Still alive

Hi everybody

With this post I want to remind you that the blog is still working and you are welcome to use it.

For example you can use it for announcing parties and other social events.

You can also post stories and articles, for example if something funny or exceptionel happened on your way back home from the seminar.

Another possibility is to post (funny) pictures, maybe pictures showing a new side of you that we didn't see at the seminar (see for example the other side of Eske some posts below).

You can also use it as a kind of forum by commenting on the posts.

One more thing: since you all now are prepared for leading a workcamp I strongly encourage to send an application to be a campleader. You have to send it before Monday the 24th of april to Camilla.

To give inspiration is here a picture from the workcamp that Malthe and I leaad last summer. We are doing the "Penguin and flamingo" game. It is not in the "Energizer bible" but it is in the Camp leaders Guide.

And now a little quiz! How many beers were sold in the bar?

If you have a guess then come and tell me at the next party; if you are right I will buy you a beer.

That's all folks,

Søren

Alternative Beatles

This song is nowhere near as charming in its written form, as it is when accompanied by the delicious strummin' tunes of Sheikh Morten Al-Melon Bowie Smith and the luscious voices of all of the hardcore rocking ILTS 2007 participants. But I was asked to put it up anyway, insh'allah you'll find it just a tad bit entertaining.

Also I'd like to say that FC Copenhagen is at this very moment in the lead with a 3-0 against Midjutland. That's right biatches!

But I digress:

What kinda leader do you think you are?
Are you a philosopher who knows thyself?
Come to Kalø, though I know it's quite far
The facilitators help you all the way!
Ooh a gay pirate who's drunk like a skunk
Mmm, kinda tired of sleeping in a bunk
Mmm, I think Morten he's kind of a hunk ...

What do I do, when I'm not Superman?
(Just ask Malthe how he's feeling today)
Building a bridge, and I'm getting so stressed
At least I'm not a slut like Abigail!
Ooh a gay pirate who's drunk like a skunk
Mmm, kinda tired of sleeping in a bunk
Mmm, I think Morten he's kind of a hunk

Do you lead anybody?
I need somebody to lead ...
Could it be anybody?
I just want someone to lead ...

Have you been writing in your learning log?
It's important to do every day.
Have you been doing your job with the blog?
Although you might think that it's gay ...
Ooh a gay pirate who's drunk like a skunk
Mmm, kinda tired of sleeping in a bunk
Mmm, I think Morten he's kind of a hunk

Do you lead anybody?
I need somebody to lead ...
Could it be anybody?
I just want someone to lead ...

Would you put your hand in a box in the dark?
No, I'm certain that something's gonna bite
Do you feel ready to lead a work camp?
Not really, but I'll do it out of spite!
Ooh a gay pirate who's drunk like a skunk
Mmm, kinda tired of sleeping in a bunk
Mmm, I think Morten he's kind of a hunk

Do you lead anybody?
I need somebody to lead ...
Could it be anybody?
I just want someone to lead ...

SALSA QUEEN

The hidden side of Eske.

Eske has two sides of himself, on and off stage. When he is not performing salsa classes, he is dancing around in private, as a ballarina. Most of the time wearing the slim outfit, that shows his delicious shape. Isn´t he just ready to eat?

it aint over until the fat lady dance

Check out that great ass, all that dancing really makes a great figure.

Eske enjoy a rest, after tiptoing arround the livingroom.

Then some energy for the body.

Dinner and party report by a black basque reporter

In this evening took place a marvellous dinner and
ceremony where celebrities from Denmark and all
over the world meet each other again just to say
goodbye (so sad………..)

We had great dishes prepared by the best cooks in
Denmark actually ( sorry for french cuisine).

Everybody was so happy with the food that there
was nothing left for the reporters who had only cold sandwiches for dinner.

We can see how vegetarian people and also people who prefer meat enjoy their meals.

Vegetarians

Carnivorous

There was also a great table decoration made by
one of the groups. It was really lovely but people
were more interested in the food and mainly
the wine actually…It is also a good remark
that the wine came from Spain, from Valencia
more specifically, which I had no idea they had
wine, so everyday you can learn something new….

