I'm stealing this idea from my friend Vanessa, but since part of the reason I wanted to come to Iceland was for its music scene I thought I should share some of my favorite videos. This is from one of my favorite bands Útidúr and the song is called Fisherman's Friend.
September 29, 2011
September 27, 2011
Religion in Iceland
I decided to blog about religion in Iceland because I have always been fascinated with the churches in Iceland, especially the traditional ones out in the country. Religion in Iceland was initially the Norse paganism until Christian conversion. During the Reformation, Iceland adopted Lutheranism in place of its earlier Roman Catholicism. Today nearly all Icelandic religious followers are Christian, and a vast majority are Lutheran--although church attendance remains low. 89.3% of the population are members of Christian congregations and of that 79.1% are Lutheran belonging to the Church of Iceland. Roman Catholicism is the largest non-Lutheran faith in Iceland, though only 2.5% of the population practice it. It is estimated that half of the nation's Catholics are foreign born with the main groups being Filipinos and Poles. This past Sunday I went to a Catholic mass with my friend Lauren. It was at a church in Reykjavik, about a 10 minute walk, called Landakotskirkja which is the cathedral of the Catholic Church in Iceland. They offer Catholic mass every Sunday in English. It was pretty easy to follow the mass, as there was a program in English and projection screens with the words and lyrics. I noticed at the mass about half or more of the people there were Filipino. They did most of the music; there were three men playing acoustic guitars and a group of men and women singing, which was really beautiful. It was a little different than what I am used to, but that made it interesting. Here is a picture of the church:
This church was built by Guðjon Samuelsson who also built the famous Hallgrimskirkja (in Reykjavik) and Akureyarkirkja (in Akureyri in northern Iceland). Both Hallgrimskirkja and Akureyarkirkja are Lutheran churches. Guðjon Samuelsson's churches are said to be inspired by the natural geology of Iceland, especially the basalt columns such as those at the waterfall Svartifoss.
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| Hallgrimskirkja |
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| Akureyarkirkja |
Then there are the smaller more traditional churches that you see in the countryside, which I personally like better; although, I haven't gone inside one yet. My favorite I've seen so far is the one in Vik. Fun fact from Wikipedia: If the volcano Katla erupts it could produce an enormous flash flood large enough to wipe out the town (Katla is beneath a glacier). The town's church, located high on a hill, is believed to be the only building that would survive; thus, the people of Vik practice periodic drills and are trained to rush to the church at the first sign of an eruption.
Update
Here's an update of what I did this past weekend. Thursday I walked downtown to the bookstore with Emily and our new friend Akeem (he just moved in on Monday). We then got a call from Lauren who was with Begga and they wanted to go out to eat. We decided to go to this place called Vegamot, which doubles as a "hip hop" club during the night. Begga and I split a massive plate of nachos, and the others got huge portions of really good food. :) Thursday night was the premiere of the new Sigur Ros documentary, Inni. I went with my friend Emily and Jordan, and before we went inside to watch the film we saw the lead singer, Jonsi, outside and got to take a picture with him! It was pretty exciting for us, although I don't think Jonsi liked all the attention. Here in Iceland celebrities are treated as equals and everyone respects their privacy. The movie was great, we sat on the floor of the venue and there were huge speakers so it sounded as if we were actually at a concert. At the end of the film the venue dropped confetti paper on us, just when they did it in the movie during the last song. Then after the movie we went home, had a snack, and hung out in the kitchen for a while.Friday I got pizza for the second time this week, because it was Domino's MegaWeek! All pizzas were 1390 ISK, which is pretty cheap here and considering they are normally around 2500 ISK. Begga's sister Auður came for the weekend which is always fun and she gets to borrow her mom's car. Friday night we relaxed in the kitchen, talking and sharing a bag of Doritos. Then Auður took Lauren and I to Hagkaup, it is open 24 hours and has food, clothing, electronics etc. This week they were having American Days! So I got some Arizona ice tea and we stocked up on chips, salsa, and candy for the night. We got back to the dorm ate some candy, made nachos, and then decided to watch Drop Dead Gorgeous till we were too tired to watch any more.
