Religion in Iceland

Hi there! It's me, Svana, again. Here in Iceland, the Lutheran denomination is the most prominent denomination. However, that has not always been the case. When our country was settled, our largest religion was Norse paganism. It was rather prominent in Germanic tribes in the Nordic countries. What, you may ask, are the Nordic Countries? Well, they include Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. In addition, there are also the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Aland. Last but not least, there is Iceland. Another name for this collection of countries and islands is Scandinavia. One bonus fact that I have found is that the three largest languages for that region were Indo-European, Baltic-Finnic, and Sami. Norse paganism is somewhat like a branch of Germanic paganism. Although I have been a Baptist all of my life, I still enjoy learning about all of the various prominent religions in my country. Although Norse paganism was the main religion for many years, Christianity later began to grow through Pietism. It is now the main religion in Iceland. It's getting late, so I'll talk to you later! (Bye the way, the picture is of a traditional Icelandic church.)

Norwegian Weather

Hi it's me Thurman again. Today I am just hanging out in my house because the weather is very bad outside. It is -5 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest it has ever been is around -15 degrees Fahrenheit and the highest it has ever been is around 95 degrees Fahrenheit. 95 degrees is much higher than most people would think it can get in Norway, but it does occasionally in the summer. Right now it is snowing outside. It's like a mini blizzard. I can barely see outside my window right now. The weather here is usually cold and it snows a lot, so this is nothing new to me. It can get very warm in the summer though. It even gets warm enough so that you can go to the beach here!

Shopping in Iceland

Hello! I thought that I would tell you a little bit about the typical Icelandic shopping experience. Many people in America think that we do not have a lot of fashionable clothing. However, we love to shop for clothes. Although I'm the type of person who is more comfortable in blue jeans than in fashionable attire, I definitely live in an extremely fashionable city. Reykjavik is known for its various clothing stores. It is incredible; almost all of my friends shop in downtown Reyjavik. Although clothing in my country may appear a little over-priced, most people will tell you that it is worth the money. It is relatively inexpensive compared to the attire you will find in places such as New York City. You have to pay a good deal, but the quality of our clothing is considerably greater than the quality of clothing in some other countries. My favorite clothing store is Gallery Sautjan; you can get clothing for both adults and children there. They have great selections, such as this sweater shown on the left! There are two prominent malls: Kiringlan and Smaralind. One of the positive things about shopping in Iceland is that tourists can buy all of their clothing without tax. Bye for now!

Latvian Army Equipment

Latvian soldiers are equipped with Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifles.  They use T-55's 

BDRM-2 Reconnaissance vehicles, RPG-7's, and Bill ATGW's.  The army is poorly equipped and does not have many soldiers.  They wear green suits with camo and sometimes face paint.  They look like they are from World War II.  They use weapons with not in as good condition.  They also use the Swedish AK4, They are very honorable and classy and take their job very seriously.  They have not been in any major wars.  They joined the Soviet Union in 1940 but they were not one of the most major forces

The Irish Flag

Hey, it's Troy O'Sullivan here to talk about the Irish flag. The Irish flag is commonly known as the Irish Tricolour. Green represents the old Ireland, orange represents the new Ireland, and white represents brotherhood. In April of 1848, a young Irish leader brought the tricolour to Ireland from Paris. The flag was hardly used from 1848-1916. However, in 1937 it was officially named the flag of Ireland.

Summer Holidays in Italy

I forgot one of the most important things here in Italy!!!(Holiday) Other than most countries here in Italy the summer time has many holidays. Like in August alot of stores close down do to sagre. Village people give out plates full of pasta. The highest point is Ferragoto or the feast of the Virgin Mary. Easter is celebrated in the spring with church services.
-DiCaprio

Dinner Guests!!

In my last post I told you all about experience cooking wateroozi! Like I said Dirk's family all came over to try out my meal. When Belgium people are guests in other's houses, they are very polite. His family was on time which is all that is excepted; no one should ever be late. Dirk's mother brought flowers because no one shows up without flowers. I even got Gerber Daises, which are my absolute favorite! Dirk must have told her they make me smile and brighten my day. Last time they visited they gave me chocolates; I love Belgium people. Getting flowers and chocolate for inviting people over, it's amazing. It's so much fun learning the Belgium culture and how all the people here act!

-Jenna