first impressions in 4 weeks.

So far this is the forth week I'm in Copenhagen. It is funny to get to
know people a bit closer and i find Danes quite a curious nation. Like
for example in terms of planning the future...
I am asking a friend by sms, one Saturday, how he is and if he would
like to meet. He answers back that he is fine and that he is at work
so he can't meet. I question him back when will be off. He answers
that on Wednesday in the afternoon will be free.

I am thinking for some time to write this series of dump questions i
receive from the people over internet. The overwhelming ones are:
"where are you from?" (9 out of 10) and "are you happy here?" (7 out
of 10). A classic discussion would be smth. like - from beginning to
the end:
(DanishDude): "aften der mester *S* men ehm er du snowboarder siden du
kalder dig selv det ?"; (me): " I am sorry I can't understand Danish";
(DD): "oh well. Where are you from?"; (me): "Romania"; (DD): "A ok.
Are you happy here?"; (me): "I am feeling fine here - indeed - so far
at least"; (DD): "what are you doing here?";(me): "studying"; (DD):
"what are you studying?"; (me): "architecture"; (DD): "interesting..".
And that's it, the interesting discussion ended in "interesting"
indeed.

A very special discussion i had today: (me): "hey!"; (DD): "hey!";
(me): "nice pics"; (DD): "Thanks! You look really good too!"; (me):
"thanks :) so what are you looking for in here?"; (DD): "Well I'm
probably looking for a date. Where are you from?"; (me): "Romania";
(DD): "Too bad that you're in Copenhagen. Otherwise I'd have offered
you a nice cup of coffee tonight "; (me): "i am in Copenhagen "; (DD):
"Yeah - and I'm in Århus. 3½ hours by train...".

O well - as O. might say - Denmark is indeed very interesting. Just
imagine that i am at this study program and 50% of the classroom is
made up by carpenters, bricklayers and concreters. I suppose no
carpenter from Romania, or any other such professions as a matter of
fact, would like to advance their studies, this of course if they are
still working in the country, if not picking strawberries in Spain.

My impression about my faculty: it is nice to go back to the earlier
stages of education. And don't get me wrong, i am not trying to sound
superior or smth., but after 5 years of advanced mathematics and
mechanics it is almost general school for me what we are doing. To
give you an example, I looked on the school's server and i had checked
the mathematical formulas for my semester. The area of square and
circle, the sector of the circle, the perimeter of the square. It is
still 2D geometry, 'cause they'll study the 3D in the 3year of study.

And is no wonder since in the shops, banks and even with a calculator
in front they can't make basic mathematics: additions and
subtractions... I do suppose that explaining in front of the classroom
how the loading forces acts in a bridge and what is negative
deflection of a beam is a bit more complicated.

I guess that for me the most complicated thing is working in a team.
Being educated in the holly spirit of "tu tintesti, tu dai cu capul"
(in free translation - "you target, you hit your head") preached by
the educational system from Romania (maybe some communistic
remain..alongside with everything else in fact, books, infrastructure,
knowledge and professors - nothing has changed), individual work is
the mother of all things. So far my only comfort is that: "if it gets
bad, is because we all had to contribute with smth to it...:)"
I also see why now is so frequent to work in teams in a big company:
it can't be only one person to blame for the fucked ups.


So far my team's accomplishments were a bridge from wooden sticks
and glue and a house model from the same wooden sticks and
paper. These were called class assignments.