Continue reading »]]> There’s has been a lot of changes in the foreign law in Denmark. For the past 10 years foreigners are the always caught in the negotiations whenever the present government wanted to pass their programs the right-wing party Danish Peoples Party always try their best to pass strict rules for foreigners to come to Denmark either refugees or by family reunions. Last year when they introduce the point system where the foreign partner should get certain points according to his/her education, language skills, work experience etc.. it was perceived by the Danish citizens as the state dictates who their citizen wanted to marry and discriminates against people who are not highly educated, doesn’t speak English, Scandinavian language etc. in high level. They even processing fess when submitting applications for residence and working permits. The foreign partner also have to pass the Danish immigration test wherein they have to pay just to get the exam and they also have to pay when the foreign partner has to prepare for the exam by going to language school inside or outside Denmark. Finding a foreign partner makes it more difficult and expensive.

I will repost the requirements her and for Filipinos who are asking me if they can  come to Denmark via family reunion please read this new rules.

New family reunification rules

On 1 June 2011, the Danish Parliament changed the rules for
family reunification for spouses/partners.

In the course of June 2011, detailed information about the rules for family reunification for spouses/partners will be published in  the Danish Immigration website www.newtodenmark.dk, along with new application forms.

The new rules apply to all applications for family reunification with a spouse/partner submitted from 1 July 2011.

The changes are as follows:

If the spouse/partner residing in Denmark is a foreign national,he/she must meet some of the requirements which are to be met when applying for a permanent residence permit. These requirements must also be met if the spouse/partner residing in Denmark has been granted a permanent residence permit under the rules which applied before 26 March 2010. Consequently, when the Danish Immigration Service receives an application for family reunification with a spouse/partner, it will assess whether the spouse/partner residing in Denmark can be given points for the following criteria:

1. having resided legally in Denmark for at least the past four years
2. not having committed any serious crimes
3. not having any overdue public debts
4. not having received certain types of public assistance for the past three years
5. having submitted a signed declaration about integration and active citizenship in Danish society
6. having passed Prøve i Dansk 2 (Danish exam, level 2) or the equivalent
7. having had ordinary full-time employment in Denmark for at least 2½ out of the past 3 years
8. 1. having had ordinary full-time employment in Denmark for at least 4 out of the past 4½ years, or
   2. having completed a higher educational programme, professional bachelor’s degree, business academy or vocational upper  secondary, or
   3. having passed Prøve i Dansk 3 (Danish exam, level 3) or the equivalent

• A point system for the applicant will be introduced. If both spouses/partners are over 24, the applicant must normally obtain 60
  points. If one or both spouses/partners are under 24, the applicant must normally obtain 120 points. These points will be granted based on a number of qualifications relevant to integration, such as work experience, language skills and completed education.
• The attachment requirement is tightened so that the spouses’/partners’ combined attachment to Denmark must be considerably greater than their combined attachment to any other country. The attachment requirement will be changed for both the spouse/partner residing in Denmark and the foreign spouse/partner. In future, the foreign spouse/partner must normally have visited Denmark twice, and must have completed a Danish language course on A1 level. The spouse/partner residing in Denmark must normally have resided in Denmark for at least 15 years, and must have made an effort to integrate into Danish society. As is the case today, the attachment requirement in not to be met if the spouse/partner residing in Denmark has held Danish citizenship for over 28 years, or if he/she was born and raised in Denmark or came to Denmark as a small child, and has resided legally in Denmark for over
  28 years.
• The collateral requirement will be raised to DKK 100,000 (2011 level)
• The language requirement in connection with the immigration test will be tightened, and the fee for taking the new test will be raised to DKK 3,600. (This change will not apply until the new immigration test has been developed – probably around 1 January 2012.)
• The fee for submitting an application for family reunification with a spouse/partner is raised from DKK 5,975 toDKK 7,775 .

