Slow fixes

I have back pain. It took me 10 months of pain until I finally went to the doctor who referred me to a physiotherapist. “Jogging is bad for your back”, the physiotherapist told me. She just confirmed my suspicion. The last 10 months my back pain has intensified after jogging which resulted in me jogging less and less as the months went by. After the session at the physiotherapist I started worrying about that the physiotherapist would tell me that I should skip jogging for the rest and my life and substitute it with Pilates! I felt it would be a very hard verdict as I associate Pilates with slowness and much less fun (if at all) than many other sports.

I wonder why I did not get an appointment with the doctor earlier. Somehow I managed to convince myself that it would soon pass and I got used to the pain. In retrospective it seems quite illogical but I think I was not ready to slow down, for what if other plans had to be paused or stopped due to this unexpected interruption?

I instinctively associate illness with stagnation, lack of progress and freedom and I find it quite scary to think of those in connection to my own life. I discussed with some friends today why talking with a sick person about their illness can sometimes be awkward. May it be because we pity people who are not able to live out “their full potential”? Illness can put on hold or hinder fulfilling dreams and limits a person’s range of opportunities; this is a situation we all wish to avoid. I think that being confronted with other people’s limitations make me feel uncomfortable as it reminds me of my own fragility and the potential limitations to my own self actualization I may encounter further on in my life (but really wish to avoid) due to illness or other circumstances.

Today my physiotherapist introduced me to a 30 min. exercise program I am supposed to do every other day for the next months. For my back to stay healthy I will however have to continue to exercise for much longer. “For your back to stay healthy it requires endurance and stability”, she said.

Endurance and stability are virtues I clearly see in the lives of my parents and their generation. My own generation is rather characterized by short-term commitments (jobs, voluntary work, relationships, etc.), effectiveness and rapidity. This I think is a result of our urge to develop and avoid stagnation. Experiencing stagnating is a legitimate reason to make active choices towards something that will help you to develop and progress. Avoiding or removing limitations that hinder you from achieving your goals shows that you are in control of your own life and able to actualize yourself.

I hate that my back pain keeps me from jogging and that I have to do “slow (boring) sports”at the moment. But mostly I hate the thought of being limited by something which is not quickly and effectively fixed. I have quite some practice in being effective and quick whereas I have very little practice in practicing “endurance and stability”. The coming months will for sure be challengeing  (and hopefully a learning experience) for me as an individual of a generation where limitations to my personal freedom and progress are hard to accept; especially if they cannot be quickly removed.

Men's involvement in HIV prevention in South Africa

Gender inequality and HIV have been described as two major “epidemics” in South Africa. The "epidemics" are closely related. South Africa is the country of the world with the highest number of HIV positive inhabitants (5.6 million out of a total population of 50.4 million). Furthermore South Africa is considered a patriarchal society where masculinity is heavily defined around control over women. This means that men are generally in control of the timing and terms of sexual relations, including decision-making in regards to prevention options. Men’s sexual behaviors are seen as a central reason to HIV spread in South Africa. This includes multiple sexual partners, sexual violations of women and unwillingness to use condoms and thereby transmitting the disease to sexual partners.

In December 2010 I blogged on how I became a fan of the South African national soccer team (after I had watched them play at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town). My newfound interest was not related to the soccer team’s endeavors on the soccer field but rather their involvement as ambassadors of the national South African campaign Brothers for Life. Brothers for Life seeks to create a South African movement of responsible men. Soccer and rugby players and a number of other known and respected South Africans have assigned to the brotherhood of Brothers for life and serve as role models who demonstrate how a real man should behave.  A brother acts responsibly in various areas; he is not violent towards his partner (South Africa rates of gender violence and rape are among the highest in the world), he takes fatherhood seriously and he protects himself and his partner from HIV transmission.

The last couple of months I have studied HIV prevention in South Africa. Through my studies I found out that since the late 90s there is an increased focus on men’s involvement in HIV prevention globally. The idea is to motivate men to actively contribute to the halting the major public health problem of HIV and AIDS. Brothers for Life is an example of such an approach.

