blackgirl on mars: notes on a life in copenhagen (or how my alienation brings me closer to people).

it's time to bring this chapter of my life to an end. i've enjoyed having a platform to share my thoughts, creations and experiences. my only intention is that like-minded souls find a safe place to rest their weary heads and perhaps sip a cup of tea. we live in a world where there is much taboo - realities that  we're encouraged to not mention. nevertheless, i have endeavored to recount and record the experiences of a young girl turned lady turned woman from the diaspora living in denmark.  for those of you who have read, supported, reached out to me during the years THANK YOU. there is so much more to this story, to my life - and that are all the other aspects, facets of OUR STORY. when i was a young child growing up brooklyn, i experienced some stuff that i vowed, as a human being, that when i grew up i would share with the world. i would let the world know my story, knowing that once folks knew the realities of what was being doled out, folks would wake up. what i h...

Although not the dumbest in Denmark. To be fair. But this is the picture that she posted shouting out condolences regarding  the passing of Mandela. Someone help me. Please. farvel, the lab Perhaps I'll continue my Dumb - Ass Dane series. You're welcome to email me your suggestions.

"You are and have always been such a bright shining light.  You truly are my sister as well.  I know the miles separate us but I would rescue you from Denmark, take your child as mine, give you a kidney, or help you bury a body.  Being with you always made me feel more adventurous, more confident, more alive." 

Trumbo's book as I knew it..with a much more appropriate cover. One of the most life-changing books I have ever read was Trumbo's Johnny Got his Gun , so it's only normal that I'd want to share one of my favorite books with some of the kids in my life, right? But how in the world do I get a young, teenage boy to read a book with a cover that is on the most recent cover of this book? ( on Amazon UK ) Seriously, Penguin, or whatever publisher who allowed a pretty freakish cover on a book that umh, well, that would make a lot of young boys/kids uncomfortable. I guess that's the point. Why read a book with a strong anti-War message? That's definitely not for our times at all. farvel, the lab

They say that the total matter of the universe is composed of about 85% dark matter- and yet scientists still do not know what dark matter is. Or if it exists.  The words on a page compose about 1% of the page, the white, well umh...yeah, the 99%. I am in the midst of having a very profound dialogue with the universe. I'm not sure why I continue to be surprised at the accuracy of her actions, the precision of her language. It's always been like that during the times that I care to pay attention. I had a meeting on Monday with one of my clients. I always enjoy meeting with her --both her energy and work is amazing. We met for lunch at the Black Diamond, The Danish Royal Library. It's a spectacular building - its facade resembling a polished precious stone, jutting out to the sky. It's primarily made of glass and faces one of Copenhagen's many canals, and one can see the city water bus go by on its scheduled route. The meeting was invigorating and inspiring, and as...

I had an amazing day in the city the other day. It all started with an impromptu lunch with my friend I, who suddenly realized, "Hey, I think that Gudrun Hasle show is about to close & it's right around the corner. Wanna' go check it out?" The timing couldn't be better. First of all, this same friend had recently hipped me to her, knowing how much I love art and especially anything that incorporates stitching. But with Gudrun, there's something even more compelling here.  When I first saw her work I zeroed in on her spelling.  See, Gudrun is dyslexic. And she's found a way to incorporate this in her work in a way that empowers.  About 7 or so years ago, I had the privilege of individually assisting a young 3rd grader- let's call him Dexter. Dexter was this perfectly adorable 3rd grader, with round freckled cheeks and an amazing (I would almost say superior) disposition. There was no doubt about it: Dexter was advanced in so many w...

Yesterday she went to visit her insurance company to hear what they could offer her. Her meeting was in the afternoon- a time she preferred. She does not like morning appointments. Mornings are meant for silence. The building was ornately decorated and the agent, obviously impressed. "You're so integrated," the agent gushes, "You're a sign that all you have to do is work hard and you can get ahead here." She reminds the agent that she's American and has a Western education behind her. "You'll make a great motivational speaker!" The agent yells behind her as she exits the building. She visits an old friend whose house is right down the street from the insurance agency's offices. Her old friend makes her tea and they talk about life. Her old friend asks, "How's the romance? The boyfriend?" Despite the many other things that is happening in her life, it is always the presence of a male (or not) that seems to intrigue man...

