Archive for oktober, 2007
Today, as I’m getting ready for a quite brain-activity-intense class, someone comes huffing and puffin into the classroom, walks to the table behind me and puts down her bag – incidentally containing what turned out to be an over-sized old Compaq laptop – on the table with a thump, and exclaims ‘this bag is about as heavy as me!’
What do you say to something like that? I turned around to see the bag in question, and part of me felt like making a slick comment, but another part of me maintained it would be better to keep my mouth shut – so I did. I couldn’t quite let it go, though, so my brain went onto going over various possible comments on the theme ‘this bag is about as heavy as me!’ Some possibilities it came up with are:
- ‘I doubt it; then the bag would have to be much heavier!’ (which would probably be true for even a very slim individual, but doesn’t really sound all that good)
- ‘Wow, that bag must be really heavy then!’ (which again would probably hold true, but sounds even worse)
- ‘No, I don’t think you’re that heavy…’ (which will probably be a so gross understatement that it will backfire)
- ‘I can only imagine…’ (kind of easygoing, but again doesn’t sound all that good when you think about it)
- ‘Really – how much do you weigh?’ (I’ll leave this one uncommented)
Mentally going through these possibilities, it occurred to me you generally should just steer clear of commenting on matters pertaining to people’s weight – good thing I kept my mouth shut 
Later, I came to think of the perfect reply though: ‘as long as it’s not as heavy as me’. Here we get a display of self-irony, detracting the attention from the person whose weight we are not commenting on, and maybe even containing a hidden compliment 
oktober 31st, 2007
So today, I ran into Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, well-know politician and former prime minister of Denmark.
I had just visited my former boss at my old school, said hi to a few former colleagues, and was heading for the elevator.
Suddenly, I got the feeling the guy standing next to the elevator looked somewhat familiar, and it didn’t take me long to remember who he was. I pushed the elevator-button, and pretended not to have noticed – after all, I would be annoyed if everybody wanted to say hello just because they knew who I was. Then the following very meaningful conversation happened:
Poul Nyrup: ‘Excuse me, do you know where political sciences are?’
*Jonas trying to gather his thoughts after actually been addressed by a person you most often see on TV*
Poul Nyrup quite quickly before I had a chance to say anything: ‘Oh, you probably don’t know that’ (it doesn’t translate that well, but was a very empathetic statement to the fact that I probably didn’t know)
Jonas coming back with an answer: ‘Oh, you just go down through the other side [*pointing towards the wall, thinking through it, but probably not communicating it that well*] and across the square and it should be right there. It’s been a while since I was here…’
*A very helpful secretary now comes running (literally) out of her office 20 meters away to offer her assistance and gestures Poul Nyrup and his companion into her office, as she has a window overlooking the building in question.*
Poul Nyrup: ‘Thank you very much. Thank you.’
And gone he was. But, even with my stuttering attempt at explaining the way to political sciences, I did meet and speak with the former Danish prime minister – how cool is that?
Somehow, I keep running into key (or former key) political figures in Denmark this week
oktober 30th, 2007
Seen and heard a late night in a room in Aarhus:
Stian: “In high school, I got 13 in IQ”
The rest of us (myself, Kenneth and Katrine) start to look a bit startled, and in a gentle way try to express that this number isn’t quite high on the IQ-scale.
Stian again: “No, I mean, I got 13 in intelligence”
I don’t know, it might have something to do with the Danish grading system…
oktober 27th, 2007
Various impressions from the last couple of days wandering aimlessly in the streets of Copenhagen:
Man sitting on the street with a cross-shaped piece of jewelry around his neck, with a nearly empty bowl, and a sign saying: ‘I’m hungry’. I’ve seen him before, and every time I come to think along the lines of Isaiah 58:5-8 and Matthew 25:31-46.
Quite a few people going around with professionally looking folders asking the same question: ‘Would you like to put a stop to torture?’ What do you answer to something like that? ‘No, I don’t want to put a stop to torture’ doesn’t seem quite right. They didn’t ask me though – someone close by went with the answer ‘I don’t have time to do that right now’.
While waiting for a friend, I noticed some prominent people from Dansk Folkeparti standing right beside me arguing their (in my view doubtful) case, probably in response to the recently announced government election. The group featured Kristian Thulesen Dahl, Peter Skaarup, Jesper Langballe, and a woman I didn’t know and still haven’t been able to figure out who is. Of course it would be her – amongst the other well-known people there – who would ask me if I wanted one of their folders. I smiled and said ‘no thanks’. She looked flustered and asked me if I wanted an apple. Again, I smiled and said ‘no thanks’ – this made her look even more flustered (she may have asked again if I was sure – I don’t quite remember). It was only later I came to think of some other stories involving an apple, and suddenly realized why I was reluctant to receive fruit from just that political party. (no offense to the very kind woman, whoever she was)
oktober 24th, 2007
Just attended the ‘Youth Matters‘ event held by one of the European branches of the Adventist Church.
Among highlights can be included:
- Heartfelt worship, with an inspiring band leading us in praise
- Talks with Danish people you don’t get to meet too often
- Talks with people you do meet often
- Baraka Muganda’s persistant focus upon the attendants finding their future spouse at this event
- Walks talking about 1844 while Mats climbed the tallest tree on the mountain
- Getting to know new people
- Lack of sleep
- Papers due on Israel and Palestine
- Prayers from the mountaintop
- Beautiful Norwegian scenery – scaringly, I felt at home (Ja, vi elsker dette landet)
- Søren Østergaard’s presentation with some very useful perspectives on youth leadership and the culture of youth today (he used the strong words for a reason )
- Nicely structured presentation on post-modernism which surprisingly enough didn’t seem to catch onto the modernistically minded people in the audience…
It would be good to say that now I’m all energized to do some work and ready to be a real youth leader. Unfortunately, we sometimes tend to destroy out own spiritual experiences. Thank God that He is still good.
oktober 21st, 2007
How often, when we think we have reached some level of ‘goodness’, some pinnacle of enlightenment, do we need to crawl back to the cross of Jesus and ask for His forgiveness. Today has been a reminder for me that I’m no better than the rest. (it’s funny how you sometimes come to think such things)
After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever.
Amen.
(Matthew 6:9-13)
oktober 16th, 2007
Somehow, you sometimes get wound up in all manners of thoughts on matters relating to God and faith, and sometimes you tend to lose focus – at least I do.
How wonderful to simply sit down with some very contemporary religious music, and let the love of God soak in.
“Your love, Oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness – stretches to the skies…”
oktober 11th, 2007