From 1 July 2011, when the new rules apply, the general requirements for family reunification with a spouse/partner will be as follows:

Requirements relating to both spouses/partners:

• The marriage/registered partnership must be recognized by Danish law.
• In the case of couples who are not legally married or registered partners, the relationship must be of a permanent and lasting nature -normally, the couple must be able to document that they have lived together for at least 18 months at a shared address.
• The marriage/partnership must have been entered into according to the wishes of both spouses/partners.
• The marriage/partnership must not have been entered into solely for the purpose of obtaining a residence permit for the applicant.

Requirements relating to the foreign spouse/partner:

• The foreign spouse/partner must meet his/her part of the attachment requirement.
• The foreign spouse/partner must obtain 60 points if both spouses/partners are over 24, or 120 if one or both are under 24.
• The foreign spouse/partner must pass the immigration test.

Requirements relating to the spouse/partner residing in Denmark:

• The spouse/partner must not have been convicted of violent acts against a former spouse/partner in the past 10 years.
• The spouse/partner must agree to support the foreign spouse/partner
• The spouse/partner must either hold a Danish residence permit granted on the grounds of asylum or Protected Status (the Danish Aliens Act,section 7 and or have held a permanent Danish residence permit for the past three years or more.
• If the spouse is a foreign citizen, he/she must meet a number of the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit.
• The spouse/partner must meet his/her part of the attachment requirement.
• The spouse/partner must be able to support him/herself – that is, he/she must not have received public assistance under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act or the Integration Act for the past three years.
• The spouse/partner must have accommodation of adequate size at his/her disposal.
• The spouse/partner must post DKK 100,00 (2011 level) in bank-backed collateral to cover any public assistance paid to the foreign spouse/partner under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act or the Integration Act. As is the case now, there will be a possibility in certain cases.

Source:http://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-us/News/News/danish_immigration_service/2011/Juni/new-family-reunification-rules.htm

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I received my son’s allowance or child check  today but officially they call it Family Allowance. All families in Denmark with children who fulfills the requirements receives,  a Child Check every quarter and it’s tax-free. Beyond this benefit, it is also possible to get other grants, for example. if you are a single parent, student or Retired parents.

Taxes are very high in Europe  especially in Denmark but health care and Child Supports are well in place unlike the third world countries. That’s a good thing living in Europe that there is a child support for example in Spain once you give birth you will get 2,500 euros and 100 euro per month until they reach 3 years old. In Denmark you are entitled to receive Family Allowance from birth until before  child’s  18th birthday.

Family Allowance

The Family Allowance is for all families with children and adolescents under 18 years. The allowance is paid automatically to the child’smother’s NEMKonto Easy Account. NEM Konto Easy Account  is an ordinary bank account which you designate  to be your Nemkonto Easy Account. This is where all public payments are transferred. If there is any arrangement of who will receive the family benefits check with your municipality. Otherwise, the mother automatically have the amount paid quarterly after childbirth.

What are the requirement to  receive family allowance?

• The person who has custody must be fully taxable in Denmark. It usually requires that you live in Denmark.
• The child must reside in Denmark. The family allowance may be paid even if the child resides briefly in another country for purposes such as holidays or family visits, or if the child is staying temporarily in another country as part of his training. School Absenteeism shall be lawful for mandatory school children  entitled to child benefit.
• The child must not be under the custody of the social service or have married.
• The municipality must not have reached a decision for a non-compliance with parental instruction. A parental notice may for example assume that parents must ensure that the child comes to school every day. The order given for a quarter at a time.

The payment schedule for the Family Benefits:

• 20 January,
• 20 April
• 20 July
• 20 October.

Rates for the year 2010

***New rules from 2011***

The 7-17 year olds divided into two groups where the 7-14 year-old will be paid a Child Allowance and the 15-17 year olds will be paid a Youth Allowance.

Children and adolescents benefit will be reduced during 2011, 2012 and 2013 in increments of 5 per cent.  They also set a ceiling of 35,000 dkk  for the total Child benefits  that’s inlcudes other Supplementary Child Benefits. They also certain rules for both parents and Youth with regards to following the Child educational plan.

Supplementary Child Allowances

Aside from the Family Allowance which is given automatically there are also available Child Allowances and Subsidies which you can avail but you have to apply to your Municipality.

