My first week at Novo Nordisk

As I sit here watching "Vinter WIPEOUT" Scandinavian-style while Collin makes some delicious-smelling chicken parmesan for dinner I thought maybe I should pull my weight around here and update our blog.  I don't believe I have talked about work yet, so now that I have completed my first full week, it is time.

I've mentioned the commute.  I think I have the hang of out it now.  There were a few misses this week as I got on a wrong bus that added 45 min to my morning commute, got on a train that mysteriously stopped a station short of where I was going, and waited for a VERY long time for an obviously delayed train while announcements explaining the situation were constantly being projected over the loudspeaker.  At least I assume they were explanations, as they were -- of course -- in Danish.

My first day of work I was greeted by a gorgeous bouquet of flowers on my desk from my department.

I was also greeted by a huge pile of boxes containing various computer parts that needed to be put together. Local IT seems to be a little lacking in Måløv.  Apparently they are only on campus for 6 hours a week and only for minor problems...that might prove interesting as time goes on.  I've already had to visit them once since apparently Windows was never fully installed on my computer.   Computers.  fun times.  

I currently share an office with three other scientists...sometimes also called chemists...or academics, all in my department. From what I can tell all three terms are for people with their PhD, compared to technicians who don't have their PhD.  The setup is a little different here.  Each group is made up of both technicians and scientists, and typically the technicians do most of the lab work while the scientists design the experiments and analyze the results.  My small team of 5 is made up of three scientists (one of which is my manager) and 2 technicians.  The three scientists each have our own projects we work on, and we "share" the technicians.  Due to the small size though, I expect to be heavily in the lab myself, at least at the beginning.  Our team of 5 -- the "assay team" --  is part of the hemophilia biology department which is made up of about 20 people so.  Our sister department is the hemophilia biochemistry department which is about another 60 people I think...maybe 40, I can't remember.  I'm still just trying to learn our 20!

In our biology department there are two people from Sweden and one from Germany (and me) so at least I am not the only one requiring English.  The biochemistry team has another American and someone from India  Otherwise it's pretty much all Danes.  English is the official language and everyone CAN speak English but that certainly doesn't mean everyone likes too.  When speaking directly to me they speak English, but otherwise I am constantly surrounded by Danish.  The technicians, especially, seem a little less confident in their English skills.  But no one should be, they all speak English quite clearly.  Collin and I hope to start Danish lessons in February and hopefully that will really help.

Our site is kind of in the middle of nowhere.  Here is a view from my office window on my first day.

And here is a view from the same window this week...much foggier weather. (both pictures were taken at the same time of day)

The site is currently under a lot of construction.  Our department is actually moving in March, same site but new building.  But the construction makes it a little challenging to get around.  This week I did get lost in our basement trying to find my way outside.  Every door I came to looked like it could be a fire-emergency door so I was hesitant to open any (again, everything IS in Danish, despite English being the "official" language).  Eventually an elderly custodian from Ireland named Declan helped me find my way out.  He was very excited to hear I was from Boston, "the Irish part of the States" according to him.  

My first week has probably been pretty similar to first weeks at most large biopharma companies.  Lots of Isotraining (including an isotrain on how to do isotrains), lots of quizzes about the "Novo Nordisk Way", basic orientation type stuff.  I did have to jump right into the science this week since someone in my team is leaving at the end of the month and I need to take over her work.  But otherwise I have not yet done any experiments...soon enough!

I have already registered for two conferences for the year -- the first in Warsaw Poland in February, the second in Amsterdam in July.  Not too shabby!

I also want to mention the awesome cafeteria (or canteen) that they have here.  For DKK 22 (~$4) you get access to a full buffet of delicious food.  One hot meat entree (or a vegetarian option) and a large salad bar of interesting things including lentils and beans and potatoes, a table full of tapas-style Danish dishes, a few loaves of fresh breads and a selection of artisanal cheeses.  Sadly everything is only labeled in Danish so I don't always know what I am eating -- especially with the more traditional Danish dishes -- but luckily I am not a picky eater and have no allergies.  I'm slowly learning my Danish food words!  They are definitely not big on unhealthy drinks...it's mainly just water.  You can buy a bottle of coke as well, but I have no idea how much that costs.

