in Denmark) is on the island between Zealand and the Jutland, which attaches to Germany at the northern tip of Europe. Ole is an artist, and he teaches children in grades 1-3 in an after school enrichment program. I will have to post pictures of him.
The evening progressed, and it became obvious that Ole and I were clicking quite well. We were sitting in Copenhagen's oldest gay bar, talking and eventually making out like a pair of horny teenagers. Those of you who know me realize how unusual that was. I am not a PDA type of person, and I usually don't appreciate people making out in public. But I am in a foreign country, and it happened. I also did not care. J
Being with him, it was like everyone in the room disappeared but the two of us. I have not had this kind of connection with someone in a VERY long time. It was very nice, and very dizzying. I had forgotten what it was like to make a connection like this, and I did not want it to end. Plus, Ole is an extremely good kisser.
Of course, there were complications. Ole had just been dumped by this guy three weeks ago that he was crazy about, and he has been going through a 30 yr old crisis. You know, the crisis when you realize you are no longer growing up but a full fledged adult, and take stock of your life in light of that. He is 30 yrs old, so it makes sense for him to go through this now. He had spent his week of winter vacation visiting friends in Copenhagen and also intensely analyzing his life. There was also the relatively unspoken reality that connection or not, I live in Atlanta and will be returning there in a month, and he lives an hour outside of Copenhagen.
We ended up closing the bar we were at, and then I just invited him to come back to Hellerup with me. He agreed at first, but as we crossed a plaza close to the train station, he changed his mind. He said he was sorry, but he could not get excited about someone from Atlanta, and he needed to get on with his life (English from non-native speakers can be quite blunt, I have discovered.). He thanked me for a wonderful evening, shook my hand, and said goodbye.
We had spent the past 8 hours together, talking about anything and everything. We ate, drank, kissed, and had a great time. While I understood where he was coming from, I had the sudden thought that I might never see him again. That this one evening, this one tremendous, wonderful, and magical evening, would be all that I would get. I am not ashamed to say that my eyes filled with tears. On the one hand, I had met a remarkable person and made a great connection. It is a connection I have not been able to make in Atlanta, and that I had wondered if I would ever make again. But the one person I make this connection with is someone who lives in the middle of Denmark and with whom I would, at best, have 4 weeks to get to know.
It was like God was teasing me. He was giving me a taste of the prize, but snatching it away just as quickly. I was grateful for the experience, but I resented how it was presented. Why couldn't it be with someone with whom there was a real chance that a relationship could bloom? What was the point of having me meet someone wonderful who lives a half world away from me?
To make matters worse, I discovered the trains stop running by 1am. The train station was dark, and I was alone, unsure how I would get back to the hotel. I made my way to the main train station where a taxi queue had formed, and I managed to get home that way. It cost me 200 kroner, which is about $50, but it beat walking all night. By the time I got to the hotel, it was 3:15am. Louie had left me a message to call him when I got back, but I figured he did not mean at 3am.
I could not sleep, and I was still soaring internally and aching at the same time over my evening with Ole. I so wished he had wanted to come back to the hotel with me. Even if it was just one night, it would have been wonderful. Of course, it would have only deepened my connection with him, but I didn't care about that.
I logged into the gay chat site here called boyfriend.dk. I had given Ole my contact information, and he had left me a message. He was sorry he ran off, and wanted to see me again. I messaged him back to ask if he really meant it. He immediately IMed me a response that he did, and he felt so stupid for walking away. He wanted to see me now. Was it possible for me to come back downtown?
At 3am, Hellerup is dead. The only reason a taxi would be there was from dropping someone off at my hotel. I told him the only way I could make it back downtown was to walk, and that would take several hours. I again told him he was welcome to come to my hotel. At this point, he agreed. He said he needed me that night, and in my heart of hearts, I was glad to see him type that. I told him where I was, and he was off to find a taxi.
He arrived just as he said he would, a half hour after signing off. He had better luck finding a taxi than I had earlier. I waited for him in the lobby, and took him up to my room. I will not go into details, but let us say it was just a very nice night. Although the single beds in my room are definitely NOT built for two. I did not rest very well, and neither did he, but just being with him was so very nice.
We finally got up around noon, and we continued talking more. It was during this time, that he asked me a question which gave me a revelation about my problem in the dating world. I forget the question he asked me, but it was pretty direct, and the answer just came tumbling out of my mouth. Then I realized what I had said and realized, "My God, that is what I have been doing!"
I had my heart broken badly in 1998, first by Morgan, and then on the rebound from him by Clarke (this is the guy who told me to do myself and the world a favor and commit suicide). Along with other factors (parents divorced that year, sold my childhood home - which messed me up more than I ever thought it would, and I lost my job), I tumbled into a very deep depression. This depression was a very dark hole, and it is a place I never EVER want to return. I do not know how many times a person can successfully come back from that kind of low, and I do not want to test it.
I realized that since 1998, I have been so fearful of being hurt like that again and falling into that kind depression (especially in light of my dad's suicide in 2001), that I have built a wall around my heart without realizing it. I will let someone in only so much. I am pretty open, and I have very close friends...so it is not like I shut myself off completely ... but there is an inner core, an inner vulnerability that I am afraid to expose. I am afraid because I know what can happen, and facing that kind of depression and heartache again frightens me so much, I have behaved in ways to be sure that does not happen. It is why I settled for Richard when I knew I did not love him passionately in the way a partner is supposed to love his man. I have been wholly unwilling to make myself vulnerable and to risk the heartache.....even though I know that in order to feel the joy, I must also be open to the possibility of pain. It is not guaranteed that I will be heartbroken, although I have acted like it is. So that was my big revelation this weekend.
Of course, now that I have identified the problem, the question is what to do about it. I decided to start this weekend with Ole and be open with him. I had to force myself to be vulnerable to him, to risk being hurt by him. At the very least, it would be good practice with someone who is relatively safe because of the mere fact of where we live. So he and I talked about this, and we also talked about the dual nature of a romantic relationship. You need not only the physical but the friendship component. You need to have a solid friendship, and things in common for a relationship to work. I had succeeded in making sure my friendships and emotional connections were far away from my physical connections. Marrying the two scared me so badly because of my last experience with it, that I had subconsciously been behaving in ways to make sure they stayed separate. Yet, that has left me alone and dissatisfied with my life. For Ole, he had pursued only the physical, and he wanted more than that.
We spent most of Saturday together too, sitting in a coffee shop, talking and watching people walk by on the Stroget below. It was around 9pm when we parted - me for Hellerup, and him for Odense. I made him promise me that he would write, and he did make that promise. Parting, I did not feel like I had the night before, where I thought I would never see him again. I am confident that I will. But I hoped it sooner rather than later.
I have no idea where this experience with Ole will lead. I know that I should not fall for him, since I am not moving to Copenhagen nor is he going to come to the United States. There is no logical way for the relationship to grow, but at the same time, I am here another month. I am here in Denmark now, and there is a connection with this man that I cannot deny, and I want to experience as much as possible, even if for a short period of time. And who knows where it could lead down the road. But I feel like he is a gift, and someone from whom I will learn a good deal about myself. It is why I cannot just let him go as a pleasant weekend memory of Copenhagen.
Sunday, I awoke, had some breakfast, and came back to nap. I was still tired from the lack of sleep on Friday night. I set the alarm for 1:30pm so that I could get ready for lunch at Jim Z's place. He came by to pick up myself and Denise. His house was neat. On the outside it does not look like much. Just a brown box, obviously built in the 1970s. However, it is on the water and the view is spectacular.
I had a great time at Jim's home. He wife is delightful. They are such cool people, and his kids were nice too. They had some of their friends over. Nina and Magnus are an American and Swedish couple. Magnus is a financier who works for a bank, and his wife is American. They were really cool people. We had a blast talking about politics, the Young Dems of Georgia, and a whole variety of topics. I had a rhubarb pie that had cherries in it and was delicious. We were returned to the hotel around 7pm, and I mixed up some soup packets I had bought from 7-11 as my dinner. I eventually was able to fall asleep, marveling at what a weekend it had been.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Copenhagen - Part 4
Friday, February 16, 2007 – Sunday, February 18, 2007
Work was as non-eventful as usual. I can see how things might be pushed to the last minute so that we must rush through everything. I hope I can help push them forward. I came home from work intending to take a nap before going out later that night. Things really don't get started until midnight here, but I needed to get some rest so I didn't sleep away the weekend like I did last weekend.
Well, I wake up and it is 5am Saturday morning. Whoops. I went back to sleep and woke up around 9:30am. I went down to breakfast and then headed out, camera and guidebook in tow. People have been begging for pictures, and it was time for me to deliver.
I took a picture of my hotel and then the main street (Strandvejen) that I walk down each day to and from work. I took the train from Hellerup to the Norreport station. It was about 11am. I followed my map, because I wanted to see the changing of the guard at the palace, called Amelienborg Slot. I saw the guard forming outside of the Royal Treasury, called Rosenborg Slot (I am guessing "slot" means castle or palace.).
I made my way past a statue of Christian X, the king of Denmark through both world wars. This guy was pretty interesting. He agreed with his government to surrender to Germany rather than fight invasion. He released a statement about agreeing under protest to occupation. The Germans wanted Denmark to run their own affairs to free up German assets, and because they felt that countries run by the "right kind" of people should be self-governing as much as possible.
