This Post Can't Wait!

Koenigsegg. To many of you this name means nothing. To me it is the name of my favorite supercar. Hailing from the great land of Sweden (Don't tell anyone from Denmark I said Sweden was great.) you can't deny the first time you even see a picture of one of these cars, you can feel the passion and craftsmanship put into each and every one of these handmade beauties.

I have liked Koenigsegg since I came across a car-picture website in high school. When I realized that their factory was only a few hundred Kilometers from Vejlefjord I told myself I had to get up there this year.  I thought it wasn't going to happen but on a reward trip to Copenhagen for staying in Danish class all year we realized we were only about an hours drive away.  I couldn't say no. I convinced Jill, our Danish teacher and good friend, to drive up and visit the factory. Not knowing if we would see anything or if it would even be open to the public.  We embarked up to the small town of Angelholm, Sweden. We finally arrived at an abandoned military base. The sign out front was big, but there was no other signs on the main road.  Very easy to miss if you weren't on a mission to find it. After taking a few pictures we went up and opened the doors to the main office. We were greeted by a nice receptionist who told us we were not allowed in the factory or to see any cars because they were all custom-built and the customers didn't want anyone to see them before themselves. She tried to talk her boss into letting us just see one, without pictures but he wasn't going to budge.  So she said she would call to Stockholm and see if there were any for sale there we could see.  When she came back she said there were a couple in Malmo we could go see. That was only an hours drive away, much better than 8 to Stockholm.

Before we left the factory for our drive to Malmo we went into their small shop and decided to buy a few little things to remind us of our trip.  As we were in the middle of paying for things, one of the other missionaries said, "Is that him?" The store manager said, "Yes, that is Christian von Koenigsegg, the owner/founder/CEO of Koenigsegg." Three boys in that room instantly turned into little girls. If you didn't know better you'd think we were 13 year olds meeting Justin Bieber.  We asked Christian if we could get his picture.

After talking many pictures with him, we started talking and mentioned we were all from the States and were spending a year abroad as volunteers and had driven not only from Copenhagen, but from Vejle to see his cars. I don't remember his response exactly because at this point I could hardly breathe and it is all kind of surreal.  But he said that if we had come all that way we couldn't leave without seeing something. So told us to bring our cameras and follow him to the workshop.  The first thing we see when we walk in is this:

After a good 15 minutes of talking with him and taking pictures of the car he said we could go watch one of the new models the Agera R get Dyno tested. Unfortunately the technician had just finished the test, so we didn't get to hear anything up close but we got to see one of the only Agera Rs in the world right now. This particular car has been ordered by someone in America, but he wasn't allowed to say.

After saying goodbye to Christian we returned to the shop to finish buying our souvenirs and collect all the belongings we had just dropped in our frenzy to meet Christian von Koenigsegg.

I am one happy man.

Can't Think of a Title...

    Over the past few months I have been getting to know the boys in my dorm a little better. Since being on duty requires me to be mostly in other buildings I felt like I didn't really know the guys I was living with. So I started a meeting in my room twice a week where we meet, have some tea or hot chocolate and cookies or something else that I was sent from home.  We have talked about a wide spectrum of topics, but mostly just sitting and laughing with and at each other.

A few weeks ago one of the guys from my building decided he was going to leave Vejlefjord and spend the rest of the year at home. So we had a goodbye picture.

    For those of you who were following the Kony campaign or saw any of the videos that came out since the first one, last Friday night was an event called Cover the Night. Basically a publicity campaign to continue to get the name of Kony famous.  I decided after seeing the first video that I wanted to cover the night with the kids here for the the weekend. So last week I was talking to the head pastor at the church here and the principal of the school.  It took little convincing to get the school to pay for posters and get the principal's permission to take the kids who would be at school for the weekend off campus and around town to put up the posters.
    Every Friday the students who stay for the weekend are supposed to go to a vespers-like meeting called Andagt. Usually put on by Lasse, the pastor, or another guest speaker, I talked to the pastor about playing the Kony 2012 video and he said that would be perfect. The one who was supposed to talk had something come up so Lasse had nothing.  I played the video with the hopes that a few of the students would like to come with me.
    Now you should know, it is very hard to get some of these kids passionate about a cause. Here in Denmark, the common mindset is that outside of Denmark doesn't matter, and the country is too small to make a difference.  So many people don't get involved in any kind of cause or activism.  Especially the kids. My hopes were that I would at least get a couple of kids to come and help.
    After the video had finished I asked if anyone would like to go with me to town late that night and put up the 750+ posters I had printed. Everyone raised their hand. EVERYONE. Granted there were only 18, but the fact that all of the kids cared enough was amazing. Some of the girls said they wanted to help but didn't want to go to town. I told them they could stay at the school and put up posters. So at 10 pm we loaded up 3 cars worth of kids and hit the streets with posters and tape.

It was a great night, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Kony 2012

I have been wanting to write about the Kony campaign for quite some time. But I kept getting caught up in all the responses. First the criticism, then the response by Invisible Children to all the criticism, then the criticism of the response of the first round of criticisms.

