Issuu

We may share a common language, but our approach to CONNECT to the world is different. We ventured to discover something that cannot be defined.

Seeking to EXPRESS the unknown through experience. The one’s that we’ve had, and the one’s we were destined to find.

Curiosity led us on a journey to integrate. Free to encounter culture and history. Longing to understand community. In our desire, we CREATE a new perspective.

Cover photos by: Rachel Ellis © 2022 Photo I Students © 2022 Danish School of Media and Journalism Print: Eccograf Gruppen Printed in Aarhus, Denmark 2022 Special thanks to: Gitte Luk Søren Pagter Lars Prevelakis Bai Thank you to all who shared stories for their trust and patience.

AS IF ON A TRIP

MY BARBERSHOP IS MY HOME

THE POWER OF SEA GREENS

Sandipa Malakar

Teresa Menka

Rachel Ellis

THIS IS WHO I AM

THE HUMANE FACES OF WAR

MARKS OF LIFE

Kim Christin Zeidler

Mohamed Mahdy & Paul-Louis Godier

Sini Lukka

A MUTUAL LESSON IN CARING

BETWEEN HOPE AND DESPAIR

A ROOM WITH A HEART

Ralitsa Belcheva

Rydwan Ahmed

Yashovardhan Sodhani

As If On A Trip As the shrill sound of sirens increases, Mira grasps Aleksandra’s hand; she is the oldest child and knows the meaning of a siren. by Sandipa Malakar

After a telephone call with Veronica the next day without any hesitation Aleksandra takes her child and joins her family on the journey to Lviv, Ukraine. From there they plan to go to Denmark. Two friends with their children and Veronica’s mother start with the bare essentials they could carry. The experience of this family is a reflection of millions of misfortunes in Ukraine. War has changed everything. The unpredictable aggression from Russia started less than two months ago, on February 24th. More than four million people have already fled from their mother country to the neighboring countries with fear in their eyes. The destruction of their fellow citizens and their properties have left them blank and without any hope. Veronica and Aleksandra have been friends for more than 10 years. They have faith in each other and in their ability to support themselves on the risky journey of 35 hours crossing the Polish border. At that time the war had already started.

Previous page - Miraslova (aged 8) fled from Ukraine to Denmark with her mother. She carried this soft toy named “Pumka” with her. It has been with her for five years.

Top - Children make the family always busy. It also helps them to divert their attention from the anxiety.

Bottom - Veronica with her husband in their home in Ukraine. While leaving the country she had to leave her husband, too.

They just left in their pajamas with some warm clothes on. They even couldn’t bring their favorite dresses or their red lipstick. Leaving the country forcefully is always painful, and for the two women it was not easy to say goodbye to their elderly relatives, who felt too old to leave their country. When they left their hometown, Zaporizhya, their husbands stayed behind, too. Though their husbands are not in the army, they are forced to stay and fight for their country according to the government law for men between the age of 18 and 60. Only women and children have safe passage to another country. Veronica, who is 31- years old is now, in Aarhus with her two children, baby Karolina and toddler Evan, her mother Natalia. Living with them is her friend Aleksandra, who is 30 years old and her daughter Miraslova, aged eight. They are all almost settled now in cozy tworoom apartment in central Aarhus. Denmark welcomed them very well, but fear of war is still there in their mind. After settling in, they love to go around the city in order to forget the stress of the war. Aleksandra tries to think it is just a tour to Denmark; a kind of holiday where they explore Denmark as much as they can. When the tour is over, they will return to their home soon. Or that is at least what she hopes for. Goosebumps still appear when Aleksandra talks about fleeing from Ukraine, about her cat, her family and the plants she had to leave behind. Veronica and Aleksandra don’t want to confine themselves to their apartment but try to explore the surroundings to distract themselves from news of the war .

Veronica loves to recall their life back in Ukraine, where she had a busy professional and personal life. Therefore she often scrolls through the photos on her iPhone. When photos of the border and other images of the war come up she scrolls past them very quickly. She doesn’t want to remember the war they fled from but prefers to pretend that they are just on a holiday trip.

Previous page - After several attempts Aleksandra is able to connect to her husband on a video call. He is busy evacuating people in Ukraine.

Top - Every night the whole family gathers for dinner to make the children feel some kind of normality. Bottom - Veronica is playing with her son Ivan in their new apartment.

Next page - Ivan, Veronica’s toddler, doesn’t know what war means. He is just happy as long as his mother is with him.

My barbershop is my home by Teresa Menka

“Sometimes I cut myself at home but if I have something special, I come to Tyson. I don’t get the same feeling in other barbershops. It’s like coming home.” The barber station is littered with razors, clippers, brushes and combs of all sizes and shapes, tools that are in constant rotation. As Tyson welcomes Joseph, a Masai who is originally from Tanzania, to sit in the barber’s chair, Danny takes a barber cape to cover Dinan, a young man from DRC. In the shop, two huge mirrors hang across from each other as center pieces. The décor is minimal as if to say that the focus is not so much on the space but on the interactions that go on here. T&T barbershop is on Vester Allé in the center of Aarhus. It is named after Tyson and his wife Terri. Tyson fled civil war in his home country of Somali at the age of 13 to neighboring Kenya. While doing odd jobs to survive he met Carlos, who owned a barbershop. Carlos took Tyson under his wing and taught him how to cut hair.

