That awkward moment…

That awkward moment when you return home after a long stay in another totally different country than yours and feel that everything doesn’t feel right anymore, as you have been living on another planet for the past few months. The moment when you can’t be focused for 5 straight minutes without travelling in time and space to find yourself lost in the memories of another dimension looking for some faces and moments. Its that moment where you feel like hiding or going back to where you just came from in attempt to escape this awkwardness you have been indulged in without any introductions.
I had a blast for being in Denmark for four months where I met extraordinary inspirational people and tried things in life I have never tried before. Getting the opportunity to stay at Krogerup Folk High School was really a big hit of luck for me. I have never experienced life in this way. In that place everything turns to be perfect, beautiful and probably simply magical. Now that I am back to Tunis, things feel a bit different than I used to perceive them before every time I return home. Anyway, I hope this awkwardness will not last longer..

Danes VS. Tunisians

 In an attempt to draw a comparison between Danes and Tunisians, I would say there are more differences than similarities between these two diverse groups. Lets start by talking about how Tunisians and Danes perceieve, treat and approach foreigners who come to visit them in their countries. Contrary to big attention, care and curiosity Tunisians show their visitors from other cultures, Danes don’t show the same enthusism in getting to know the new-bee around. Personally, I feel that we as Tunisians are more welcoming and offer our visitors a warmer sense of belonging in their new environment.

Moving to the discuss the trust issue, seems like Danes trust each other when it comes to daily-life practices but not in personal relationships. They tend to be more careful, closed and timid about sharing their intimate information and experiences with new aquantices. In addition, what makes Denmark stable politically and scoially is having this trust on the level of the Government. So, people tend to have trust in eachother and in their Government leading to a more sustainable, stable society. Contrary to Tunisians who have no trust in their Governmet. On the personal level, they tend to open up easliy and let in any new friend. However, they don’t show any trust in general and daily-life with strangers, unlike the Danes.

Finally, considering the difference in life styles and standard of living, and as a result for the relatively ‘easy’ life Danes have, they tend to take things forgranted. I don’t think they ever think about their world in comparison to others’ worlds. They might be thinking that life is this beautiful and shiny everywhere. But, unfortunately it is not, it is harsh and real in some other parts of the world. In Tunisa, we never take anything forgranted and we keep asking for more and more, because probably we are not at that high level of technology, progress and modernity, yet.

All in all, my experience here has been so enriching to see and live these differences in ideologies and way of thinking.

 By Racha Haffar

Small Copenhagen town offers residents a free spirit lifestyle

A colorful house reflecting the free spirit of its residents.

By Racha Haffar

CHRISTIANIA, Denmark – “You Are Now Leaving the European Union,” reads a sign at the border of Christiania. The small Denmark town, with nearly 900 residents, is markedly different from the rest of the country in its style and spirit. The mission of Christiania, residents say, is for it to be a self-governing and self-sustaining society free of psychological and physical destitution.

A walk through Christiania reveals an array of sights and sounds. Stands on the streets sell macrobiotic food, jewelry and beads. The main attraction in the area, however, is hashish, a cannabis product smoked in pipes. Christiania is the only place in Denmark where the sale of cannabis and other soft drugs is allowed, and its presence is easily noted by the sweet smell emitted by burning it, which wafts through street corridors and around colorful buildings.

Christiania, which proclaims itself an autonomous and self-governed entity, is based in the heart of Copenhagen, and has grown in popularity as more people are seeking out the relaxed lifestyle associated with Christiania. The town has also become an attraction for tourists and visitors to Denmark, who find appeal in its unique flag, ethics, anthem, laws and constitution. The town’s residents consider Christiania to be not unlike a large commune.

Zid Syddysse, the press attache at the information office of Christiania, told The Atlantic Post that his last name is actually an adopted name taken from the area he lives in. The people of Christiania, he said, do not like to be given titles or be referred to by their professions or their real last names. Rather, the residents consider themselves to be “humans,” denoting an egalitarian social structure.