Saturday we got in the car (yeah!) and went to get some lunch, we ate at this place that sells food, ice cream, and is also a video rental store. Weird but it was good AND cheap. It costs 690 ISK for a soda, cheesburger, and fries. That is ridiculously cheap here. We then went to a health food store and second hand store where I got a big cozy sweater made in Iceland! Then we went to the flea market and I got a jacket for 500ISK (also really cheap..less than $5 USD). After this we went back to the dorm and I took a nap. We were having another party at our dorm, but this time it was for our dear friend Jordan who was getting deported :(. Before the party we celebrated MegaWeek again and got four pizzas for a bunch of us. Then some people started coming over and we moved up to the attic. This was a considerably smaller party than our other one, but it was nice to get to talk to people. We headed downtown for a bit and ended the night at our favorite hot dog stand, which as you now I frequent pretty often, but it is always with Jordan. Sunday we mostly just lounged around the dorm, I skyped my mom for two hours and then I went to church with my friend Lauren. Around 9pm we decided we should make Jordan a cake so Begga found us a recipe she knew. It was a chocolate cake with a chocolate/coffee icing. It was pretty delicious and nice way to spend our last night together. Here is the recipe:
Monday was Jordan's last day here. The reason he had to leave was because he is 17 and you can only get a student permit if you are 18, even though he is enrolled in the university and had been here a month. By staying he risked getting blacklisted to all of Europe and he didn't want to risk that. So he had to leave us around 2:30pm. Before he left he was interviewed because he is kind of famous here in Iceland. He taught himself Icelandic in three years back in Vancouver, and because of that was interviewed on Icelandic tv back in April. This time they interviewed him about getting deported and they filmed all of us saying goodbye to him, so we were on the channel 2 news! Here is the link to the page: http://www.visir.is/urvalsnamsmadur-rekinn-ur-landi-vegna-aldurs/article/2011110929246?fb_ref=top&fb_source=other_multiline. That's the story, which you can translate in google translate, there is also a video to the right of the picture. Best part of the translation: "Jordan said goodbye to his friends at the university today and flew home to Canada where he has to wait to be old enough. His friends were so bent with grief that they wept." That may have been an exaggeration by the reporters haha. Although we weren't so bent with grief that we wept, we were really bummed and will miss Jordan dearly. He is coming back for the next semester, but since I am only here for one semester I may not see him. But regardless we will stay in touch and we are already planning on skyping him real soon!
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| Screenshot from the news! |
September 21, 2011
Draumalandið
Today in my culture class I watched the movie Draumalandið, which in English means Dreamland (trailer above). It is an environmental documentary about Icelandic politicians and businesses who try to lure aluminum production to the country. Iceland is an ideal place for this industry because of the hydropower and geothermal energy opportunities. Iceland saves the companies 200 million because they are using much less energy. It specifically looks at ALCOA, a company I am familiar with from my studies at St. Lawrence. ALCOA now has two plants along the St. Lawrence river and has been there for over 50 years. They have continued to pollute the air, water, people, and animals for years. There is a Native American reservation bordering ALCOA and they have had to stop farming and fishing, which are a huge part of their culture, due to the pollution. The women are advised not to eat the fish because they carry PCBs which can cause detrimental health defects to the women and their children. Now ALCOA is coming to Iceland. This angers me because I've seen the plants (in NY) and learned what they can do to people and their culture.
After I saw the movie I left feeling enraged and saddened. I was enraged that Icelandic politicians are letting ALCOA come into their country, and greeting them like heroes. I was enraged that ALCOA emits as much CO2 as 200,000 cars and uses enough electricity to power a city of over 1 million people. I was mostly enraged at this one women, who I think works for the government, when she said that this one area (where they were going to flood for a damn) wasn't even that beautiful and it doesn't matter if it is under water. First of all, the area was beautiful (all of Iceland is) and by flooding it you are killing vegetation, insects, birds, and other flora and fauna. The film shows the area being flooded and a duck sitting on a nest being washed by the water. You see the eggs float away from the nest, and one that was just starting to hatch gets submerged into the water. It was heartbreaking to see. It was also heartbreaking to see the beautiful Icelandic nature and know that industry is being proposed into those places. Part of the reason I came here, and I think why most people do, is because of Iceland's unspoiled natural landscape. You feel as if you are in a country untouched by dirty business and pollution. If they continue to let these industries exploit the natural resources of Iceland, I think many will be outraged and tourism--a huge part of the economy--could suffer.