A skill that has proved very useful. After Tyson moved to Denmark, he struggled to find a job and he quickly decided to work with the skill he had learned and opened the T&T barbershop. Cutting hair is not only a way to make a living for Tyson and Danny, his Eritrean assistant, but a way of making people happy. It is clear in the way he joyfully engages those who sit in his chair.

On a sunny Wednesday a little past lunch time the barbershop is full. Two men are seated in the barber chairs, with three more on the couch waiting. One of them is Ahmed, a regular. He has already had a haircut, and now he is waiting for his friend Abdi while enjoying Tyson’s many stories. Tyson jokes about a customer who cheated on him with another barber. Tyson together with Danny is like having two big brothers, with them you never know what you will get, from the rib cracking jokes that keeps one entertained to the heartfelt conversations about life.

“If your mother dies, we will make you laugh, if you are sad we will make you smile, if you are hungry we feed you and we don’t charge for the comedy,” Tyson says.

Left - Papi, a local rapper, explains to Danny how he wants his haircut done by showing a picture on his phone. Papi has been a customer for a few years, he often likes to try out new hair styles.

Top - Tyson has cut Abraham’s hair since he was a baby. He is now 4-years old and doesn’t allow anyone but Tyson to cut his hair.

Right - Simon is waiting for his turn, while Danny is cutting Papi’s hair.

For Ahmed, Abdi, Joseph and the other men who frequent the shop it is not uncommon to be greeted with a warm smile, a fist bump, a hug or a simple ‘hello brother.’ For some, the relationship with the barbershop dates back many years and is still growing. As Delan, one of the barbershop’s oldest customers, dusts off hair from his neck and moves to the sink to wash the rest of the hair off, he jokes as he remembers his time as a young high schooler in the barbershop when he didn’t have a beard. Now, he is all grown up and owns his own business.

Top - Mohamed works as a taxi driver. Before the nightshift, he passes by for a haircut plus a shave.

Top right - Androm (right), an Eritrean, stays after his haircut to chat with Danny.

Bottom right - Ahmed and Abdi are good friends and often come to the barbershop together or arrange to meet there.

Among the customers waiting to get a haircut are Hassan and his brother Mohamed, who have come all the way from Braband. They don’t only come in here for a haircut, they come for the stories and a good time. Tyson and Danny would usually speak as they cut hair, and the customers enjoy the stories. Not only the stories but some customers come as one would to a big brother for advice. The phrase that resonates amongst many of the customers in telling why they keep coming back and why they refer their family and friends here is “they are the best.” It is almost certain that they are not speaking of the haircut alone but somehow finding words to describe how they feel, what it means to them having the barbershop as a constant feature in their lives. What the shop means to the regulars is far more than the square meters it occupies. It represents a home.“Sometimes I cut myself at home but if I have something special, I come to Tyson. I don’t get the same feeling in other barbershops. It’s like coming home,” Joseph said.

Bjarne, a professional boxer, gets a haircut and a shave few days before a fight.

The Power of Sea Greens There is an abundant species that lives among us. A former headmaster was mentored into becoming an entrepreneur in sustainably farming it. A small start-up company is patenting technology to empower others to turn it into food and medicine. A winter bather had seen it strewn on the rung of the ladder outside of her bathing club, prompting a lifelong fascination. What is it about this natural resource that is changing how we treat our bodies and the environment?

by Rachel Ellis

“It’s healthy, tastes good, and supports the biodiversity of the water.” As the sky’s cool colors melted overhead, the two carried out a large-scale harvest of toothed wrack, the chosen name for an algae with distinct, serrated edges. Bjarne repeatedly submerged his forearms into the polished, icy waters, carefully trimming bunches of seaweed that went into bins for Kristian to haul back to their truck for the sizeable order made by a German company. Nordisk Tang has established some of the highest turnover rates in Scandinavia, their clients ranging all over northern Europe. But as a small, commercial company, it’s their compassion to operate conservatively and consciously that has laid the foundation for their enterprise.

It’s a Thursday afternoon, one where the sun has no clouds to cower behind. Their unobstructed rays reveal the mosaic of immaculate stones, as dainty and white as snow, that scatter as if a mirage, along the shoreline of Fornæs. Bjarne Ottesen and his son Kristian take turns putting on a pair of waders, suiting up to harvest five tons of seaweed. The father and son duo have dedicated their lives to capitalizing on the useful properties of this seemingly underrated organism. Bjarne developed their business because of his passion for nature protection, ecology and sustainability, resulting in the start of their family-owned company, Nordisk Tang, or Nordic Seaweed. “It’s important that somebody enters into action. Seaweed is an overlooked food, feed and fertilizer resource,” Bjarne says. 30

Left - Bjarne Ottesen harvests serrated wrack from the sea in Fornæs.

Right - Arctic wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) can be found in the North Atlantic Basin. It enhances metabolism, contains high levels of iodine and acts as a strong antioxidant.

