I finished up my final report this morning, in which I describe the eleven courses I created for myself this past school year, all in the pursuit of learning more about Scandinavia. I proofed it quickly and then wrote at the bottom:

This final report is formally submitted, to myself, on May 21, 2026.

That’s right. I don’t have anyone else to turn it in to, since my role in this degree is student, teacher, dean, and abroad advisor. I’m the procurement guy, I’m the registrar, I’m it, period. I felt a bit like Kamala Harris when, in her role as Senate leader, she announced the flling of paperwork to fill her vacated Senate seat, reading her own name. She had a good chuckle. So too did I, this morning, as I realized that my report was going to nobody else but me.

To celebrate, I took the dog for a walk in the woods on a perfect Swiss spring morning. Dappled leaves, chattering birds, and a dirt path laced with tree roots that wound its way through the woods. The perfect time and place to reflect on what I learned. Below is a little of what I thought about (followed by the course). It’s a mix of content knowledge, pedagogy, and the big and small. The sort of thinking you do on a walk in the woods.

• Written Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish are so alike you could call them dialects of Greater Scandinavian. There are probably other languages in the world that are much more distant from each other but that are still called dialects. In fact, linguists like to say that the difference between a dialect and a language is that a language has a navy and an army (language).
• Apropos power, power and money is a prevalent theme throughout Scandinavian history, and to generalize, the history of people anywhere, anytime (history).
• There are Scandinavian foods I can prepare well and others that I need more practice with. This isn’t the same as saying there are Scandinavian foods I like and Scandinavian foods I dislike, because a few times I think I nailed the recipe but didn’t enjoy the outcome much. Nor some of my family members and friends, just ask them about Flygande Jakob and rømmegrøt (cuisine).
• The personality of a language teacher or speaking partner can be tremendously important to the learner. With some tutors I felt almost fluent in Swedish and at least communicative in Danish or Norwegian. With others I was absolutely tongue-tied. Same learner, same year of learning, different outcomes based on my speaking partner (languages).
• The lives of Europeans settling in what is now Minnesota in the second half of the 19th century was exceedingly difficult. One walked for miles. One built their own house, starting with trees for the lucky. One hoped not to have a grievous accident during highly dangerous work. One hoped to get to Spring before starving in the Winter. The corollary: My life is extraordinarily cushy compared to all other centuries that humans have existed (Emigration to Minnesota).
• As an autodidact, it is easier to maintain your motivation if you share your experience with other people. I don’t think I would have made it without making my project very visible to others (general).
• But I did make it, so here’s proof that if you want to pursue an academic subject in depth, and if you don’t need the stamp of approval from an institution, (1) it is entirely possible and (2) it will cost you a fraction of the money (general).
• It is the norm for political borders to change, for land to change hands, for the majority of people to be shoved around by the few in power. Not that it makes it right, but it is the story of Denmark and Sweden and the countries around them, expanding and receding, sometimes with breathtaking speed (history).
• A good piece of fiction is chock-full of truth (literature).
• Supporting adult learning has been a significant contributor to Scandinavian identity for over 150 years. It is something worth investing in no matter our cultural heritage: for individuals, groups, and regions (education).
• Whatever I’m able to write down that I learned, I actually learned much more. Intangible things, things gained with growth and maturity that we can’t quite lay our fingers on (general).

While my final report is done, I still have the abroad requirement in front of me, one week each in Denmark and Sweden this coming summer. Then I’ll really be finished, even though I know full well I’ll continue learning language, reading literature, and even baking fresh cinnamon rolls now and again. 

I’ve decided I’ll do another year of self-study (in a new subject area), but this time with a group of colleagues who are also taking on self-study of their own. We aim to support each other, to validate each other’s experience, and to serve as soft external motivation for when the internal motivation slips. If you’d like to join us, let me know.