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

As many of you know - I've been teaching for many years. Nothing however, can ever compare to my four years at a small private school in Copenhagen - where I taught for 4 years. I miss the kids everyday - BUT every so often I have moments like this: a feeling of pride as they step into the future, fulfilling what they have so longed for. Such a former student is Zanubia Omar. Zanubia was in my first ever homeroom class- and that class - man, we had a ball. We went to Amsterdam together and I had a couple of the best years of my life teaching this class of motley kids whose background hails from Lebanon, Palestine, Somalia, Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq...I could go on, but trust me when I tell you the representation was not only broad, but soo enriching. I learned so much from these kids. Here's a taste of Zanubia's writing - published on Exile - which is an initiative started by Farhiya Khalid, a Somali writer here in Denmark. Somalis make up the biggest group of people of...

Like most other major western cities, Copenhagen has increasingly become a more difficult place to find affordable housing. When I first arrived 17 years ago, the neighborhood I moved into was in the process of an aggressive form of gentrification. Vesterbro, a traditionally working class neighborhood in Copenhagen, has now been dubbed "the hipster capital" of Denmark - and rent there, if you can find a rental, is comparable to all the other major cities around the world. Where do all the lower-income residents go? How is the present political landscape contributing to this change? What are the solutions for low-income housing? Are there any?  I know many people, including myself, who are having a challenging time finding a place to live. As luxury buildings are being erected throughout the city it is not difficult to imagine what Copenhagen will look like in a few years' time.  With the so-called financial and refugee crisis, the patterns that are seen in other citi...