Bottom - Sea Lettuce (Ulva) can be found on most coasts around the world. It is high in protein and fiber and can be used in raw salads or soups and is also food for marine animals like manatees and sea slugs.

Countries like Japan and China are the examples that have inspired the Ottesen’s vision to harness the nutritional and educational value of seaweed. In East Asia, roughly 10 percent of products contain seaweed. The American Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that seaweed can be used to help lower blood pressure and support heart health. But it’s not just a superfood, low in calories and fat and high in protein, fibers and nutrients like calcium and iron. Seaweed also plays a significant role in mitigating climate change. It contributes to generating the planet’s oxygen and retains up to 15 times the carbon dioxide of land plants.

Bottom - Pure Algae’s technology that is pending patent approval to be able to market a product that can generate a land-based seaweed operation.

This powerful marine life serves as a vital resource at our disposal that not only promotes renewed health and wellness but a greener environment too. Since their start in 2015, Nordisk Tang has pioneered a narrative around cultivating seaweed as an ingredient in blue and green foods. Their message, which focuses on the flavor and functionality of seaweed, is slowly gaining momentum.

Right - Biologists at Pure Algae collect water samples in their laboratory in Grenå.

“We’ve been working day in and day out for seven years and have always had this feeling that we are further ahead than we are,” Kristian said. “The market hasn’t fully accepted seaweed as a food ingredient in Europe. Getting stakeholders involved takes time.” There is another type of innovative business that also works with seaweed, without needing to harvest anything from the water. Pure Algae is a newly developed company working to patent technology that enables a fully land-based cultivation operation. As one of the first of its kind, their hope is to create a system that enables growth of high quality and allergen free seaweed. “The current impact of land-based seaweed production in Europe is rather small,” says Lasse Nielsen, head of development. “We change the narrative for our collaborators and provide the technology for high-quality seaweed for food and pharmaceutical products.” The seaweed community in Denmark is a growing. Whether it is due to developing industry or personal investment, there is a common mission to change the world of agriculture and food production with cultural and practical ingenuity in mind.

From Sea to Table Collecting seaweed is also a way to connect with nature while finding an abundant, accessible crop that can be made into food. For Trine Hjelbak, her commitment to this maritime activity began with noticing all the seaweed that lingered on the ladders and in the water at her winter bathing club. Now, harvesting and hosting events are outlets for her to engage with other people about this curious sea vegetable. Sparkling, translucent waters are what makes up the Jutland east coast, where bountiful clusters of bladderwrack sway in a harmonious fashion in nearly

still conditions, their propulsions only gaining speed as Trine fished some out of the water one Friday afternoon in Skæring, north of Aarhus. Trine was making preparations for her seaweed workshop. “Look at those rocks over there. That’s ‘Blæretang’ all around them,” Trine said with eloquence, the way she always sounds when talking about seaweed.The earthy tones of the brown algae become more apparent in the light, their air pockets like bubble wrap, vulnerable to being popped after disembarking from its holdfast. “It’s like snacking on a pea,” Trine said,

“I enjoy discovering what seaweed can do for food, both the taste and texture,” Trine says. “Instead of taking a vitamin pill every day, I can just eat a little bit of seaweed.”

commenting on the aqueous and fresh texture as she tasted a few pieces. The next day, on the waterfront of Ballehage, Trine hosted five women for an intimate seaweed harvest. Another morning of uninterrupted daylight made for the perfect backdrop to gather several species including Fingertang, a seaweed with unmistakably long and visible golden-brown and rubbery blades. Trine, who has a background in teaching, planned for a day at sea that would be both educational and intactive. She showed the group how to use their findings to make pesto, soup, and seaweed chips - all recipes containing seaweed that Trine has implemented in her diet.

According to a research project from The Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute, seaweed sequesters carbon from the atmosphere. And since there are no known poisonous or toxic seaweeds in existence, the roughly 400 species of seaweed found in Denmark are not only safe to use, but vital to preserve, as its utility yields for infinite, holistic importance not only for the natural world, but also the developed one.

Top - An exfoliating facial scrub that contains algae made by Danish skincare brand Melissa. According to the company, this product helps to soften skin and stimulate cell renewal, which are some of the characteristic’s found in the company’s line of organic, eco-friendly products.

Bottom - Seaweed soup that contains bladderwrack, a common species of brown algae, with white wine, coconut milk, ginger and vegetables. It is topped with a piece of cod and homemade seaweed pesto.

Top - Sea Beach (Delleseria Sanguinea) is a red algae common in the North East Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Mediterranean. It can act as a binding agent used in commercial goods like toothpaste, fruit jellies and organic cosmetics and skin-care products.

Bottom - Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) is a brown algae that grows naturally in Europe along the Atlantic coast. It is rich in iron which can contribute to thyroid health. It is often used often in soups and salads, or as a sweetener or thickener in other food products. Sugar kelp extract can also be used in liquid or powdered form, most commonly used as a fertilizer.

This is who I am by Kim Christin Zeidler

as they call themselves, are actually not biological women.

