Wednesday 14 October 2009

I really think there's something wrong with me.
My relationship to reality is that of a deranged toddler constantly followed around by a long suffering nanny, cleaning up messes and trying to keep me out of traffic.
Reality says; Daniel you can't just show up in an unknown city, in some strange country, and expect everyone to just happily give you everything you need-
by which time I'm already joyfully wandering into the nearest bus lane.
My audacity of expectation, if only in retrospect, shocks even myself.

Things I got in Copenhagen for free:

Three days staying with a very nice couchsurfing.com couple called Marlies and Kristen.

Free reign of workshop space at Christiania for six weeks.
I turned up at Christiania unannounced, went into the first cafe I saw and asked to talk to someone who lives there. They pointed me towards the main office, which was closed for the weekend but dude there said if it was regarding solar, talk to Alfred. Alfred was all like, sure, come back tomorrow and here's a key to the workshop, indicating a corner; 'you can stay here'.
I thought it was a bit weird to offer a workshop floor to sleep on, but a nice offer nonetheless. Next morning when Alfred comes in at 8am to find me asleep under the bench it turned out he meant 'stay' as in, stay to work.
That was a bit uncomfortable.

But then after some emergency Couchsurfing request sending, facing the prospect of having to pitch tent in a very dodgy looking but nearby park, ended up four days with another CSer called Rikke who not only gave up her entire room for me (with computer) but then managed to get me my room on the Illutron barge, where she's resident.
Then she gave me a bike.

The barge, populated by mad and gifted artists, had another workshop and my room a computer.

Almost all my building materials were pulled out of Christiania's various skips and recycling facilities.

There's a vegetarian restaurant near the workshop which gives you any unsold food if you help clean up. Between this and a nearby supermarket with a pretty good dumpster I got all my food for free.
Plus had the amusement of watching them debate exactly how much work they could ask before feeling they were exploiting me. I don't speak Danish at all, but sentiments such as 'don't be crazy, you can't make him wash the floor!' and 'course we can, look how much food we're giving him!' tend to transcend language.
It was really good food.


Things in Copenhagen that I paid for:

Staying on the barge came to about €7 a day for bills and stuff.

Some of my materials, if I couldn't scrap them.

The occasional falafel.

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