After the great dinner, a little ceremony
took place where our beloved facilitators
were well appreciated (This was a kind of
appreciation role gameplay for the
appreciation workshop. We were through
with this seminary that should have been
called “Appreciation Seminary”).
We can see in the picture so embarrassed
but still having fun (maybe a little drunk???).

They felt so embarrassed and gratefull that they had to give the audience a kind of certificate. We got some info about some fake certificates were also given (spelling problems with the word “certicate” instead of “certificate”) so please check your “certicates” :-)

Black group receiving “Best Family Group Award”

As it is expected in an international meeting
there was a present exchange between Morten,
the “Gollum facilitator”,

and the Yemeni girls.
Morten was given a knife (a dangerous
idea to give a weapon to a mentally instable
guy) and the yemeni girls were given……
NOTHING actually.

After all these boring formalities, great FIESTAAA took place where there were also more award given.

This gala was presented by the world
famous Kazahistan (or something like
that) reporter BORAT. He was giving
the awards also, and although we tried
to interview him he left the party with
some policemen that were charging
him with “sexual harrasment”.




Borat ( or Brat??)

The awards were:






Mister and Miss Best Hair (isn´t him bald??)

Best Talented Untalented Volunteer

The party then continued with lot of alcohol and fun.

Finally we have here some nice and interesting pictures of different culture experimenting and also one of the lucky guys in the FIESTA.





Lucky Danish guy trying to look “Latino”

Yemeni girls playing sports
(is it really a sport??)

We would like to thank everyone and
especially we would like to thank the
“salsa guy” facilitator, our friend Eske,
who is celebrating his birtday with as
today.

Sorry everyone but me, Aitor, your
favourite Black Basque reporter and
my boss and spelling corrector,
Jakob, are going back to the fiesta for
some beers and maybe some hot chicks
(don’t tell to Jakob´s girlfriend please).

Clash of Civilizations – welcome to Pink family

During the last week the Music Room has been home to an extended Middle Eastern family with roots from all over the world.
Danes, Arabs, an Iranian and even an exotic German have been jamming, doing yoga and talking giraffe language under the guidance of the divine Sheikh Morten al-Melon.
But people from the Middle East are very family orientated and therefore other families or clans might not have had the possibility of getting to know the Pinks…
So here is the chance to meet a few of them:


Mingo, 30 years old, German-Dane.
Leader of this year’s “Next Stop Iran”, crazy in looove….

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
I was afraid that it could be too humanistic, too much ”chairs in a circle”.

What surprised you the most?
That you get so close to people so fast, also people you don’t know. There is a very positive atmosphere at the seminar.

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
The overload of having to be somewhere all the time, everything is in a schedule. This can be a bit frustrating…

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I pee and pet my dog (not at the same time…well maybe sometimes I do, ha ha).

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I talk to Joergen, 39 years old (and very hot! note from editor).

How do you like the food?
I liked the chicken in tomato sauce!!

What do you miss from home?
From Germany: The grey bread…(?)
From Aarhus where I live: My terrace..


Alaa, 33 years old, Jordanian.
Operations Manager, NGO co-founder, fond of beer.

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
I did not expect the Danish people to be so welcoming, because of all the things that happened during he cartoon-crisis.

What surprised you the most?
The Danes are so helpful! On my way from the airport to Kaloe a lot of different people was helping me...I had no idea where I was going!

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
It has been a bit difficult to fit in because of my age…only structurally.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I brush my teeth…

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I have a quick look through the day; what has happened?

How do you like the food?
The food is amazing! It is tasty, healthy and full of flavors and gourmet. It is the next best thing after the Danish people.

What do you miss from home?
My Chinese dog named Foo (which means: Ancient dog). It has a bulldog face and is amazing; stupid and funny at the same time.



Gitte, age not announced, Danish.
Leader of this year’s “Next Stop Israel/Palestine”, Marathon runner.

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
To meet people from all over the world, have discussions and learn how they work in their NGO´s…and to learn something new.