Dishes clatter and quiet conversations can be heard in the restaurant. Two service people are responsible for everything tonight. It is Saturday evening, 6 pm, and the restaurant is not very crowded. People are talking quietly at the tables in this old-fashioned restaurant, enjoying their time together with family and friends.

On certain occasions or sometimes in the evening at home, the men change into women, put on skirts, stockings and high heels, put on makeupand a wig. They are then no longer Jürgen, Peter or Bernhold but Juliane, Corinna and Regina, and they prefer to be addressed as women and referred to as she or her.

In the back right corner, a group of women are sitting around a table, hidden by the high partitions that are supposed to serve as a deco-ration. They drink beer and wine and order typical German home cooking, like fried eggs with potato salad or liver. They get together at the Falkenstein every fourth Saturday. The women are dressed up for this evening – they wear pumps, skirts, dresses and blouses. Their hairstyles vary between short and medium length, according to their age. If you look closer, you can see that some girls wear wigs. The girls,

Two tables are reserved for the group. The number of participants varies each time, sometimes around 20 women come to the restaurant, but tonight there are only eight. The regulars’ table has been held for about 20 years now and is entirely for men who occasionally dress as women. It offers the possibility to go out undisturbed.

Corinna

Corinna worked as a businesswoman in the family painting business and in a shipping company. After a short acting career following her retirement, she missed being dressed up and finally started dressing as a woman. She was particularly taken with her ex girlfriend’s red skirt, and she liked dressing as a woman so much that she finally went to a shopping center and shopped there as a woman.

She realized that hardly anyone noticed her and that people were far too busy with themselves. This gave her security and confidence. She told her family about it, apart from one son, who is suffering from depression and she is afraid that he won’t be able to cope with it. They accept her dressing up, and now that she is divorced she lives her life exactly as she wants.

Corinna goes to the beauty parlour to get her makeup done.

From the left to the right: Ute, Juliane, Renée, Corinna, Elvira, Regina, Ute and Petra.

Cross-dressing is about temporarily changing into a woman. Many men live out their inclination in secret and have to hide from people, for fear of contempt and ridicule. Since men are physically taller than women, they stand out. Therefore, many dare not come out and go through a great deal of suffering for years. Coming out to their wives is also very difficult. Many wives see this as personal failure and ask themselves if they are not enough of a woman to their husbands. Relationships can break down as a result. Tonight there are also two biological women at the table, both called Ute. They are the wives of two of the girls, and they enjoy the monthly meetings as much as the girls. For the wives it is also important as an opportunity to exchange experiences, problems and fears. At the regulars’ table, the wives can get the necessary acceptance and see the girls as new part-time friends in their lives.

Jürgen When Jürgen and Ute go on vacation, Juliane is also part of the trip. Sometimes Juliane and Ute just go on a girls’ vacation. “That’s nice too,” Ute says, looking mischievously at Jürgen.

The couple has come to terms with this special arrangement after a difficult time and now see it as an enrichment of their relationship. Friends and family also know about it, although not everyone has the same level of interest; there are people around them who avoid the topic.

Jürgen and Ute are two very active retirees. Ute is socially engaged and crafts a lot. Jürgen is an enthusiastic gliderpilot and once a year he flies airplanes that he built.

When Jürgen was part of the self-help group, he was shocked at first because the women were all dressed “quite terribly.” After a few courses on makeup, he felt more comfortable as Juliane. He took over the group and serves as an important contact in Hamburg. Many men start their lives as women through the group and begin to accept themselves as they are.

About 20 years ago, Jürgen came out to Ute as the part-time woman Juliane. Fear spread and their marriage was no longer as easy as before. Through the self-help group, which Jürgen eventually went to, they were able to overcome their crisis and see Juliane as part of the family.

Ute and Jürgen in their home.

Agnes

wear pumps, and she ended up driving straight to a shoe shop and bought her first heeled shoe in size 42 that she particularly liked.

Agnes wants to be part of the regulars’ table some day, but unfortunately she has not yet found the time for it. She is a slim, tall woman with great, enviable long legs, reaching around 2 meters with her height and shoes. She stands out but doesn’t care, walking the streets in full relaxation. Although still a little unsteady, she feels comfortable. The way she pushes her hair behind her ear still seems a little out of place.

Agnes began to read more about cross dressing and bought more and more things. Today she owns a huge selection of clothes, shoes and jewelry, which are all locked away in a closet at home so her two sons won’t find them. The fear of being recognized and judged is huge for Agnes. She runs a company and lives with her two children and partner in northern Germany. Sometimes she has to go to other cities for work, where she takes the opportunity for tours of the city or the shopping center.

Two years ago, Agnes’ life changed. After a few hard and difficult years, dealing with illness, death and the problems of everyday life, it was too much for her at some point. On the way to work in her car, it came into her mind that she would like to 46

The Humane Faces of War If it is during wars that we see how atrocious the human being can be, it is also during war that we realise how generous and extraordinary they can be. The solidarity that has been shown in Denmark since the beginning of the war in Ukraine is a perfect example of this. Hosting refugees at home, making donations, volunteering, organising activities to welcome immigrants or even cooking meals: Olga, Irene, Morten, Pernilla, Camilla and Klara. Different faces and different stories but one common ground: Humanity.