According to Syddysse, the idea for Christiania first came to fruition 44 years ago, when, in 1971, an absence of political power that extended to the area and the recent exodus of soldiers from a former military base left a surplus of land that was largely unattended. A group of squatters, many from surrounding regions who desired the extra land, began using the area as an extended living space.

Those who moved into the area eventually decided to found Christiania as an alternative to mainstream society.  Its residents also hoped to prove that building a community could be a gentle process that wasn’t financially burdening or destructive to the environment, as traditional building processes could be. Many building materials used by early Christiania residents are environmentally friendly.

“We are the first to introduce this separation of garbage waste system to the government, which we see as a big success,” said Syddysse.

Syddysse added that the increased media attention Christiania received also brought the federal government’s attention. “We faced some problems from the beginning,” he said, “as we liked to smoke weed and there was a problem with us selling illegal drugs. The government looked at our Christiania as a trashy place.”

But Syddysse added that Denmark’s government began to change its opinion of Christiania after it came to light that the town was also hosting a wealth of young families and children. Today, Syddysse said, Christiania is largely heralded as a success.

But it was also important for Christiania to follow some formal processes as far as owning land and buildings went, said Syddysse, adding that this didn’t necessarily have to compromise the town’s values of autonomy and a laissez-faire economy.

“Recently, we bought some of the buildings. We didn’t do that to just say that we have a paper [declaring ownership of] this land. With the new paper of ownership, we can carry on keeping the area shared by everybody,” said Syddysse. “It’s all about the sense of the community.”

Syddysse added that the Christiania community considers itself a model for challenging the traditional Denmark lifestyle. “When it comes to our laws, we have a constitution, and a ‘Lex Christiania’ document which shows how we organize meetings, laws, daily life and the whole living situation in the town,” he said.

There remains considerable tension between Denmark’s federal government and that of Christiania, Syddysse added, noting that it expects Christiania’s residents to respect federal law but gives little recognition to the laws or lifestyles promoted by Christiania’s own government.

Syddysse said that since Christiania’s government signed documents required by Denmark’s federal government in order for the town’s residents to own land and houses, the population has gained a degree of freedom. However, Christiania’s residents are still subject to sanctions if they do not follow federal laws, he said, which includes getting permission before constructing new buildings.

“There are a lot of new regulations,” said Syddysse, noting that the federal government has appointed inspectors to oversee the management of Christiania. He speculated that reason for this oversight is the prevalence of cannabis sales in Christiania, which have been blamed for isolated cases of violence and gang activity in the town. In 2005, a 26 year-old Christiania resident was killed and three others were seriously injured in gang-related violence centered around the cannabis market.

But Syddysse said that Christiania’s people overwhelmingly embrace the notion of living peacefully. “We just want to live our life the way we want it, not how others tell us,” he said. “We have people from all over the world living here in harmony, and even the abandoned ones from society can find a home in our town.”

To date, Christiania’s community has successfully established an alternative healthcare center, three kindergarten schools, a youth club and a post office. Over two hundred of the town’s residents have built their houses themselves, and it now boasts a rapidly expanding population of over 670 adults, 280 children, and 300 pet dogs.

“The benefit from being a big family,” said Sydysse, “is that it gives us a sense of protection. We organize everything together and help each other [develop] closer bonds. Christiania is safer than other places outside of the city.”

Syddysse added that Christiania’s residents pay taxes like the rest of the Danish population, which makes them equally productive citizens. Christiania’s citizens, who employ a form of direct democracy in politics, also hold meetings open to the town’s public. Up to 500 citizens can attend these meetings and raise topics that concern them. The mood in these meetings is respectful, as people listen intently to speakers and try to reach a consensus on how to deal with problems.

“For us, freedom in Christiania is ‘something we feel,’” said Syddysse. “Everybody here is free because we do not have the same hierarchy which exists in the society of Denmark.”

Kim Sunderen, who has worked as a coordinator at Christiania’s health clinic for the past twelve years, told The Atlantic Post that everyone is welcome in this center. Its services are free for all residents, and outside visitors, too, are welcome to use its facilities.

Sunderen said that for him, Christiania represents an alternative to the outside world’s selfishness and overbearing bureaucracy. “We use direct democracy of consensus where we take things easier and slower,” he said. “Decisions take longer here but all people understand what is going on in the process.”