Globally women’s empowerment is a major area of focus in the attempt to halt the spread of HIV in women. Women’s rights organizations empower women by e.g. informing them about their rights to decide over their own bodies and women’s programs assist women in generating an income which will help them become less dependent on male partners (and thus become more independent sexually). The disadvantage has been that men have felt threatened by programs that empower women and perceived it as an attack on masculinity and men’s position in society. 

I believe that men’s involvement approaches such as the South African Brothers for Life movement is key if the HIV epidemic of South Africa is to be halted. Brothers for Life seek to redefine the traditional notion of masculinity (defined heavily around control and dominance over women) into a masculinity notion based on responsible behaviors and men treating women with greater respect. Therefore if they succeed in having men taking greater responsibility for the HIV epidemic they may also forge new South African masculinities. Men’s involvement in HIV prevention may thereby also contribute to a general betterment of women’s lives in South Africa.

A morning walk in Frankfurt

Digt og billeder fra en gåtur en oktobermorgen i Frankfurt.

Smukke linjer omkring mig

Himlen udgør en dramatisk baggrund

Forsøger desperat at indfange skønheden

med den rigtige vinkel.

Byen spejler sig i vandet

Byen tårner sig op og rammer himlen

Ser mig omkring og fascineres

Og ved, at skønheden er i øjeblikket lige nu.

What is home to me?

Considerations regarding my personal savings have for the last, maybe, eight years mainly revolved around the question “how many flight tickets can I afford?” During my youth my dreams for the future have never involved a house and “settling” but rather “where in the world do I go next?”. 

I have felt quite at home in many countries I have travelled to. Almost in every place I have gone I have at some point thought of the possibility of staying on a more permanent basis and considered what I could work with in that particular place.

Like so many other young people of my generation I have an extensive variety of opportunities. These opportunities include travelling to new places. For me travelling equals excitement, new inputs and being stretched and challenged.  The challenge often arises from encounters and situations that force me to ask myself why I think and act the way I do. The last couple of years the overarching question has been “What is home to me?”. The question seems to become more and more pressing and demands to be answered. 

For me traveling has often meant that my life at times has very little continuity in terms of a staying in the same place or being around the same people for a longer period of time. Travelling has truly enriched my life in many ways. However, what I have found is, that I, as many other post-modern people in a world full of opportunity but very little stability, long for something I can call home.   

Not long ago a friend asked me “What is home to you?”. I replied that home is my loved ones. I think friends and family is the best way of creating “home” in a world where there seems to be no limits to the range of opportunities and thereby also a lack of a frame which can create a space of security and sense of belonging. A home. What would be the consequences, if I really want to live what I say? If my loved once are my home; would that mean that I need to change my priorities? Should I instead of planning new travels and consider how I could create myself a life in a new place, try intentionally to invest more in relationships with people I call “home”?.  

My answer to the question “what is home to you”, I must admit, was not well considered but rather spontaneous. I will still have to wrestle with it. At this point of my life I think this will stretch and challenge me even more than any travelling experience.

Meeting my identical twin

This weekend I met a girl from Switzerland. Her family is originally
from Congo. We were in the same small group at a conference I attended
in Frankfurt. When we found out that we both are interested in
international development, we wanted to chat more and decided to
have lunch together.

We talked about our our passion for social justice, our many travels,
about being restless, and how that impacts on your relationships with
other people. We talked about what sense of belonging is when you have
spent shorter or longer times in many places. About settling, etc.

Every other minute one of us would say: I know exactly what you mean!
Hearing her speak was like hearing my own thought spoken by another
person. Some of the things I have formulated in other words myself,
others things I had never said out loud before.

I may never have met a person in my life that I felt so similar to
and therefore also understood by. In my best relationships I
“understand” others because I know the personality of a person and
therefore also understand why s/he thinks or reacts in a certain way.

The fascinating thing about relationship is often the differences,
which on the one hand can frustrate us and on the other hand draws us
to others and fascinates us. However I must admit when sitting by that
lunch table and hearing the person across from me coming to
conclusions on travelling, restlessness, home, etc. which I have also
come to was extremely fascinating too. Besides being fascinated, it
also left me with a feeling of being fully accepted and even a feeling
of “not being alone”.