Mohamed Mahdy Paul-Louis Godier

“Bevar Ukraine” is one of the biggest associations helping Ukrainian refugees in Denmark. It is a crucial actor in terms of support, information and communication between the various municipalities and the people who want to get involved in the cause.

Holstebro

One of Bevar Ukraine’s operation areas is Holstebro. The organisation currently occupies and uses a warehouse for charity purposes. Inside, many Ukrainians come to help, but also Danes who live nearby. Some prepare boxes by wrapping them in blue plastic bags, some sort clothes and others organise all the goods ready to be loaded into the truck. All of this in stunned silence. Everyone is focused on their task and the few sounds that can be heard are either the sound of the tape that wraps around the boxes or Olga’s voice. A young woman in a bright yellow jacket, always one headphone plugged into her ear ready to receive various calls and one free ear to listen to what is going on around her.

This 33-year-old Ukrainian has been working hard since the beginning of the war, but she did not wait for this major event to help refugees. In fact, she joined the organisation four years ago and is now part of the board. In addition to her commitment, she has a full time job on a farm. She has to be flexible and arranges her schedule according to the time she has to milk the cows. “I am doing as much as I can. I have a lot of energy and three hours of sleep is more than enough for me.” All her efforts are currently dedicated to Ukraine even though her friends try to remind her that she cannot save the whole world. Instead of resting, between her morning and evening shifts, she usually drives to her friends who are collecting goods at home. On her way she makes many calls, among others to her parents to make sure everything is fine with them in Berdychiv. “I asked my parents to join me in Denmark, but they are getting old and they prefer to stay in Ukraine. I’m worried about them, but it’s their decision.” The situation is changing every hour so it is important for Olga to stay informed about the latest updates there. She talks about it a lot with her Ukrainian friends who live in Denmark. Lurii is one of them.

Next page - David just arrived from the Polish border. He is one of the refugees hosted by Lurii and his family

This Ukrainian man lives with his family in the countryside outside Holstebro. Together with his wife, he has been very active recently. One of them helps sorting the goods at the warehouse and the other picks up refugees at the Polish border in order to bring them back to Denmark. They are currently hosting 10 people including a baby, only nine days old.

Hasselager

Small streams make big rivers A similar action to that in Holstebro can also be found in the outskirts of Aarhus. Some volunteers meet every Tuesday and Thursday at the local KaffeKapslen factory to sort out collected items during the week. One of the first people to set up initiatives in Aarhus at the beginning of the war was Irene. This 32-year-old Ukrainian has been living in Denmark since she was eight. It was natural for her to provide help to the people in Ukraine, so she started collecting basic necessities, food and clothing. “I started gathering all the stuff at home but very fast the amount of donations was too big. I felt responsible to the people who donate, that the donations get to the right place and, above all, that they get into the hands of people who really need them.” With the help of various associations like “Bevar Ukraine,” she managed to find this coffee factory, a more suitable place to store all the piled up donations of mainly clothes, toys and hygienic products. Very fast, new volunteers joined the initiative. Morten is one of them.

Morten, 44, works as a Senior Agile Coach at Arla Foods. He is also volunteering at the warehouse twice a week. Married to Olga, a Ukrainian, who has her entire family and friends in Ukraine, he feels compelled to help as much as he can. Watching the news doesn’t feel good to him.“Since our entire family is directly affected by the war, helping together seems to be the only right thing to do for us. It helps us keep the family together and feel united while helping people.”

Brabrand-Nord

Sharing is Caring In the west of Aarhus, in Skjoldhøj Kollegiet, a free market has been set up by two sisters, Pernilla, 29, and Camilla, 26. Both have been living there since 2018. They discussed the idea of organising an event where Ukrainian refugees could come to collect clothes, toys for children, furniture and came up with this free market. In the last few days, dozens of families have arrived in this big dorm accommodating both Danish and international students. They found themselves in a brand new and empty environment so it felt natural for these sisters to contribute, making the daily life of these families less difficult. This isn’t the first time for Pernilla and Camilla to volunteer. “I helped in 2015 when refugees came from Syria. I collected food and furniture and also helped with placing them in rooms in the centre of Aarhus,” says Pernilla.

There are also other initiatives which take place in Skjoldhøj. Klara, 25, is studying at Aarhus University. With her boyfriend she organised a small event to welcome the refugees and show them around. “A lot of refugees are coming to live right next to me and I didn’t see any initiatives to welcome them,” she says. “I thought it would be nice for them to meet residents and to ask all the questions they have about the area.” After 30 minutes of walking to Hasle Bakker, the highest viewpoint in Brabrand, Klara starts cutting cake and serving tea. Some are taking selfies and pictures of the landscape while others are discussing even though communication is difficult at certain points. Fortunately, Klara has thought of everything and asked one of her friends, who can speak Russian, to act as a translator. All this energy invested by Klara and all the other volunteers around Denmark are evidence of how quickly solidarity can be built up and help people in need.

