A Tanzanian in Denmark

How to estimate the time in Denmark?

Pernille Bærendtsen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:43:00 GMT

From the experience that I make on this trip to Denmark I now believe that the only way to learn different culture and happenings is by travel only.

You have to see it through your own eyes.

When I was home in Tanzania I used to think that Denmark was more or less the same (so far the money issue is not a concern).

For example; I am coming from a place where its gets dark at 6 PM through out the year. Now I am in a place where the sun sets differ.

It is sometimes a bit confusing. Back home we are used to estimating the time referring to the sun’s position, but here that is almost impossible.

One day I tried to calculate the hours using the position of the sun. I made a very wrong assumption of time; the position of the sun at 5 PM back home doesn’t match the sun’s position here at the same time.

Since I arrived here, the sun has set at 10 PM, a thing which is very different from back home. What is really amazing is that one of Danish friends thought that the situation is the same all over the world. A thing which is untrue, and I had to explain about the situation back in my home country.

I now believe in these differences in the world, since I experience them by using my own eyes.

The first picture was taken at 08:09 PM. and the second one was taken at 09:00 PM. And it looked as if it was around 05-06 PM in my country.

BLOG DISCLAIMER:
While Adrian usually works for Tanzanian Youth Coaliation (TYC) in Dar Es Salaam, which is a partner with MS Tanzania ActionAid Denmark (MSTZAADK), Adrian is free to speak his mind on this blog in regards of his personal and professional experience gathered during his stay in Denmark. Obviously, he will one way or the other be representing both organisations, so to speak, but Adrian's viewpoints on this blog should not necessarily be taken representative for TYC or MSTZAADK.

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

The electrical car

Pernille Bærendtsen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:35:00 GMT

For the first time I have seen a car not using fuel, but instead using electricity.

This was very strange to me, since I have only ever heard stories about the car. I thought it was unrealistic, but now I have seen it with my own eyes here in Denmark!

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

Fresh water straight from the bathroom…?!

Pernille Bærendtsen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 06:23:00 GMT

My friends used to tell me that travelling is seeing, and seeing is learning. That was exactly what happened to me. When I arrived here in Denmark, I was shocked when I asked for water and one person told me, without hesitating; ‘go and take water from the bathroom!’

I thought he was making a joke, but later I saw one of my friends going to the bathroom with an empty bottle and come out with it full of water. It was then I said to myself that the guy was not kidding, he was serious.

If I want water, I take it from the bathroom. It was very strange in the beginning. Fresh water from the bath room, this is amazing! You know, you don’t have to filter it, put water guard, not even to warm the water. You just go anywhere where there is a water tap and it is safe to drink water from it! This is amazing. However, people don’t seem to appreciate what they have here!

People back home still struggle to even have water for cleaning their clothes and for bathing!

It is remarkable they way things are here!

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

Photo by Pernille Baerendtsen

Tracing Danish climate responsibility

Pernille Bærendtsen — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:32:00 GMT

The project comprised 24 young people aged 19-25 years from different parts of the world.

The idea was to talk with the Danes in their cars, while getting a lift, and later in their houses about climate issues and how well informed and aware they are of climate issues.

In this project we were supposed to hitchhike from Sønderborg to Copenhagen through three different routes in which we divided ourselves into three teams named Blue, Green and Red, comprising of ten people with eight hitchhikers and two team leaders in each group.

The project was fun and made me experience and learn things that I would never experience anywhere else, but through hitchhiking here in Denmark. People who picked us up on the road where great, and the ones we also stayed with in their places where also amazing.

We shared and we talked a lot about climate, and I have found that people here are very friendly and nice as well.

Read the Climate blog here.

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

From Dar to København to Jylland to hitchhiking as a climate detective

Pernille Bærendtsen — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:11:00 GMT

My trip can is among the best trips I’ve ever made in my life. I enjoyed it all the way up to Denmark from Tanzania through Amsterdam. What made me enjoy the trip was the fact that I sat with people who were open minded - I could share my views with them and they did the same to me. So, they made my nine hours of flying seem like a journey of only half an hour since we talked and talked a lot during the flight.

Though I arrived late for the Bright Green Youth Conference I still had an enjoyable time starting with the place where I stayed – at my host family. I think I enjoyed staying with them since they were kind and very open minded to me so that I could ask questions whenever I had one and they would not mind answer it back.

The other thing that I liked about the BGY was the people who I met during the BGY conference were so friendly and ready to cooperate with one another. I think the four days were the best days, and I think they might be the best of my staying in Denmark. I met many people from different countries like Lebanon, Korea, Lithuania and many more countries I didn’t even think that I would ever meet in my life.

My group worked on establishing an Energy Creating Gym which aimed at enabling people when they are busy working out their body also to create a little energy for other uses. The idea was that they should have a card so that they could take their energy back and use the energy card for paying up their bills and other things. In spite we did not win in the end, I still think that our idea was among the best.

I’m now preparing to start hitchhiking as a climate detective – this is also going to be documented. See more here (in Danish only).

I am still having a good time here and hopefully more news is coming your way.

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

Photo Caption: From the gallery at www.brightgreenyouth.org. By Jakob Dall. More photos from Bright Green Youth Conference here.

I finally got my first visa. Denmark, here I come!

Pernille Bærendtsen — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:14:00 GMT

Finally, what seemed to be impossible has eventually happened; I have been waiting for this day where I would be granted not only a visa, but my first visa, to my first trip to Denmark.

There, I will stay for a period of four or six months. It has been very hard to get the visa since it seems the Danish authorities were scared that maybe I might escape and migrate to Denmark and never return to my beloved county Tanzania.

Well, they got to have their doubts, you know, based on the experience. But well, now, I have the visa and it is all up to me not to prove them right.

Got to do everything quick since I am a perfectionist. I don’t try, I simply do, so I was waiting for my visa in order for me to arrange my clothing and stuffs, and tomorrow I can travel to Denmark and start a new kind of life there.

Two things keep worrying me, though;

Weather conditions - hopefully it will be friendly when I arrive?);

The people - will they be as the ones that I am used to – the Tanzanians?

Well, that’s life and I am more than prepared.

See you in Denmark, people!

Adrian's blog posts are edited and up-loaded by Pernille Baerendtsen, Information Officer for MSTZAADK.

Wanna know more about Adrian Nzamba? Click here.

Photo Caption: Flying out over Dar Es Salaam. By Pernille Baerendtsen. More photos from Tanzania here.