Wednesday, July 18, 2007

A Long Sojourn

I returned from my wonderful trip to Sweden and Denmark two weeks ago. Once I have my photos ready and edited, I will upload them on flickr. The most interesting part of my trip was visiting Free Town Christiania, the self-governing "nation-state", in the heart of Copenhagen. Christiania's mission statement is:

"The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each
and every individual holds themselves responsible over the well being of the
entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as
such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and
physical destitution can be averted."

Unfortunately one is not allowed to take photos while in Christiania. The feeling in Christiania is very post-apocalyptic with incredible graffiti and the obvious consequences due to years of heavy drug abuse. I was hoping to encounter a spiritually rich and meditative quality combined with a progressive activist spirit, but alas I found myself saddened by the lost potential.

On a brighter note, tomorrow I will begin teaching my course Information Research in Public Health ! I have been very busy preparing all the finishing touches on the outline and syllabus which is the reasons I have been neglecting my new blog. I hope to be more active and return to my public health postings within the week!