MARKS OF LIFE Broken skin, blood and eventually recovery. Nearly all of us have scars. They are marks on skin but they also tell us many bad and good things about our lives. The story behind a scar can be the hardest part to accept. Skin will heal itself, but mentally scars stay forever. By Sini Lukka

SIRI Some mothers think that their body has failed them. For me it was different. I was very relieved when I heard the midwife saying the word c-section.

Now my boy is two-years-old and everything is fine. He is a fighter and he definitely isn’t afraid of anything. I wanted to know everything about my c-section. I learned it’s not an easy way to get birth. Doctors need to get through all the skin layers, muscles and womb. Six layers in total. That means basically I have many scars, not only one. My scars are proof of all the urgency in the operating room.

I felt like I was in a movie. I couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t be scared, but I felt the pain. Around me were more and more midwives and doctors. That’s the only reason I realized something was wrong with me. After hours of painful delivery, the c-section took only seven minutes. My boy couldn’t breathe so they needed to get him out in a hurry.

SIMON I don’t feel like I’m a victim to anything. Every time I go on my board, I accept that I will definitely get hurt. It’s part of the process. I was maybe nine-years-old when I started skateboarding. I admired professional skaters like Tony Hawk. They all had scars and they hurt themselves sometimes. Even as a child, I wasn’t afraid to get hurt. My mother, on the other hand, was horrified when I came home bruised all over. The only thing that scares me is if I hurt my head. I get angry when I hurt myself because I know I may not be able to skate that day or for a while. I skate when I feel bad but also when I feel good. I can forget everything and just focus on doing my tricks. As a skateboarder, I’m even proud of my scars because then I know I’ve done much work. It can be fascinating and beautiful to get used to it. To get hurt and get scars. Then I’m not that fragile when I get old.

RONALD I hated to be at home so I spent most of my days with friends playing football outside. Back in the day, that was normal for me. I couldn’t question that. I have lived most of my life with my parents in India. Rules at home were tight. For example, my parents wanted me to come home straight after school. If I didn’t, my father would burn my armpits or punish me in some other way. My mother didn’t punish me that much. Only when she was angry. Physical punishment at school was also very normal. The teacher slapped our fingers when we didn’t do our homework. Sometimes the teacher just came up with some reasons to punish us. It took much time before I could talk about and deal with these things. It’s been 10 years now and I don’t know if I ever want to move back to home. I call my father maybe twice in a year and ask how he’s doing. But nothing more.

JONAS As a circus artist, I take the risk of getting hurt every day. My accident wasn’t a surprise but its severity was. I was afraid it would be the end of my career. My discipline was teeterboard jumping. I jumped over five meters high with my partners. I was performing a couple of years ago in Germany when I fell straight to my feet. I tried to get up but I couldn’t stand. I wasn’t too worried because sometimes I get hurt at work. On my way to the hospital, I realized what had happened. My left foot needed six or seven surgeries to get back together. Screws were everywhere around my foot. I was frustrated because I had to learn to walk again. I really just wanted to get back on stage. Circus is my life so of course I want to get back to the board. And I’ll do it if I can one day. My body is my instrument. It can be very depressing if something is wrong with it. Now I’m performing with my second disciplines acrobatics and juggling. But still, it’s not the same.

BEATRICE People say it’s not smart to travel alone as a young woman. But after all, no one can prepare for everything. One man harassed me sexually on my solo trip a couple of years ago. After that, I was afraid to travel by myself, but I knew that I needed to face my fear. I planned my new trip back to Portugal very carefully. I spent my time on a peaceful street in a small village. I complimented some lady’s beautiful dog and then that dog bit me on my leg. I was surrounded by helpful people and I could only laugh. I realized that something can happen in even the safest place. I’m proud of myself that I made the second trip even though I was scared. I wanted to celebrate that process by getting a tattoo around my scar. I noticed that the scar was fading, and I wanted to remember it.

A mutual lesson in caring by Ralitsa Belcheva

Tired people are sitting on a big couch in front of the glass-covered reception, a covid-19 measure that already feels inferior and long forgotten. The atmosphere is hectic, volunteers bringing food, clothes and other necessities to a wide office-like room. As I step inside hesitantly, a man at the door approaches me with “What would you like?” I explain and am let inside. I share my mission with the receptionist and in a couple of minutes, the coordinator lets me into her office.

Olga Irzhytska, a volunteer at Open Doors help center in Sofia, Bulgaria. Top right - One of the information spots at the center. A Ukrainian volunteer helps newcoming Ukrainians with information on how to get a Bulgarian number with a discount Bottom right - Bags full of food donations ready to be distributed.

passed since she moved from Ukraine to Bulgaria and so we communicate freely and are able to bond. For her, the direct communication with people is very important. Olga tells me that she used to be a marketing professional at an international firm. She welcomes the Ukrainians who have just arrived, signs them up and asks them what they need. But her role does not stop there. Being their first contact person who speaks Ukrainian, she experiences people’s emotional state and does her best to comfort them. “People do not really understand the essence of the war,” she tells me. “They think it is going to be over in two or three weeks and they are going to go home.” She helps them understand the necessity to start building a new life and get back on their feet.