Sunderen added that life can be difficult enough without the constraints of traditional society, and that Christiania allows him to embrace a Buddhist-like lifestyle that is relaxed and relatively carefree.

“The freetown is not only Christiania, it is inside ourselves as a symbol of a wish of an honorable life with self-respect intact, even if you do not live up to societies’ norms,” said Sunderen. “It’s where freedom and responsibility are inseparable, linked together by love.”

Jenny Sjöstrand, a Swedish traveler who stopped by Christiania to visit, told The Atlantic Post that she admires the lifestyle the town’s residents embrace.

“I can move to Christiania and express myself freely without anyone questioning my way of acting, whether I’m weird or not,” she said. “I don’t restrict myself, I just go out to the streets without caring about whether I’m smiling, crying, feeling very empty or wearing strange clothes.”

Sjöstrand added that Christiania has an attractive, small-town feel to it, which aligns with her vision of what life should be like. “I can envision myself living here,” she said.

Racha Haffar is an Atlantic Post contributor based in Dubai, UAE and Tunis, Tunisia.

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Self-discovery a vital part of Denmark’s folk high schools

Denmark’s Krogerup school, based in Copenhagen, is one of several folk high schools in the country, which employ unique teaching styles.

By Racha Haffar

HUMLEBAEK, Denmark – The folk high school, called “Folkehojskole” in Danish, is a special informal adult education school that originated in Denmark in 1844. For the Danes, folk high schools symbolize both a movement and a modern institution dedicated to the concept of lifelong teaching and learning. The folk high school also stands as one of the most original contributions Denmark has made to theories about popular education, giving students the power and motivation to explore and discover themselves and the world they live in.

The folk high school Krogerup, based in Humlebaek, was founded by Hal Koch in 1946 as a way to promote democracy in the midst of World War II. Koch wanted his school to focus on topics such as citizenship and democracy. Since the school’s founding, Krogerup has remained a place for democratic discussion where students and staff actively participate in public debate. The school has also been a source of many inspirational stories and has been lauded as a success by students, their parents and teachers.

Kyaw Thuya, a 25 year-old student from Burma, said his life changed significantly after he attended Krogerup. As a Buddhist monk, Thuya said he plans to return home as an educator and civil society activist with a new outlook on what freedom means after studying media, peace and conflict resolution, creative education, democracy and human rights.

“I used to hear people talk about these things on the radio and I never understood what they meant,” said Thuya. “I became determined to learn more, and I started to understand that so many wrong things were going on in my society.”

Thuya participated in a Krogerup course called “Crossing Borders Global Studies.” After completing a six-month semester, Thuya’s fellow students raised money for him to stay at Krogerup for an additional semester, finding him to be an inspiration. “I found it even more beneficial to stay here longer in order for me to learn more and be able to help my country,” he said. “My personality has changed as well. I became more responsible, sensitive to my duties towards my country and aware of the positive changes I can achieve.”

While in Burma, Thuya was enrolled in school for a time with a group of students who, like him, were very passionate about their studies. Now, with the knowledge he gained from his experience at Krogerup, Thuya said he is confident about his aspirations coming to fruition.

Garba Diallo, director of the Crossing Borders course, told The Atlantic Post about some of his students’ stories he feels are worth sharing.

One student, Khalifa Kante, a 35 year-old student from the Gambia, was a student at Krogerup two years ago. He has since returned home and established a non-governmental organization called Youth Without Borders. Nearly five hundred youths are involved with his organization, which focuses on skills training, taking care of the environment, cleaning the streets, constructing healthcare clinics and helping local farmers.

Ibrahim Ali, a Ghana native who is now in his thirties, attended Krogerup in 2011. After finishing the semester, he returned home and founded his own school, Youth for Change, which educates children who cannot afford private or even public schooling.

Krogerup’s Danish students, too, find inspiration from the education the school provides them. Traveling abroad as part of the curriculum helps the students accumulate a broader knowledge and form an eagerness to apply what they have learned to real-world scenarios. Some students get inspired and start campaigns to raise awareness for certain causes. Last April, a group of students started a campaign called ”Ministry Blackout” in response to a law passed by the Danish parliament limiting public access to information.