Update: Thursday the author of the book and the producer of the film talked to our class about his work and the movie. He had no background on the issues but wanted to write the book so that others could understand the reality that was going on. The dam that the movie focused on in Eastern Iceland has doubled the energy production in Iceland. However, the project has also killed 90% of the biomass in a nearby lake. They have already harnessed 5 times more energy than the nation needs, but they are still looking to build more smelters and dams. I think this is ridiculous as they don't need more energy and it's destroying the land, species living there, and farmers livelihood. Additionally, Iceland has the highest tourists per capita in the world. They come to Iceland for the nature not to see dams and smelters. Some positives though that have come from the film is that all the "silly politicians" that were in office during the filming of the movie, are all now out of office. People are also speaking out against ALCOA. The film showed this town Husavik in northern Iceland where they have proposed a smelter. I haven't been to this town, but it is on my list of things to see as Husavik is the "capital" of Iceland for whale watching. In the film they show the people cheering and celebrating for ALCOA. There is one family however who has farmed there for years and they would lose their farmland if the smelter was built there. The grandfather even said he would rather take his car and drive off the cliffs by their house than see ALCOA come in and lose his farm. Well the author went there and showed his film to them and did a Q&A afterwards. He said the mayor and some of his friends were acting like school bullies and giving him a hard time. However, then one man stood up and said thank you for the film, and that he hadn't spoken up before because he was afraid to stand up and voice his opinion--mostly due to the mayor and his "bullies." The author said a bunch of people, at a gas station, a coffee shop, etc kept telling him thank you. As of now there is no smelter in Husavik, but there are companies--including ALCOA--still trying to get the piece of land next to the farmers. I hope that it does not happen, for the sake of the farmers, the people, and the beautiful area that is Husavik.
After I saw the movie I left feeling enraged and saddened. I was enraged that Icelandic politicians are letting ALCOA come into their country, and greeting them like heroes. I was enraged that ALCOA emits as much CO2 as 200,000 cars and uses enough electricity to power a city of over 1 million people. I was mostly enraged at this one women, who I think works for the government, when she said that this one area (where they were going to flood for a damn) wasn't even that beautiful and it doesn't matter if it is under water. First of all, the area was beautiful (all of Iceland is) and by flooding it you are killing vegetation, insects, birds, and other flora and fauna. The film shows the area being flooded and a duck sitting on a nest being washed by the water. You see the eggs float away from the nest, and one that was just starting to hatch gets submerged into the water. It was heartbreaking to see. It was also heartbreaking to see the beautiful Icelandic nature and know that industry is being proposed into those places. Part of the reason I came here, and I think why most people do, is because of Iceland's unspoiled natural landscape. You feel as if you are in a country untouched by dirty business and pollution. If they continue to let these industries exploit the natural resources of Iceland, I think many will be outraged and tourism--a huge part of the economy--could suffer.
This video shows some of the beautiful scenery and the destruction taking place.