Help center “Open Doors” is situated in the youth neighborhood in the city of Sofia, Bulgaria, close to the foothill of the mountain Vitosha. It used to be a university building. Since the 24th of February 2022, however it has changed to a place that saves lives. At the moment it is run entirely by volunteers and offers different types of support to Ukrainian refugees. Most of them are untrained volunteers, which means that many have never done volunteer work before and are not used to an urgent and stressful situation like the current war in Ukraine. Regardless, people help with whatever they can. Some arrange the donations in the basement. Others receive the refugees at the reception and ask them what they need. Olga is one of them. Almost a decade has 78

sadness, joy. Seeing all of these during my one week reportage made me feel closer to people. I wasn’t just another observer. People would have their coffee with me, share their thoughts and frustrations. Sometimes we would just sit together in silence and enjoy a meal or do some work.

People are donating food, clothes, home utilities and diapers. Anything you need to begin a safe, comfortable life in a new place. Ukrainians that arrive to the country often have nothing but the clothes on their back, their most valuable items and sometimes a car. Open Doors helps them find a home, a job, sell their car and open a bank account. In addition, it offers psychological help and has a daycare intended for Ukrainian children. As many volunteers and refugees come back multiple times, ordinary life situations are inevitable. Boredom, tiredness,

Despite the difficulties of figuring out a proper organizational structure, everyone is glad to give their time and energy to help and learn from others. I believe that this is what really drew me to the place and spontaneously made me a part of the community.

Below - Kids escape into their own thoughts in a quiet corner of the help center. Right - A Ukrainian girl, who just arrived, is getting a surprise for her 10th birthday.

Top right - A boy continues playing while Valeria, who takes care of the children, is falling asleep towards the end of her shift. Bottom right - The entrance of Open Doors help center. A woman walks out with a bag full of necessities, while another takes a cigarette break. Black bags full of donations wait to be loaded on a truck and brought to other help centres.

old-fashioned, official Bulgarian dialect. I feel a light, happy kick inside, this means we have a common language and can communicate freely, so they are able to tell me their story. Both left Odessa on the 28th of February, unable to take their families with them. They were lucky to find good people that took them to Moldova, where they could continue their journey to Bulgaria.

The center is a fast-paced environment. There is always something happening. A little girl, who just arrived, is turning 10 years old today. People are hustling around to find presents and a cake. She seems the happiest she has ever been. Someone anounces that a famous politician is coming soon, providing a huge donation of fruit. A volunteer walks up to me with a bitter face. “Why does she have to make her PR campaign here? Can’t she just go help in the basement? We need volunteers, the whole parliament should come and help if they want to mean something to the people.” On my first day at the center, I am also introduced to Valeria and Diana, two 20-yearold girls from a village near Odessa. They work voluntarily in the child daycare Monday to Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm. As I enter the daycare room, Valeria walks up to me with a big smile, greeting me in an

As I am learning solidarity and community from all the people I meet in the center, I give them something, too. This story is not just about how people come together. It is also about how people welcomed me even from the role of a journalist. Though I am not actively helping in the activities in the center, people light up when they see me. I was told that I improved the mood. And even after an exhausting day, they still smile and come to have a chat. 84

Between hope and despair Life hasn’t turned out the way Abdel imagined when he left his country, Eritrea. But still, he tries to survive and make the most out of what life has to offer. by Rydwan Ahmed

“I hear the beat and see and understand what I must do. I know my mission and I also know there is no turning back. And it is in those moments that I know there is no end of phenomena in my life.”

of the dining table there is a frame covered with fake plastic flowers, written: ‘Life is family, family is life.’

Built in concrete clad with tile in 5-6 floors, Abdel lives in the first floor. The wooden floor is polished, wrapped with flexible carpets, and on top of the carpet in the living room is large, cozy furniture including an enchanting tea table. All corners are decorated with colorful fake plastic roses in flower vases. A big screen in front of the white curtains is on one side of the living room. On the other side of the curtains is the balcony, full of unused and broken household items, and two chairs for when someone wants to smoke a cigarette and look into the open sky.

Abdel is a man of few words, with a chevron mustache and a big smile on his face. Carrying a bag on his shoulder, he spends his days walking on the streets and in the shopping centers looking for something interesting, through trash bins & garbage piles in the city of Aarhus. A black jacket and sneakers are his favorite outfit. Mohamad Abdu Abdel Rahim is 54-years-old. At night when he tries to sleep but can’t, is when he feels that all the pathways seem to connect. He sees the people he loved, hated, helped and hurt. He can see the hands that reach for him.