Child Allowance  For Single Parent

Note: as a single parent you need to live alone with your child not living in with a  partner.

Special Child Allowance

Special Child Allowance is given to a Single Parent if there is no support from one of the parent, or if the paternity of the child could not be established or only one of the parent is alive.

Subsidy For Multiple Children

Supplementary family allowance is paid to multiple child-birth for example twins, triplets, etc., until they reach 7 years old. The  Child Allowance shall be paid beyond the first child that means it will be given to the 2nd child and the 3rd  and so forth. It shall be paid without application.

It is a requirement that all children have the same residence. This kind of child support is not applicable to adoptive single parent or Children who were conceived thru artificial method by Single women.

Subsidy For Parent Undergoing Education

Parents studying or undergoing training or internships can get a special allowance. One can not receive more than one grant per parent in training. If both parents are students, and  have two children, they can  get two grants. The amount granted depends on your income. Please check  www.su.dk if you are receiving State’s Education Grant because you will also receive an extra 12 months stipend when you give birth.

Subsidy For Adoptive children from foreign land

The municipality who will give the  allowance but the State Administration (Statsforvaltning) should attest that the child has arrived in Denmark

Child Allowance for Retired Parents

You can receive the Ordinary Child Allowance if you are parents and both receives the state pension or disability pension under the rules from before the 1st of January 2003.

You can get special allowances if you are parents and one of you or  both of you  receive pension or disability pension under the rules from before the 1st January 2003. The special grants shall be reduced if you have sustained income over a certain size.

Alimony

The maintenance obligation shall normally not more than ten years and it will stop if the person receiving the contribution, remarries, or one of the spouses dies. Where the court determines the obligation to contribute, it will focus on the opportunities the parties have when they go their separate ways. The Court does not determine its size. How much one should pay in alimony to the other, the parties must decide for themselves.

If they can agree, it determines the state administration. State Administration decision is discretionary, and is especially taken on the basis of the couple’s gross income. Normally, the contribution of 1 / 5 of the difference between their gross income.

Subsidy in Child Care

Child care in Denmark is not free but you can apply for subsidy which the payment can be reduced or in part depending on the family’s income. For example in Copenhagen Municipality Family combined income of 461,600 (2010 rate) can apply for reduced rate plus additional sibling discount if there are more than 1 child.
PLease check your Municipality for more information. The Family Allowance can be combined with different Supplementary Allowance but you need to apply to your municipality. Child Allowance are tax Free and are adjusted every 1st of January every year. This  Child Benefits is only effective this 2010 because the Parliament made some changes which will be called Child And Youth Benefits 2011 and will take effect next year if you want to learn about it you can check it here.

Source of Information: WWW.borger.dk and www.skat.dk but they are in Danish. You download the Child Benefit in Denmark 2007 from the Department of Family Affairs.

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Maman, a beautiful sculpture by Louise Bourgeois

I was bruising my digital pictures way back in 2003 and I found this picture of a big spider around 30 ft. high.  It was taken by our second digital camera a 3.2 megapixel Kodak which I think it produced wonderful pictures inspite it was a little bit slow. It was taken during summer and it was exhibited in front of the Court house in Gammel Torv in Copenhagen. According to Wikipedia Louise Burgeois was born December 25, 1911 in Paris. She was a famous artist and sculpture and the Maman was most famous since it was exhibited by the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao which reminds me that I dream of visiting that wonderful piece of architecture by Frank Gehry.

Continue reading »]]> There’s new scare in town the pig influenza which according to Webster online dictionary it is

“An acute highly contagious, respiratory disease caused primarily by a Type-A infuenza virus and characterized by depression, fever, anorexia, coughing, dyspnea, muscular weakness, prostration, and a mucous discharge from the eyes and nose. Pigs are the principal hosts of swine influenza virus, although infuenza viruses found in pigs also occur in man and birds. Source: European Union.”