September 20, 2011
Week 3
Still having a blast! I can't believe I will have been in Iceland for 4 weeks this Thursday, crazy! I hope the next three months don't go by too fast. Anyway, last week for classes was ok. British Literature is going well, we read some poems by Wordsworth and Coleridge. My pronunciation and speech class was pretty boring on Wednesday (that is just the lecture), but Thursday's class (when we practice speaking) was fine even though my pronunciation isn't very good. Icelandic culture was super boring on Wednesday. We often have guest lecturers come in and talk to us about different topics, but this guest was so boring. Honestly the most boring teacher I have ever heard, good thing he doesn't teach the whole class! But Thursday for that class we got to go to the national museum for free! And since our class is so big I brought my friend Vanessa along since she enjoys museums. They didn't check attendance or do a head count so it was fine that I brought her. We got an hour tour of the museum and then got to walk around afterwards. The museum is divided into different time periods from the settlement up to the 21st century. My favorite things were probably the traditional clothing from I believe the 1800's. They also had skeletons in tact of pagans from the settlement of Iceland. There was one male skeleton but that one actually wasn't as in tact because of the soil of where it was buried, but the other two--a female and baby--were completely in tact. There was also a wooden door that was carved from 1200. I enjoyed it because it told a whole story in such a small space. It was also funny because it tells the story of Knight of the Lion (a story heard from the French) but Icelanders didn't know what lions looked like so it looks more like a weird horse. Here is a link to a picture I found online and a little more about the story: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonepi/2945191002/.
Another fun thing I did in the museum was play dress up with Vanessa. They have a room of traditional clothes that you can try on and a sword, helmet, and shield you can wield. We had fun acting like kids and putting on those clothes :)
Thursday night was the start to Oktoberfest and this night had the most bands performing. I got to see two bands I really like Of Monsters and Men and Agent Fresco. They were the closers for the show. I've seen Of Monsters and Men before--they played at my school during the first week--but I've always been in the back of the crowd so hopefully I will see them again during Iceland Airwaves in October. Check out their most popular song Little Talks on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dw8qdmT_aY. Agent Fresco was also great and they are playing a couple shows at the end of September so I will probably see them again. So Thursday was fun since I got to listen to Icelandic bands and I met a lot of people. Oktoberfest is also held on campus so it was a great short walk for us! Friday night we didn't feel like going to Oktoberfest since a few of my friends were doing the sheep roundup and golden circle at 8am the next morning. We mostly sat in the kitchen talking and watched some tv. We did go out to get subway because we were hungry and on the way we saw a cat along the side of the road and it was meowing and looked lost. So Begga called its owner and he said it had been missing for 2 days! So we waited with the cat till his owner came and the cat was so friendly, he kept rubbing up against us. That night Begga also made us all these traditional drinks that they tend to have at Christmas. It is a mix of a malt drink with appelsin (an orange like soda). Overall this was a low key fun night. Saturday I didn't do too much since most people were gone, but I got to skype my parents for the first time! So if any of you have skype you should add me! Saturday night when everyone got back our friend Begga took us to a pizza place by the water. It was Begga, Jordan, Lauren, Emily, and I and we split a large vegetable pizza and a small cheese/garlic pizza. It was really delicious and I would definitely go back. The inside of the restaurant was also really cute. Then on our way back everyone wanted ice cream so we stopped at the place we went to before. We got back to the dorm around 9 and Vanessa's Icelandic buddy--Catherine was there. Catherine is actually from North Carolina but met an Icelander while he was studying abroad in NC and now they are married and she has been in Iceland 2 years. She hung out with us for a while in the dorm then we all went to Oktoberfest for its last night. There was also a few bands playing on Saturday but I didn't recognize them. Saturday was also a lot of fun except our group got separated toward the end, but luckily I was with Catherine the whole time. Oktoberfest probably went till about 4am, and then a lot of the people went downtown as bars don't close till 6 or 7 am on weekends. I went downtown for a hot dog because they are so delicious--they are known as the best hot dogs in the world!
Sunday I woke up to howling winds and rain against my window, but my friends still wanted to go downtown. So we bundled up and headed to the flea market. I got smoked salmon with dill and a sauce that is like honey mustard with dill. We got free samples and liked it so much I think 3 of us bought it. I also got some carrots and then stopped at a vendor who sold candy. Begga told us that this women had been selling candy since she (Begga) was a little girl. Begga got two kinds and I tried one and liked it so much I bought one. It was this fluffy light middle--similar to marshmallow--covered in coconut coated chocolate. Yumm! Then we went to Bonus, the cheap grocery store in Reykjavik that most people shop at. Then we went home and luckily the whole walk it never poured on us, only a slight mist or just wind. For dinner I cooked pasta and tried some of my salmon, then my friend Lauren taught me a card game (Golf) and we played with a couple others. Monday, I did homework and relaxed till my friend got me to tell me Begga was making pancakes. They are more like crepes and so delicious. We had it the traditional way with rhubarb jelly and homemade wipped cream. I will definitely learn how to make these! Begga is hoping some Sunday we can cook a big meal of lamb for the whole floor, so hopefully we can start planning that. My friends and I are also looking to rent a car and do a weekend trip around Iceland soon. Well I have to go get ready for my one class of the day--British Literature. We will be talking about Lord Byron today. Bless Bless!
