(Thu 21/6/2012)
I'm sorry for the messy Swedish-English-Danish language mix, but it seems necessary to write in a way that everybody can understand!:)
I started off a bit late, but I got down to the Kolonihavnen (Colonial Harbor) in time for speeches, marches/music and cannon salutations. Coffee and bread (butter, cheese, jam) was served outside for all of the people awake at this early hour at Rådhuset (City Hall). I met with Maria, a friend of a friend, also Finnish, who has worked here at the university since August 2011. I think it's quite cool that I know TWO persons in Greenland: Maria and Judithe, who studied Faroese with me in 2010.
Me and Maria walked around, met people, saw f.e. the old University (a delightful little red house by the sea), nice and not so nice apartment buildings, villas, graveyards, grocery stores, dogs, children, also quite a few Greenlanders in national dresses. We walked back to the downtown area for speeches on the square right outside our dorm: people gave speeches from their hearts and gave thanks to the land of Greenland in their own languages. It was a very nice and heartfelt atmosphere. We wrote small notes in our own languages and posted them on a wall. A very simple but nice way to include everyone and show how international the remote island of Greenland actually is!
We went to see what was cooked for lunch at the women's' house: but alas, nothing for me! The whale soup was not really my thing… So I had coffee and a piece of dry cake:)
