Happy New Year

It is time to end the year of 2008. What a great year, so many nice memories including sky diving, end of undergraduate program, skiing in Utah, begining of graduate program, and many other things. I am still studying for my exams in January, but when done with them I will write about the year 2008, and what I expect for the year of 2009.

Take care all of you and Happy New Year.

Love Marc

Christmas time

There are still a few things that I want to post on my blog, but for now I will write about the present time being celebrating Christmas with my family. One might think that my family is my two roommates Lasse and Kritte, but Christmas is for my parents and I.
I am looking forward to spending a few days with them, and getting ready to study hard for the exams.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and I know that people are following the blog from Australia, Korea, Europe, and America. Take care of each other and enjoy the holidays.

Best regards Marc

Working with Novozymes for my exam projects

In the two courses, Innovation & Knowledge and Product Management & Product Development, my group and I had to write our projects in collaboration with an innovative company. We were lucky to get a contract with Novozymes (thanks Svend), and were granted permission to write about their CellPrime products. It was extremely interesting to write about, out could easily see myself seeking for work at Novozymes. (http://novozymes.com)

The two projects were handed in on the 18th of December, and I will have to defend them at two oral exams on the 6th and 14th of January

Website for CBS Case Competition

Our new website for CBS's (Copenhagen Business School) case competition is now up an running. CHeck it out at http://casecompetition.com
Here is a direct link to me http://www.casecompetition.com/organisation/schoolcontact

It will all take place in week 9 of 2008.

This is the participating schools:
* Tsinghua University (China)
* Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo (Brazil)
* National University of Singapore Business school (Singapore)
* Thammasat University (Thailand)
* Copenhagen Business School (Denmark)
* University of Southern California (USA)
* University of California, Berkeley (USA)
* University of Florida (USA)
* McGill University (Canada)
* University of Auckland (New Zealand)
* University of Navarra (Spain)
* The University of Manchester (England)

Going abroad to Canada

Well noting is sure, but I have applied to go on exchange in the fall of 2009. Since I was unable to apply for exchange in the US, I went for Canada. I am really excited about going to Canada, but will not know until January where I will end up. Here are my priorities:
1. University of British Colombia, Vancouver
2. McGill Montreal
3. York, Toronto
4. Ryerson, Toronto

Since there are only one and two spots at Vancouver and McGill, I think I will end up at York.

Anyway - we will see in January.

Flag football: MVP and National League

The seasons has now been over for a while. We won our last game and secured the third place in the second best division. A third place that later resulted in an advancement to the national league due to another team dropping out. This means that we will next year be playing in the best league in Denmark - FNL (Flag National League) I am so exited about it, but we have to work very hard to be able to win a game or two, to stay in the best division.

A week ago (Yes this is actualy new news) I was voted MVP for the season by the other players.

I hope that my parents will be able to attend more games next year, and that my Dad will be able to take some fantastic photos.

Here is one of me on defence:

Trip to Oslo (september)

I was persuaded to go on a small cruise with a group of the exchange students that is studying at CBS and participating in the DIS program. The cruise was only from Friday to Sunday, and most of the time was on the boat. Check out some of the photos below.Pete in the hut top.
The boys at the back of the ship enjoying the sun set.

CBS Case competition (September)

As I have written before, here on the blog, I am head of school contact for Copenhagen Business School’s Case Competition 2009. It takes place in week nine in February and is one of the biggest case competitions in the world. What makes it very special is that it is organized only by students, who are doing it on a voluntary basis. No money and no faculty advisors; only a group of young bright students.

To kick off the planning of the CC, we went on a kick-off weekend to get to know each other and work on the theme and outline of week nine. As typical Danes, we had a lot of social activities at night, which included a mini version of the Olympic Games, which is the reason for my rather different clothing style.Since the mini OG did’t provide one-on-one games, and because the judges were being bribed; Jacob and I played our own game of Ping Pong. The game lasted for hours and tuned in to a historical match. It was the kind of match, which could have made anyone a fan of Ping Pong if they had watched it. The game had everything, with duels with unimaginable shoots being made, big leads being thrown away, comebacks, nerves, and at the end only one winner despite it took two plays to make this wonderful game. The crowd loved the game, and the commentators compared the game to the rivalry between Federera and Nadal!!
Jacob and I after the epic game!

That was some fun weeks!

The two weeks of being a buddy for international students are now over. However, I expecting to see a lot more to the many nice people I have met. Unfortunately I forgot my camera to most of the social events, so I actually don’t have a lot of photos. I will try to get some more, but here are two.

From left to right it is: Maggie, Vincent, Sebastiano Francesca, and Al
From left to right it is: Kaila, Chris Martin (Me), and Jake

Who am I? – Chris Martin??