“I believe this is the most important educational supplement to young people,” said Diallo, who added that it is important “to keep the idea of lifelong learning in practice. Because everyday is a great chance of learning.”

Krogerup’s principal, Rikke Forchhammer, told The Atlantic Post that Krogerup students carry the education they receive at the school with them for life. There are “no exams, curriculum or grades which usually put the students under a lot or pressure and stress,” said Forchhammer. “People around the world should try this and help the youth learn for their own benefit.”

She told the story of Jesper, a 19 year-old Danish student who came to Krogerup in 1988 and joined a singing class. He didn’t know that he was gifted at singing, said Forchhammer, and wound up singing very well, eventually going on to join her choir group in Copenhagen.

“As a music teacher, I think the most inspiring thing is to nourish talents that people are not aware of and trigger the passion out of them,” said Forchhammer. “This can happen in folk high schools.”

Forchhammer added that the experience of students succeeding is inspirational for both them and their teachers. “It gives you a lot of self-confidence to discover something you didn’t know exists in you,” she said.

The current head of the school board at Krogerup, too, did not know he had a hidden talent. Simon Emil Ammitzbol was 19 when he first enrolled at Krogerup, and soon discovered that he had a passion for politics. He eventually went on to become a prominent politician and a member of the Parliament of Denmark for the Liberal Alliance.

“Ammitzbol turned out to be a good debater and learned how to stand up for his beliefs, which all started in this place,” said Forchhammer. “We know that we change a lot of people’s lives by being in a boarding school, as they learn about respecting each other, responsibility and speaking up for themselves.”

Forchhammer added that she’s been able to see Krogerup’s students undergo significant personal change during their stay at the school. “The real change happens when you give them the opportunity to decide for themselves and take responsibility for their actions, lives and learning,” she said. This, she added, gives students “a lot of self-confidence because they believe in the positive change they can add to their lives and futures.”

LoAnn and Stan Olson, a married couple from Japan who run their own marketing organization, told The Atlantic Post about the experience their son, Stig, had at a folk high school in Norway, and how his education there marked a turning point in his life.

Stig, who enrolled at the school at age 18 to participate in a nine-month course, had always been shy and initially had difficulty building relationships with his Norwegian classmates. But the new environment turned out to benefit Stig, they said, as he discovered a passion for sports and decided to pursue sports studies as a career. After returning home to Japan, Stig was accepted at a university to take courses in “the study of the body.”

“He was actually going to do something irrelevant to his passion, but after his experience he had the chance to thoroughly think about what he wants to do with his future,” his parents said. “It was the whole process of spending nine months doing new things and relating to new people.” A trip Stig took to Kenya as part of the curriculum also proved to be a life-changing experience for him, his parents said.

Inspired by their son’s experience, the Olsons decided to start their own folk high school in Japan with the goal of bringing youth together to learn from each other.

“We are in a different stage as we picked up the idea, gathered a team of professionals, set our vision clear, and chose a very fun and interesting spot in the mountains of Japan,” said the Olsons, who chose Nagano Prefecture, in central Japan, as the location for the school. “It is a very suitable area for the youth,” they said, “where they can practice different activities and sports, do some organic farming and live energetically within this smaller community.”

The Olsons also said they plan to have their folk high school include courses dedicated to personal growth and understanding one’s own body. “If a person can work with his body’s energy,” they said, “they can maintain a positive and powerful energy in their lives. They will not be prone to be sick, stressed or nervous. Consequently, by being powerful, you can empower others and that is how the circle of affecting each other starts.”

The Olsons added that the main focuses of their school are organic farming, basic practices of daily life, energy practices, human rights education and intercultural dialogue.

“When Danes get the chance to go to a folk high school, they have a better performance in university life,” they said. “We want to create a platform with many modalities where young people can participate and lead their own learning, developing freedom and vitality. This is the basis for them taking the lead in their own lives and communities.”

Racha Haffar is an Atlantic Post contributor based in Dubai, UAE and Tunis, Tunisia.

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