She had dark skin and long braids and I white skin and flat
blond hair, but personality wise the resemblance was so outspoken that
I considered for a moment if she might have been my real twin – my
real identical twin.

Hvordan jeg fik nøgler til et hus og et arkitektfirma i Hamborg

Jeg har været i Hamborg siden søndag og fik i dag, onsdag, "overdraget" nøgler til et hus og til et arkitektfirma. I huset har jeg lånt et værelse ganske gratis af en utrolig gæstfri kvinde. I arkitektfirmaet skal jeg arbejde. Dvs. i den næste måned skal jeg arbejde (som frivillig) i arrangørteamet for en stor ungdomskonference, der bliver afholdt i Erfurt, Tyskland, fra 28. dec.-2. jan. Konferencen hedder Mission-Net og deler kontor med arkitektfirmaet.  

De sidste to dage har der været teambuildingdage for alle medarbejderne i Mission-Net. Nogle arbejder til dagligt på hovedkontoret her i Hamborg og andre i Moesbach i Sydtyskland. Teambuildingen bestod bl.a. i at flytte Mission-Net kontoret ind i arkitektfirmaet. Her er nogle af de mennesker, jeg har lært at kende.



Man teambuilder ret godt, når man flytter

Esther og jeg flytter bogstaver

Disse kvinder er lige så energiske, som de ser ud til på billedet. Hanna bor jeg sammen med - hun har taget fantastisk imod mig. Evi er leder af Mission-Net. Jeg mødte hende første gang i Cape Town sidste år.

Dagens opdagelse - typisk hamburgsk hilsen:

Når man hilser på hinanden, siger den første person "moin, moin", hvorefter den anden svarer "moin".





Bungy Jump!!

mandag den 13. december 2010



Getting ready for the bungy jump from Blaukranz Bridge.
The bungy jump is the highest in the world - 216 m.

Forgot for a moment the most important piece of advice:
Don´t look down!

A Sunday service experience in Cape Town

søndag den 5. december 2010

Today I went to a Sunday service in a Methodist church. The church is situated in the very centre of Cape Town in the very touristy Green Market Square.

As a visitor to a country it’s interesting to visit different churches but at the same time tiring. For me being part of church also implies being engaged. Here I become a spectator. Traveling though many times implies that you watch and receive more than engage and give which is also nice for a limited period of time.

Two things I in particular enjoyed about the church service:

As soon as I entered a man smiled and greeted me by saying “You are Sara from Denmark” and immediately he introduced me to his wife and other church members. The man works on a voluntary basis in the church, where he greets visitors, mostly tourists, who enter the church during week days. Two-three weeks ago I entered the church and we had a talk. Being recognized was a real blessing for me as Sundays can be rather lonely. On Sundays I often miss my church family at home. Or maybe I just miss the feeling of belonging to a fellowship of believers.

During the service I experienced a ritual that I really liked. On the altar of the church a “light of justice” was lit. The light is lit every Sunday. The “light of justice” is a tall candle light placed in the middle of a wire. The wire symbolizes the suffering of the world. The candle light symbolizes Jesus who is present in the midst of the suffering of human beings. 1 December was World Aids Day so today we prayed in particular for the suffering caused by HIV/AIDS.

I found the ritual of lighting the light of justice extremely powerful, as it reminds the church of how it’s sent in to the world to be the hand and feet of Jesus to the poor, sick and oppressed.

I may try to introduce the “light of justice” to my own context sometime.

1 December: World Aids Day

lørdag den 4. december 2010

1 December was World Aids Day.

On that day my Facebook friends were wishing each other a happy 1 December. I however, had absolutely no sense of Christmas nearing, as I relate Christmas time to cold weather and the temperatures here in Cape Town are in their twenties at the moment.

I may be blind, but I have never been aware of the World Aids Day, even, I was kindly told by Danish friends, annually HIV/AIDS related events are taking place, also in Denmark. In the future, when looking back at my time in South Africa, I will surely remember 1 December as the day HIV/AIDS started entered my sphere of awareness.