It’s all over the news around the world where it is feared to kill around 150 people in Mexico. Confirmed statistics of people diagnosed carrying the feared hog influenza virus in USA there are 40 cases but no death toll yet, 6 Canada, 2 in Great Britain, 1in Spain and 2 who are undergoing test in Denmark. And they only one thing in common they had been in Mexico which is by the way had been rammed by an earthquake at least 5.5 in the Richter Scale. Not a lucky day for Mexico .

The health ministers in Europe are busy an visible in the news explaining about the new scare and they advised their citizens not to travel in Mexico if it is not so important. The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the pandemic alert level to 4 which means that the virus is spreading among humans. The top EU personality advised from travelling d to Mexico an to the US but President Obama calmly stated that “The outbreak i areason for concern but not yet cause for an alarm”.

I’m also concern because according to the experts this virus hits the active healthy people well I don’t know but I just hope it will be contained soon….

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A long distance relationship… What kind of relationship is that?

“Ask a Danish man who is married to a Filipina “I said when I was told about my brother who was leaving his wife and 2 children at home, in search for greener pastures in Spain. Two months later my sister-in-law found out that she was pregnant with twins! Most westerners can not understand why Filipinos leave their families to work abroad.

I went home and looked back at my own Filipino family’s saga on how we became a truly global Filipino family.

In a traditional Filipino family, the father is considered the head and the provider of the family and he is often referred to as the “ Haligi ng Tahanan”, The Pillar of the Home. While the mother takes the responsibility of taking care of the children and managing the home, she is called the “Ilaw ng Tahanan” or the light of the home. Children see their mother as soft and calm, while they regard their father as strong and the eminent figure in the family.

But in our case our mother is the one who has the strong character; she is not only a mother to us but she also does some of the things that my father lacks like handy man, and sometimes also making ends meet when my father’s earnings can’t support their 5 children.

My father tends our fishponds but sometimes typhoons, floods, and other calamities that always pass through our province make it a very unstable source of income. He also used to be a Biyahero a merchant so we had market stalls in 3 towns in Pangasinan (a Northern Province in Luzon island, ed.) but it was still not enough to provide good education for us kids which was their dream since they had only minimal education themselves.

In 1981 our lives changed when my mother left us to join her siblings here in Denmark to find work. I still can remember that time, I cried for several hours because I cannot imagine what our life will be without her. In a family, the mother is the light for all the pains and comforts. She is the light for all the mistakes and corrections. She is the light for all the happiness and sorrows. Without that light, the house can still stand but, there will be darkness. And with the darkness, there will be constant searching for direction and survival.

I was the eldest of the five children and I was 11 at the time she left us. Her responsibilities fel on my shoulder: I washed our clothes, cooked our food, and cleaned the house. I also became the surrogate mother of my youngest sister who was only 2 years old at that time. My brothers were 6 and 8 years old and my other sister was 9. There was a constant feeling of sadness and deep longing for us to be with our mother. Birthdays, Christmas, graduations and all the special events without our mother will forever be etched in our hearts. Gifts we received like new toys or new clothes were a momentary plaster to the emotional sores that made us numb with longing for family togetherness.

I can’t remember how I felt when I saw my mother for the first time in 4 years but what I can vividly remember was my youngest sister reaction at that time. She could not recognize my mother, it took her a month to get to used to the idea that we have indeed a mother. The site of the postman was a relief during that time. I can’t describe the excitement whenever we received greeting cards or letters from our mother. That was during the pre-internet age and there were no telephone lines in our place. Whenever we missed her we would just read her letters to reassure ourselves that she still with us but just thousands of miles away.

If it was difficult for us kids, it was even more so for our father who had to assume the mother and father roles at the same time especially when we reached puberty. My father was very strict with us: no parties, no gimmicks and no discos. I almost did not attend the Junior Senior Prom (Dance Ball). There was a lot of resentment and confusion for a teenager due to hormonal changes to our bodies that were happening, but somehow we managed through the help of my one and only female cousin. Most of my aunts and uncles were also abroad at that time so mostly we had to manage ourselves.