I found this video today with the following description. "You will notice that everything an Indian does is in a circle, that is because the power of the world works in circles, everything tries to be round." -Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Holy Man Someone cannot fit a round circular concept into a square hole. Indoctrination by school and college education is a squared teaching, designed to serve a master. Is it anything else? What is it to be an indigenous and a suppressed people? Yet aware and to question. Nature and reason may not fit into the traditional model of universities and the academia based on- who`s school of thought? All races of people are related. What choices do people with awareness of natural ways and ancient memory have to go by to live in harmony and self determination outside of the massive indoctrination being administered upon us and our children? I see a collective plight in all of us no matter of difference of opinion or thought of need of competing ...

The Hippopotamus animal totem demonstrates supremacy, affecting strength, conception, imagination, remedial, proper use of violent behavior, capability to move stylishly through feelings, security of family, maternal instincts when essential, innovation of new technique, logical dreaming, strength courage and the ability to stay calm in a crisis. They are blessed in the traditions of Africa and Egypt. Hippos’ name significance is considered as “Water Horse”. Hippopotamus mainly spends most of the time in water. When it is not in the water apparently it remains on the land. It is very old realm of origin, authority, conception, imagination, and remedial. They are said to be the second biggest mammal in the world. They can help us in grounding our body and soul to the earth as a result we can handle and remove depressing emotional problems. In consideration about the supremacy of water, hippopotamus has a connection to the religious, imaginative and remedial monarchy of water. ...

I am really enjoying working from home. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to unplug for a minute. It's also great to return to one of my passions - and that is writing, of course. Whether it be mine or someone else's. I am really enjoying the story that one of my clients has woven about 3 generations of Iranians before, during and after the Iranian Revolution. I am really learning a lot about the country and those turbulent times. There are some other projects that I'm working on that I also feel good about. The question is however- what next? But I will enjoy the present and again, the time to gather myself and plunge into the next chapter of my life.

tshina & little m It's been a couple of weeks now since I've returned from the farm. Again, I had an amazing experience that put me in touch with a few things that I'll like to share with those of you who read this. First of all, I've been thinking about Life a lot lately. Even more so than usual, because I am actually giving myself the time and opportunity to do this. Instead of intermittent thoughts here and there--thoughts interrupted so many times that I feel as though I barely ever get to develop them,, I'm allowing myself to really go to not only what I really think about things, but what I'm going to do about it. I was compelled to do this because as a human being on this planet, and as someone who was working as a teacher, I became increasingly concerned with some of the patterns that have emerged and are emerging. As I've undoubtedly mentioned before, I attended Eugene Lang College. At Lang, I received some stellar professors, many with ...

Here's an interesting article about Australia and its high level of incarceration of its indigenous people, Climate of Death- Justice Denied means more will die . In this article, some startling facts emerge about Australia and its relationship to its indigenous people: " I also found that Australia incarcerates its Aboriginal adult males at a marginally higher rate than what does the United States of America of its African-American adult males. This is a disturbing statistic because the USA is the mother of all jailers, with nearly one per cent of its population imprisoned. Australia, the world’s twelfth largest economy, and with the highest median incomes per capita, is a society harsh on its poorest, harsh on the downtrodden and this is evidenced by our prison incarceration rates. Once again we have the world’s highest rates of incarceration of Aboriginal peoples. To achieve this Australia doubled the prison population from 15,000 to 30,000 from 1991 to 2011 in or...