A broken wall clock is standing on the table top next to the kitchen sink and on the very corner

If someone took something to his heart, really brought it inside those red velvet folds, then it would always be there for him, Abdel says. No matter what happens, it would be there. He says that this could be a person, a place, a dream. Abdel is an asylum refugee from Eritrea, one of the poorest, most closed and least-developed countries in the world. But Abdul was good at his job as a fish inspector. After coming to Denmark, he started to work here. But soon, he realized that he needed to learn the Dansk language to live and work in Denmark. He started to learn it, but then he figured out that it’s very difficult for him. He only talks with his family and that’s the only place he feels safe, the only place he’s alive. So, he gave up learning the language. In 2016, Abdel came to Denmark with eyes full of dreams. He started a new life in Horsens, working in a souvenir glass shop, a coffee shop, cleaning and putting goods on shelves at Kvickly. But he wasn’t good at his work because of his poor Danish skills, so he often changed to a new job. When the pandemic hit the world, everything shut down and he

Top - Keeping the kitchen clean is Abdel’s priority task to do. He believes a clean kitchen can give a new start every morning.

Bottom - Abdel spending leisure time with his favorite tea at home.

lost his job at Kvickly, where he worked for 15 months. Then he moved to Aarhus. Spending two years without working & staying at home made him feel like losing his dreams. He couldn’t talk with people; he didn’t have any work. Going through this trauma, he started to live like a ghost. He gets 5300DKK from Aarhus commune every month, which he spends mainly on housing expenses. That leaves him with only 1000 DKK for food and other expenses every month. Finances are a very big problem for him, but still, the only thing he cares about is his family. When he feels fear, gets into trouble, faces difficulties or complications about his money issues from the local council, he only has one phrase: big problem. But still, there’s always a smile that he keeps for people he meets in the city. As he puts it: “Eritrean faces keep smiling, even in hard situations.”

Previous page - Abdel going back home after attending language school. It’s difficult for him to find words to explain his experiences in Denmark.

Right - Abdel’s neighborhood, Fjældevænget, Aarhus.

A room with a heart by Yashovardhan Sodhani

The place essentially provides a safe environment for the local queer community and freedom for the guests to express themselves in way of appearance. Nobody there will judge them for their actions or their attire. The sun is shining, so I head out with my beer to the benches outside the café. Soon I am joined by Marcum, Katrine, Andrea and Cecile. Despite innumerable gazes from passers-by, it’s conspicuous how at home people feel being at the café.

Kromosom, a LGBTQ café nestled in Nørre Allé in Aarhus, can easily be identified. There are two rainbow colored benches on each side of the entrance, and on both big windows its written Den du er (The one you are).I enter Kromosom and am greeted by the sound of saxophone and the colorful interiors, photos of prominent personalities hanging on the wall and some abstract artwork as well. I ask for a beer and when I sit down, I notice the misfit of chairs and tables put together, yet they appear to be in perfect harmony despite being all different. I get a sense that this is what the place alludes to: embracing queer people as they are.

Kromosom is all about comfort and confidence for the queer community. And there are not many options like it in the city. The place welcomes everybody to have an open interaction with the queer community. One can literally go to anyone and start having a conversation without hesitation.

Andrea, the owner of Kromosom, is also a queer. She explains her incentive for opening a café like this. “Aarhus was missing a place like Kromosom. A place where you can come as you are and only be greeted with open arms.”

Marcum, Cecile,Katrine and Andrea enjoy the sun after a session of brainstorming future events for the upcoming week at the café.

100

the Danish nightlife. Therefore it can be even more of a hardship for queer people to find places allowing them to meet new and friendly people without fear of hate or rejection, and even meet people like themselves, sometimes for the first time. Kromosom serves as a port of security, the very symbol of the anchor, for queer people in Aarhus and for people that come here. Not only is it a safe space with a set of bartenders who are all very uniquely queer and understanding, but also with a room where it seemingly is allowed and easy to meet new people outside of the nightlife culture. To me, this is the true power and beauty of Kromosom.”

Marcum, who is a larger than life person says, “Kromosom is a unique place. It’s physical space and the people that come here create a point in space and time I have never experienced before, and never think I will be somewhere else. Kromosom is a space where love for each other, diversity, and uniqueness is praised without it being a criteria or demand, but solely by inspiring it.”A place like Kromosom where people can meet and connect has been needed, both for queer and non-queer people. When it comes to meeting new people in Denmark, Danes can be quite reserved and seemingly in no need to meet people outside

101

We go back inside as it is getting cold. Inside the café, a tall, muscular person arrives and grabs all my attention. I feel a little intimidated by her stature. She immediately hugs Andrea when she sees her. Behind that tough image I find, Sasha, a beautiful and tender person. Sasha is a software engineer working in a big tech company. Now she identifies herself as transgender. I ask her as well what is about this place that brings her here. “Kromosom is like a second home, I always feel welcome here. It provides a safe space and cozy atmosphere to hang out and meet other queers,”says Sasha. To her the café brings awareness and provides education for the general public, as anyone can come in regardless of their sexuality, race or gender, as long as they behave nicely.

To Sasha her dragon tatoo represents femininity, strength and courage.

102

103

104

Left - Wiktoria lives in Copenhagen and is visiting her close friend Amalie.

Below - “It’s my song,” Marcum says. They start dancing with Victoria.

105

@sandipa_malakar

@teresameka

@rachellis

@kimzeidler

@mohamedmahdyph

@sinilukka

@paullouisgodier

@whoshotyax

@rydwan.ahmed

@yasho5555

107