Another fun thing I did in the museum was play dress up with Vanessa. They have a room of traditional clothes that you can try on and a sword, helmet, and shield you can wield. We had fun acting like kids and putting on those clothes :)
Thursday night was the start to Oktoberfest and this night had the most bands performing. I got to see two bands I really like Of Monsters and Men and Agent Fresco. They were the closers for the show. I've seen Of Monsters and Men before--they played at my school during the first week--but I've always been in the back of the crowd so hopefully I will see them again during Iceland Airwaves in October. Check out their most popular song Little Talks on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dw8qdmT_aY. Agent Fresco was also great and they are playing a couple shows at the end of September so I will probably see them again. So Thursday was fun since I got to listen to Icelandic bands and I met a lot of people. Oktoberfest is also held on campus so it was a great short walk for us! Friday night we didn't feel like going to Oktoberfest since a few of my friends were doing the sheep roundup and golden circle at 8am the next morning. We mostly sat in the kitchen talking and watched some tv. We did go out to get subway because we were hungry and on the way we saw a cat along the side of the road and it was meowing and looked lost. So Begga called its owner and he said it had been missing for 2 days! So we waited with the cat till his owner came and the cat was so friendly, he kept rubbing up against us. That night Begga also made us all these traditional drinks that they tend to have at Christmas. It is a mix of a malt drink with appelsin (an orange like soda). Overall this was a low key fun night. Saturday I didn't do too much since most people were gone, but I got to skype my parents for the first time! So if any of you have skype you should add me! Saturday night when everyone got back our friend Begga took us to a pizza place by the water. It was Begga, Jordan, Lauren, Emily, and I and we split a large vegetable pizza and a small cheese/garlic pizza. It was really delicious and I would definitely go back. The inside of the restaurant was also really cute. Then on our way back everyone wanted ice cream so we stopped at the place we went to before. We got back to the dorm around 9 and Vanessa's Icelandic buddy--Catherine was there. Catherine is actually from North Carolina but met an Icelander while he was studying abroad in NC and now they are married and she has been in Iceland 2 years. She hung out with us for a while in the dorm then we all went to Oktoberfest for its last night. There was also a few bands playing on Saturday but I didn't recognize them. Saturday was also a lot of fun except our group got separated toward the end, but luckily I was with Catherine the whole time. Oktoberfest probably went till about 4am, and then a lot of the people went downtown as bars don't close till 6 or 7 am on weekends. I went downtown for a hot dog because they are so delicious--they are known as the best hot dogs in the world!
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| Bæjarins beztu pylsu. The famous hot dog stand. For 300 ISK you get one with everything: that includes ketchup, sweet mustard, remoulade, raw onions, and fried onions. |
Sunday I woke up to howling winds and rain against my window, but my friends still wanted to go downtown. So we bundled up and headed to the flea market. I got smoked salmon with dill and a sauce that is like honey mustard with dill. We got free samples and liked it so much I think 3 of us bought it. I also got some carrots and then stopped at a vendor who sold candy. Begga told us that this women had been selling candy since she (Begga) was a little girl. Begga got two kinds and I tried one and liked it so much I bought one. It was this fluffy light middle--similar to marshmallow--covered in coconut coated chocolate. Yumm! Then we went to Bonus, the cheap grocery store in Reykjavik that most people shop at. Then we went home and luckily the whole walk it never poured on us, only a slight mist or just wind. For dinner I cooked pasta and tried some of my salmon, then my friend Lauren taught me a card game (Golf) and we played with a couple others. Monday, I did homework and relaxed till my friend got me to tell me Begga was making pancakes. They are more like crepes and so delicious. We had it the traditional way with rhubarb jelly and homemade wipped cream. I will definitely learn how to make these! Begga is hoping some Sunday we can cook a big meal of lamb for the whole floor, so hopefully we can start planning that. My friends and I are also looking to rent a car and do a weekend trip around Iceland soon. Well I have to go get ready for my one class of the day--British Literature. We will be talking about Lord Byron today. Bless Bless!