H in the outdoor shower at Radsted  It's been a week since I left Radsted and it's been a challenge to adjust. There is no denying it- I find the work that must be engaged in self-suffiency to be the most rewarding work I have ever done. But luckily for me, the city that I return to is relatively small (although that takes its adjustments as well) and I have the time to put together my alchemical concoctions to manifest the dream. Until then, there is much to do and some pictures to share. To the left is a picture of one of my hosts, Hanne, having a shower outside the caravan. That's the caravan I spent my week in and I loved every minute of it. Some of the tasks I accomplished while there were cleaning a chicken coop- something which I had never done before and enjoyed doing. It was like cleaning a giant hamster cage. I particularly enjoyed getting my first egg from a nest (thanks Simon!) and again, learning how to do something I had never done before. Adam Goodblo...

Sunset  I'm really enjoying my time woofing at an organic soon-to-be biodynamic farm in the small island of Loland, south of Copenhagen. There are two other woofers here - one from Copenhagen, the other from Hungary. If you don't know what woofing is, well, it's this International organisation where you can sign up and arrange to work on an organic farm anywhere in the world for free room and board. This way the farmers get the help they need and the helpers learn about the process of organic farming. It's a brilliant system, and if you are one who would like to travel and interested in organic farming, then woofing is the certainly the way to go. I have many who have gone woofing, and none have described it other than an amazing experience. People coming together on behalf of more responsible farming is a wonderful thing. The owners of the farm are two wonderful Danes, who are committed to substinence farming and who open their home to people from around the wor...

that's vince with my grandmother (his mother) hildred balbirsingh in cumberland, md. One of the best things about my moving to Trinidad at the age of 11 from Brooklyn, was getting to meet my Uncle Vince. Uncle Vince was at that time, the only black kid listening to Heavy Metal in the Vale. The Vale, or Diamond Vale, is this suburb of Port-of-Spain- a valley of concrete houses surrounded by the greenest of hills during the rainy season. Every street is named after a precious stone, and I lived on Emerald Drive. The Vale is divided into the old Vale and the new Vale - I lived in the old Vale. Once, a friend of mine, Robert Cyril- a beautiful green-eyed East Indian boy from the village of Patna (way up in the hills) referred to the Vale as concrete barracks. Barracks was where the workers on the fields were housed. Through Uncle Vince I was introduced to Black Sabbath, Ozzy, AC/DC (We had the coolest black velvet AC/DC poster with silver lettering hanging up in our room), M...

ali's wall, amager 2013 as my pace moves more in line with the universe, life opens up unlimited opportunity. for this i am truly grateful & humbled. today i went by ali's house. ali is a persian writer who lives here in denmark. i used to work with him at my old place of employment. what i love about his writing are his perceptions of things: he reflects a humanity in his observations that i truly miss in most literature. anyway, i've been entrusted to translate his latest book about Iran before, during and after the persian revolution. i am happy for this opportunity as i now not only better understand the story of iran and her people, but am enjoying assisting bringing this book to light. it is based on hundreds of hours of interviews that ali conducted himself with iranian refugees here. it is a labour of love and i am honored to be a part of it. on my way home, i bumped into michelle. michelle is a jamaican artist whom i met and worked with a few years ago....

Super girls  in trees must go in  &  see...

"Look at this Alien" by Rayner Ramirez I opened my email yesterday to find this picture from my friend Rayner. I remember that day: I'm in my early-20s and live in Forte Green. I'm sharing an apartment with my wanna-be rich Aunt and my lovely grandmother. We live on Washington, right off of Dekalb. I'm going to Lang. Lang is this small college in the West Village. It's so small, that it's not out of the ordinary to sit in a class with just you, the professor and one other student.  It was before I understood the role of marketing- so when I read about Eugene Lang College, I fell in love. My high school history teacher at Washington Irving was horrified when I told her my choice. "But Lesley-Ann, you're the first one in your family to go to college and you choose such an obscure one?" I got her point, considering that I was accepted into Brooklyn College, NYU and Bard College. But I had made a decision in my heart: I wasn...