Les Hannah, day 17, part 1

I returned to the 80s this morning, but only for a little over an hour before I tried once again to go register with the Police and get my C stamp. The Police station is only a few blocks from the city centre, which is only about two kilometers from the school. It was a relatively quick bike ride there. But once I got there I found out that the particular office I needed to register with was closed today so the people could go to training. “Well great,” I said, and I said it out loud. I guess that caught someone’s attention and my frustration was sensed. One officer became much more helpful in that moment; he asked what was wrong, and explained to him the situation. He said to wait a moment, and he went to find someone who could help me. He soon returned with another officer who took my letter from the Immigrations Office and my passport. This officer reviewed the materials, asked me several questions, questions like “when did you arrive in Denmark; how did you get here; what are you doing here; how long do you plan to stay?” I answered them all and ultimately got my precious C stamp. Finally – I am legally in Denmark.

An interesting development occurred while I was awaiting the C stamp from the inquisitive officer; another officer brought in a man, not handcuffed but obviously detained (at the very least). I overheard a few of the officers discussing the situation, and the officer who originally brought me over to this office explained to me that the detained man was an illegal alien; he did not have the proper paperwork to be in country. Glad I was persistent.

The 80s were still there when I returned to school. Students were busy researching their projects and beginning to compose their presentations. Some were a bit frantic, while most seemed very at ease with the projects. I spoke with some groups and answered some questions today, not nearly as many as yesterday, but it was enough to keep me busy for the remainder of the afternoon. It has been during these informal discussions that I have come to know a few of the students.