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

my old block when i first moved to Vesterbro... I'm loving being back in Vesterbro - a vibrant, diverse neighborhood that is more of a match for where I am in life right now. It's quite inspiring and reminds me of the big city vibe that a small city like Copenhagen can sometimes have.  I live right off of Istedgade - close to the Central Station. I usually refer to Istedgade as the crack of Copenhagen's ass - you'll find all kinds of illicit goings-on here - from prostitutes to drug users to the johns of course. But that is not all this part of Copenhagen has to offer. Luckily for me there are no shortage of greengrocers who have okra, cassava, plantain and scotch bonnet peppers for sale. This is all in the midst of a bustling street that includes young parents, hipsters and students.  Vesterbro has changed much since I lived here some years ago - but perhaps it's because it's the same neighborhood I first moved to when I first got here that I feel the c...

what a view!  the artist/writer with a more serious piece 1. My friend Glen. His artwork, like his friendship, is always full of laughs, keen insights on life and reminders to not take things too seriously... Amalie told me her grandmother had often told her she had never met anyone quite as exquisite as Ms. Baker, ever.  2. Hanging out with my friend Amalie - and seeing this beautiful sketch of Josephine Baker, learning that her grandfather - a cartoonist for a major newspaper here at the time- made this drawing of Josephine Baker - whom he also shared a friendship with.  I love this picture of me. Sassy!  3. Hanging out with Mathilda - the 6 year-old artist of this drawing of me, which welcomes me to my new home! Moving back to Vesterbro and in with Bente - an old friend who I first met in New York City 16 years ago has been amazing!  Hanging out backstage at Danni Toma's show at Rust!  3. Going to a D'Angelo ...

This is the street where it all began... That's a picture of a mural on the street where I first lived when I moved to Copenhagen. It's in the neighborhood called Vesterbro - which means West Bridge - and when I had arrived Copenhagen was in the throes of a program entitled "City Renewal". This meant that the STATE went in and upgraded many apartments (even privately owned) rendering many apartments many times its worth by the end. Many ended up with a lot of money in their hands but what it did inevitably mean is that housing went up even more in what was already one of the most expensive cities to live in the world. In those days - this was the early 2000's - my little family lived on the 5th floor (no elevator) in a small but beautiful apartment that was not equipped with hot water and a shower.  This is how I entered motherhood - and every time I wanted to bitch and moan I would think about the women who came before me in Trinidad who did not have the m...