Lögberg-Heimskringla - 03.12.2004, Blaðsíða 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 3. desember 2004 • 7
PHOTO: STEINÞÓR GUÐBJARTSSON
Shawn Bryant with two participants in last summer’s Snorri West Program, Linda Björk
Ómarsdóttir (left) and Guðrún Meyvantsdóttir.
Found the excuse
to come back
her that a permanent bond has
been made. There is a reason
for everything and if I hadn’t
been bored and lonely during
my year studying Psychology I
don’t think I would be manag-
ing the Snorri Program today.
It was meant to be.”
A visit to Canada
made the difference
The trip to Canada affect-
ed Ásta Sól a lot. “After I
retumed to Iceland I started
looking for opportunities to
either move to Canada or to
work with something related
to North America in general.
That’s why I decided to book
an appointment with Svavar
Gestsson before he left for
Canada to become Iceland’s
Consul General in Winnipeg.
Shortly after my meeting with
him, Reynir Gunnlaugsson at
the INL-Iceland called me for
a meeting with people who
were interested in the Iceland -
Canada relationship. This was
early in 1999, and I recall
Svavar saying: ‘We should
probably have a photographer
here because this may be a
very important start to some-
thing really important between
Canada and Iceland.’ He was
definitely right.”
Ásta Sól says that she was
the only one who kept in touch
and showed sincere interest
after the meeting, “and I think
that was one of the main rea-
sons I got the job as Project
Manager.” She adds that
Reynir Gunnlaugsson believed
in her, “and for that I am real-
ly thankful, especially now
when I look back. I was only a
23-year-old student of English
at the time.”
She recalls that she had
less than two months of full-
time work to organize the
2000 program, “and I still
can’t figure out how I did it.”
She says that she has receved
excellent guidance from
Ódinn Albertsson, CEO of the
Nordic Association in Iceland.
“The Snorri Program was
actually his idea. I have also
learned a lot from Almar
Grímsson and Róbert Trausti
Árnason. The best thing is that
I keep leaming new things.
Having so many great support-
ers of the program like the Ice-
landic government, Icelandair,
various companies and munic-
ipalities around Iceland only
to name a few, is really
encouraging, and having peo-
ple around me, both personal-
ly and professionally, who
believe in me is one of the best
gifts I can ask for in life.”
Growing interest
During the last six years
90 young people have partici-
pated in the Snorri Program in
Iceland. Snorri Plus started
last year with eight partici-
pants and 10 took part in it last
fall. Nineteen Icelanders have
participated in the Snorri West
Program.
“No major changes have
been made, but we try to make
the projgram better every
year,” Ásta Sól says, and
points to Snorri Plus as an
example. The growing inter-
est, however, creates some
problems.
“Lhst summer we had to
reject around 14 participants
and it wasn’t easy,” Ásta Sól
says. “We are probably look-
ing at more rejections for the
summer of 2005 and soon
we’ll also have greater
demand for Snorri Plus.”
According to Ásta Sól, the
program has left all the partic-
ipants with positive memories
of Iceland. “They come back
for a visit or to stay in Iceland.
They bring relatives and
friends back to Iceland, they
keep in touch with their Ice-
landic relatives, create a per-
manent bond. The participants
themselves are keeping in
touch with each other, build-
ing towards creating a stronger
Icelandic community and Ice-
landic presence in North
America altogether in the
future.”
Steinþór Guðbjartsson
Reykjavík, Iceland
Shawn Ross Bryant is a
student at the University of
Iceland. He fell in love with
the country after participating
in the Snorri Program, and his
plan is to get a BA in Ice-
landic.
Before the Snorri Program
was launched in 1999, it was
advertised in Lögberg-Heim-
skringla. The ad caught the eye
of Sigfús Swanbergson,
Shawn’s grandfather. “He
pointed it out to me, but at that
time I was still a year too
young. I had a large desire to
see the world and travel and
because of my family heritage
I was attracted to Iceland.
“The following year I
applied and my application
was accepted. My experience
was very good and positive
and by the end of the program
I thought that there was more
for me to do and leam in Ice-
land. I was looking for an
excuse to come back. I made
good progress learning Ice-
landic during the six-week-
long program and thought that
leaming the language would
benefit me. I thought it would
be worthwhile taking the time
to leam the language because I
wanted to be able to communi-
cate better with Icelanders on
their level.
“So I came back in Sep-
tember 2002 and have been
here since, although I have left
the country a couple of times
since then.”
Shawn is in his third year
in Icelandic for foreign stu-
dents. His plan is to finish it
next year and then continue to
get a regular BA in Icelandic.
“I don’t plan to live in Ice-
land for the rest of my life,” he
says. “All I ever wanted to do
in my leaming objectives in
leaming Icelandic was to be
able to function properly in the
society. To be able to come
here whenever I wanted to ór
needed to and be able to feel at
home. Have friends and rela-
tives. At the moment I have no
plans to teach Icelandic after I
graduate, but you never know
what will happen.”
He grew up on Vancouver
Island and is Icelandic on his
mother’s side of the family.
His grandfather Sigfús Swan-
bergson grew up in Manitoba
but lives in Kingston, Ontario.
“He is 86 years old and speaks
good Icelandic,” Shawn says.
“I talk a lot to him on the tele-
phone and practice my Ice-
landic with him. The other day
he called me on my cellphone.
I was in Ikea and I told him
that I had been up in Breiðholt.
‘“Where is that,’ he asked
although he had no image of
Reykjavík. ‘It is a suburb of
Reykjavík,’ I said, knowing it
meant nothing to him. I found
it funny explaining in Icelandic
to my grandfather in Canada
where Breiðholt is, but that is
one of the things I have to do.”
Deadline January 14, 2005
The application deadline for the Snorri Program in Iceland
next summer is January 14, 2005. Persons of Icelandic descent
between 18 and 25 living in the United States or Canada are
encouraged to apply. The 15 selected participants will arrive in
Iceland June 12 and depart July 23. Every accepted applicant
will receive a grant of approximately $2,400 US.
The dates for the 2005 Snorri Plus Program have not yet
been decided, but an announcement is expected in January.
The first 15 applicants will be accepted.
For further information see www.snorri.is or e-mail
info@snorri.is.
Premier
Gary Doer
cordially invites you and your family to the annual
_^egislative Building
Open House
on
Saturday, December 4, 2004
1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Join Members of the Legislative Assembly
in a celebration of Manitoba’s festive traditions.
Please bring a non-perisliable
food item or an unwrapped toy for the
Christmas Cheer Board.
Visit us on the web at http://www.lh-inc.ca