They also really like their coffee breaks.   My department has two unofficial coffee breaks each day.  One at 8:30 in the morning and one at 1:30 (13:30) -- I think. I keep forgetting about them but I hear that's kind of frowned upon so I will try to be better in the future.  The day over all is much earlier than I am used to.  The first two days I came in at 8:30 and that was definitely on the late side.  Since then I have been aiming for 8:00.  But on the flip side, I typically leave work at 4:15 in the afternoon.  I have stayed as late as 4:45 and the place is pretty dead at that point.  I definitely like that aspect of things.  

Hopefully this gives a little overview of what the work life is like here.  It is a lot more Danish than I think I appreciated coming over here but I am getting used to it.  It is much more difficult trying to remember everyone's names when most of them have names I have never heard before!  And I never realized how exhausting it is listening to heavily accented English all day long -- it must be more exhausting for them though, speaking English!  and I think it is definitely the kind of thing that after a while I won't notice the accents nearly as much.  It is nice coming home and talking to Collin though which requires no effort...usually :)  Overall my experiences have been great so far and I am very excited about working here.

Day 25 - Snowflakes in the Capitol

It's the tolerable kind of snow. A flake here and there. The glamorous kind of snow.

We had a nice evening with two of Emily's Novo cohorts. Pizza and wine and good times. As both are non-Danes, there was much commiseration. 

We did the walk to Nørrebro there and back. About 25 minutes each way. Powered by pizza, I made it home with enough energy to write this cop out of a post. Sorry intrepid readers! More adventures next time!

WotD #6 - Eventyr

Fable. Fairy tale. Folk tale. Adventure.

For example, The Jutlander and his Stockings

A WELL-DRESSED Jutlander once took a drop too much, and consequently lost command of his legs, landing at full length in the middle of the high-road, where he fell asleep. 

While he was lying in this state another wayfarer passed him. When he observed the Jutlander's fine stockings and compared them with his own, which were old and worn, he saw his chance to draw the good stockings off the Jutlander's feet and to replace them with his own. On doing this, he walked on. 

When the Jutlander had slept till he was somewhat more sober, a man came driving along, shouting: "Keep your legs by yourself or I shall run over them!" The Jutlander awoke, lifted his head, and looked at the legs; but when he noticed a pair of gray, ragged stockings, and remembered that his own were pretty, white, and brand-new, he lay quietly down again, answering: "Drive on! These are not my legs!"

I'm not quite sure of the lesson here. Don't drink too much and pass out in the road? Vanity can be dangerous? Always have a good idea what your legs look like, even in another man's stockings?

Thanks to oaks.nvg.org for supplying this tale of the Jutlander. I'm intrigued by the other stories, specifically The Master Fool. I hope that Mister T has enough pity to go around.

James Bond and Danish Banking

So, with thanks to Susan, the team at Settwell, and Susanne at Danske, we now have a fully functioning Danske bank account.

Security is taken very seriously here. It is very elaborate. Let's review the steps required to achieve online access to my bank account.

Step 1. Register with commune and acquire CPR number.

Step 1a. Open bank account.

Step 2. Wait for mail with NemID information.

The NemID, as described in the link, is the Danish digital signature that links you cyber-spatially with your bank, the kommune, the government, your employer, etc. As I mentioned before, checks are non-existent. Every transfer of funds between parties is done with a bank card, a direct deposit, or a wire. 

The NemID is then linked with your NemKonto or "easy account", ie the bank account into which any and all of these funds will be deposited / withdrawn. FWIW, the term "easy account" sounds frightening, but I'm going to just go with it.

Step 3. Wait for NemID temporary password.

Step 4. Continue to wait for NemID temporary password.

Step 5. Acquire NemID temporary password and "Code Cards"

So here's the fun part. First, the NemID password. Let's look at the packaging.

So basically, we're looking at cellophane with a printed number covered by black / white gibberish for security.

You peel off the back black / white gibberish piece, and the temporary password is now visible.

Excellent.

Additionally, to get all James Bond on this, you need to use a code card. Yes. A code card.

I have a set of three cards. Each card has 13 x 4 "code numbers" and the associated 13 x 4 "keys". Each set of three code cards has a specific code number. Each key can only be used once.

The application asks you to submit your NemID and password. After you've changed your login / password to something more secure and memorable, it asks for more verification. Next, you are asked to supply a "key" for a given "code". Check your card, enter the number, move on.