What surprised you the most?
All the positive and motivated people. Everybody is very nice, curious and a little crazy…(!)

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
Tough schedule, sometimes I have needed some time to reflect.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Get up and run. I train for the Marathon this spring.

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I set my alarm (so I can get up and run…).

How do you like the food?
I liked the curry stew with chickpeas and raisins…it was totally YUMMI!

What do you miss from home?
My cat – hmm, I should say my boyfriend..?


Amal, 24 years old, Palestinian-Dane.
Former basketball star in Jutland.

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
I was looking very much forward to meet new people - also Middle Eastern people…I was very excited!

What surprised you the most?
Everybody is so full of energy and so easy to work with…

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
Most difficult is the weather. I did not bring my winter clothes, because it was supposed to be the beginning of spring.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I say good morning to my roommate Hasnaa from Morocco.

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I do my last prayer.

How do you like the food?
I was very surprised that the food is so delicious! It is really good!

What do you miss from home?
My own bed!



Amani, 24 years old, Yemeni.
Programs coordinator in a youth NGO, likes the music Thomas plays...

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
Two of my friends have been here before, and they told that it was a cold but very nice place…They also said that the Danes were nice people. And from the cheese commercials in Yemen, I know that Denmark is a very green and beautiful place. And I love the nature here; the sea, the green trees…

What surprised you the most?
The nature! It really is much more beautiful than I thought it would be…And also the people; everybody has been so nice and co-operative.

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
Nothing! Really, I have no problems at all. (After this interview Amani became a bit ill because of the fantastic and constantly changing Danish weather).

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I pray…and then I eat breakfast.

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I take notes of what I have learned during the day: different games, methods of teaching and so on.

How do you like the food?
The lasagne was delicious. And the Danish cheese…

What do you miss from home?
My family.



Morten Bowie Smith, 28 years old, Danish.
Creative facilitator, hip-hop dancer.

Which expectations or prejudices did you have before you came to the seminar?
I must admit that I had some prejudices towards the Yemenites. I expected them to be little grey people living in earth caves and only coming out once a year to fish in sea.

What surprised you the most?
Again, the Yemenites were the most prejudice-breaking experience I ever had. When looking into the gentle and intelligent eyes of Amani, I was transformed forever. And little Nawal Winfrey reminded me of how convincing an American talk show host can be…

What has been hard or difficult for you during the seminar?
Nothing! Everything has been so easy…No, actually it has been very difficult constantly to break up people’s expectations of how a good leader should be.

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I tell myself: “This is the first day of the rest of my life”…and then I take on another pair of dirty underwear.

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?
I count sheeps…purple sheeps!

How do you like the food?
I liked the Tandoori Chicken – and the cakes…Even the coleslaw, I love coleslaw.

What do you miss from home?
A naked girlfriend in a kimono…

Note: Pictures of the other Pinkies will follow later - insha'allah!

Pirate Scandal Exposed

Ever since the surprise-victory awarded the Rotten Legs following the Pirate-arrgh-run, discontent has been brewing among the many participants of the seminar. Many groups felt strongly that the victory was awarded based on obscure criteria; maybe even fraught. This suspicion has now been confirmed.
An anonymous, yet trustwothy, source, placed centrally in the scandal, comments:
"We were very surprised; we didn't even finish the run".
Th buzz on the street that the Rotten Legs were declared winners because it was the only name remembered by any facilitator, has also been confirmed. An even more anonymous source overheard the following exchange between two suspicious looking pirates who have been impersonating facilitators and were dressed up like pirates for the event.
"He, he. These scurvy sailors have no idea. They couldn't find a treasure even if they had a map."
"[hickup] No. The Rotten Legs were so rotten that even me mate Jim wouldn't trust them."
As this clearly demonstrates, there has been foul play. The pirates have not been seen since, but are
believed to have been made to walk the plank as a part of a scandalous cover-up.
Numerous attempts to get a comment from the facilitaters have lead to no results.

Michael Falk

P.S. Don't forget the Pulitzer Prize this year.