The Danes were lucky in this regard that as a Nordic people, they were seen as part of the "superior" German blood. Christian X did what little he could to tweak Hitler. He once angered Hitler by sending a short, snippy note in response to birthday wishes from the Fuhrer. He also made sure his newborn granddaughter (the current queen) was named Margarethe, after the great Danish queen of the late 1300s who united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under one crown….Denmark's. It was his way of showing the people that they would rise from German occupation.
I got to Amelienborg Slot around 11:15am, so I had to wait around until the guard marched from Rosenborg Slot to change the guard. In the middle of the square was a statue of Frederick V, dressed like a Roman conqueror. The royal family has been living in Amelienborg Slot since the late 1700s as four identical mansions around a central square. The queen only lives in one of the buildings today, and even then, she is only here from December through April. They have another "summer residence" north of Copenhagen where they live the rest of the year. One of the mansions has been turned into a museum. They have faithfully recreated the studies of monarchs from the 1860s through Christian X, who died in 1947. The studies have been created as they appeared when the King was alive.
It was very interesting to walk through those rooms. First, the monarchs LOVED their pictures. The desks were invariably covered in framed photos of family. Many of them had guns and animal heads mounted on the wall. They all had a couch and a fireplace. One king, Frederick VIII, had an American flag tucked into a corner by the door. It was not prominent, but in a room noted for its Danish symbolism, it was the only non-Danish thing in the room. There was no explanation for it, but I found it really interesting.
The changing of the guard finally started. Everyone was very orderly, and the police were there to direct the crowd so we would not get in the way. I had an excellent vantage point. I took a lot of pictures, which can be seen here. Their outfits were pretty funny, with the characteristic tall furry hat one sees in Britain. They were playing really catchy tunes, although I have no idea what they were. They were extremely pretty though, and probably patriotic.
There was a lot of things going on that I did not understand. They seemed to have these rituals of checking in, having leaders greet one another. They went to each station with a guard and repeated the procedure. It took about 45 minutes for them to do the whole procedure and then to proceed back to Rosenborg Slot where the barracks of the Royal Lifeguard (which is what Danes call them) are located.
One of the guards was pretty cute. One Asian girl stood too close to this guy, and he pushed her back. I was a bit startled at the suddenness of his move, but I had my picture taken with him too. Just with a safe distance so he wouldn't shove me.
I followed the route in the guidebook to Kongens Nytorv, which is a huge square in the middle of town where tourists are gathered. In the middle was a large statue of Christian V who designed the square. It was surrounded by an ice skating rink where many people were skating. They had a pile of snow to the side. Facing the square is Charlottenborg, which is an old royal palace that now houses the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Next to that is Det Kongeliege Teater, or the Royal Theatre where some famous Danes had their works first shown a long time ago.
Kongens Nytorv fronts the Nyhavn, which was dug in the 1600s to allow merchants to bring their goods right into the city. It is pretty touristy now, with shops and lots of restaurants, but the houses are well preserved in bright colors. Even the home of Hans Christian Anderson still exists. There is large anchor at the head of Nyhavn to commemorate Danish soldiers who served with the Allies in WWII.
I made my way back to the Kongens Nytorv and to Ostergade, which is one end of the famous pedestrian mall called Stroget (pronounced stroy-eth). The Stroget is made up of 4 streets: Ostergade, Amagertorv, Vimmelskaftet, Nygade, and Fredericksberggade. Don't ask me how those are pronounced, because I really couldn't tell you. There are lots of people and shops on the Stroget. The shops are low end, high end, and everything between. Lots of food places too. I had lunch at a Mexican joint.
And being the kind of guy I am, I had to visit this place the Museum of Erotica.
The idea of a sex museum still makes me laugh. I visited one in Amsterdam, which was much more interesting than this place. The only thing that was different was its room devoted to the sex lives of famous people. Otherwise, it was an exhibition of various kinds of porn, none of which were that appealing. I just don't find anything interesting about: a) sex with animals, b) heterosexual sodomy of various kinds, or c)nude women in various poses sticking various objects in their bodies.
Halfway through the Stroget, you find a big plaza with a picture of Bishop Absalon, the founder of Copenhagen. Now, forgive me if I am wrong, but he doesn't look much like a bishop from his statue.
Of course, in 1167, bishops were not so much men of God as power brokers, and this guy Absalon helped kick ass on the island of Zealand. Behind this statue is a small mote to Slotsholmen which is the seat of Danish government currently. The main building is Christiansborg Slot, a huge palace that houses Parliament, the Prime Minister's offices, the supreme judicial courts, and Royal Reception rooms where Queen Margarethe II holds official parties and receives guests.
I walked back to the Stoget, and finished my walk down it. Right before the end is another large plaza. In the middle is a gilded fountain called Caritas Fountain, built in 1608 by Christian IV to mark the center of the city's market at the time. As you get to the end, you reach a huge castle that is Copenhagen City Hall, called Radhus. It is this end of the Stroget that looks like Times Square in NYC, with all its hustle, bustle, light, and noise. You will also find American fast food joints here, which is the only place in Copenhagen that I have yet to find these restaurants.
I went to see a movie, and saw Little Children. They show movies in English with subtitles, which allowed me to understand the movie. The movie was quite good, but really depressing. It is a portrait of unhappy people in their unhappy lives with no good conclusion. I then went to dinner at Peder Oxe, which serves traditional Danish fare. I tasted truffles for the first time. Not the chocolate that is called a truffle either. I am talking the fungus that only pigs can smell in the ground and that are very rare. I must say that I was disappointed by the black fungus. It pretty much had no taste of its own, but adopted whatever flavor was in the dish. Otherwise, the meal was excellent.
I then went to a few bars. They were OK. The Danes heat buildings pretty well, so I would immediately break out into an unsightly sweat whenever I went inside. I still had my packages from the day along with my coat, so I just stood in a corner and had a couple of beers. Plenty of people looked my way, but no one said hello. They were all there with their husbands and friends, laughing and talking in Danish…which I don't understand. I have noticed that most bars are social, with lighting brighter than you'd find in the US, and that couples go out a lot with friends to socialize. It is not nearly as cruisy as US bars can be.
After hanging out at a few different bars, I went back to my hotel and to sleep. I did not know if I would wake up in time to go see the Crown Jewels at Rosenborg Slot, since they are only visible from 11am-2pm this time of year. However, I was wide awake by 10, and I had a quick breakfast and headed back downtown to see the Crown Jewels. I made it into Rosenborg slot and this time bought the right to take pictures. The Danes have a clever idea…you can only take picture if you buy a ticket to do so. It costs about $4, so I did it for the crown jewels.
The whole royal treasury is interesting. It contains just about every gift any monarch of Denmark has received. The crown jewels themselves are fantastic. The Sword of State, and the former crowns of the middle ages when Denmark was in expansionist mode are fantastic. There are not as many crown jewels for the queen as you would think. There are only a couple of cases of jewels, which are stunning, but nothing compared to the British Crown Jewels. The jewels are so valuable that Denmark will not allow its queen to take the jewels out of the country for any reason.
After going through the royal apartments above the treasury, I went through the old naval section of town, which is now public housing. I went into a public park called Kastellet, which is the oldest functioning fort in Europe. The armed services still have active barracks in this medieval fortress that has a large moat and earthen ramparts. I saw the disappointing Little Mermaid, which is just plopped right on the water, no mess, no fuss. I was singularly unimpressed with Denmark's top attraction.
What I really enjoyed was the Frihedsmuseet, which is a low key museum dedicated to the Danish resistance of WWII that did whatever it could to undermine the Nazis and sabotage them within Denmark. They were truly on their own, but they did amazing things. The people somehow kept the faith quietly, and they saved 7000 Jews from the death chambers. Going through this museum made me sad, and it also amazed me how anyone could say that the Holocaust did not happen, especially with all the evidence around that it did.
After that, I walked down to Oscar's bar, which is a gay bar just off the Stogen for a late lunch. I had a nice meal, and some drink, although my credit card was refused because it was foreign. That annoys me. Many establishments will not allow you to use a non-Danish credit card, not even for a small fee. So I am forced to take out yet more money from an ATM.
The food was good, but no one really talked to me. I had out my tour books, so they knew I was a tourist, and probably an American. After the meal, I simply went back to the hotel and downloaded my pictures from the full memory stick, and prepared to upload them. Then I went to bed, my feet throbbing from all the walking I had done throughout the weekend.
Work was as non-eventful as usual. I can see how things might be pushed to the last minute so that we must rush through everything. I hope I can help push them forward. I came home from work intending to take a nap before going out later that night. Things really don't get started until midnight here, but I needed to get some rest so I didn't sleep away the weekend like I did last weekend.
Well, I wake up and it is 5am Saturday morning. Whoops. I went back to sleep and woke up around 9:30am. I went down to breakfast and then headed out, camera and guidebook in tow. People have been begging for pictures, and it was time for me to deliver.
I took a picture of my hotel and then the main street (Strandvejen) that I walk down each day to and from work. I took the train from Hellerup to the Norreport station. It was about 11am. I followed my map, because I wanted to see the changing of the guard at the palace, called Amelienborg Slot. I saw the guard forming outside of the Royal Treasury, called Rosenborg Slot (I am guessing "slot" means castle or palace.).