I'm not sure if this happens every time you use a computer or if it is just every time you use a new computer. Regardless, it makes banking far more exciting.

Edit : It happens EVERY time you attempt to log in. Ick.

WotD #5 - Jeg kan ikke tåle...

...nødder og jordnødder.



This would have been smart / useful to know before coming to Denmark. I know it now. So that's something.

The first bit is "I'm allegric / intolerant to..." and the last bit is "...nuts and peanuts". It's a little confusing in the shops of Copenhagen. Peanut - and it is written that way - seems to be universal for any kind of nut. We all know that the peanut isn't really a nut at all, but is instead a legume. We all do.

As it turns out, the peanut is more closely related to the soybean than it is to the walnut or cashew or Brazil nut or almond or any kind of tree nut. As Roy will happily explain to you, at length, the peanut is a new world food. It was invented by by George Washington Carver. And Jimmy Carter.

This - in case it wasn't painfully obvious - was supposed to be a joke. I apologize.

First, to John Hodgman; that this vague pastiche of his style required an explanation. Second, it is highly likely that I have stolen this fake fact / joke without realizing it. Or did I just realize it? I should stop thinking about it. Immediately.

And to the reader; I'm sorry to waste your time with these silly, poorly thought out "jokes" that may or may not have been stolen. Accidentally. I blame Denmark. Sorry Denmark!

Day 24 - Pantsystemet

No, this is not the system by which the Danish government provides every Dane with pastel colored trousers. That's for another day.

This is the Danish bottle and can deposit system. We were used to a similar system in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts you pay a $0.05 / per can or bottle. But in Michigan...

At some point it became too much of a hassle to return them. I got lazy and quit doing it. There wasn't enough economic incentive to save them, bundle them together, and then take them to the deposit center. Especially the big two liter bottles that, still, only paid $0.05.

By the end of our stay, I accepted it as a tax and put it out with the recycling for the "can collectors" to grab. Just me, giving my bit back to society. You're welcome.

So back to the Danish Pantsystemet. Here in Denmark there is economic incentive to return them. Check out this chart (remembering that 1 DKK ~ $0.18)

One-way packaging		Deposit
Type A	All cans and  botles under 1 litre, escept plastic bottles	DKK 1.00
Type B	Plastic bottles under 1 litre	DKK 1.50
Type C	Cans, glass and plastic bottles of 1 litre and over	DKK 3.00

Woah. We're talking more than three times the deposit for cans and up to ten times more for large plastic bottles. As an aside, "One-way packaging" means that the can or bottle is only single use. It is collected by the recycling center, melted down, and used for making post consumer goods. According to Dansk Retursystem A/S,

»Teddies and fleeces can be made from old plastic bottles
– Please recycle!«

Oh the joy of cuddling up with Faygo the bear! I'm just kidding, of course they don't have Faygo here. Get on it Detroit! In Detroit's defense, I did see an Escalade here the other day, so they're working on it.

Here's a nice video from the folks at MyDenmarkTV. Basically, today we're focusing on the first section with regard to Pant.



I especially liked the summer bottle collecting. Perhaps I need to purchase some sort of trolley device. Maybe this isn't quite the type of entrepreneur spirit that our buddy Mitt was talking about. Assembling my army of can-collecting vagrants and college students will have to wait another day.

Thanks to MyDenmarkTV. It's just a wonderfully put together product. I can't wait to watch them all.

Day 23 - House husband no more?

As mentioned earlier, today I met with my consultant from spousecare.dk, Sys. It was great.

I was ridiculously chatty. Apologetically chatty. It's weird what happens to me when I haven't had an "out loud" conversation in a while. The flood gates open.

I provided bad coffee and delicious schoolboy cookies.

We talked Denmark. America. Potential jobs. Food. Movies. History. Danes.

She even suggested that I live here.

Yes please (and no, I'm not kidding). It's like a 21st century Marina Towers meets central Illinois soy silos! A match made in Copenhagen S.

It was all very nice. It will be great to have someone - an outsider - helping me throughout this process. I have an event with spousecare on the 16th which should be fun. It will be nice to have that "push" to get out, meet people, and be social. I definitely need one.

We really are very lucky to have this package from Novo. It's just great to have these resources at our disposal.