First things first. If you haven't seen the Kony 2012 video, see it here.  It is a 30 minute video on Youtube created by a charity called Invisible Children calling for the capture of Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in Central and Eastern Africa.

Now, I know I am a little late talking about this and most people have already made up their mind as to whether or not they think the Kony campaign is a positive, effective way to stop Kony, or just another "slack-tivist" way to make people feel good about themselves and their motives. I for one, have known of Invisible children for quite some time. And I think that they are a fantastic group of young people willing to do anything to help the victims in Africa.  So in this blog I would like to defend some of the big criticisms I have seen online and in the news about the Kony 2012 campaign and Invisible Children.  You can also click here to hear the CEO of Invisible Children talk about some of the questions that have been posed since the new video was released.

One criticism I've noticed is that people say Invisible Children (IC) does not care about individuals and simply wants popularity. The critics ask how IC can simply refer to the women as "The Raped" and the children as "The Abducted." My simple-minded answer: when you are talking about numbers in the hundreds of thousands, and have already made many films documenting some of the individuals the founders of IC have met, befriended, and helped, what else are you supposed to say?

Some people have accused IC as being a "slack-tivist" campaign.  Saying, "Advocacy, however, does not end at trendy t-shirts and cool graphics." I don't think anyone expects advocacy to end with those things. One of IC's top priorities is to promote the knowledge that the crimes Kony is committing exist, pose a real danger to the people (especially children) of Africa, and to tell the world that he needs to be stopped.  In order to tell the world about Kony and his atrocities, people have to be willing to post it to Facebook, wear a shirt or bracelet, and tell their friends about IC when they have a chance.  And yes, IC is taking advantage of social media and the power it holds. They would be stupid not to.

Another huge question people are asking is about their finances. Why do only 32% of their profits go directly to Africa? As their website explains, IC has a three-fold mission.

1)Make the world aware of the LRA. This includes making documentary films and touring them around the world so that they are seen by millions of people.
2)Channel energy from viewers of IC films into large-scale advocacy campaigns to stop the LRA and protect civilians.
3) Operate programs on the ground in LRA-affected areas that provide protection, rehabilitation, and development assistance.


Last year the organization spent a combined total of 80.46% on the above objectives.
I have also seen criticism of how much money they spend on their movies. Again, another top priority to IC is making quality media to inform the people of the world.  Be honest with yourself, in today's 3D, Hi-Def, Hi-Res world do you think a low-budget film with bad editing and cheap graphics would attract the amount of attention they want and need? No.

Overall I think the criticism is bogus. People raised good questions about a company they hadn't heard of before. And that company promptly responded on their website.
One last thing, when a critic starts asking questions and bringing up all these points against a decent charity, and says," I'm worried that the real reason I went to seek out the downsides of the Kony 2012 phenomenon was simply because I'm a snob who enjoys bursting people's bubbles. . ." (Alex Miller, Vice.com) I don't really want to hear anything he has to say.

What Norway Taught Me.

There are places in the world that shoot the Global Warming theory to bits. Yep, that's what I learned.
Now to tell you about my trip.

We began last week on Sunday with a long night in Copenhagen Airport. Our best option for a place to stay Sunday night didn't work out so we wound up bumming it in the terminal.

After a long day of flights we finally arrived in Tromsø. We had to rush out to our first activity, Dog Sledding! When we arrived we were ushered into a small wooden hut with a roaring fire and the smell of home cooking in the air.  We knew what was coming. Reindeer stew. Though I'm not a vegetarian, I was hesitant to taste the food. Especially after smelling the cup of soup. Almost got a gag out of me. But I muscled it down.

After dinner we went and got suited up in very large, puffy, warm snow suits.  They smelled like wet dog.

This was one of the more calm/less stinky dogs there.

                                                      Puppies!

The next day we checked out of our hotel and wandered Tromsø.  Tromsø is a quiet university town. Probably because it is the northernmost university town in the world.  This is the Arctic Cathedral, somewhat boring but cool architecture.

 While we wandered the streets we found the glass company of Tromsø.

Later that evening we boarded the M/S Lofoten. A traditional boat owned by the Hurtigruten company. It was a very tiny ship and of course the cheap missionaries got the cabins down in steerage.  The first night on the boat we saw nothing. It was a cloudy night with very rough seas.  It took us quite a few hours to fall asleep as we slid from one end of our beds to the other.

But at the sound of the ship's horn we awoke to clear skies and frigid temperatures. The boat was pulling into Honningsvag. The city (if it can be called a city) claims to be the northernmost city in the world. Located at the 70th Parallel, there isn't much there except snow.

 While we walked around Honningsvag we witnessed one of the most awesome modes of transportation I have ever seen. People young and old were riding these sleds. They had a seat in the front for apparently groceries or your small child. And in a city where there is no such thing as pavement, only ice and snow, they work perfectly for propelling ones self along the road.