I made my way past a statue of Christian X, the king of Denmark through both world wars. This guy was pretty interesting. He agreed with his government to surrender to Germany rather than fight invasion. He released a statement about agreeing under protest to occupation. The Germans wanted Denmark to run their own affairs to free up German assets, and because they felt that countries run by the "right kind" of people should be self-governing as much as possible.
The Danes were lucky in this regard that as a Nordic people, they were seen as part of the "superior" German blood. Christian X did what little he could to tweak Hitler. He once angered Hitler by sending a short, snippy note in response to birthday wishes from the Fuhrer. He also made sure his newborn granddaughter (the current queen) was named Margarethe, after the great Danish queen of the late 1300s who united Denmark, Norway, and Sweden under one crown….Denmark's. It was his way of showing the people that they would rise from German occupation.
I got to Amelienborg Slot around 11:15am, so I had to wait around until the guard marched from Rosenborg Slot to change the guard. In the middle of the square was a statue of Frederick V, dressed like a Roman conqueror. The royal family has been living in Amelienborg Slot since the late 1700s as four identical mansions around a central square. The queen only lives in one of the buildings today, and even then, she is only here from December through April. They have another "summer residence" north of Copenhagen where they live the rest of the year. One of the mansions has been turned into a museum. They have faithfully recreated the studies of monarchs from the 1860s through Christian X, who died in 1947. The studies have been created as they appeared when the King was alive.
It was very interesting to walk through those rooms. First, the monarchs LOVED their pictures. The desks were invariably covered in framed photos of family. Many of them had guns and animal heads mounted on the wall. They all had a couch and a fireplace. One king, Frederick VIII, had an American flag tucked into a corner by the door. It was not prominent, but in a room noted for its Danish symbolism, it was the only non-Danish thing in the room. There was no explanation for it, but I found it really interesting.
The changing of the guard finally started. Everyone was very orderly, and the police were there to direct the crowd so we would not get in the way. I had an excellent vantage point. I took a lot of pictures, which can be seen here. Their outfits were pretty funny, with the characteristic tall furry hat one sees in Britain. They were playing really catchy tunes, although I have no idea what they were. They were extremely pretty though, and probably patriotic.
There was a lot of things going on that I did not understand. They seemed to have these rituals of checking in, having leaders greet one another. They went to each station with a guard and repeated the procedure. It took about 45 minutes for them to do the whole procedure and then to proceed back to Rosenborg Slot where the barracks of the Royal Lifeguard (which is what Danes call them) are located.
One of the guards was pretty cute. One Asian girl stood too close to this guy, and he pushed her back. I was a bit startled at the suddenness of his move, but I had my picture taken with him too. Just with a safe distance so he wouldn't shove me.
I followed the route in the guidebook to Kongens Nytorv, which is a huge square in the middle of town where tourists are gathered. In the middle was a large statue of Christian V who designed the square. It was surrounded by an ice skating rink where many people were skating. They had a pile of snow to the side. Facing the square is Charlottenborg, which is an old royal palace that now houses the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Next to that is Det Kongeliege Teater, or the Royal Theatre where some famous Danes had their works first shown a long time ago.
Kongens Nytorv fronts the Nyhavn, which was dug in the 1600s to allow merchants to bring their goods right into the city. It is pretty touristy now, with shops and lots of restaurants, but the houses are well preserved in bright colors. Even the home of Hans Christian Anderson still exists. There is large anchor at the head of Nyhavn to commemorate Danish soldiers who served with the Allies in WWII.
I made my way back to the Kongens Nytorv and to Ostergade, which is one end of the famous pedestrian mall called Stroget (pronounced stroy-eth). The Stroget is made up of 4 streets: Ostergade, Amagertorv, Vimmelskaftet, Nygade, and Fredericksberggade. Don't ask me how those are pronounced, because I really couldn't tell you. There are lots of people and shops on the Stroget. The shops are low end, high end, and everything between. Lots of food places too. I had lunch at a Mexican joint.
And being the kind of guy I am, I had to visit this place the Museum of Erotica.
The idea of a sex museum still makes me laugh. I visited one in Amsterdam, which was much more interesting than this place. The only thing that was different was its room devoted to the sex lives of famous people. Otherwise, it was an exhibition of various kinds of porn, none of which were that appealing. I just don't find anything interesting about: a) sex with animals, b) heterosexual sodomy of various kinds, or c)nude women in various poses sticking various objects in their bodies.
Halfway through the Stroget, you find a big plaza with a picture of Bishop Absalon, the founder of Copenhagen. Now, forgive me if I am wrong, but he doesn't look much like a bishop from his statue.
Of course, in 1167, bishops were not so much men of God as power brokers, and this guy Absalon helped kick ass on the island of Zealand. Behind this statue is a small mote to Slotsholmen which is the seat of Danish government currently. The main building is Christiansborg Slot, a huge palace that houses Parliament, the Prime Minister's offices, the supreme judicial courts, and Royal Reception rooms where Queen Margarethe II holds official parties and receives guests.
I walked back to the Stoget, and finished my walk down it. Right before the end is another large plaza. In the middle is a gilded fountain called Caritas Fountain, built in 1608 by Christian IV to mark the center of the city's market at the time. As you get to the end, you reach a huge castle that is Copenhagen City Hall, called Radhus. It is this end of the Stroget that looks like Times Square in NYC, with all its hustle, bustle, light, and noise. You will also find American fast food joints here, which is the only place in Copenhagen that I have yet to find these restaurants.
I went to see a movie, and saw Little Children. They show movies in English with subtitles, which allowed me to understand the movie. The movie was quite good, but really depressing. It is a portrait of unhappy people in their unhappy lives with no good conclusion. I then went to dinner at Peder Oxe, which serves traditional Danish fare. I tasted truffles for the first time. Not the chocolate that is called a truffle either. I am talking the fungus that only pigs can smell in the ground and that are very rare. I must say that I was disappointed by the black fungus. It pretty much had no taste of its own, but adopted whatever flavor was in the dish. Otherwise, the meal was excellent.
I then went to a few bars. They were OK. The Danes heat buildings pretty well, so I would immediately break out into an unsightly sweat whenever I went inside. I still had my packages from the day along with my coat, so I just stood in a corner and had a couple of beers. Plenty of people looked my way, but no one said hello. They were all there with their husbands and friends, laughing and talking in Danish…which I don't understand. I have noticed that most bars are social, with lighting brighter than you'd find in the US, and that couples go out a lot with friends to socialize. It is not nearly as cruisy as US bars can be.
After hanging out at a few different bars, I went back to my hotel and to sleep. I did not know if I would wake up in time to go see the Crown Jewels at Rosenborg Slot, since they are only visible from 11am-2pm this time of year. However, I was wide awake by 10, and I had a quick breakfast and headed back downtown to see the Crown Jewels. I made it into Rosenborg slot and this time bought the right to take pictures. The Danes have a clever idea…you can only take picture if you buy a ticket to do so. It costs about $4, so I did it for the crown jewels.
The whole royal treasury is interesting. It contains just about every gift any monarch of Denmark has received. The crown jewels themselves are fantastic. The Sword of State, and the former crowns of the middle ages when Denmark was in expansionist mode are fantastic. There are not as many crown jewels for the queen as you would think. There are only a couple of cases of jewels, which are stunning, but nothing compared to the British Crown Jewels. The jewels are so valuable that Denmark will not allow its queen to take the jewels out of the country for any reason.
After going through the royal apartments above the treasury, I went through the old naval section of town, which is now public housing. I went into a public park called Kastellet, which is the oldest functioning fort in Europe. The armed services still have active barracks in this medieval fortress that has a large moat and earthen ramparts. I saw the disappointing Little Mermaid, which is just plopped right on the water, no mess, no fuss. I was singularly unimpressed with Denmark's top attraction.
What I really enjoyed was the Frihedsmuseet, which is a low key museum dedicated to the Danish resistance of WWII that did whatever it could to undermine the Nazis and sabotage them within Denmark. They were truly on their own, but they did amazing things. The people somehow kept the faith quietly, and they saved 7000 Jews from the death chambers. Going through this museum made me sad, and it also amazed me how anyone could say that the Holocaust did not happen, especially with all the evidence around that it did.
After that, I walked down to Oscar's bar, which is a gay bar just off the Stogen for a late lunch. I had a nice meal, and some drink, although my credit card was refused because it was foreign. That annoys me. Many establishments will not allow you to use a non-Danish credit card, not even for a small fee. So I am forced to take out yet more money from an ATM.
The food was good, but no one really talked to me. I had out my tour books, so they knew I was a tourist, and probably an American. After the meal, I simply went back to the hotel and downloaded my pictures from the full memory stick, and prepared to upload them. Then I went to bed, my feet throbbing from all the walking I had done throughout the weekend.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Copenhagen - Part 3
Monday, February 12, 2007
Another cold day in Copenhagen. Still, the walk to work wasn't bad. Another day passed without me having access to the N drive, where all the documents are kept. We did put pressure on the HR folks to get whatever form is needed over to the computer people so they would give me the access I need. We have been promised that it "should" happen "tomorrow". We shall see. In the meantime, my hands are kind of tied. I did manage to get my WHO badge today, something that AFRO never bothered to give me all the times I have gone there. John was anxious for me to start on something before he left on a trip, so I managed to get some of the documents already in existence to translate them into WHO format.
