My Expectations

    Hello! My name is Natalie Ezell-Dunbar, I'm currently in my senior year at Missouri Southern State University. I am a fine arts studio major with an emphasis in painting, I am also obtaining a minor in psychology and a minor in art history. This summer, of 2023, I will be attending a study abroad trip with a handful of my peers to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Germany. I am excited for this trip, and I have some hopes and expectations for my journey!

    First off, this will be my first time crossing the Atlantic Ocean and my furthest journey from home. I am a frequent traveler, although I have stayed entirely within the western hemisphere until now. I am comfortable traveling, but I am sure staying away from home this long will have its own unique challenges. I already found some of them when allocating space in my suitcases for a months’ worth of clothing and items! Secondly, I am thrilled to experience new cultures! I hope that I can be open and willing to engage with as many aspects of different cultures as I can be! I know I am excited for new foods and landscapes! I also want to participate in Midsummer celebrations, as this is not something I'm familiar with as an American. Also, as a fine arts major, I am very interested in exploring the art of Scandinavia. I have a particular interest in the atmosphere and lighting unique to Scandinavian paintings. A specific painting, I wish to see is Lunar Halo by Eugène Jansson, I am interested in the properties of the halo moon, but mostly in the depictions of night being painted in any color but black, as is typically thought of a dark night. I am hoping to see many paintings and other artworks, I am very excited to share my finds with the readers of this blog!

    In reference to the foods, I am excited to try, I am a big breakfast person, so I am eager to try other types of breakfasts! I also love to eat new things, and I will spend quite some time running around just finding food to eat, I'm sure. I will be spotting some bakeries as well; I am very fond of pastries! I'm hoping to try a specific Swedish street food called Tunnbrödsrulle, this food typically contains a sausage wrapped in flatbread with mashed potatoes and shrimp and mayonnaise salad. I also want to have some sourcrout in Germany. I love sourcrout already, but I hear stories about how amazing it is in Germany, so I'd like to do some taste comparisons! I have some food allergies, but I’m hoping that doesn’t stop me from enjoying anything!

    Overall, I am keeping an open mind when exploring these new settings. I know I have traveled before, but that was largely in one country, so there are going to be many new challenges for me regarding the cultures that I am familiar with. I’m not going to let that scare me too much, however, as this experience is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! I’m endeavoring to take everything in stride and embracing change happily!