The City That Sometimes Sleep

I have now lived in Ã…rhus for nearly 2 months (on the 24^th of October), and so much has happened, when I came here, I had no idea of the changes to come, it has simply startled me, what a difference it is, not only to live on your own, but far from home, in a city where you know, absolutely nobody, not a living soul.

I had great difficulty finding somewhere to live, so great that when I arrived here, I had to live in a hotel, for the first two weeks. I had cut a deal with my aunt, that if after two weeks I hadn't found anywhere to live (and I searched high and low), I could come live with her for a week or two, although that did mean long travel times to and from school, she lives at best, 2 hours and 30 minutes from the school, and standard travel time would be longer (the right connection of buses and trains, only leave every two hours). But in the 11^th hour, I got a call from the Dorm Organisation of Ã…rhus, I had found a place to live, it's the cheapest in all of Ã…rhus, because it's on the outskirts of Ã…rhus, the dorm is fairly run down... And it's in the middle of a ghetto.

Yet I've come to love it, it really does feel like a home. It's dirty, the bathroom was the most disgusting thing I've seen, but after a week, I complained, and now it looks brand new. Even my room is beginning to feel like somewhere I might belong, but it really is the other residents that make it shine. Since the queue is very short, it's mainly occupied by exchange students, or foreign students just doing their entire study here. At the moment, there are two Danes (Charlotte and I), 1 Romanian (Dana), 1 Bulgarian (not sure), 1 Lithuanian (Milda), 3 Estonians (Riivo and 2x not sure), 1 Hungarian (Andras) and two Immigrants (one whose family fled from Afghanistan (Mirwais), and one I don't know where is from, other than the middle east (Arif)).

We began in school on the 25^th of August, beginning with an introduction week, a voluntary period, where we are supposed to get mixed together, not everyone attended, but by far most did; it was a lot of fun, and our introduction instructors (Paul, Søren, Anette and Jette) did a great job, it was a mixture of social activities, and information about our new school and the study we were beginning (ha.jur, that's business and law). The first night (Monday) we all had a grand dinner together, Tuesday there was a concert (with a band called Tennis, with everyone dressed up as tennis players from the 80's) and such, and the same on Thursday, where a hypnotizer had been booked, I must say that I found him untalented, I can make such a bold claim, as I got up on the stage, and his attempt to hypnotize me, failed. Others fell under his effect, but it didn't seem all that convincing, none of his “patients” really fell under his spell, they were merely sleeping, and afterwards some even said that they just played along, for the sake of entertainment.
Later that evening, there was another concert, with a band whose name, I' afraid I've forgotten. But they were far better than Tennis; Tennis played pop songs, and songs I've never heard before (or after), whereas the other band took familiar songs, and rocked them up, instead of trying to be a serious band like Tennis, they knew they were just friends having a good time, and were all dressed up as a different rock icon, and responded to what the crowed wanted, including 4 AC/DC covers (those can't be rocked up though) and a brilliant cover of Smoke on the Water.

Later in September, there was the introduction trip (rus-tur), which is as everything to do with Danish youth, just an excuse for drinking even more. It was great fun, especially for me, as I seem to be able to remember more than just the daytime. There isn't much to tell from this trip, nothing worthwhile anyway.

The most important thing here is the studies, and I feel different about them, and my teachers. Introduktion til Erhvervsret, is without a doubt my favourite subject, my teacher (Villy Sørensen), is a very skilled teacher and brings an already interesting subject, to new heights. It is also my only subject that has to do with law during the first semester, all other subjects are business related, as the plan is to get us going on business, and then build the law on top of that, I get the idea, I would just have loved more law early on.

So far my best friend from school is Anders (Tvede Pleth), he is a native to Ã…rhus, and we just seem to get along really well. I should also mention that I'm the only person from Copenhagen, and one of only two people from Zealand (and the other one is a farmer), it doesn't make a difference, distances in Denmark are very short, but I am alone, in feeling that people here talk funny (which they do). Anders is 23 years old, certainly not a young age for beginning at university, but the age distribution is very varied, the oldest person in my class is 28 (!), and the youngest 19, the majority of students are indeed around my own age (20), but there are quite a few, who are a good deal older, once again, it doesn't make a difference, it just surprised me quite a bit to begin with.
I'm a paying member of the student union (everyone is a member, some just choose to pay), it gives a few advantages (400 free prints per semester, free entrance to the school bar, the monthly magazine free etc.), but it also allowed me to sign up to the fitness club, for 350 DKK (per semester), the student union has a fully featured fitness club with instructors and several weekly teams, that I frequent. I very much enjoy it, and I'm gradually getting in a better shape, I do circuit training (cardio training) and boxercise.