Just a few statistics:

South Africa is the country in the world with the highest number of people infected by HIV/AIDS. The country with the highest percentage of infected people is Swaziland. India, though “only” 1 percent is infected, is the country with the second highest amount of people living with HIV/AIDS (due to the large size of the population). Statisctic vary but up to 30 percent of the South African population might be infected with the disease.


In the evening of 1 December I went, together with 3 friends, to a World Aids Day Gala concert at the Artscape Opera House of Cape Town. Many people wore red close and we were all given red ribbons to wear. Different people who are working to combat HIV/AIDS were being honored during the evening and three women, who live with AIDS, gave their testimonies and the audience was encouraged to support and help instead of stigmatizing people with HIV/AIDS.

In this week I had the privilege of holding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) Event “Everyone gets a bite of the cake” with staff and steering group of the South African NGO, Connect Network. The event has been held several times in Denmark during the summer/autumn of 2010 and has recently been translated into English, which made it possible to launch it for the first time
outside of Denmark!

Connect Network includes a number of Christian children’s and women’s organizations in Cape Town and its surroundings. The MDG event is an outdoor “journey” to 8 different stations. At each station the participants learn about one of the MDGs. MDG 6 is to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS. In one the activities of the “journey” the issue of stigma is being addressed. In another activity the debate on what is the best way of preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS is taken up. I’ve done the activity before, but this time was by far the most dynamic time I’ve done the part of the event focusing on HIV/AIDS. For the participants the activity was not mere theoretical, as it would tend to be with a group of Danish participants. For the South African participants it was very practical and tangible issue that they are all confronted with in one or another way.

Through my student work at a Danish development NGO I’ve been aquatinted with HIV/AIDS projects but sitting in Denmark, the issue seems so distant and hard to relate to. For instance it seems extremely difficult to understand the problem of people not wishing to be tested for fear that being tested HIV positive will lead to them being stigmatized. Eventually that person, if being HIV positive, will die an early death, as not knowing your status also means that you will not get life-prolonging treatment.

These were just some of this weeks thoughts on HIV/AIDS. I currently continue my journey into the field by reading the award winning book “Three-letter plague” by the South African author Jonny Steinberg. The purpose of the book to understand the mind-set of people and communities where a large number of people die from AIDS because they don’t get tested. The book is interesting reading which is extending my new journey into a better understanding of HIV/AIDS further than just 1 December.

How I became a fan of the South African national soccer team

torsdag den 18. november 2010

This week I watched the friendly match US vs. Bafana Bafana (The South African national soccer team) in the Green Point stadium of Cape Town. The stadium was recently built for the Soccer World Cup. All together, I only watched two matches of the World Cup on the television, and I didn’t watch a single game of Bafana Bafana. Despite of my lack of commitment to the World Cup matches, I enjoyed the live soccer atmosphere in the Green Point stadium and the fact that I got to see the national soccer team of the country I am currently privileged to get to experience during my short stay. So how come I am now a fan of the Bafana Bafana soccer team? I must admit that it does not have much to do with their abilities on the soccer field.….

One of my first days in this city I heard of an interesting project of a church in Cape Town. The church gathers men of different congregations to discuss issues concerning masculinity and what it means to be a man in South Africa today. The purpose is to raise awareness on healthy relationships between men and women, including issues of domestic violence, responsibilities towards the family, etc.

South Africa is known to be a patriarchic society and suppression of women is materialized in the high levels of domestic violence, rape, etc. The South African rates of gender-based violence, including rates of domestic violence and rape, are the highest in the world. In South Africa every 6 hours a women is killed by her intimate partner.

At present time there are many initiatives on women’s rights in South Africa both at civil society level and at government level. A campaign called ‘16 Days of Activism against gender violence’ will be taking place nation-wide starting on 25 November. The effort for women’s empowerment and improvement of their rights in the South African society are extremely necessary but hearing about the men’s project, made me wonder, if more initiatives focusing on (redefining) men’s identities are out there.

Recently I learned about “The Brothers for Life”- a national South African campaign. The campaign aims at changing men’s perceptions of what it means to be a “real man” in South Africa. Famous South African men, including the South African Rugby team, are ambassadors, called “Brothers of Live”, of the campaign. The campaign speaks against violence against women, unsafe sex, multiple sexual partners, men’s lack of commitment to their families, etc. The objective is that the Brothers for Life can be positive role models to their fellow male countrymen. A famous rugby player who is a Brother for Life says:

“I want to get across the message that doing these things - getting drunk, sleeping around - is not macho. I think it's more macho to act responsibly and respect women”.