September 13, 2011
2nd Week
This past week I had all my of classes, got my kennitala (Icelandic ID number), registered for classes, opened a bank account, signed my housing contract, got my housing bill, and I got internet! I am officially a member of Icelandic society! The whole kennitala process was a pain and not very well communicated. When I first arrived the directorate told me it would take two weeks and that they would send it to me. Almost two weeks later my friend said she got her kennitala by going up to our schools service desk and asking them if they had it. I tried that and it also worked for me and I finally got my kennitala and got to register at the university. Luckily I listened to my friend because I still haven't gotten anything in the mail from the directorate! The university should have emailed us immediately once they got our kennitala because we need them in order to register for classes and have access to Ugla--a website where our teachers post assignments, readings, sound files, etc. At least I got mine on time and could register for classes before the deadline of Sep 10. All my friends were also having the same problem so I wasn't too worried during the whole ordeal. As soon as I got my kennitala I went with my friend to open a bank account, and I should be getting a stipend and debit card soon so that I can pay my housing and have a small food allowance. Friday I had to sign my housing contract which then granted me access to the internet in my room (finally!) which is where I am blogging right now :).
I also had all my classes last week. I have British literature on Tuesday, Icelandic culture and Pronunciation and Speech on Wed, and all three classes on Thursday. All classes are going well so far. I am enjoying reading the poetry in my Brit Lit class--a subject I have shied away from. I enjoy Icelandic culture so far--on Thursday we discussed the history of Iceland; history is a subject I have really missed learning since high school. We will also get to read a saga and three novels by Icelandic authors in that class, so I am excited for that. My Icelandic language class (Pronunciation and Speech) is going pretty well so far, but I imagine it will soon be getting difficult. I find the language a lot different than what I am used to--with different letters and sounds than I am used to making. Today (Tuesday) starts my second week of classes and I am excited to see what is in store.
On the fun side of things--I had a really good week. Most weeknights I spend in the kitchen talking with my floor mates. Last Thursday and Friday my friends and I cooked together and shared a meal. Friday night I helped cook pizza and it was delicious! Then our dorm hosted a party Friday night, and it was quite successful. We had a lot of people from our dorm come and other exchange students and Icelanders that we knew. We also got to see the Northern Lights for the first time, they were not super bright but it was amazing to be able to finally see them. Saturday my friends and I went to a restaurant called the Noodle Station and got Thai noodles that were delicious. At night we walked down to the water to see the northern lights, although I think we missed them at their peak. Sunday I signed up to go whale watching with my friends Lauren and Emily because we are a part of an exchange group ESN (Erasmus student network) and got a 50% discount on whale watching. It was a beautiful day and the views of the city and mountains were gorgeous. We unfortunately didn't get to see any whales (they see mostly minke whales out there) but we did see porpoises. Then we went to the flea market and there were actually some good deals there so I will probably venture back next week. Since Sunday was Sep 11, my friends and I wanted to do something "American" so we went out to dinner at this really good hamburger place by the harbor. I got a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake--delicious!! I had been craving a milkshake for soo long and it was awesome! Then we went back to the dorm and hung out in the kitchen. Yesterday, Monday, I did homework, school stuff, etc. As we were eating our dinners in the kitchen, a few of us wanted dessert so we decided we would go for ice cream later. Now you may not believe it, but Icelanders LOVE ice cream. They eat it all year round, and will stand outside in the freezing cold and snow to get some. So we were all excited to finally try the famous ice cream here. Our Icelandic friend Begga took us, and we left around 10:00 at night and the line for the shop was out the door! We weren't even downtown, we were in some residential area and the place was packed. I got a strawberry/chocolate twist in a waffle cone, and it was very good. Then as we were walking back to campus we saw the northern lights, like really saw them. They were amazing, even Begga said she had never seen them that bright. They formed a green band all the way across the sky and we could see it moving. It almost looked like a green river in the sky. It quickly changes shape and sometimes it would swirl around. We stood there for probably 15 minutes in awe and shouting--this is amazing!! But since it was getting late we headed back to campus, where I had some tea with my friend Vanessa and then went to bed. Overall a very successful week, and I hope I continue to see the northern lights! I plan on going out to the countryside sometime where I can really see them glow!
