Emmerik met me at the Metro with his bike. He put me and two suitcases in the front and began a guided tour of Christiania. The three wheeled bikes are a Christiania design. They don't move – they glide. He stopped when a man came running after us with a jacket that we'd dropped. It turned out that the man and his girlfriend had nowhere to sleep that night, so Emmerik gave them his bed for the night.
My apartment is lovely and I have an internet connection so that I can listen to Radio 4 if I miss home. Early investigations revealed that the jazz club in Christiania is excellent – although is that because of the international jazz festival that's on in Copenhagen at the moment. I have never seen a kora player doing jazz improvisation before.
A day of rest and settling in yesterday.
Today I begin the process of MBWA – a strategy I came across a few years ago now in a large multinational corporate organisation. It means Management by Wandering Around. It reflected the idea that moving around was an important way of connecting with people, of getting into conversations that might lead somewhere new. The buildings were designed to encourage this with small refreshment stopping off points. I will wander through this community and see what happens.
I also need to make a map of the area and start a list of all the work I see taking place here. I will then be able to draw up a shortlist for potential work experience placements.
There are no petrol vehicles allowed here – but a van has just gone by which must be the exception. It must be bin day – I need to check where to leave my rubbish. The van is covered in graffitti. On the side it says 'The Dirty Bastards'. I will add them to my list of potential placement opportunities.