One thing I do not understand is how they are going to pay for this meeting. First, nearly all the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics cannot afford to travel their own people to the meeting, so WHO must pay for it. This includes airfare, hotel, and maybe per diem. With all those people, plus the costs of actually holding the meeting at this hotel in Dubrovnik, Croatia, they have set aside around $80K. Yeah, good luck with that!
I also read the blog of this guy I sort of know. I had not followed his blog in months, thinking he had abandoned it. My mistake! He just moved it. It was a devastating look at a relationship from its flowery this-is-THE-ONE-for-me start to the crash and burn a few months later. It only lasted the last half of 2006, but the turmoil would have made you believe it was much longer. I found it interesting that people talk about how cautious they are, yet throw that caution to the wind when a cute face, hot bod, and good sex are introduced into the equation. Reading his situation made me realize that my own moaning and groaning about my personal life is kind of stupid. The things I have gone through have not nearly been as wrenching as what this guy went through. I wouldn't trade places with him for anything.
On my walk home, I decided to find this Thai place that was supposed to be a block or two past my hotel. I found it, and it was closed. Not sure if that is just a Monday thing or something more permanent. I settled for this Italian father-son joint next door to the closed Thai restaurant and ordered the lasagna with a salad and coke light (no 'diet' for Europeans!). It was a pretty good meal, and reasonably priced too.
I got my laundry from the front desk, and it arrived at 7pm on the dot, just as they said it would. Not a minute early, not a minute late. I had a phone call from Leo to touch base between his two trips. Other than that, I read until I fell asleep.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
I was greeted by rain this morning. Not light snow, but cold, drizzly rain. Having not packed by raincoat, I had to make do with my usual attire of leather coat, scarf, gloves, and this ear muff-headband I bought a few years ago from Lands End. It seemed vaguely appropriate to be walking in such weather given the 6th anniversary of my father's suicide.
Don't worry, I am simply noting it. I am not going to rehash it since I did that last year. I doubt that a year will ever go by where I won't think of it on this day. And I am pretty sure that unless some miracle happens, Valentine's Day is permanently ruined (not that I have ever had a sweetheart on that day mean to torment the single and set up straight men for disappointing their women).
I got to work and managed to while away the morning putting together the agenda for this conference. They already have files set up to track who has responded and who has not to the invitation, so there is nothing to do on that end for now. Work on those documents must wait until I'm (wait for it) given access to the N drive.
I went home and the rain had stopped, but it was misting, which is always an odd effect. I stopped by a place on the way home for dinner, and it was nice. I still am lost when it comes to reading a menu in Danish. The restaurant owner had a fixed price 3 course meal with soup and meat and chocolate. That was all he could tell me. Turns out the soup was this thick concoction with a piece of fish in it. I have no idea what it was, but it tasted pretty good. Then the meat came out and it was a filet mignon! I had prepared myself for just about anything, and was determined to eat whatever was put on my plate. Luckily, it wasn't nasty. It was delicious! They had mashed potatoes formed into this erect rectangle, and doused with gravy. Very interesting presentation, and pretty good too.
Afterward, I had to get more money, because everything here is so expensive that I money just flows out of my wallet. I could use my credit card more, but there is a surcharge for doing that, and for meals, I figure why pay extra? They are expensive enough as it is.
The rest of the night, I was online chatting. Ran into Daniel, Billy, Benson, and Surabhi. It has been a long while since I talked to Surabhi. She is doing well and has applied to the Peace Corps. She wants to get into international development work. More USAID stuff like outreach, education, infrastructure than health per se. She is also still with her man, Paul, and it seems pretty serious. I don't know how things will turn out if she does go overseas for 27 months of Peace Corps. Maybe she will find something of shorter duration. She is in a period of change, though, and that can be exciting and frightening. It reminded me that I must visit her when I get back.
Otherwise, I spent the evening finishing the biography of Augustus, which was excellent.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Oh good, another Valentine's Day without a valentine in sight. Any wonder I call it VD? J My one concession was wearing a red shirt today. I did not want to be too bah humbug. The flower shops on the way to work were bursting with all kinds of flowers, especially roses and tulips, all from the Netherlands.
The good news is that I FINALLY got access to the N drive at work! I am now able to access all the documents I need to access, and I had a flurry of activity as a result. I can't overdo it though, or they will get spoiled. It won't take too much effort to look good around here.
The computers were shut down at 5pm, so I left at 4:45pm with Jim Zingeser to walk back to the hotel. I don't know if he was pushing me or vice versa, but my legs HURT by the time we got to my hotel. His journey was only half over too. I went to the room and relaxed a bit until I decided to get something to eat. I went back to that Italian joint from the other night and ordered a pizza. The Thai place was open next to it, so I am unsure what days that place is open. They do have some of my favorite dishes, though, so I will have to try it out.
I came back to the hotel after dinner and chatted online for a while. Then I read, watched the discovery channel, and went to sleep.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Another fairly mundane day at the office. It turns out that the Regional Advisor on immunization thinks we need less 'sharing' and more 'lecturing' from the regional office to the countries on what they ought to be doing. It should be interesting to see how this comes out when we meet on Monday to discuss.
I found out how to best change my return date to Atlanta and still be able to see Berlin. I will need to push back my return to Wednesday, March 28 and take that Monday and Tuesday as annual leave. Then I will have the whole weekend in Berlin. The ticket I found on a discount airline that flies out of Copenhagen has a flight in the evenings to and from Berlin. I will leave Friday evening for Berlin, and return on Tuesday evening. That will give me 4 full days in Berlin, which should be sufficient to see everything. Delta has a flight out that Wednesday to Atlanta, so I should be able to change my ticket without any problem or added expense.
The 'low cost' carriers aren't as low cost when you factor in taxes and fees. To select the seat of my choice, they charged me around $20 for each flight! You are also prohibited from bringing any food on the aircraft. Luckily, it is just four days, so I can survive on the low weight limit too. It is still cheaper than most US tickets would cost. Now I just have to wait and see if my friend Mike can join me in Berlin or not. I hope he can, because not only would it be more fun, but he also speaks fluent German.
I have noticed some interesting things in my week or so in Copenhagen. First, it is not as cold as I feared. I was expected something closer to single digits in temperature, and the temp has been fairly consistent by staying in the low to mid 30s. Now, if you look at the temp in centigrade, then it is single digits, but I think in Fahrenheit, not Celsius J
The second thing I have noticed is the lack of people of color. There is not a single person of color in this office, although I have spied a couple of Africans in the canteen at lunch. Counting the people I have seen here at WHO, I have seen maybe 4 black people the entire time! And 5 Asians. They are so rare, I can count them. I suppose this is a legacy of the colonization where Denmark focused mostly on Scandanavia while other European powers went trolling in Africa and Asia. It is very strange to be in a society that is so homogenous on the outside.
Another cold day in Copenhagen. Still, the walk to work wasn't bad. Another day passed without me having access to the N drive, where all the documents are kept. We did put pressure on the HR folks to get whatever form is needed over to the computer people so they would give me the access I need. We have been promised that it "should" happen "tomorrow". We shall see. In the meantime, my hands are kind of tied. I did manage to get my WHO badge today, something that AFRO never bothered to give me all the times I have gone there. John was anxious for me to start on something before he left on a trip, so I managed to get some of the documents already in existence to translate them into WHO format.
One thing I do not understand is how they are going to pay for this meeting. First, nearly all the countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Republics cannot afford to travel their own people to the meeting, so WHO must pay for it. This includes airfare, hotel, and maybe per diem. With all those people, plus the costs of actually holding the meeting at this hotel in Dubrovnik, Croatia, they have set aside around $80K. Yeah, good luck with that!
I also read the blog of this guy I sort of know. I had not followed his blog in months, thinking he had abandoned it. My mistake! He just moved it. It was a devastating look at a relationship from its flowery this-is-THE-ONE-for-me start to the crash and burn a few months later. It only lasted the last half of 2006, but the turmoil would have made you believe it was much longer. I found it interesting that people talk about how cautious they are, yet throw that caution to the wind when a cute face, hot bod, and good sex are introduced into the equation. Reading his situation made me realize that my own moaning and groaning about my personal life is kind of stupid. The things I have gone through have not nearly been as wrenching as what this guy went through. I wouldn't trade places with him for anything.
On my walk home, I decided to find this Thai place that was supposed to be a block or two past my hotel. I found it, and it was closed. Not sure if that is just a Monday thing or something more permanent. I settled for this Italian father-son joint next door to the closed Thai restaurant and ordered the lasagna with a salad and coke light (no 'diet' for Europeans!). It was a pretty good meal, and reasonably priced too.
I got my laundry from the front desk, and it arrived at 7pm on the dot, just as they said it would. Not a minute early, not a minute late. I had a phone call from Leo to touch base between his two trips. Other than that, I read until I fell asleep.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
I was greeted by rain this morning. Not light snow, but cold, drizzly rain. Having not packed by raincoat, I had to make do with my usual attire of leather coat, scarf, gloves, and this ear muff-headband I bought a few years ago from Lands End. It seemed vaguely appropriate to be walking in such weather given the 6th anniversary of my father's suicide.
Don't worry, I am simply noting it. I am not going to rehash it since I did that last year. I doubt that a year will ever go by where I won't think of it on this day. And I am pretty sure that unless some miracle happens, Valentine's Day is permanently ruined (not that I have ever had a sweetheart on that day mean to torment the single and set up straight men for disappointing their women).
