Lots and Lots of Lemonade!

Well, we all know the phrase... and we usually hear it when we least want to hear it... but that is what we are doing: making lemonade. First, a few updates:

Joel's calculator arrived (see picture)! We now have access to his account. We are still waiting for the pin numbers to use of Danish debit and credit cards, but we can at least now access Joel's account (I am still waiting for my calculator).

And, I thought I would include a few pictures of my office at the Copenhagen Business School, including the infamous stairwell and the deceptively simple keypad (do you see the laser that is supposed to read your security card?).

My office is quite nice with a large desk, a work table with two pink chairs, two huge bookshelves, a white board, and huge windows that let in a lot of light! The funny thing is that I look right into an apartment building and my secretaries warned me that every once in a while you will catch someone running around their apartment naked!

I've only met a few of my coworkers, but everyone is really nice and friendly. I am part of the research Center for Corporate Values and Responsibility, which has very high expectations for research and publications. That said, they work collaboratively and do a lot to help and encourage each other (paper workshops etc.). I already feel mentored and encouraged (if not a bit intimidated by the reputations of my colleagues!).

So, our other news is that we still do not have water in our apartment. A water leak somewhere in the building flooded the bar on the ground floor Monday of last week. They cut the hot water temporarily but then turned it back on after about 2 days. The flooding continued and destroyed the bar's fuse box. So, about half our electric outlets didn't work for about 2 days. Then, Thursday morning (without any warning) all the water went out and it is still out. After several hours with the plumber and the owner of the bar, we decided that the water leak is coming from the first floor flat (2nd floor by American standards). Unfortunately, the owner of the first floor flat won't grant the plumber access to the flat to fix the leak. Until they fix the leak, the water will remain off. This isn't good news. Both our landlord and the owner of the bar have contacted lawyers trying to force the first flat owner to grant access. I am not sure how this will turn out, but I think we are going to have to break down and get a hotel tomorrow if the water is not back on. We are doing our best with bottled water and "borrowing" bathrooms at various shops and restaurants. That said, showers are pretty important and we just may need to do something. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow. Actually, I hope we have water tomorrow!

So... our big news. We are moving! The noise in our current apartment is too much. Even after everything we've done to block out the noise, we often cannot sleep until after 5 am when the bars close. So, after lots of thinking and praying we decided to take another apartment. The challenge was locating another apartment. Flats in Copenhagen, like other large cities, are very hard to find. We had lots of help from our coworkers and we dedicated several days to looking. We finally located an apartment. It is much smaller -- MUCH SMALLER and there is no washer, dryer, nor dishwasher. But, it is in a much more residential area of the city. It is about DKK 1000 cheaper than our current apartment and very near a laundromat, grocery store, and other shopping. It is also close enough for me to walk or bike to work. It is also very near the Metro, which is good for Joel. The apartment is also furnished. Our landlord lives in Copenhagen and is really nice. In fact, he allowed us to sign a 6 month lease in case we decide the apartment is a bit too small. This is our new address:

Duevej 120a, 2

2000 Frederiksberg

Denmark

Here are some pictures that our landlord took. And, yes, the bathroom is that small.