Posts Tagged ‘Malmö’

What a busy, but exciting week! Apologies for not posting sooner, but this week was filled with another ATLANTIS thesis defense, Taco Tuesday, three time-consuming assignments (all for this week), an all-day field trip on Friday, a spring barbecue, and a concert in Malmö on Saturday!

Where to start!? Monday was the first day of my new Silviculture course, a two-week section of my current Broadleaves course that deals specifically with:

International Video Conference Defense

• Principles for traditional management of different broadleaved species
• The use and market of hardwood and requirements on timber quality
• The assets and economic potential of broadleaves in the Baltic region
• Traditional management of broadleaves compared to the new concept of “close to nature forestry“

The first day we received three assignments (ALL to be completed this week):

1. Silviculture models for broadleaved species - working in pairs, we were assigned to completely research (from soil requirements to the current market values) a popular tree species in Sweden. I researched birch.
2. Assets and potential of broadleaves in the Baltic region – a group project in which my group was assigned to research the silvicultural and economic aspects of the tree species in the Leningrad Oblast region of Russia.
3. Traditional forestry vs. close to nature forestry – an online discussion/debate in which you needed to prepare a well-researched argument for or against these management techniques, and then interact with fellow students through an online discussion forum.

In addition, my fellow ATLANTIS/MTU friend Margus, arrived to Sweden from Estonia. On Tuesday, April 12, he successfully defended his thesis. Margus’ thesis research was completed during his year at MTU near Houghton, entitled: ‘Tracing the Source of Groundwater for Three Different Coastal Peatlands Along Lake Superior‘. Following his defense, we celebrated by having ‘Taco Tuesday’. My fellow MTU friend and I prepared proper tacos – of which we have been craving since we left the United States. Though Kebab and felafel stands can be found on almost every street corner, Mexican-inspired foods and flavors are not popular in Europe or Scandinavia, (for obvious geographic reasons). It was an especially exciting night as my Russian flat mate and a few of my Russian classmates had their FIRST burrito/taco!

Mämmi

The menu consisted of:

• Chris J’s famous Bacon Black Beans
• ‘Dirty’ tomato and olive rice
• Wheat Tortillas
• Corn chips
• Salsa
• Toppings: Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and greek yogurt
• Dessert: Double chocolate carmel cake and a traditional Finnish Easter-time dessert called mämmi

Wednesday and Thursday were spent working on, turning in, and attending a discussion on our assignments for silviculture. Friday was an all-day field trip to Snogeholm in which we discussed our researched tree species, looked at multiple management techniques, and learned about current landscape architecture trends. The weather was wonderful, and after a long day of hiking in the woods the students got together and had a barbecue.

To end my week, I was convinced to go see some live music at a club in Malmö , called Debaser. I was absolutely blown away by the band performing that night, a Swedish all-girl band called Those Dancing Days. Interestingly enough, their name derives from the Led Zeppelin song “Dancing Days” They are now one of my favorite bands!

Those Dancing Days

RECENT NUCLEAR DISCOVERY: While browsing the SLU student webpage I discovered that Alnarp, (therefore the SLU campus I study at) is located within the twelve-kilometer danger zone around the nuclear power plant Barsebäck! The webpage also states that “every citizen has the right to get iodine tablets” Oh my! Apparently the first reactor, Barsebäck 1, was closed November 30, 1999, and the second, Barsebäck 2, stopped operating on May 31, 2005. In addition, the last 32 nuclear fuel cells left Barsebäck by ship on December 1, 2006, but I could not find out where they were sent. Interesting indeed!

Keychain Key Card

On an another international adjustment note, in Sweden nobody stands in line – they use Queue numbers! Almost anywhere  you go in Sweden you need a queue number; you push the correct button (for example there are different buttons for sending a letter versus returning store items, which are usually denoted by color), and a paper slip comes out with a number. A large number board shows which customer number they are currently serving, so you know when it is your turn – this can be convenient when you are waiting for a long time, so you can ‘guesstimate‘ when to return for service –  coffee anyone? There are many places that use this system, such as at shopping centers, post offices, banks, railway ticket offices, the systembolaget (the alcohol stores), and even at public offices such as the police station. Luckily my travel skills have made me an expert observer, and I avoided making a fool out of myself when I went to mail postcards this past week – it would have been another story if I had budged in front of everyone by just walking up to the counter or attempting to stand in line behind the customer being served. In addition, I received two letters this week from my family – I absolutely LOVE getting mail. I have found that the Swedish mail system has been much more efficient and reliable than the Finnish experience I had. The Swedish stamps are more expensive though, at 12 Krona each (about $1.85!). In addition, they use the same priced stamp for letters or postcards here, which is nice if you want to send letters, but it gets expensive sending post cards. On an oddly fun, and interesting note, the world’s most expensive postage stamp is Swedish! A mis-colored, one-of-a-kind printed in 1857 sold for 4.5 million dollars in 1996! It was recently resold this past year in May, but the buyers and selling price remain a mystery. Another new interesting item in my Swedish life is my keychain key card. In order to access my building’s front door, laundry and recycling center I need to use my ‘key card’. It is a blue plastic disk, similar to a keychain. Basically you hold it up to the scanner, it identifies you, and the light turns green, opening the door. I really like this system, but I will be mortified if I ever lose my keys!