I got to work and managed to while away the morning putting together the agenda for this conference. They already have files set up to track who has responded and who has not to the invitation, so there is nothing to do on that end for now. Work on those documents must wait until I'm (wait for it) given access to the N drive.
I went home and the rain had stopped, but it was misting, which is always an odd effect. I stopped by a place on the way home for dinner, and it was nice. I still am lost when it comes to reading a menu in Danish. The restaurant owner had a fixed price 3 course meal with soup and meat and chocolate. That was all he could tell me. Turns out the soup was this thick concoction with a piece of fish in it. I have no idea what it was, but it tasted pretty good. Then the meat came out and it was a filet mignon! I had prepared myself for just about anything, and was determined to eat whatever was put on my plate. Luckily, it wasn't nasty. It was delicious! They had mashed potatoes formed into this erect rectangle, and doused with gravy. Very interesting presentation, and pretty good too.
Afterward, I had to get more money, because everything here is so expensive that I money just flows out of my wallet. I could use my credit card more, but there is a surcharge for doing that, and for meals, I figure why pay extra? They are expensive enough as it is.
The rest of the night, I was online chatting. Ran into Daniel, Billy, Benson, and Surabhi. It has been a long while since I talked to Surabhi. She is doing well and has applied to the Peace Corps. She wants to get into international development work. More USAID stuff like outreach, education, infrastructure than health per se. She is also still with her man, Paul, and it seems pretty serious. I don't know how things will turn out if she does go overseas for 27 months of Peace Corps. Maybe she will find something of shorter duration. She is in a period of change, though, and that can be exciting and frightening. It reminded me that I must visit her when I get back.
Otherwise, I spent the evening finishing the biography of Augustus, which was excellent.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Oh good, another Valentine's Day without a valentine in sight. Any wonder I call it VD? J My one concession was wearing a red shirt today. I did not want to be too bah humbug. The flower shops on the way to work were bursting with all kinds of flowers, especially roses and tulips, all from the Netherlands.
The good news is that I FINALLY got access to the N drive at work! I am now able to access all the documents I need to access, and I had a flurry of activity as a result. I can't overdo it though, or they will get spoiled. It won't take too much effort to look good around here.
The computers were shut down at 5pm, so I left at 4:45pm with Jim Zingeser to walk back to the hotel. I don't know if he was pushing me or vice versa, but my legs HURT by the time we got to my hotel. His journey was only half over too. I went to the room and relaxed a bit until I decided to get something to eat. I went back to that Italian joint from the other night and ordered a pizza. The Thai place was open next to it, so I am unsure what days that place is open. They do have some of my favorite dishes, though, so I will have to try it out.
I came back to the hotel after dinner and chatted online for a while. Then I read, watched the discovery channel, and went to sleep.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Another fairly mundane day at the office. It turns out that the Regional Advisor on immunization thinks we need less 'sharing' and more 'lecturing' from the regional office to the countries on what they ought to be doing. It should be interesting to see how this comes out when we meet on Monday to discuss.
I found out how to best change my return date to Atlanta and still be able to see Berlin. I will need to push back my return to Wednesday, March 28 and take that Monday and Tuesday as annual leave. Then I will have the whole weekend in Berlin. The ticket I found on a discount airline that flies out of Copenhagen has a flight in the evenings to and from Berlin. I will leave Friday evening for Berlin, and return on Tuesday evening. That will give me 4 full days in Berlin, which should be sufficient to see everything. Delta has a flight out that Wednesday to Atlanta, so I should be able to change my ticket without any problem or added expense.
The 'low cost' carriers aren't as low cost when you factor in taxes and fees. To select the seat of my choice, they charged me around $20 for each flight! You are also prohibited from bringing any food on the aircraft. Luckily, it is just four days, so I can survive on the low weight limit too. It is still cheaper than most US tickets would cost. Now I just have to wait and see if my friend Mike can join me in Berlin or not. I hope he can, because not only would it be more fun, but he also speaks fluent German.
I have noticed some interesting things in my week or so in Copenhagen. First, it is not as cold as I feared. I was expected something closer to single digits in temperature, and the temp has been fairly consistent by staying in the low to mid 30s. Now, if you look at the temp in centigrade, then it is single digits, but I think in Fahrenheit, not Celsius J
The second thing I have noticed is the lack of people of color. There is not a single person of color in this office, although I have spied a couple of Africans in the canteen at lunch. Counting the people I have seen here at WHO, I have seen maybe 4 black people the entire time! And 5 Asians. They are so rare, I can count them. I suppose this is a legacy of the colonization where Denmark focused mostly on Scandanavia while other European powers went trolling in Africa and Asia. It is very strange to be in a society that is so homogenous on the outside.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Copenhagen - Part 2
Thursday – February 8, 2007
I slept 30 minutes too long this morning, and walked in right at 9am when the meeting on the Program Managers' Meeting (PMM) was starting. They have already done some of the groundwork. Apparently, there is a contract with a hotel, and they have sent out letters of invitation. They also have worked up a draft of the proposed program.
As I found myself wondering what I was needed for, it became apparent that the admin staff really wanted direction. They know what needs to be done, but they need someone to tell them who does what. For instance, who is the point person for receiving acceptances from the invitations? Who follows up with getting their flight information, etc? Who decides what will go into the welcome packet and be responsible for putting it all together? The questions went on and on. If I had access to the internal network drive (it's coming, I am told) then I could help answer these questions.
The thing that amazed me the most was the complete disinterest by the admin staff regarding the technical issues of immunization being talked about at the meeting. Once we had the logistics barrage completed, the admin people left. I cannot imagine not caring about the technical side of things. It helps me to understand what is going on when I absorb the technical aspects of immunization. I have learned so much in the time I have worked at GID, and I learned it by being interested and listening. No learning is a waste of time. Am I silly for thinking that?
Next, we had a long staff meeting. The only thing I can compare it to is a division meeting at CDC. We saw a presentation on the European Immunization Week which apparently isn't focused so much on immunizing children as it is raising awareness among hard-to-reach populations that immunization is important. We then had a free ranging discussion where the hottest topic was reorganization and office space. People here at the new offices. Mostly this is due to a lack of privacy and bad acoustics that amplify every sound that anyone makes. That everyone is in an open cubicle also irritates people. I personally like the openness of the office, although they do need to do something about the sound so that it doesn't carry so bad. The all glass walls let in a lot of natural light, which I love, especially having an interior office in Atlanta where my only 'natural' light comes from a sunlamp.
It was an interesting study in management styles to be in this meeting. It almost had the feeling of a pure democracy rather than a top-down organization. There was little direction to the conversation, and Nedrit didn't seem to want to steer it in any one direction. She's very open to others opinions and feelings, but there was little sense of resolution at the end.
Louie was wiped out, and so was I, at the end of the day. As a result, we dropped plans to get together that evening for his last night in town. He will be off to one of the former Soviet republics that borders China tomorrow.
Friday – February 9, 2007
It was bitterly cold today! I am not sure that the temperature was any colder, but the wind rushing in from the sea sure made it feel like I was in the arctic. I had to lean into the wind for my walk to and from work. I didn't get frost bite, but it took a good 10 minutes for my cheeks to thaw once I got into the office.
Friday was more laid back than the rest of the week. We had more meetings on the PMM (this is how I will refer to the Program Managers' Meeting) content. It was interesting to watch the disagreements as to what needed to be included and what did not. The order of presentation was also a lively topic of debate, as was the length of time for various speakers. What I found interesting was that they aren't starting this meeting until Monday afternoon on April 23. Why they won't start in the morning is something I do not know, but I am sure they have good reasons. I also discovered that it has been several years since a meeting like this has been held.
We also had a social for the afternoon, around 4pm. It consisted of wine, beer, cheese, and cake. It was a pretty good time, but I left around 4:30pm because I wanted to look into finding a toothbrush charger. Apparently, some thought I left because I felt neglected and came looking for me! I assured them this was not the case, and that I had errands I wanted to run before stores closed. They tend to all be closed by 6pm here. Only 7-11 is open 24 hours a day.
Luckily, I did not find a toothbrush charger since upon moving over my suitcase, I discovered my actual charger on the floor. I had packed it after all! I suppose in my initial delirium on Tuesday, I had taken it out and forgotten about it.
Friday night, I decided to go out. I printed out a map of "Gay Copenhagen" to take with me, and I am glad I did. The train station is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and it takes you into the heart of downtown. I thought I had paid for a ticket with my credit card, but upon leaving the station in Norreport, I was told by a police officer that the message on what I thought was a ticket was not valid. The transaction had not worked! The fine for not paying is 600 kr, which is over $100. After showing my passport and telling them where I was staying, they let me go and told me to buy a ticket from the kiosk. The only problem was that the kiosk only accepts coins, and I did not have 19 kr in coins. I only had a 100kr bill, and the machine would not take bills.
The result was that I left the station unmolested, and bought a hot dog from the vendor outside the station. Hot dog vendors are a staple in Copenhagen, and it was good because I got change. I made a mental note to never be without coins. It is strange how they have coins for everything under 20 kr, and then the next denomination is 100kr bill. There is also a 500kr bill. But it means you walk around with a pocket full of change most of the time, which is different for me. I usually hate having change in my pocket when I am home.
