Copenhagen Calling

Copenhagen Calling
Nov 28, 2005

It was the first time I was feeling lucky about not being able to get the tickets on time. We had just finished module and were supposed to fly back to India. However all flights were booked and that meant one forced day of sight seeing in Copenhagen.

Sight seeing in sub zero temperatures is not exactly my idea of a delightful day but the city looked so unpretentiously charming that we had to step out. It is a tiny city with barely 1.8 million people. The city grew from being a sleepy fishing village to a modern cultural and trade centre. The Christmas spirit had just begun and the city was ornate with serial lights.

The city is tourist friendly with maps and directions at every nook and corner. Nobody is allowed to build more than five stories high, however there is an area where one gets to see some modern skyscrapers etc reserved mainly for offices. Most buildings are identical traditional European 17th century style. The uniform cobblestones add to the uniqueness.

So we began by walking to the city centre and exploring the city from there. At the city centre is the canal. It is the narrow passage of water that unites the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. It gently curves throughout the city and is the most ideal way to view the city. The canal tour takes you through all the landmarks of the city with live announcements on the boat. Canal tours are banned in winters so we had to make do with a ferry ride across the city and view the city with the help of a map. Along the canal the charming flotilla of boats and ferries called for a very pretty picture indeed.

We saw the legendary little mermaid. She sat in one corner all by herself and is the city’s most famous landmark. We also stepped into a nice church where we spent some moments in rare serenity.

Our single minded aim for the day was to see Tivoli Gardens. It is probably the city’s biggest amusement centre. Anyone at Christmas time would want to see the lighting. So we were waiting for daylight to fade. At four in the afternoon the sun had retired for the day and we were all set to explore Tivoli.

As one enters, the endless chatter of little children and old people alike simply transform the frigid Scandinavian air. It was unbelievable to see little children, sometimes even infants reveling in the brightly lit ambience. But the entire place was so beautifully lit and that was motivation enough to fight the bitter cold.

Once inside Tivoli, I felt I was transported to Fairyland by the swoosh of a magic wand. It was so enchanting inside with a host of activities to keep you engaged for an entire day. As we entered there nice little shops that were displaying cute Christmas ware. Santa Claus in all shapes, forms and sizes made it a very pretty sight to behold.

As we walked on we realized that the park was demarcated into very specific areas. At the entrance there was a Christmas bonanza. In an artificial snow mountain there were little mechanical elves running on electricity that were made to work very hard indeed. Hovering around was a lively human Santa Claus who was scaring and pleasing little children with his presence.

As we walked further on there was an attempted replica of the Taj Mahal. Though at first glance it does create a faint déjà vu it is not such a memorable replica. Then there was the rides section where the adrenalin was soaring as the roller coaster whirred its way to the zenith and then did almost a free fall like drop to the nadir. It was fascinating. But somehow the chill simply did not inspire me to pull out my cozy gloves and buy the tickets. So we moved on.

Then we walked right into China Town. Typical Three layered tapering tower like structures in hues of red and green added to the cheer. These buildings mostly housed Chinese restaurants. All of them lit by typical Chinese paper lanterns and humming some soulful tunes. And of course some paintings of fire spitting dragons made it a colourful sight.

As we walked out we were led into more Christmas cheer. There was a beautiful crib complete with the Star of Bethlehem and the three kings of Orient holding precious gifts heralding the birth of the savior.

At regular intervals there were heating coal pots to unfreeze our freezing fingers. Never would taking off one’s gloves feel so delightful.

By the exit is a lovely little lake which offers romantic rides. It is so aesthetically done up with lights that it was the most photographed object in the park. Thus we were nearly ending our walk of this versatile park that offered everything from thrilling rides to soothing concert centres.

We walked out into the cold again and had to go a long way to grab some hot roti sabji at a Bangladeshi restaurant. It felt like heaven to be looking at something hot. Then began the ordeal of walking back to the residence. It felt like the longest 2 km walk of my life. And when we finally reached home and plonked ourselves into the soft cushions and bed; it never felt better. I slept soundly that day dreaming of a long and uneventful flight back home to hot and humid Mumbai.

Module 3 at Copenhagen

Module 3 at Copenhagen
November 13th to 27th, 2005.

10 hours of classes. 91 trainees from 40 countries. Room parties. Sleeping in class. Networking activities. A host of presentations and speeches.

It was all the same. Yet another 14 days of adventure filled learning at Copenhagen. It was my third MISE(Maersk International Shipping Education) module.The only difference this time was we had to give three exams in Investment, Economics and Terminal Management amidst sub zero temperatures.

We were seven Indians. We decided to travel a day early to get over the jet lag and keep our mind and bodies fit for the exams. The first 2 days were spent in last minute cramming and desperately trying to remember formulas for the exams. And adjusting all of a sudden to almost a 30-degree drop in temperatures was not an easy task. The first day we stayed at a senior’s house, who graciously allowed 7 crazy twenty some things to stay at his place. The house was a royal mess and the only saving grace was that the host was blissfully holidaying in New York. We did of course dutifully vacuum clean the house and left some Haldiram goodies back for him.