Later, our father left us to join my mother who moved to Spain 8 years later because there were already 2 of us who went to college. After a few months my sister followed him, leaving my 2 brothers and youngest sister under the care of my grandmother. I was in college and lived in Manila at that the time until my other siblings joined me when they went to college. My parents went home every 3 years after that.

Living without our parents was difficult but it made us closer to each other, and stronger to face life’s challenges. We’ve been through a lot of problems like studying, jobs and relationship problems. We even experienced that our apartment burned down not only once but twice with most of our priced possessions like pictures from childhood and most of the material things I gained while working, burned into ashes. We were lucky to receive help from other people like my employer at that time, who gave us financial help when we needed it most. But those experiences taught us that the family is more important thing than anything else in one’s life. Material things can vanish any time.

My parents were present during our graduation except my youngest sister’s graduation. When we entered the Philippines Convention Center where our graduation was, one can clearly see the tears in their eyes and the pride to see us in our togas, when we went up the stage to receive our diplomas.

I got a degree in Civil Engineering and is now pursuing another degree in Constructing Architect or Architectural Technology here in Denmark. One brother is dentist and one is a Electronics and Communication Engineer. My youngest sister finished Chemical Engineering, and another sister finished International Relations studies.

It was the dream of my parent for us to finish our education so we will have a better chance to have a good future.

But there’s an anti climax to our story. After several years of working in the Philippines, we still could not see a better future for all of us, we followed  our parents footsteps and are now joining the millions of global Filipinos trying to find a better future, which our own country unfortunately cannot provide us.

My family are composed of global migrants of 2  generations both on my father and mother’s side, families with one or both parents working abroad and children living here in Denmark, my parents are in Spain, my sister and myself here in Denmark. Others cousins and relatives are in the USA and one is a seaman. Some cousins also works in Dubai and other parts of the Middle East.  We vowed once not to follow our parent’s footsteps because we don’t want our children to undergo what we have been through. Although we can alway join our parents in Spain but maybe it’s our destiny to find our happiness here  in Denmark and we are grateful to our Aunt Elvira and her family for inviting us here where we met our husband and lives a better life than living in the Philippines.  Spain is much closer and cheaper and we’re hoping to to spend our first Christmas together this year with our complete family, it will be the first since 1981.

Did my parents dream turn into nothing because we are working and living abroad after earning our academic degrees in the Philippines? No I don’t think so, It is not our fault that the economy of the Philippines is in disarray and that it can not keep its highly educated citizens home. But we will always be thankful to the sacrifices of our parents because having education is the best thing they can give us because it will never vanish and someday it will help us to find the right jobs here in Europe.

Even in the absence of the Light of the Home, we still functioned as a family because of the sacrifice my parents did just for the sake of a better future for their children. They became our guiding light to stay away from all kinds of temptations and we became responsible adults. It’s the love for the family that drives many Filipinos to leave and work abroad.

Our First Family Picture taken in 2001

This is our first and only family picture in 2001 meaning that finally we are complete as family plus the my sister in law and my niece.

Note:  This article was first published in ABAKADA,”Ang Balitang Kababaihan sa Denmark”, (The Filipina news in Denmark) in the Summer 2008 issue which theme is about Filipino Women’s on global migration. You can read other articles in that issue at www.babaylan.dk.

I posted this article because we will joining my parents in Spain are for the first time in 27 years we will spend the Christmas together as a family. It will be the realization of our dream and prayers for the past 27 years to be together during christmas but now that that we have our own families it will be more exciting and memorable for all of us.

That is for me the meaning of christmas to be with your family like the family in Bethlehem Our Lord Jesus together with His Parents and that will be the greatest gift that we will never forget.

How about you are you going to spend your christmas with your family?

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my wallet

Sometime you can not believe that honesty still lies in the heart of many people especially among the danish people. Today I lost my wallet in a small shopping center I was about to pay for my cafe latte when I discovered that it was lost. I went back right away to the bakery inside a supermarket where i just bought a cake but it wasn’t there. Then my husband called me that the guards found my wallet who was actually calling me but I wasn’t able to answer it because it was on a silent mode. So I called the guard right away then he asked me to pick it up then he joked if I you missed something I said yes and he gave my wallet back.