Valentine's Day Tulips

This past week the ATLANTIS coordinator from NCSU (Bronson Bullock) visited as well, organizing a ‘tour’ day for the current students at SLU.  The ATLANTIS students met in Malmö, and walked  to the Malmöhus Castle where they visited several museums  on history, natural history, technology and seafaring. They then walked to the Stortorget square to eat a late lunch, and  then headed to Rådhuskällaren for a coffee. Unfortunately I had some graduate work to do this weekend, and I had to pass up this fun day with the other ATLANTIS students Priorities. I am pleased to see so much interaction from the ATLANTIS coordinators,  as well as visits from professors from the four Universities associated with the ATLANTIS program.

Homemade Sushi Yum!

This past week I also ‘lost’ a housemate Unfortunately one of the girls I live, well lived with, had to return to her home country for knee surgery and recovery therapy. We decided to have a good-bye dinner of homemade sushi and prawns! If there is one food that I love, it is sushi! Speaking of LOVE…This Monday is Valentine’s Day (February 14th)! As most countries around the world do not celebrate Valentine’s Day, I decided to introduce my classmates to this sugar-filled, flowery, and sometimes depressing holiday. To make sure everyone had a Valentine, I am hosting an Anti-Valentine’s Day evening with a Zombie theme – I have a dark sense of humor. I thought it would be a fun way to get everyone together to eat sugar cookies and chocolates, while watching some classic American love comedies: ‘He’s Just Not That Into You” and “The Wedding Singer“. I am baking scrumptious ‘broken heart’ sugar cookies using my step-mother’s infamous, tried and true recipe –  I am sure everyone will love them! Thanks for the cookie recipe G, and Happy Birthday! (her birthday was February 12th)I might have also bought myself some Valentine’s Day Spring Tulips… Flowers are an easy way for me to brighten my mood and my room. I cannot wait for Spring!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kassidy

Private Forest Field Trip

The first week of class is officially finished, and I am exhausted! The first day of class was a field trip to a private forest owner’s property. The owners were a married couple from Sweden, both with forestry backgrounds. Interestingly enough, the husband worked for the timber sector of IKEA. They had a large property that they use for firewood, mushrooming, hunting, an ornamental tree nursery, and rent out some of the land for  farming. We spent the afternoon wandering their property learning about Swedish forestry practices, policy, and private ownership. As a challenge the students were split into groups and told to come up with future forestry and land management options for the couple. It was a fun challenge, and the winning group had even suggested converting part of the property into a paintball field! The long day ended with a much needed bonfire and warm food.

SLU Campus

Juggling class time and homework, it was a challenge to sneak in an ‘official’ campus tour or even welcome for that matter. Luckily I was able to make it to a brief afternoon session to get my networking, computer, and library accounts in order. The system here is very different from anything I have ever had to use before; printers que documents and require double passwords, I also have to put money in an electronic account to pay for copies, faxes, and printing, and if I do not have enough money in my account, I cannot print – no exceptions! Hopefully I will not be printing much this semester. The campus itself is gorgeous, with whimsical looking buildings and a large park. There might have been a few Harry Potter Hogwarts jokes mentioned throughout the tour…

As for classes, it has been intense. The long days remind me of being in high school again, or at the ‘Fall Camp’ that I had to go through for Michigan Tech. I really enjoyed my schedule in Helsinki – I had long days, but they did not start at seven in the morning. I am definitely a night owl.

After a long week, I was invited out with the other new SLU students to go bowling. I have not been bowling in a very long time, and for good reason – I am not very good. I was excited to go out with my new friends, and was even more excited to be meeting more new people. I had to take the bus into Malmö, which costs 22 krona (about $3.40) one way! Not only is Sweden expensive (like Finland), but they use the “Swedish crown” or Krona as their currency. It has been quite the conversion adjustment for me. I miss using the Euro  1 Euro equals 8.87 Krona, which is currently equal to $1.36. Luckily, I kept my NORDEA bank account active in Finland so I do not have to pay common currency conversion fees like most people.

Tastes like home!

