Introduction- Natalie

Hi, I'm Natalie Wright, and I'm a freshman in LSA. I'm not completely sure what I want to study, but I possibly want to do something with history. The reason I took this class is because my family is planning a trip to Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) this upcoming summer, and I really wanted to learn about the countries before I visited. I love learning about a place's culture before seeing it in person. I believe it really contributes to the experience. My grandfather is also 100% Norwegian, and I am about 40& Norwegian, but I don't know much about the country. I really wanted to delve into my roots and explore my heritage.

Intro from Ulan Thompson

Hey my name is Ulan Thompson. I am a senior in Aerospace Engineering. I am from the upper peninsula of Michigan, specifically Houghton, MI. The area I live in has a large Finish population and there is a lot of Finish heritage present. This is mainly from the Finish immigrating to the area to work and mine copper. I was interested in the class for several reason. One of my good friends took this class last year and she really enjoyed it. Also, when I was a sophomore in high school, I became very close with a foreign exchange student from Norway. I also grew up with several Finish influences including taking saunas and eating pannukakku(Finish pancakes). I'm excited to learn more about this culture and the rest of Scandinavia this semester.

Rick's introduction

Hello all,

My name is Rick Lorenz and I am a Senior in Aerospace Engineering. I am a member of the club hockey team here at the University and work part time as a bus driver, so if you see me driving please say hello. I used to be in Air Force ROTC in hopes of becoming a fighter pilot, but the outlook of that actually happening was pretty dim so I stopped pursuing that dream and instead set my sights on building planes. As for my interest in Scandanavia, I have always loved learning about the Vikings and like I said in class, my favorite hockey players come from Sweden. I am very excited about this class both because Scandanavia has always interested me and because there isn't crazy amounts of math involved, which is what all my other classes are filled with.

Matt's Introduction

Hi, my name is Matt. I am a sophomore majoring in engineering (undecided but probably IOE). I am taking this class because my family is very proud of our Danish heritage, and I loved Denmark the two times I visited. I'm really excited to learn more about Scandinavia as a whole and get to know all of you.

-Matt

Melissa's Introduction

Hello class,

My name is Melissa Erickson and I am a senior this year at Michigan. My major is Industrial and Operations Engineering with minors in International and Asian Studies. I chose to take this class because I know very little about Scandinavian history and culture. Given my Swedish decent, I felt like I should take the opportunity while still in school to learn as much as I can about a new subject. I look forward to the class and all I am going to learn.

-Melissa

Christine's Introduction

Hi, my name is Christine and I'm a sophomore studying Civil and Environmental Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.  I had originally planned on going for the International Minor for Engineers, but the classes didn't fit well into my schedule.  I'm still very interested in learning more about other parts of the world and (hopefully) finding the time to travel to new places.

I'm taking this course because Scandinavia has always been an interesting part of the world to me, both because of its rich culture and because I have roots in Sweden. I'm very excited for this semester and I'll see you all in class!

Emily's Introduction

My name is Emily. I'm a senior majoring in Communication Studies with a minor in Modern Western European Studies. I am taking this class for my minor and because I am interested in Scandinavian culture and history. Additionally, I would like to work in hockey public relations after I graduate and have met Scandinavian players through my internship. I think it would be beneficial to learn more about their culture as there are many Scandinavian players in North American professional leagues.

Introductions

Welcome to our class blog!

I hope this blog will be an interesting and easy way for everybody to share thoughts about Scandinavia during the semester. As your first post, I would like each of you to introduce yourself to the class. Please, start a new post for each person. Let us know your name, what you are studying and why you are taking this course. 

Label your post 'introduction' (in the square below).

I am looking forward to this semester with you,

Johanna