This is actually my third time that I lost and found my wallet. The first time was at the National Museum and I was on my way to a restaurant when somebody called my mobile phone and it was the receptionist in the museum asking me to go back because somebody surrendered my wallet to him. I went to pick it up no question asked. I told myself I was lucky and it happened again but I forgot where it was but they called me again asking me to pick up. ( My phone was luckily on the list that’s why they were able to call me.)

Once I forgot to removed my 18 carat gold necklace and a big pendant inside my pants pocket (i put in my pocket after I took it off after I underwent a canning in the hospital) . I lost it when i washed my clothes and I didn’t even know about it until i have to wash 14 after days I found the pendant hanging in the bulletin board and I said it look like it’s mine then I took it and the necklace probably end up inside the washing machine.

When I was still new in Denmark i forgot 4oo dkk in Aldi a supermarket and the the funny thing is I discovered it 3 days after I left it wondering where is my money then I called my husband to pass by the supermarket and ask them If somebody just forgot 4 of 100 dkk folded and was still new. You will be surprised what their answer was” Oh we were very worried that she forgot it but we don’t know where you live” and give back the money to my husband. I thought it was a miracle.

I read somewhere that the Norwegians and the Danish have the highest percentage of Moral ground I think they meant was most honest people in the world by topping the people who return the wallets that’s been dropped (dropping wallets test). I can also remember a program on the danish TV testing people’s honesty by an actor who withdraw cash from an ATM machine and left it there and what will be the next person do report it to the bank or just keep the money. Most of them reported to the bank but two young ones tried to keep the money for themselves until the actor approached them.

By sharing my experiences to the others i found out and all of us conclude you the danish are very honest compared to the other nationalities especially th older people. Coming from populated and a developing country this is a bit odd and at the same time a breath of fresh air or should I say trusting the human species again when living in this country.

I even heard some people that they lost wallets but were returned thru mail sometimes with or without the cash in it. One of my friend has to pay the stamp because they sent it without putting stamps in it which it fine I think.

The danish people hates to do through any control i just to site some examples:

• There are no turnstile in the train or the Metro stations you just ride the train .
• Just show the driver you bus card or ticket with a machine stamp that most of the times they don’t really look.
• There’s no deposit counter in the department stores and supermarkets you can actually put your other bads or plastic bags you bought from the other store inside a new store.
• You don’t have to fall in line while entering a mall or store (that’s for security reasons in the Philippines)
• You don’t have to be check your belongings when going out for a mall or department store if you stole something.

BUT keep in mind if you cheat by not having the proper tickets in the bus and train (Note that here in Copenhagen area the fare depends on the zone minimum 2 zones and you can use the ticket in the Bus, Metro, the train and the ferry) when there is a control/inspector the fine is 600 Dkk (approx. 100 US$). That’s almost 2 months worth of 2 zones bus card.

But don’t be too relax you should be careful with your things because even if there’s a lot honest Danes there still some who aren’t and especially now Christmas shoppings in full blast there’s a lot of thieves in the malls, bus and in the walking street both local thieves but most of them according to the police are Tourist Thieves from the poor countries in Eastern Europe like the Romanians etc.

You can also experience honest people in the Philippines but it is very seldom isn’t because it is a poor country in relations to Denmark or is depend upon the individual’s values.

As a parent it will be our responsibility to teach or instill value formation to our children while they are still young. All the good characters and moral values like integrity , honesty etc. which they will take or practice until they become responsible adults.

Remember the saying Honesty is the Best Policy.

How about you did you happen to meet some honest people?

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Cathy, The filipina au pair

This is Catherine when she was in Holland, her picture reflects sweetness and contentment of her experience with her host family in Holland. But she asked me not to published her present picture because she lost weight because she don’t want her family to worry when they see her now.

Catherine story is one of the many Filipina sad stories about the bad aupair situation in Denmark. I met her last Saturday sobbing while telling me her sad flight, her sad experiences with mind you 2 danish families.