Another thing I have noticed is that people live here with an assumption of honesty. People don't lock up their bikes for the most part, and no one steals them. Although I have heard that if you leave a nice bike downtown for any period, it will be stolen. The train station works on an honor system, and it is enforced by undercover cops as well as uniformed police that do spot checks. It would be easy, however, to ride without paying. The penalty is high, but you could attempt it. They have no turnstiles or other things you see in the US.
I was starving when I got to Norreport, even with the hotdog. I went int the wrong direction. I was pretty frustrated when I figured it out (randomly changing street names is not just a US phenomenon), so I ended up eating at a McDonalds. I know, that is horrible, but with my tendency to get lost, I did not want to chance not eating at all.
I went to some of the gay bars here, which was interesting. Not speaking Danish was a real hindrance, although I did get hit on by a British guy teaching at one of the universities. After wandering to a couple of these small bars, I decided to head home. The train at Hellerup would not open, so I was taken to a far out suburb and had to take another train back to Hellerup. Hellerup is a suburb of Copenhagen kind of like Decatur is a suburb of Atlanta.
I got a snack, as well as something to drink, at the local 7-11 on my way back to the hotel. It was great to go in at 1:30am and get a small snack and drink.
Saturday – February 10, 2007
I managed to sleep in late this morning, skipping breakfast. The maid tried to come in, and backed out when she saw I was still in bed. I did not rouse myself until 2pm, when I signed online. I had a message from Prejen who is this guy I have talked to online. He has a husband, and they like to befriend visitors. I was cautious, but went with it. He thought I was coming downtown, and when I told him I had just woken up, he was saying he could just come to me, and please provide the address. I was not quite ready for that, so I ignored that message. Finally, he got back and suggested dinner, which I agreed to.
I went downtown around 4pm to see some of the sites before the sun went down. I took another wrong turn and ended up at the main train station. I did find the main shopping strip which is somewhat famous. It is made up of several streets connected together in a continuous pedestrian strip. It has the feel of a tourist trap, but was interesting. I literally ran into the Hard Rock Café here, so I bought a T-shirt. I don't know why I did not think of Copenhagen having a Hard Rock before seeing it, but I didn't.
I found the place for dinner early. It was called BOIZ, and they seated me early. I did not know if Prejen had made reservations or not, but sat down and had some beer and nachos. They arrived at 7pm, as we'd agreed. Turns out, Prejen had made reservations, so I joined their table. Prejen's husband Rene had just gotten off work, so he was a bit tired.
They were able to explain the menu to me. While most people speak English here, most things are written in Danish. You will find the occasional English phrase in odd places, like 'Sale!' at a store. There was one phrase I had to ask the meaning of, because it seemed dirty to me: slutspurt. Turns out that slutspurt is a term to indicate a last chance sale.
I ordered the Cornish hen, which was good. We split a bottle of wine. The first part of the evening was watching the Danish equivalent of Star Search and American Idol. The contestants had to write and sing their own songs. The news was at BOIZ to film the festivities, so I made the late night Danish news. The big winner, who will go on to represent Denmark in the European competition, was a drag queen! Her song was called "Drama Queen" and is actually pretty catchy as a tune. Still, the votes came in and it was the Drag Queen (called "DQ") who won! BOIZ erupted when the winner was announced, and I was amazed that a drag queen won the whole thing. That would certainly not happen in the US at this time.
After the big win by the drag queen, it was time for another drag queen to take the stage at BOIZ. She was from the UK and is called Miss Thunderpussy (www.missthunderpussy.co.uk). She was hilarious, and apparently my drag queen counterpart since her entire performance is centered around taking popular songs and making them dirty. For Cher's Believe, the lyrics became: Do you believe in having things up your bum? I can feel something inside myself, But I don't think it's large enough, Oh no!
After the show, I said goodbye to Rene and Prejen, who invited me over to their home for a real Danish meal. I accepted, hugged them, and then took the train back to the hotel. I stopped again at the 7-11 to stock up on drinks (they have peach tea here!!!) before going back to the hotel and to bed.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
I slept in again this morning, but when the maid knocked, I got up, threw on some clothes, and went down to breakfast so she could clean. I came back upstairs and read most of the day, and napped. I wrongly assumed that nothing was open on Sundays, only to discover later in the afternoon that certain things had been open. It was OK because I wasn't in the mood to bundle up for the outdoors.
For dinner, I went next door to Sticks n Sushi, which was pretty good. I also picked up a laundry bag from the front desk. Laundry here is highway robbery. A week's worth of clothes is going to cost about $140 to clean! Unfortunately, I don't see an alternative…but jeez, this will take a huge chunk out of my per diem!
I slept 30 minutes too long this morning, and walked in right at 9am when the meeting on the Program Managers' Meeting (PMM) was starting. They have already done some of the groundwork. Apparently, there is a contract with a hotel, and they have sent out letters of invitation. They also have worked up a draft of the proposed program.
As I found myself wondering what I was needed for, it became apparent that the admin staff really wanted direction. They know what needs to be done, but they need someone to tell them who does what. For instance, who is the point person for receiving acceptances from the invitations? Who follows up with getting their flight information, etc? Who decides what will go into the welcome packet and be responsible for putting it all together? The questions went on and on. If I had access to the internal network drive (it's coming, I am told) then I could help answer these questions.
The thing that amazed me the most was the complete disinterest by the admin staff regarding the technical issues of immunization being talked about at the meeting. Once we had the logistics barrage completed, the admin people left. I cannot imagine not caring about the technical side of things. It helps me to understand what is going on when I absorb the technical aspects of immunization. I have learned so much in the time I have worked at GID, and I learned it by being interested and listening. No learning is a waste of time. Am I silly for thinking that?
Next, we had a long staff meeting. The only thing I can compare it to is a division meeting at CDC. We saw a presentation on the European Immunization Week which apparently isn't focused so much on immunizing children as it is raising awareness among hard-to-reach populations that immunization is important. We then had a free ranging discussion where the hottest topic was reorganization and office space. People here at the new offices. Mostly this is due to a lack of privacy and bad acoustics that amplify every sound that anyone makes. That everyone is in an open cubicle also irritates people. I personally like the openness of the office, although they do need to do something about the sound so that it doesn't carry so bad. The all glass walls let in a lot of natural light, which I love, especially having an interior office in Atlanta where my only 'natural' light comes from a sunlamp.
It was an interesting study in management styles to be in this meeting. It almost had the feeling of a pure democracy rather than a top-down organization. There was little direction to the conversation, and Nedrit didn't seem to want to steer it in any one direction. She's very open to others opinions and feelings, but there was little sense of resolution at the end.
Louie was wiped out, and so was I, at the end of the day. As a result, we dropped plans to get together that evening for his last night in town. He will be off to one of the former Soviet republics that borders China tomorrow.
Friday – February 9, 2007
It was bitterly cold today! I am not sure that the temperature was any colder, but the wind rushing in from the sea sure made it feel like I was in the arctic. I had to lean into the wind for my walk to and from work. I didn't get frost bite, but it took a good 10 minutes for my cheeks to thaw once I got into the office.
Friday was more laid back than the rest of the week. We had more meetings on the PMM (this is how I will refer to the Program Managers' Meeting) content. It was interesting to watch the disagreements as to what needed to be included and what did not. The order of presentation was also a lively topic of debate, as was the length of time for various speakers. What I found interesting was that they aren't starting this meeting until Monday afternoon on April 23. Why they won't start in the morning is something I do not know, but I am sure they have good reasons. I also discovered that it has been several years since a meeting like this has been held.
We also had a social for the afternoon, around 4pm. It consisted of wine, beer, cheese, and cake. It was a pretty good time, but I left around 4:30pm because I wanted to look into finding a toothbrush charger. Apparently, some thought I left because I felt neglected and came looking for me! I assured them this was not the case, and that I had errands I wanted to run before stores closed. They tend to all be closed by 6pm here. Only 7-11 is open 24 hours a day.
Luckily, I did not find a toothbrush charger since upon moving over my suitcase, I discovered my actual charger on the floor. I had packed it after all! I suppose in my initial delirium on Tuesday, I had taken it out and forgotten about it.
Friday night, I decided to go out. I printed out a map of "Gay Copenhagen" to take with me, and I am glad I did. The train station is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and it takes you into the heart of downtown. I thought I had paid for a ticket with my credit card, but upon leaving the station in Norreport, I was told by a police officer that the message on what I thought was a ticket was not valid. The transaction had not worked! The fine for not paying is 600 kr, which is over $100. After showing my passport and telling them where I was staying, they let me go and told me to buy a ticket from the kiosk. The only problem was that the kiosk only accepts coins, and I did not have 19 kr in coins. I only had a 100kr bill, and the machine would not take bills.
The result was that I left the station unmolested, and bought a hot dog from the vendor outside the station. Hot dog vendors are a staple in Copenhagen, and it was good because I got change. I made a mental note to never be without coins. It is strange how they have coins for everything under 20 kr, and then the next denomination is 100kr bill. There is also a 500kr bill. But it means you walk around with a pocket full of change most of the time, which is different for me. I usually hate having change in my pocket when I am home.
Another thing I have noticed is that people live here with an assumption of honesty. People don't lock up their bikes for the most part, and no one steals them. Although I have heard that if you leave a nice bike downtown for any period, it will be stolen. The train station works on an honor system, and it is enforced by undercover cops as well as uniformed police that do spot checks. It would be easy, however, to ride without paying. The penalty is high, but you could attempt it. They have no turnstiles or other things you see in the US.