Another Brother of Life says:

“It is a campaign to dispel the notion that women are not equal. We have grown up in a male-dominated society where women have been portrayed as subservient. As young men we can lead this change through our actions.”

The question is of course how effective a campaign like this is. I would assume that more personal face to face discussion like the men’s project in the church would be necessary if men with mindsets that oppress women are to be motivated and held accountable in process of change towards a mindset of respect and equality between the sexes. That said I fully support the Brothers of Life campaign, as issues of gender inequality are complex and therefore must be addressed through multiple methods.

The day after the Bafana Bafana vs. US match I realized that there are also Bafana Bafana players among the Brothers for Life. The soccer players’ effort outside the field, and not their soccer match in the Green Point stadium, convinced me that Bafana Bafana is worth cheering for. Meanwhile I hope more initiatives that focus on men will come up, as I don’t believe that violence against women and other manifestations of inequality can be overcome without an increased focus on men’s identities in South Africa.

Bafana Bafana. Olé!

Pictures from the last week

fredag den 29. oktober 2010

Laura, Darius and I at Cape Point.

A local we met.

Birthday BBQ in the garten.

View from the Table Mountains. Robben Island in the background.

Enjoying Table Mountains with my friends Rike and Karsten
whom I know from my time in Germany 7 years ago.

View from the Table Mountains.

Pictures from the Lausanne Congress 2010

torsdag den 21. oktober 2010

The Opening Ceremony

The Danish delegation

Worship song are song in many languages; Japanese, Zulu, Urdu, English, Spanish, etc.

Everybody is seated at tables of 6 where we discuss the issues raised at the conference.
My fellow table mates are from Germany, Italy, U.S., Taiwan/Australia and Japan

Lausanne Congress 2010

onsdag den 20. oktober 2010

Blue spots= no pictures please!

“Please, don’t take pictures of any of any person who will be speaking from the stage as they risk persecution if they are identified”. “Please, don’t take pictures of any congress participant who has a blue spot on their name badge”.

This week I am attending the Cape Town “Lausanne Congress 2010”.

4000 church leaders from all over the world have gathered here in Cape Town to mutually inspire and encourage each other in being a church that brings God’s love and reconciliation to the world.

The participants with blue spots are from countries where being a Christian is dangerous, as they risk being jailed or being objects to other forms of persecution.

I have heard stories before of Christians who are persecuted for their faith, but I was never confronted so directly with the life stories of people who are actually living it right now.

A Nigerian pastor told us from the stage, that many of his Christian colleagues had been killed by Muslims in Nigeria. He has on various occasions been close to being killed because of his Christian faith. “I will eventually be killed, but until the day I will tell people of Jesus Christ”, he said before leaving the stage.

An 18-year old North Corean girl shared with the Congress how she and her family fled to China from North Corea. In China they became Christians and started to preach to others in China. As his "missionary work" was discovered the Chinese authorities sent her father back to North Corea where he continued to preach the gospel to his fellow country men. Since 2006 the 18-year old Nort Corean girl has not heard from her father and there are good reasons to believe that his “mission” in North-Corea was discovered and that he was executed by the North Corean authorities.

“Suffering” is something I usually avoid. If I feel limited in any way I seek ways to remove those limitations. I take pills if I have a head ach, I take a loan in the bank if I don’t have money to travel and I may chose to keep my mouth shot if I disagree with people around me, because I don’t want to stick out. The "people with the blue spots” are people who have not chosen the comfortable solutions and have continued to do what they believe is right, even if it means that they will suffer.

These people are people like me. But they have taken extraordinary choices based on their faith and convictions. In Denmark conformity and the wish to have a comfortable life, I think, are depriving Christians of taking extra ordinary choices that can potentially be a blessing in other people's lives. I hope that Christians in Denmark, including myself, will chose to take courageous and extra ordinary choices like the "people with the blue spots', and not let conformity and comfortability prevent us from taking extra ordinary choices that can be a blessing to others.