Contrary to popular belief, not all oranges are 100% orange. This little sticker however, is assuring me that this particular orange is genuine.

 Ok I take it back, this is more awesome than the sleds. But I have a feeling this kind costs a bit more...

As we were ready to board our boat again we were greeted with the most glorious sunset.

That night was much better for viewing the Northern Lights.  A few hours after the sun set we went up on deck and witnessed a fantastic display of God's creation.  The heaven's do reflect His glory! Unfortunately it was also another rough night at sea, so the pictures I was hoping for didn't happen, but here is proof that I saw them. The pictures you see really can't describe how amazing it is to see this huge green, yellow, and red curtain stretch all the way across the sky. It was so close you felt you could reach out and touch it. It was a fantastic night, we didn't go to bed until around 3 am, when the lights decided they were done with the show.

The next day we pulled into Kirkenes. After checking into our hotel we went in search of the Snow Hotel we had heard so much about.  On our walk we discovered the Adventist church of Kirkenes, I wonder if this is the northernmost Adventist church?

 At least he doesn't drive it in this weather.

 After almost missing it we found the Snow Hotel. Isn't it fantastic! No, your right it's worthless. After seeing the pictures of the inside I guess I was expecting something a little more, elegant.  It is basically an igloo.  For a price I could have gone inside, but we decided it wasn't worth it, and we were all freezing. Elmer's toes were numb. And for good reason, it was -27º C with windchill.

After a long night of movies, searching for Northern Lights and a little sleep thrown in there, we woke up for the long return trip back to Denmark.  Even though something went wrong on every leg of that journey, it wasn't that bad. Our delays were actually welcomed because we were starving.
I am now back safe and sound in my home away from home, and all the snow here has melted. Not to say I'm ready for Spring, but I'M SO READY FOR SPRING!

Vi Ses :)

Tromsø, the land of...

Nothing. Granted we haven't been here very long, we have seen no lights. Well ok, I take that back. Last night we went dog sledding about 30 minutes outside of town. When we got there we had a dinner. Consisting of reindeer stew and bread. Except for the smell it wasn't too bad. Then we got outfitted for our dog sledding trip. While we were out in the field waiting for the first group to return we technically saw the Northern Lights. However it was still so bright that it looked more like a cloud than the extraordinary phenomenon I was expecting.
Dog sledding was fun though not as fast-pasted as I was expecting. I wanted to be a part of the Iditarod but that was far from the truth.

In a few hours we depart on the M/S Lofoten for ours two day cruise along the coast. Hopefully one of those nights we will have a front row seat to the Aurora.

The Trials of Travel

Don't get too excited, I'm not stranded, the airlines haven't lost my baggage, and I didn't miss any flights.  But I am sitting in Copenhagen airport waiting for my flight.  A couple of other missionaries and myself are headed even further north to hopefully get a glimpse of the miracle that is the Northern Lights.  This week is winter break for Vejlefjordskolen and we're going to Norway.  Our trip is a smorgasbord (which originates from Danish meaning bread and butter in case you were curious) of different travel opportunities.  We are flying to Tromsø, Norway where we will quickly depart on a dog sledding expedition.  Then after a day of exploring the world's northern-most university town, we will board a boat called the M/S Lofoten as we sail up the coast to Kirkenes.  Kirkenes is a small town at the very top of Norway right next to Russia and Sweden.  Here we have one more night to catch a glimpse of the elusive Aurora before we head back to the school.
The primary reason for this trip is to photograph the Northern Lights.  I have always wanted to see the Northern Lights and when I read that this is supposed to be the best year to see them in 30 years I couldn't pass the chance.  We will be living 300-400 km inside the arctic circle for the next week.  Over the past months we have all been collecting various item to keep us warm, including the cheapest boots we could find, hand warmers, and large, obnoxious wool scarves.  Though we will be headed much further north than we are now, the temperature difference won't be that great.  However, as I am planning on spending at least one night out waiting to snap some pictures, I figure it's best to be prepared.

Time to check bags and check out.

A Long Time Coming...

Honestly I feel bad. It has been entirely too long since I have written here. And for those of you waiting on the edge of your seat for a post, you can sit back and enjoy. Here it is.

Well this is awkward. I don't really have much to say... I want to update you, and I know you want to know what's going on here, but now that the year is in full swing, I don't have many updates.  I will tell you this, in about an hour I am going to meet with the eight other guys who live with me in this cozy little building called Udsigten.  Which to you looks like a jubilee of letters that shouldn't go together and to me says "the view."  I have decided that after almost six months, (has it been that long already!) I don't know the guys in my building well enough.  I want to start a time where we can frequently get together and get to know each other better.  Here is a picture of three of the guys that I know the best already.  From left they are Benjamin, Jonotan, and Benjamin.

This is a picture that they gave me for christmas along with some gag gifts. These are some pretty cool guys and hopefully I will have more pictures with the others soon. 

I know this was a tiny post, but something to keep you going :)

I'll in the middle of writing another deep, thoughtful something, and that should be up shortly.

Vi Ses!

Jeff