I was starving when I got to Norreport, even with the hotdog. I went int the wrong direction. I was pretty frustrated when I figured it out (randomly changing street names is not just a US phenomenon), so I ended up eating at a McDonalds. I know, that is horrible, but with my tendency to get lost, I did not want to chance not eating at all.
I went to some of the gay bars here, which was interesting. Not speaking Danish was a real hindrance, although I did get hit on by a British guy teaching at one of the universities. After wandering to a couple of these small bars, I decided to head home. The train at Hellerup would not open, so I was taken to a far out suburb and had to take another train back to Hellerup. Hellerup is a suburb of Copenhagen kind of like Decatur is a suburb of Atlanta.
I got a snack, as well as something to drink, at the local 7-11 on my way back to the hotel. It was great to go in at 1:30am and get a small snack and drink.
Saturday – February 10, 2007
I managed to sleep in late this morning, skipping breakfast. The maid tried to come in, and backed out when she saw I was still in bed. I did not rouse myself until 2pm, when I signed online. I had a message from Prejen who is this guy I have talked to online. He has a husband, and they like to befriend visitors. I was cautious, but went with it. He thought I was coming downtown, and when I told him I had just woken up, he was saying he could just come to me, and please provide the address. I was not quite ready for that, so I ignored that message. Finally, he got back and suggested dinner, which I agreed to.
I went downtown around 4pm to see some of the sites before the sun went down. I took another wrong turn and ended up at the main train station. I did find the main shopping strip which is somewhat famous. It is made up of several streets connected together in a continuous pedestrian strip. It has the feel of a tourist trap, but was interesting. I literally ran into the Hard Rock Café here, so I bought a T-shirt. I don't know why I did not think of Copenhagen having a Hard Rock before seeing it, but I didn't.
I found the place for dinner early. It was called BOIZ, and they seated me early. I did not know if Prejen had made reservations or not, but sat down and had some beer and nachos. They arrived at 7pm, as we'd agreed. Turns out, Prejen had made reservations, so I joined their table. Prejen's husband Rene had just gotten off work, so he was a bit tired.
They were able to explain the menu to me. While most people speak English here, most things are written in Danish. You will find the occasional English phrase in odd places, like 'Sale!' at a store. There was one phrase I had to ask the meaning of, because it seemed dirty to me: slutspurt. Turns out that slutspurt is a term to indicate a last chance sale.
I ordered the Cornish hen, which was good. We split a bottle of wine. The first part of the evening was watching the Danish equivalent of Star Search and American Idol. The contestants had to write and sing their own songs. The news was at BOIZ to film the festivities, so I made the late night Danish news. The big winner, who will go on to represent Denmark in the European competition, was a drag queen! Her song was called "Drama Queen" and is actually pretty catchy as a tune. Still, the votes came in and it was the Drag Queen (called "DQ") who won! BOIZ erupted when the winner was announced, and I was amazed that a drag queen won the whole thing. That would certainly not happen in the US at this time.
After the big win by the drag queen, it was time for another drag queen to take the stage at BOIZ. She was from the UK and is called Miss Thunderpussy (www.missthunderpussy.co.uk). She was hilarious, and apparently my drag queen counterpart since her entire performance is centered around taking popular songs and making them dirty. For Cher's Believe, the lyrics became: Do you believe in having things up your bum? I can feel something inside myself, But I don't think it's large enough, Oh no!
After the show, I said goodbye to Rene and Prejen, who invited me over to their home for a real Danish meal. I accepted, hugged them, and then took the train back to the hotel. I stopped again at the 7-11 to stock up on drinks (they have peach tea here!!!) before going back to the hotel and to bed.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
I slept in again this morning, but when the maid knocked, I got up, threw on some clothes, and went down to breakfast so she could clean. I came back upstairs and read most of the day, and napped. I wrongly assumed that nothing was open on Sundays, only to discover later in the afternoon that certain things had been open. It was OK because I wasn't in the mood to bundle up for the outdoors.
For dinner, I went next door to Sticks n Sushi, which was pretty good. I also picked up a laundry bag from the front desk. Laundry here is highway robbery. A week's worth of clothes is going to cost about $140 to clean! Unfortunately, I don't see an alternative…but jeez, this will take a huge chunk out of my per diem!
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Copenhagen - Part 1
Monday- February 5, 2007
Sometimes I wonder what I'm thinking when I schedule trips back to back. I returned from Washington, DC on Sunday afternoon around 4pm. I got some dinner, came home, and packed (while washing my clothes from DC) for Copenhagen. At least I had the foresight to arrange what I needed in piles before I left for DC.
I managed to get to bed about 1am, and I slept fine until 7:30am when I got up with my alarm, showered, and finished packing. The taxi I ordered came 5 minutes early, and I was off. The driver was Ethiopian, so when he discovered I'd been to Ethiopia, we talked about that. He's apparently from the same area that the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia is from, which is north of Dessie, where I was located.
I forgot to stop by the post office in Hartsfield to get my statement for the credit card company notarized regarding the unauthorized use I had discovered. I didn't think it was a big deal, since I would have 5 hours to kill in Dulles. Little did I know, Dulles was going to be a nightmare.
First, United wouldn't assign me a seat on the plane from DC to Copenhagen when I checked in at Hartsfield. The agent told me that wasn't unusual, and that I needed to check in with United in DC. However, when I got there, the flight board showed no flight to Copenhagen. I was in a domestic terminal, so it only showed domestic flights. I asked for help, and was met with suspicion. Upon showing my ticket and explaining myself, I was routed to the help desk of United. However, this help desk was only for domestic flights, and they sent me to yet another help desk for international flights. When I got there, I was informed that while this was a codeshare flight for United, the flight was operated by Scandinavian Airlines (shorthand SK) and I needed to leave the secured area and go to their flight desk.
I did this after I also discovered that there was a bank branch in the unsecured area. I went to Chevy Chase bank and had my documents notarized. I then looked for a mailbox. I asked a policeman where one might be, and I was told that all post office boxes were removed from Dulles after 9/11. Here I was with three envelopes, addressed and stamped and no where to put them. The credit card thing was due in 5 business days, so what was I to do?
I was directed toward a box that was for mailing "forbidden items" such as toenail scissors back to yourself rather than have them confiscated. This was not an actual post office service, but was instead outsourced to some nebulous company that overcharged for its services. Upon realizing they wanted over $10 for EACH piece of mail, the only thing I could think to do was mail everything in a priority mail envelope to Daniel, who is house/dog sitting for me. That was still $13, but it was better than spending over $30 for three mailers that should only be $0.39 each!
I finally got my ticket (after discovering that SK translated to SAS in the terminal) and relaxed with a bit of lunch. The flight to Copenhagen was not full, thankfully. I truly hate cattle car class, especially when you are talking about an 8 hour flight. If the higher ups in government would also sit in cattle car class when they fly, I would buy the notion that it's about saving taxpayer money. But I can guarantee you that Julie Gerberding (or any center director for that matter) does NOT sit in cattle car class no matter how short the flight.
The food was pretty good, and while we had individual entertainment, we weren't able to start and stop movies at our leisure like on South African Airlines. It was OK, though. I watched several movies, ate the snacks they brought us, and drank as much water and OJ as I could. As usual, I could not sleep.
Tuesday- February 6, 2007
I landed in Copenhagen just before 7am, which was 1am Atlanta time. I was sleepy, having been up since 7:30am the previous morning, but entry into Denmark was easy. There were no forms to fill out, and I merely walked up to passport control, handed them my passport, which was merely glanced at and returned to me. Presto, I was in the country! It's easier for me as an American to walk into Denmark than it is for me to return to the USA as a native born citizen. For me, there's irony in that.
The Copenhagen airport isn't that large, but it's very beautiful. The floors are a gorgeous hardwood, and the main atrium completely made of glass. My luggage arrived without incident, which greatly relieved me. I was worried that moving between airlines would result in lost luggage. I also withdrew money from an ATM on my government card, and then found a taxi.
The taxi was new and equipped with GPS navigation, which was neat to watch as we drove. It took a while to get to my hotel, which is in the "suburb" of Hellerup. My room was not ready at 8am in the morning, which I expected. I merely signed in, stored my luggage, and had some breakfast.
After breakfast, I sat in the lobby, read some, and fought the urge to sleep. Luckily, they put cleaning my room at the top of the priority list, so I was ensconced in my room by 10am. I quickly undressed and passed out. I woke briefly when John Spika called me at 5pm from the lobby. The EURO office had a leadership retreat at my hotel and he wondered if I wanted to come down. I begged off, since I had not showered and was quite sleepy still. He warned against sleeping too much or I'd be up in the middle of the night. Luckily, I have a tremendous ability to sleep for long periods after a prolonged time of being awake.
Wednesday – February 7, 2007
I awoke at 4:30am, which is what I'd planned since I needed to shower, dress, and unpack before going downstairs for breakfast. I wanted to get to breakfast not too long after 7am since I wasn't sure when I'd meet Steve Cochi and walk to work. Breakfast wasn't bad. They have an assortment of meats, eggs, fruit, and bread. It's an interesting mixture, and I'm glad it comes with the room.
My room is cute. It has two single beds in it, and a modern bathroom. There's a sitting chair, a window looking out into the interior parking area of the hotel, and a desk. There's also a kettle to make hot chocolate, coffee, or tea. The bathroom is modern and sleek, although there's only a shower, and no way to take a bath. That's OK, but it would be nice to have that option.
