Everyone have their own fond memories of their first day at college. When me with my graying and balding head, weak eyesight, look back on the first day of my third college, all I can say that it was how it was during my previous two first days, almost…
I was welcomed by my advisor Tomas with a set of nice looking flowers, shown my office, where I was introduced to Elena, an Italian with whom I share my office and my advisor. Meeting her, little did I realise that she is going to be my knightess on a silver horse.. err.. bike twice in my life in Copenhagen (more on that in other story). Then there were a series of admin work – to get my ID card, my keys, my laptop, etc. Tomas accompanied me to all the admin places and saw to it that I got the stuff, which otherwise also I would have. Then we went for lunch, and this is where it was, what shall I say, different!
There was a huge spread of rows and rows of what I could see as fresh, cold vegetables, salads and fresh cold vagetables, salads. I just followed Tomas, took a plate, started stuffing it with vegetables, and as I moved ahead in the line, could have a glimpse of the main course. Nearing the main course, as the row of people slowly trudged step by step, I felt the agony, pain and anticiaption of me moving towards my salvation! But then it turned out to be cold pork chops with boiled potatoes and suace, for all that anticipation of the Danish food. When it came to pay for the food, how I wished that we had something similar when I was in college for the first time, in Belgaum.
Two of my roomates were in constant strife over food. One, wanted food, large quantities of it, but cheap allowing for major adjustements with taste and quality. Other was the opposite stressing on the higher desire of human tongue over the need of the stomach. And the rest of us were caught up daily in this strife. I can only imagine how happy my friend would be, or for that matter even my younger brother would be, when they hear how my food is billed here at the university -its billed by weight! Yes, I just stuff my plate and keep it on a weighing machine, a weight of 500 grams of food, including salads, boiled eggs, boiled poatatoes and maincourse meat, will cost me 30 Kroners. I just kept laughing, imagining the things that my good friend or my brother woudl do hearing this story, all the way to the lunch table, prompting Tomas to ask me if the Danish cold has got to my mind…
KøbenhåvnKahania 