I would never have expected to get recognized in a bar by strangers, because, to be honest how many fans do we have at our football games – 5? However, the past week I have been recognized several times, but not as Marc Nyeland, nope, people think that I am Chris Martin from Coldplay! It is apparently my look that has some resembles to him, judge for your self on the pictures below.

I am a buddy!

It is the beginning of the semester, and a new set of international exchange students have arrived. I have for the first time signed up to be a buddy for three incoming students, who are Vincent from Belgium, Kellam from USA, and Alex from Latvia.

It all started Sunday last week when Vincent came by my place to say hello. Since than we have been having a great time with all the other students and I am looking forward to a fun semester.

Happy Birthday Dad

It is today my dad's 65th birthday. I wish you a great day with the family, and I am sure that the sun will shine on you.

Love Marc

I am back from Skanderborg Music Festival

I am back in CPH after a great music festivale. I will upload a lot of nice pictures soon. Here is a short list of some of the artists:

• Ace of Bace
• Alphabeat
• Infernal
• Katee Melua
• Saybia
• Dodo and the Dodos
• Hej Matematik
• Lenny Kravitz

52 hours - I am home

I am now home after 52 hours of traveling, but I don't have time to relax. I have to start packing for the next trip. Big thanks to all the SAS employees who help me come back.

I am in Stockholm

(Wednesday 6th of August 10AM) I am now in Stockholm; I got on the flight from Chicago and made it across the Atlantic. I did, however not get on the first flight to Copenhagen, I am hoping for the next flight. If I make it, then I will be only 31 hours delayedJ

No matter what happens I am just happy to get home safe, and with so many new memories that I will never forget. But, if you have the chance, then please cross your fingers for me at 13:20 GMT+1 time, so that I can get home soon, thanks.

24 hours later and I am still in America

(Tuesday 5th of August 1230PM)It is now 24 hours since I left Salt Lake and I am in Chicago airport waiting to know whether I am going directly to Copenhagen or via Stockholm. One thing is for sure and that is, that I will miss the first day of the festival and the celebration of Kritte’s birthday.

HAPPY BITHDAY Kritte – I hope you will have fun, I am looking forward to seeing you, and there is a small present to you in the apartment when we get back.

I did not make it.

(Monday 4th of August 1030PM)I was 10 minutes late for my flight, and I now have to find a hotel and hope that I will get to Copenhagen soon.

It will be too close!

(Monday 4th of August 9PM)I am landing in Chicago in ten minutes, which will give me 20 minutes to catch my flight to Denmark

Mother Nature has something to say

(Monday 4th of August 2PM) Weather delay, not sure if I will make it to Chicago in time for my CPH flight. I was suppose to have five horse between my flights.

Heading back to Copenhagen – Denmark

(Monday 4th of August 10AM) Today Monday I am now going to get on my flight to Chicago from where I will fly directly to Copenhagen and land Tuesday morning. That will be just in time to join up with the boys back home to go on a small road trip to a musical festival.

It was a pleasure to see so many of you again here in Salt Lake, but there are still many whom I did not get a chance to see, I hope to see you soon again, please keep in contact.

Let us jump out of a plane – sky diving!

Sunday had only one purpose and that was to enable us to jump out of a plan in 8000 feat! We drove to Cardwell next to Boise in Idaho. But before that we had to get a good solid breakfast, which is why we went to and old American dinner.

A lot of old, but very cool stuff made us feel back in the 60’ties, and the big pan cakes with a ton of syrup made it perfect.
Here I am with my instructor Geoffrey.
Here we all three are ready to go.

A video from my jump and more maybe more pictures will come later, since they are making one for us.

But wow that was amazing. We had a 40 second free fall, and than a nice smooth descend with the parachute out. It got to steer it, and made two tight spirals, first to the right and then to the left. It was one, if not the one, most exiting moments in my life. Sitting with my feet over the edge of the plane looking down on the ground, with no time to reconsider, and then we just went out. It was so surreal that I never got scared when being in the air.

If you ever get the chance to try it, you must do it – it has to be on your bucket list.

Here it is me coming down:

Tour de Sun Valley

After getting some dry cloth on, it was now time for mountain biking. We got a map and headed out to find a good trail.

Here we are getting ready to jump in the car to head of to the mountains in the background.

A few cows tried to get in our way, but a little music from Kate Perry “I kissed a girl”, and they went off the road.
We are on the way to the top.
I am at the top of where we are about to start a 2 miles downhill trail.
From left to right you can see the trail, which was going to take us all the way to the bottom of the valley.
We are now on our way back to the car, a 5 miles uphill climb.
But before we got to the car we took a small downhill tail that took us through some water.
This is Kylee.
Here is Manuel

And, here am I.