The next day we took a cab to the module centre. For the first time in my life I did not see daylight at 4 in the afternoon. Winter had truly set in. We reached the module centre and completed the routine of meeting our room mates, hugging them and exchanging gifts. It was now time for opening dinner. The oohs and aahs and ‘You have grown fatter/ thinner / taller’ were a lot more subdued this time.It was clearly performance anxiety lurking around this time. The customary speeches were made and the tasks were allotted and the indistinguishably similar Danish buffet was held.Soon dinner was over and swoosh most people had vanished to their rooms to study.

The next day the mood was a lot more sombre. No bright colours, no make up or hair gel. It was exam time. The dreaded Investment paper was the first one. The exams were extremely well conducted. We were asked to write on a 3-ply paper each in different colours. The purpose was it was meant to be evaluated by 3 different people and the grades would be an average of the 3. Terminal management and economics were open book exams. It was the first time I had written an open book exam and I soon realized that one needed more sound knowledge to write an open book exam than merely preparing an index of topics.

After 2 days we were done with the exams and there was an evident feeling of relief on people’s faces. To take away that gloom of exams we were taken to an outdoor location for something they called ‘Transportation challenge’. This was a novel idea to show us the practical challenges that Maersk faces as a Multimodal transportation company. So here we were made to build a little track for the container train; get oil across through a pipeline; build a compass and then a vessel and get it across to the destination through a man made little body of water etc. The exercise served the purpose of teaching us the immense challenges one faces in the transportation industry and it also emphasized the amplified effect of this in the real world.

Then it was back to classes and coffee; supply chains and pay back periods etc. This time there was a dash of colour added to the academic side. We had classes on Negotiation techniques, Meeting techniques, Maersk Procurement etc. A lot of care was taken to educate us on the group’s affiliate companies such as Maersk Oil and Gas; Maersk Contractors; Maersk Supply Services etc. Also this time we had a presentation on Danske Bank in which the A.P.Moller group owns a major stake and were asked to give our verdict on whether it should continue holding that stake or not. Other interesting events worth mentioning was an evening called ‘Speaker’s corner’ where each of us had to choose between 3 speakers who spoke on different subjects. Each of the speeches were held in a Copenhagen pub.

The evenings of course were livened by activities and parties. They were Karaoke, Bowling, Movie screening, Salsa classes, Quiz etc. The Karaoke and Salsa nights were the best of the lot. I still remember we were sweating it out in the Salsa class and in one of the breaks we spotted some snow outside. It was the first time we saw it. We were as excited as school children looking with fascination at an orangutan in the zoo. We ran outside and for the first time let the snow run down our skin.

Another evening worthy of note was the dinner at Al Diwan, an Indian Pakistani restaurant. We immediately took charge and began acting as self-appointed hosts. There was a multitude of dishes – naan, varieties of curries and dals, raitha and carrot halwa. I must admit though that each of the dishes contained powerful spices and even my Indian tongue found it fiercely spicy. Some of the Europeans looked like they had smoke coming out of their ears when the piquant flavours went down their throat. Finally it was mango lassi that came to their rescue and acted like a fire extinguisher.The Americans, Africans and people from the far east simply devoured the food and resolved to eat it more often. Wine and Indian food was an unusual combination. I was as bemused to see the Europeans eat the naan skillfully with the fork as they were looking at me eating it with one hand. The highlight of the evening of course was a minimally clad Arabian dancer who gyrated to some haunting music and attracted a lot of attention and photographs.

Other things were almost the same. The alcohol consumption, the hangovers, the caffeine intake, the breakfast–lunch-dinner menus, table tennis and snooker sessions, doing laundry after class, competing for space at the internet centre. I still continue to get amazed by the stamina of all those spirited party hoppers who party all night and manage to stay awake during the lecture. This time of course there were no bathroom fights with room mates since we it was upgraded to 2 bathrooms per condominium. The cold worsened by the wind chill factor would force us to stay indoors. A little more sunshine would have renewed my energy levels.

2 weeks tumbled by and soon came the most important evening of the module – closing dinner. The best perfumes, cosmetics, gels are reserved for this evening. Out come the most swanky tuxedos and ritzy evening gowns. We Indians aimed to look refreshingly different in traditional sarees and salwar kameezes. At the cocktail session there was of course an unending flash of cameras. We then proceeded to the dining hall and sat through the laboriously long but negligible quantity, 3 course Danish dinner. After dinner there was a sit down coffee and drinks session accompanied by some Jazz music. The chats were of course animated amidst the inevitably boring Jazz musicians’ efforts.

Third module came and went. Like the first two this one also has left behind its impression on me. I have enjoyed every moment – the coffee and cake;the friends I make and the valuable lessons I take.