My internship in a violence prevention programme

fredag den 8. oktober 2010

I thought some of you may be interested in knowing more about my internship. So here it is...

As you may know I was working in a gender organisation the first month here. The programme did not have funding and therefore did not have any running programmes. The NGO only had one staff left plus to interns - Sharon from Zimbabwe and myself. I got to do their annual report and participate in a meeting at the parliament and actually had a good time, though I was often frustrated when I didn't think I was having enough to do!

I mentioned to people in a church I have attended that I was looking for a new intership and a few days later I was offered an internship in the programme where I am now working. The programme works with "positive occupation" of "negative spaces" in the township of Kayelitsha. The community has identified the crime hot spots of the area and the programme has built and restored buildings/facilities, called "Active Boxes" in those hot spots.
The facilities are meant to be places of acitivty which wil enhance the security and fellowship in the community. The crime rate has decreased since the facilities have been established. It is difficult to say how much you can ascribe that change to the programme, but the crime rate is the highest in town, so any improvement is positive!

I do interviews with different people who are involved in the "Active Boxes": the architect, community workers employed in the facilities and the user groups. This week I did interviews here in the city centre and next week I will go to Kayelitsha and speak with people there. So far it's going well. The purpose is to identify new user groups for the Active Boxes and also to develop some marketing material.

This was just a "dry" information blog so that you know what I am doing every day here!

Life is cheap

torsdag den 30. september 2010

This week I have been visiting several townships. I joined a research group of German and African Ph.D. students and professors of urban development who are on a field visit in the Capetonian townships.

“Life is cheap”, a principle of a township high school, told us. Not long ago one of the students had been stabbed to death on the school property. According to the director South Africa is characterized by a “culture of violence”. As a tangible sign of that he showed us a box of weapons that students had carried along to school. The box was full of knives of all shapes. The children, explain, when their weapons are confiscated, that they carry them along to school to protect themselves.

Next to the school was a big hill. The hill is called “the evil hill” by the locals. Many acts of crime have taken place on that hill. Robbery, rape, murder. According to the principle of the high school, the hill must be changed from a “negative space” to a “positive space”. He hopes that, within 2 years time, the hill can be transformed into a place of recreation (restaurant, sport facilities, etc.) for the locals. From the hill you have a nice view over the township. The research group and I went up the hill escorted by two armed police men.

I found the visit very inspiring. Mostly, I enjoyed meeting an idealist, who believes in that “spaces of evil” can be turned into “spaces of goodness”.

The township field trip was part of the introduction to my new internship. I officially start tomorrow. I will be working in a project called the Violence Prevention Urban Upgrading Project. The project is implemented in Khyaelitsha, a township of 600.000-800.000 inhabitants. The project aims at mobilizing the township community to work actively to combat the high crime rates in the area.

I will tell you more in detail about the project and the work I will be doing.

Interning in Cape Town

mandag den 20. september 2010

Sharon and I. Both interning in the Gender Advocacy Programme.

My collegues and I.

A Church Visit in Cape Town

fredag den 17. september 2010

Last Sunday I attended a Sunday service in Rondebosh United Church, a Presbyterian congregation, consisting of members of various denominations as well as agnostics.

The church has an outreach team that goes to the Poolsmore Prison. They teach life skills to young male prisoners waiting for their sentence. They aim at teaching the prisoners to see their own life stories in the light of the grand narrative of Jesus, who can tranform people and society. I will be going with the team out to the prison, and will keep you updated on what I experience there.

The mayor of Cape Town (who is also the national leader of the national opposition party - Democratic Alliance) is member of the church. I got to talk her husband last Sunday. Hopefully I can also meet her there some day. Would be cool.

Life in Cape Town

tirsdag den 7. september 2010

My jogging route.

Enjoying life.

Camps Bay. A beautiful beach down the street.

Darius. We explore Cape Town together.
We know each other from the time I lived in Germany.

Billeder fra de første dage

fredag den 3. september 2010

Watch out for the African Penguins

Cape Point, hvor det Indiske Ocean og Atlanterhavet mødes

Første aften i Cape Town