The 1st danish host family

Catherine came to Denmark almost 5 months ago hoping to broaden her cultural horizons since she already worked as an aupair in Holland for 1 year she want to extent her stay in Europe. Nearing the end of her contract in Holland she tried to find possible au pair job in Denmark and she made contact to a family in Hellerup and they hired her as their au pair or offer (that’s danish for victim).

She received 2,500 dkk monthly in allowance thats the minimum allowance set up by the state but she worked more than the allowed maximum of 30 days per week. She was asked to baby sit for many hours sometimes 10 hours per week and she tried to talked to them and they said that they will see until she noticed she was already five months. It is not only long working hours but it’s more of how they treated her badly like she was not a part of the family but a house help. For along time she can not sleep and lost so much weight and she cannot take it anymore then one day while she was crying in the train station wondering what kind of hell she end up with. Another au pair approached her and gave her a telephone number of a family who is looking for an au pair. When she informed her host that she will transfer to a new family they immediately asked her to leave and sign a paper that she is transferring to this and that but it also written there without her knowledge (it was in danish) that her service as their au pair were paid but actually they owed her at least more than half a months salary but they told her that they will send it to her new address. They gå væk translated go out go out while laughing and shouted you will work your head and ass anywhere. Well maybe she’s witch because it became true. Just read on.

The 2nd danish host family

She then contacted that family in Holte where they promised her 3000 DKK allowance and a bus ticket to the city in her free time but it turned out that this 2nd family was worse than the first one. She starts to work 7.15 prepare breakfast and pack lunch, feed the kids, prepare the clothes and bathe and clothe them. She has to clean the house pick up the kids in Hellerup, do the laundry, help with the assignment, cook dinner, feed kids, prepare clothes for the next day etc. until around 8 pm. Wow that’s more than 10 hours everyday. For few days she don’t even have any break for meal just drank some tea that’s all. So when she received her schedule she reminded the lady of the house that she should only work max. 5 hours and also give her some breaks according to the contract they both signed but the dot the answer “You should see a doctor,I think you are depressed”, who will be depressed with that schedule just take a look below.

Cathy's Schedule

Continue reading »]]> This picture caught my attention during our study trip last year.

This building is one of the inspirations of our project in school and it’s located in the North Harbor.

Very Scandinavian clean and spacious opt to be called the new working environment but I think the

architect thought of the idea while driving and drinking coffe cause it’s really looks like coffee holder.

Do you agree?

Continue reading »]]> Now I can understand my husbands fear of riding any form of rides in Amusement Parks. He said he is afraid something will happen and especially whe is not the one in control. Although as a child he tried all sorts of rides in Tivoli (Amusement Park) but when he grew older he will not even dare to try. I’m got an annual entrance card in Tivoli but I don’t want to try any rides because I think I’m gonna die. But Tivoli in Copenhagen is very cozy and dreamylike so I like to go there once in a while especially watching the fireworks in the closing time and the free concerts.

Lately there’s so many accidents that happened in Denmark and in Sweden this month of July alone .

Here are some of the accidents with serious casualties.

• Tivoli Friheden in Aarhus Denmark- July 4, 2008. The cobra Ride which just newly opened roller coaster derailed and crashed on the ground before the eyes of shocked witnesses who were waiting for their turn. There were 4 teenagers who suffered serious injuries.
• Sommerland Amusement Park, Faarup Denmark – July 13, 2008. An 8-year-old boy is in a coma after a door on the Teacup ride.
• Sommerland Amusement Park, Faarup Denmark- July 9, 2008. Two girls were washed out formtheir seat after a photocell problem created a huge wave.

• Liseberg Amusement Park, Goteborg, Sedene- July 15, 2208 – 36 we’re injured when the Rainbow collapse. I found this picture from one of the forum.
• It’s so scary.

• Source of News: Copenhagen Post

More worldwide accidents in amusement parks in this site http://www.rideaccidents.com/

Note that these Amusement park we’re checked by the authorities but accidents happened anyway. There’s a lot of discussion and criticisms especially from the media and in the Parliament about the safety requirements of amusement parks but no concrete proposal yet.