I had about an hour to myself before Steve arrived for breakfast. I ate with him, and then we walked to the office. It's about a 15-20 minute walk along the main street and then turn off into the hotel. It's nice, and I'm very glad that I'll be able to get that walk in every day for the next 7 weeks. The office hours are roughly 9-5 like they are in Atlanta. It's also not nearly as cold here as I feared it would be. It was a bit breezy, but we are right on the water. I can see the North Sea from the street. It's cloudy and somewhat gray, but I expected that.
The office building is super modern and sleek. It looks like an architectural firm with suspended concrete staircases, everything encased in glass, and the office space entirely open with modular furniture. It's like the IKEA catalogue vomited all over the place. Even the regional director has the exact same open cubicle that everyone else has! The conference rooms are all made of glass. They have a coat room, and everything is in the open. There's apparently no fear that people will steal things, which is definitely different from Africa.
I had a pleasant surprise that Paola is here. For those who have read my African journals, you'll remember that Paola was assigned to AFRO in Harare the previous times I've been there. She's apparently just arrived herself, so it's almost like old home week. Even Louie is here from home helping with data management. I have yet to get signed into the network, since I don't have my password, although my user ID is ready. I have met some of the people I will be working with on this meeting, so at least I know I won't be working all alone. I'll be providing the kind of support I'm used to providing, and I get the impression that the others will be managing the content while I'm working on the administrative stuff.
This evening, we had dinner at John Spika's home. It is a nice house. I fully expected an apartment of some kind, but this was a full blown house with a yard. Of course, he does have three kids, one of whom just went off to college. Those kids were wild too. Ages 10 and 11, they ran around the house like they were on speed. It was a funny contrast with John's extremely calm, nonplussed demeanor.
We had jambalaya and salad, which was very good. Nedrit, the head of the office here, joined us too. She's an interesting lady. We ate and talked until about 10pm when Nedrit drove myself and Steve Cochi back to the hotel. Steve will leave tomorrow for Atlanta, so I probably won't see him again. Falling asleep will not be a problem.
Sometimes I wonder what I'm thinking when I schedule trips back to back. I returned from Washington, DC on Sunday afternoon around 4pm. I got some dinner, came home, and packed (while washing my clothes from DC) for Copenhagen. At least I had the foresight to arrange what I needed in piles before I left for DC.
I managed to get to bed about 1am, and I slept fine until 7:30am when I got up with my alarm, showered, and finished packing. The taxi I ordered came 5 minutes early, and I was off. The driver was Ethiopian, so when he discovered I'd been to Ethiopia, we talked about that. He's apparently from the same area that the current Prime Minister of Ethiopia is from, which is north of Dessie, where I was located.
I forgot to stop by the post office in Hartsfield to get my statement for the credit card company notarized regarding the unauthorized use I had discovered. I didn't think it was a big deal, since I would have 5 hours to kill in Dulles. Little did I know, Dulles was going to be a nightmare.
First, United wouldn't assign me a seat on the plane from DC to Copenhagen when I checked in at Hartsfield. The agent told me that wasn't unusual, and that I needed to check in with United in DC. However, when I got there, the flight board showed no flight to Copenhagen. I was in a domestic terminal, so it only showed domestic flights. I asked for help, and was met with suspicion. Upon showing my ticket and explaining myself, I was routed to the help desk of United. However, this help desk was only for domestic flights, and they sent me to yet another help desk for international flights. When I got there, I was informed that while this was a codeshare flight for United, the flight was operated by Scandinavian Airlines (shorthand SK) and I needed to leave the secured area and go to their flight desk.
I did this after I also discovered that there was a bank branch in the unsecured area. I went to Chevy Chase bank and had my documents notarized. I then looked for a mailbox. I asked a policeman where one might be, and I was told that all post office boxes were removed from Dulles after 9/11. Here I was with three envelopes, addressed and stamped and no where to put them. The credit card thing was due in 5 business days, so what was I to do?
I was directed toward a box that was for mailing "forbidden items" such as toenail scissors back to yourself rather than have them confiscated. This was not an actual post office service, but was instead outsourced to some nebulous company that overcharged for its services. Upon realizing they wanted over $10 for EACH piece of mail, the only thing I could think to do was mail everything in a priority mail envelope to Daniel, who is house/dog sitting for me. That was still $13, but it was better than spending over $30 for three mailers that should only be $0.39 each!
I finally got my ticket (after discovering that SK translated to SAS in the terminal) and relaxed with a bit of lunch. The flight to Copenhagen was not full, thankfully. I truly hate cattle car class, especially when you are talking about an 8 hour flight. If the higher ups in government would also sit in cattle car class when they fly, I would buy the notion that it's about saving taxpayer money. But I can guarantee you that Julie Gerberding (or any center director for that matter) does NOT sit in cattle car class no matter how short the flight.
The food was pretty good, and while we had individual entertainment, we weren't able to start and stop movies at our leisure like on South African Airlines. It was OK, though. I watched several movies, ate the snacks they brought us, and drank as much water and OJ as I could. As usual, I could not sleep.
Tuesday- February 6, 2007
I landed in Copenhagen just before 7am, which was 1am Atlanta time. I was sleepy, having been up since 7:30am the previous morning, but entry into Denmark was easy. There were no forms to fill out, and I merely walked up to passport control, handed them my passport, which was merely glanced at and returned to me. Presto, I was in the country! It's easier for me as an American to walk into Denmark than it is for me to return to the USA as a native born citizen. For me, there's irony in that.
The Copenhagen airport isn't that large, but it's very beautiful. The floors are a gorgeous hardwood, and the main atrium completely made of glass. My luggage arrived without incident, which greatly relieved me. I was worried that moving between airlines would result in lost luggage. I also withdrew money from an ATM on my government card, and then found a taxi.
The taxi was new and equipped with GPS navigation, which was neat to watch as we drove. It took a while to get to my hotel, which is in the "suburb" of Hellerup. My room was not ready at 8am in the morning, which I expected. I merely signed in, stored my luggage, and had some breakfast.
After breakfast, I sat in the lobby, read some, and fought the urge to sleep. Luckily, they put cleaning my room at the top of the priority list, so I was ensconced in my room by 10am. I quickly undressed and passed out. I woke briefly when John Spika called me at 5pm from the lobby. The EURO office had a leadership retreat at my hotel and he wondered if I wanted to come down. I begged off, since I had not showered and was quite sleepy still. He warned against sleeping too much or I'd be up in the middle of the night. Luckily, I have a tremendous ability to sleep for long periods after a prolonged time of being awake.
Wednesday – February 7, 2007
I awoke at 4:30am, which is what I'd planned since I needed to shower, dress, and unpack before going downstairs for breakfast. I wanted to get to breakfast not too long after 7am since I wasn't sure when I'd meet Steve Cochi and walk to work. Breakfast wasn't bad. They have an assortment of meats, eggs, fruit, and bread. It's an interesting mixture, and I'm glad it comes with the room.
My room is cute. It has two single beds in it, and a modern bathroom. There's a sitting chair, a window looking out into the interior parking area of the hotel, and a desk. There's also a kettle to make hot chocolate, coffee, or tea. The bathroom is modern and sleek, although there's only a shower, and no way to take a bath. That's OK, but it would be nice to have that option.
I had about an hour to myself before Steve arrived for breakfast. I ate with him, and then we walked to the office. It's about a 15-20 minute walk along the main street and then turn off into the hotel. It's nice, and I'm very glad that I'll be able to get that walk in every day for the next 7 weeks. The office hours are roughly 9-5 like they are in Atlanta. It's also not nearly as cold here as I feared it would be. It was a bit breezy, but we are right on the water. I can see the North Sea from the street. It's cloudy and somewhat gray, but I expected that.
The office building is super modern and sleek. It looks like an architectural firm with suspended concrete staircases, everything encased in glass, and the office space entirely open with modular furniture. It's like the IKEA catalogue vomited all over the place. Even the regional director has the exact same open cubicle that everyone else has! The conference rooms are all made of glass. They have a coat room, and everything is in the open. There's apparently no fear that people will steal things, which is definitely different from Africa.
I had a pleasant surprise that Paola is here. For those who have read my African journals, you'll remember that Paola was assigned to AFRO in Harare the previous times I've been there. She's apparently just arrived herself, so it's almost like old home week. Even Louie is here from home helping with data management. I have yet to get signed into the network, since I don't have my password, although my user ID is ready. I have met some of the people I will be working with on this meeting, so at least I know I won't be working all alone. I'll be providing the kind of support I'm used to providing, and I get the impression that the others will be managing the content while I'm working on the administrative stuff.
This evening, we had dinner at John Spika's home. It is a nice house. I fully expected an apartment of some kind, but this was a full blown house with a yard. Of course, he does have three kids, one of whom just went off to college. Those kids were wild too. Ages 10 and 11, they ran around the house like they were on speed. It was a funny contrast with John's extremely calm, nonplussed demeanor.
We had jambalaya and salad, which was very good. Nedrit, the head of the office here, joined us too. She's an interesting lady. We ate and talked until about 10pm when Nedrit drove myself and Steve Cochi back to the hotel. Steve will leave tomorrow for Atlanta, so I probably won't see him again. Falling asleep will not be a problem.
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