Unbeknownst to certain people (my father doesn't know... yet), I am now a vegetarian, except for the fact that I eat fish, there can be no virtue without vice. I chose so, as I want to eat healthier, I know that can be done without shunning meat, but setting those sorts of limits, makes it easier for me to eat healthily, and honestly... Have you ever seen an overweight vegetarian?
I still eat as mentioned fish, but as a normal vegetarian (and not a vegan), I also eat eggs and drink milk, although I don't like the taste of milk any more, and will just be using it for cooking. Eggs though are something I enjoy, and in keeping in spirit with being a vegetarian, I will solely use eggs from hen that were treated well, free-range eggs, ecological eggs etc.; besides without eggs, I wouldn't be able to make eggie in a basket, and where would that leave me?

I'm not “saved” by being a vegetarian, when I'm out eating with family or friends, I will eat meat if it's appropriate (like a steak house), and as a guest, I will eat what is served, as good manners demand. Backpacking around South America, I met several vegetarians, who would scream and whine, if the food wasn't prepared exactly the way they wanted it, and truthfully, not only was it annoying, but vegetarianism is almost unknown in South America. Even in a European country like Spain, the term “ecological food” is virtually unknown.
It's not that I don't like meat, or find animal treatment cruel (I actually do), I'm a vegetarian, to help my own body, to get healthier, and to have a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Charlotte is the other Dane who lives in the same dorm as me, she lives in the room next to mine, and she studies anthropology. Unlike me she is a vegetarian (who doesn't eat fish), and lactose intolerant (I once met someone who was a vegan, and had gluten allergy), which basically makes her a vegan who eats eggs. She has become a very good friend, and I appreciate all that she has done for me. On the 5^th of October, we went out to collect money (beg for money) for Red Cross, and as a warmup, I made breakfast, scramble eggs with vegetables (mushrooms and red pepper), with pancakes for dessert; not only was the breakfast a success, but the collecting itself, was the most fun I've had in a long time... Discounting my South America trip.

Ã…rhus is a peculiar city, it brands itself as the city of smiles (they always smile when it rains), and as the worlds smallest big city, which has to do with the city having 300.000 inhabitants, but feels like a big city, with the bustling city centre where everything can be purchased, but at the same time, it feels nice and cosy, like a provincial town. I really do like Ã…rhus, it is just that. The worlds smallest big city, it's very nice and cosy, not pretty (at least, compared to inner Copenhagen), but very friendly. The only thing I can't stand about living here, is that almost everybody smokes, in Copenhagen (where I'm from, for those of you who haven't caught it yet), smoking isn't as common, at least not among young people, as it is in Ã…rhus, not smoking is the exception, and I find that both appalling and sad, but each to his own, I will just hold my breath, and rejoice in the fact, that my clothes still smell good.

Moving to Århus was a good decision, I very much like it here, people are friendly, it almost never rains (except for my first week here, when it was always pouring down), everything is cheap compared to Copenhagen, and for the first time living on my own, I'm at least far away home, which does help make the real world scenario more realistic. The only thing the city really needs is a decent cinema, in line with Kinopalæet (Lyngby) or Imperial (Inner Copenhagen); and to be flattened out a bit, those bikerides, 20 minutes uphill going home from school, after 1 hour and 15 minutes of exercise; simply kill me.

I also have a plan to visit my aunt a good deal, I spent a weekend at her house in the middle of September, and right now (17^th of October), I'm sitting in a train, on my way down to visit her again. I love to visit, and I love being able to go somewhere familiar. Mette (my aunt) is the closest family I have in Ã…rhus, with my father living in Copenhagen, my mother in the south of Spain and my grandfather dead; however, no matter the distance, I will always love to visit Mette, and my childhood memories of her pancakes, are amongst my very best childhood memories.

But I would like to extend a thank you to a lot of people, for helping me move to Ã…rhus, and for helping me here in Ã…rhus, you have all helped me achieve something wonderful, my own little place.

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”

-- Oscar Wilde