To finish the first week myself and a few other ATLANTIS students got together for a hearty brunch. Each person contributed a dish; there was sausage, scrambled eggs, traditional Finnish crepes, fresh bread, lingonberry jam, and someone even bought real Canadian maple syrup! I mad a warm winter citrus salad of grapefruit, blood oranges, and pineapple with a brown sugar glaze. After our spectacular brunch, reality woke us from our mid-morning food-comas and reminded us why we had really gathered, that pesky group homework assignment. It was nice to distract ourselves for an hour or so with brunch though. In short, the weekend and evenings after class have been filled with group assignments, personal homework, and enough take-home reading to kindle fires for a month. This will definitely be a challenging semester!

Next week is the Superbowl! Yes, my hometown team, The Green Bay Packers, have made it to the Super Bowl. It is also one of my Finnish ATLANTIS colleague’s birthdays, as well as Runeberg’s Birthday (a Finnish holiday for the famous Finnish poet). I look forward to writing about the upcoming fun, but busy week.

Kassidy

Studying, Exploring, Experiencing, and Blogging!

After surviving my winter break, and Russia for that matter, I have finally gotten settled in Sweden!

I will re-introduce myself, as my blog has recently changed locations from the MTU ParentNet Student Abroad, to the MTU IPS Student Abroad Blog. My name is Kassidy Yatso, and I have been the ‘student abroad’ blogger for the past 6 months while studying at the University of Helsinki, Finland, starting in late August 2010.

I received my B.Sc. in Applied Ecology and Environmental Science from Michigan Technological University’s (MTU) School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science (SFRES) in December 2009, and chose to continue my education at MTU. I am currently part of an exchange program of American and European master’s students, leading to a dual (double) master’s degree, (in completion, I will obtain two MS diplomas, one from the US and one from an EU university). My Transatlantic Master’s Degree in Forest Resources requires a total of 2 years (4 semesters) across three universities in Finland, Sweden and the USA: 1 semester at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 1 semester at the University of Helsinki (UH), and 2 semesters (one study year) at MTU.

I have just completed my semester of graduate studies at the University of Helsinki, and am now attending SLU. I will be blogging about academics, culture, my travels, and much more! If you are just joining me, I am in transit between Helsinki, Finland, and Alnarp, Sweden, but my blogs from last semester are archived, so you can go back and read about Finland and last semester’s adventures

Map of SLU Alnarp Campus

After repacking all of my belongings in Helsinki for the move to Sweden, I realized I had some how accumulated more possessions that I thought. Luckily, one of my fellow classmates at UH was willing to drive me to the airport so I did not have to rangle my baggage on the Helsinki public buses. I will forever be grateful. A short hopper flight to Denmark, and I was in Copenhagen in less than two hours. Alone, attempting to navigate the airport, buy a train ticket to Malmö, and manage my baggage, I was taken back by the quiet, calmness and neatness of the Copenhagen Airport. Feeling a bit more relaxed, I caught the train to Malmö Central Station to meet up with other new SLU students and a ‘welcoming committee’. SLU had graciously offered to pick new students up at the railway station and bring us and our luggage to our new addresses, saving time, money, and inevitable frustration. I am currently living in Arlöv, Sweden, which is north of  Malmö, Sweden, and west of  Copenhagen, Denmark.

My Bike "Kermit"

I live in a student flat with two other forestry students; a Russian girl from the Moscow State University, and an Italian girl who is in the Erasmus Mundus  Programme. We all attend the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) this semester, taking part in the Euroforestry programme. I had one day to unpack, regroup, and reorganize before classes started for the Spring Semester. Luckily my roommates are in the same course programme and showed me around campus and the surrounding areas. I live about a 20 minute bike ride from the Alnarp campus, and about 5 minutes from the Burlöv Center (a large mall with a grocery store in it). I was fortunate enough to buy a bike upon my arrival to Sweden, from a fellow ATLANTIS student that was already at SLU. A bike is vital for survival here.

For the first half of the semester I will be taking a course titled “National and International Forestry Policy”. We have class Monday through Friday from nine to four, with an hour lunch break. It is much more reading intensive than my courses in Helsinki, with a more demanding schedule and course load. I think it will be easier to make friends here though, because it is the same 35 students every day, doing the same homework and field trips, with some of us living together as well. I am excited about the diversity of the class; there are students from Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, Uruguay, and the United States. A very exciting mix indeed!

I have convinced my house mate to help me further my Russian linguistic skills, as I have just returned from Russia. In the upcoming weeks I will talk about my first week of class in Alnarp, and my adventures in Russia!

до свидания! (Do svidaniya pronounced duh svee-dah-nee-ye) which literally means in Russian, “Until (the next) meeting”

Kassidy