I also had all my classes last week. I have British literature on Tuesday, Icelandic culture and Pronunciation and Speech on Wed, and all three classes on Thursday. All classes are going well so far. I am enjoying reading the poetry in my Brit Lit class--a subject I have shied away from. I enjoy Icelandic culture so far--on Thursday we discussed the history of Iceland; history is a subject I have really missed learning since high school. We will also get to read a saga and three novels by Icelandic authors in that class, so I am excited for that. My Icelandic language class (Pronunciation and Speech) is going pretty well so far, but I imagine it will soon be getting difficult. I find the language a lot different than what I am used to--with different letters and sounds than I am used to making. Today (Tuesday) starts my second week of classes and I am excited to see what is in store.
On the fun side of things--I had a really good week. Most weeknights I spend in the kitchen talking with my floor mates. Last Thursday and Friday my friends and I cooked together and shared a meal. Friday night I helped cook pizza and it was delicious! Then our dorm hosted a party Friday night, and it was quite successful. We had a lot of people from our dorm come and other exchange students and Icelanders that we knew. We also got to see the Northern Lights for the first time, they were not super bright but it was amazing to be able to finally see them. Saturday my friends and I went to a restaurant called the Noodle Station and got Thai noodles that were delicious. At night we walked down to the water to see the northern lights, although I think we missed them at their peak. Sunday I signed up to go whale watching with my friends Lauren and Emily because we are a part of an exchange group ESN (Erasmus student network) and got a 50% discount on whale watching. It was a beautiful day and the views of the city and mountains were gorgeous. We unfortunately didn't get to see any whales (they see mostly minke whales out there) but we did see porpoises. Then we went to the flea market and there were actually some good deals there so I will probably venture back next week. Since Sunday was Sep 11, my friends and I wanted to do something "American" so we went out to dinner at this really good hamburger place by the harbor. I got a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milkshake--delicious!! I had been craving a milkshake for soo long and it was awesome! Then we went back to the dorm and hung out in the kitchen. Yesterday, Monday, I did homework, school stuff, etc. As we were eating our dinners in the kitchen, a few of us wanted dessert so we decided we would go for ice cream later. Now you may not believe it, but Icelanders LOVE ice cream. They eat it all year round, and will stand outside in the freezing cold and snow to get some. So we were all excited to finally try the famous ice cream here. Our Icelandic friend Begga took us, and we left around 10:00 at night and the line for the shop was out the door! We weren't even downtown, we were in some residential area and the place was packed. I got a strawberry/chocolate twist in a waffle cone, and it was very good. Then as we were walking back to campus we saw the northern lights, like really saw them. They were amazing, even Begga said she had never seen them that bright. They formed a green band all the way across the sky and we could see it moving. It almost looked like a green river in the sky. It quickly changes shape and sometimes it would swirl around. We stood there for probably 15 minutes in awe and shouting--this is amazing!! But since it was getting late we headed back to campus, where I had some tea with my friend Vanessa and then went to bed. Overall a very successful week, and I hope I continue to see the northern lights! I plan on going out to the countryside sometime where I can really see them glow!
September 5, 2011
Excursions/the cool things I've done!
