My room is a mess, my life a total disaster - but only today, because I was sick, stayed home and got bored, and instead of cleaning up my mess and deciding what to wear tomorrow and going to bed early so that I'm fresh in the morning, I'm writing this, just because I want to share with the whole world that today I voted for the first time in Denmark.. probably the last one as well, but who cares, the first time is the most memorable one :p
So what's the big deal?
To be frank, I noticed since a few weeks before some smiley guys in front of my window (I live in the center of Lyngby) were sharing leaflets to people passing by. Since I speak no Danish, I suspected for a while that they are trying to convince people to switch to some new internet provider, try a wonder - detergent etc. The funny thing is that they never tried to approach me when passing by, I was like somehow invisible to them, even though I was staring very curious and in a more-than-insistent way at them. Even tried smiling, didn't work. So then I wondered: what's wrong with me? Do I look like I do not use detergent? Or like I cannot afford that new internet provider? But I was wrong, fortunately.
Soon after that, one day in the morning, I was woken up by workers, doing some stuff on the light pole, right in front of my window, again. They were putting posters with smiling-confident looking people (just like in a toothpaste commercial) having that visionary sparkle in their eyes, but still trying to look like normal human beings, in order not to confuse the potential voters.. Then I understood! My suspicions were then confirmed by keywords I saw on the posters: something looking like 'radikal', 'democratisk', 'social', 'venstre' - last one means left, I know it from the metro, when they tell you that you have to stay on the left side of the automatic stairs if you just want to stay still, and on the right if you're in a hurry and want to walk at the same time..
Yes, they were having local elections in Lyngby. Anyway, the moment the word 'politics' came to my mind, I was completely grateful to those people ignoring me and not giving me leaflets on the street.
"Still good”, I said to myself, “I still look like a tourist, and not like an immigrant in Denmark!"
I have no interest in politics, and I'm so disgusted by politicians (could be because I come from Romania, but that's another issue). Actually, I wish food would have the same effect on me as them, then I would be much slimmer (one can also say less fat, that's discussable).
All these events were soon followed by long rides by bus to work, seeing on every pole posters of people whose electoral premisses I could not get. But I do not complain, it could have been much worse, like being home in Romania, having to see every day on TV public debates - or circus shows (another reason to be happy I don't have a TV, or that I don't understand Danish), or hearing pensioners talking about it while waiting in supermarkets' queues. I wonder if it was different here.
Excluding my destructive and negative attitude towards politics and politicians, I was decided not to vote, also because I feel that just being in Denmark for a bit more than a year does not give the right to have a word about such things, when I don't even understand the language and have no idea about most things around me (although I do know when they have discounts in shops). And even if I did it anyway, who I was supposed to vote for, when I haven't bothered to find out anything about the candidates?
Having these in mind, I have completely forgotten that this is the BIG day. Until a few hours ago, when I met Momme, one of my apartment mates, on the street. He asked me if I already voted, and when I said NO, his face reaction expressed something between "Oh, so you don't believe in Santa Claus?" and "I didn't know you are such an irresponsible person". Needless to say, he convinced me to go with him. Elections seem to be a big thing in Denmark, and I was not going to miss that! After all, I always wanted to know more about foreign cultures, behaviors, habits, rituals, etc.. The Danish voting ritual was not to be an exception.
During the 5 minutes walk to the voting place (It's a big building close to me, never wondered what is for before, since it has no shops inside, but apparently it's something connected to the administration), Momme explained me a bit about the candidates, but I am not going to go into this.. nor I am going to tell you whom I voted for, or if I even voted for somebody: the vote is secret (even sacred for some), and it's my right to keep it like this :p
Anyway, there we were, waiting in a relatively short queue (which finished pretty fast).. Surrounded by blond tall polite smiling people, giving us directions where to go next. I got 2 kinds of papers (one for the town, the other for some regional thing). I handed in my 'election paper' (something they had sent me by mail a few days ago). The people weren't even curious to check if I am really the person from that paper, they only crossed out my name in a table, and that was it! Liked that: fast and confidence-inspiring! Once in the cabin, I had to make a cross in front of the name I (would have) wanted to vote for.. with a pencil! - I hope not that type that can be erased by a rubber, but I have no prove for it. Folded my shits of paper carefully, went out having a mature and responsible mimic (like I knew what I was doing) and put them in some boxes (are they called urns in English?), not before getting a free smile from a woman standing behind the boxes/urns. That was all! Simple, fast, pain-free.
All in all, I'm also happy that soon they are going to remove the posters from the pole in front of my window. The faces are right now staring at me, saying 'Have you done anything useful today?', and I don't like that. It's a man and a woman close to each other in the picture (are they a couple?) + another guy, he seems to be new in the party, and his name is Ulf (I'm guessing it means 'wolf', and he must be really popular if he's over there).
Oh wait, they're not looking anymore, they got distracted: two cars just bumped into each other on the street (no casualties, only paint scratches), and the drivers are arguing pretty loud. Lots of action, they are saying bad words, I think, I've just understood 'idiot'.. Now who says I don't have an exciting life in Lyngby?