Oh yes, and on the way back the cows were back on the road to stall us, I guess the few we met on the way up and told their friends about the great music we played, so once again Kate Perry got a chance to sing for the cows.

We went white water rafting in kayaks.

Saturday morning we went up early to go water rafting. When we stepped out of the hotel room we were met with a crisp and cold air. Sun Valley is supposable one of the coldest places in America, we could feel that. It did, however, became a lot warmer when the sun finally rose above the mountains.

We were going white water rafting in kayaks, since we were told on the phone that it would be a lot more fun and challenging, but only for young, adventures, and athletic people. We considered us all to fit those categories and it turned out to be a good decision.

It was so much fun to go down the rapids. We had a disposable water proof camera with us, and we are waiting for the pictures, but below are some pictures that were taken by a photographer ob the shore.

This is me heading into the first rapid, which turned out to me a close call. As the pictures show, the nose of the kayak is totally gone under water. This is the same place, I am now down in the hole/void that the rocks create and it is starting to look bad.
I am now about to tip over, since I hit a rock and the water is pushing hard on the rear of the kayak.
The instructors told us that if we are about to fall in, we should take one more paddle, which I did and I got out of it. I got the kayak turned 360 degrees and stayed onboard.

Here I am out of trouble and just paddling on to the next rapids. There were several rapids where we had to concentrate a lot, and it was a lot of fun; very recommendable.
Here it is Manuel paddling.
Kylee is here heading into the rapid, she forgot to paddle, but made it without any problems.

Road trip to Sun Valley, Ketchum, Stanley, Hailey - Idaho

We are on the road - Kylie, Manuel, and I. We are going to Sun Valley to sky dive, white water raft, and mountain bike. I know I previously have wrote on the blog that we were going to Moab, but that will be another time, it is sopossible too warm down there.

The long roads - it is do amazing to drive in the US. Everything is so far away, and the roads are beyond the horizon.

Here is the gang at the tank station.
We are looking good, and are exiting about going rafting tomorrow.

Beautiful sunset in Sun Valley.

Dodge - Manuel - Okland - The Cheesecake Factory- Beezer & Bryce

Below it is my rental car - a Dodge Charger with a 2.7 L V6 engine. It is a really sweet car - a real American car. It burns gasoline and a whole in my wallet!

I finally met Manuel. We went to have lunch at a Greek place, which was god. We both had a ton of stories to tell, and it took me more than one and a half out to eat my salad.

I went on a tour with Randy to see some of Okland Construction's sites. In the back ground it is a temple in Draper.

It was national Cheesecake day this Wednesday, so I went to the Cheese Cake Factory with Mike, Jordi, and Kylie. It was amazing. The food was also great, but it is the cakes that rocks, and due to the special occasion, they were only $1.50

Yesterday, Manuel and I met up with Beezer and Bryce. It was great. We were all on a road trip back in January, and it only took a few minutes before we were back in the old rhythm, perfect.

Back in Salt Lake

I am now staying at Sandra and Randy Okland, the family which I got to know through the international office at The U when I attended it in the fall of 2007.

They have a beautiful house and I will try to upload some pictures of that and the neighborhood later.

I tried to go shopping Monday, but Salt Lake is not the place for that. All the shops are represented here, but only with a very small assortment. I will have to look a few more places, or maybe I can get to one of the big outlets outside New York when I have a 10 hour stop there on Monday.

Manuel and I are still planning our trip to Moab. We are trying to get everything planed, so that we will able to do both mountain biking, water rafting, and sky diving.

Take care everyone – and if you are in Salt Lake give me a call at 801 512 4325.

Back in SLC - Going to the Cabin

I left Chris and Oliver in Seattle, and I am now in Salt Lake City. After arriving in Salt Lake I got my rental car and drove up to the Cabin. The cabin is up in Coalville, about 15 miles further up then Park City. It belongs to the Zaelit family, and it sounds and looks like Tom has been spending hundred of hours on it. When driving up it was a bit cloudy, but it was beautiful with the many rainbows, which was every where I looked. I came to Coalville, which is a small western town up in the mountains. Everyone knows each other and when asking for directions I just ask for where Tom lives.

Here is the city sign on Main Street. This is the cabin, and the fields behind it will the next couple of weeks be used for a demolishen derby and a rodeo show. This is the trail, which Tom, Mitch, and I went on with the ATVs. They are so much fun to drive; too bad Denmark doesn’t have the terrain for it. When driving down the mountain I was listening to the satellite radio and they played the best music, here it is Jason Mraz, but they also played “I kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. Great new music.