Brian Kays – Explorer, photographer, and curious Minnesotan pictured on one of many Finnish-American adventures in the oldest smoke sauna in the USA, Dassel, MN
Hej allihopa!
I’m Brian, and my Nordic focus started with Sweden and the Swedish Language, but I would describe myself as Finnish adjacent. What does that mean? I am curious about Finland because of Finland’s obvious and undeniable ties to Sweden. The two nations share cultural influences, geopolitical history, and a passionate rivalry in almost everything that can be deemed a competition whether its ice hockey, coffee drinking, or quality of life indices.
My story starts with family roots in Norway and Sweden eventually leading to Swedish language studies at the University of Minnesota. An entire Nordic world was uncovered, and I quickly found a new passion for learning about Sweden, Scandinavia, and the Nordic region. I became particularly fascinated with Norrland – Sweden’s northern region, and I made a point to study in the heart of Norrland at Umeå University. Umeå continues to act as my gateway to Sweden’s Arctic and sub-Arctic region. My extensive travels in northern Sweden sparked a strong curiosity to understand Sweden’s neighbor to the east.
I am delighted Helvi invited me to share on the Luumu Blog. I plan on writing about travel and cultural topics from a Finnish-adjacent perspective. I love the intersection of Geography, Minnesota history, and the Nordic countries, so I love to explore Minnesota places with Nordic ties. I look forward to expressing my travel experiences in the blog and hope to offer worthwhile trip suggestions.
I am currently navigating my way in and around the Finnish-American community – there is so much to learn!
Kiitos! Tack så mycket!
Brian
Fast Facts:
I have worked at Sjölunden, Concordia Language Village’s Swedish language village since 2012, in both the adult and family and summer youth programs, where I go by Karl-Anders.
My top three elements of Finnish living I welcomed into my life are sauna, korvapuusti, and Moomin mugs.
A few of my hobbies include railroad photography, cycling, hiking the North Country Trail, Geocaching, and others.