So since being in Iceland I have done a lot of things. When I arrived here with my parents we got to see some of the city and do a few excursions. Our first excursion was the golden circle where we got to see where the original parliament was, called Þingvellir, which was established around 930. Then we saw Gullfoss a really big waterfall and ate lunch there. From the waterfall the glacier Langjokull could be seen in the distance. Next we went to a geothermal active area where the geysers are. We saw the first geyser, called Geysir although it is now dead. Instead a geyser called Strokkur erupts about every 5 minutes so we got to see that go off a bunch of times. Then it was time to head back to the city, although our tour guide let us stop to pet the Icelandic horses. They are so cute and everywhere in Iceland. There are over 100,000 horses in Iceland, and over 300,000 people, so that means there is one horse for every 3 people in Iceland.
The next day we did a south shore excursion (15 hour day!), and this was my favorite so far. We first visited this amazing waterfall Skogafoss. You got to stand close to the bottom of the falls and feel the mist on your face and hear the water thundering down. There was also a rainbow by the falls, and the waterfall was surrounded by exceptionally green grass. We drove for awhile and got to see the amazing Icelandic landscape. We could see the ocean, mountains, cliffs, volcanoes, and glaciers in the distance. The landscape is also dotted with lots of sheep, horses, and some cows. Houses pop up along the way, but it is sparsely populated which I like. Along the way we stopped at this bridge that was wiped out by a glacier flood this past summer. Iceland has this one main road that goes around the whole country (ring road) and this flood wiped out part of it so it was a huge deal and they had to erect an emergency bridge which I believe took about 7 days. We also saw another bridge that was wiped out in the 90's by another glacial flood. I took some pictures of it and that was left was some pieces of twisted steel. Our next and main stop on this trip was the glacial lagoon called Jökulsárlón. It was pretty amazing, you saw the glacier and at the base of the glacier was this lagoon filled with icebergs and you could see the icebergs float out to the sea. The glacier is retreating but apparently not from global warming but because the salt water is melting it. At this lagoon we got on a boat and rode around the lagoon. We saw a seal sitting on an iceberg, and got to taste ice from the lagoon that I think was 1,000 years old. After this stop we were headed back to Reykjavik. We stopped a couple times on the way back--once to these piles of rocks which were started by the vikings and have continued today by modern travelers (see below or in my pictures).
We also stopped at a museum that showed a short video about the glacier flood in the 90's that wiped out the bridge. Which now I'm remembering was the largest bridge in Iceland. Our next stop was in the village of Vik where we ate dinner. We all had lamb and was told that it was raised in the village. Animals here are free to roam during the summer and eat grass for their diet. They do not receive hormones and are treated nicely--so much better than our food system back home. After dinner we walked down the the black sand beach (named one of the best beaches in the world--the only nontropical one). Off the shore are these rock formations and legend has it that they are petrified trolls. The trolls played tricks on the village at night time, but one night they were having so much fun that they didn't see the sun come up and they turned to rocks. Vik also has the most beautiful church, it is perched up on the hill and surrounded by mountains. Our last stop of the day was a waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. This was also really awesome because you could walk behind it.
I will quickly explain the other excursions because I have been writing for long time! I did a bus tour of Reykjavik on Thursday (after my parents have left) and got to see some of the city I hadn't seen yet. I got to stand on the observation deck of the Pearl restaurant and see all of Reykjavik (didn't bring my camera so no pictures oops!), saw a lighthouse, saw residential areas, and got to see the largest swimming pool in Reykjavik. Then on Saturday I did a glacier trip to the glacier Langjokull and got to stand on a glacier! The bus ride was really bumpy and I don't think our bus driver knew exactly where he was going because he kept looking at his map. I went with my friend Emily from Tennessee and we both got carsick. Then we went on this really intense bus that drives up glaciers and that was also really bumpy and a lot of people got motion sickness. Unfortunately it was also foggy at the top of glacier so we couldn't see anything, but the driver did bring us below the fog and we did get to see a bit. It was really cold up there and it felt like winter. After the glacier we stopped at these two really pretty waterfalls that are next to each other. One is Hraunfossar and the other was Barnafoss. Then we went to some geothermal area that I'm not really sure what it was since we didn't have a guide on this trip.
That is all for now! Check out the pictures!
The next day we did a south shore excursion (15 hour day!), and this was my favorite so far. We first visited this amazing waterfall Skogafoss. You got to stand close to the bottom of the falls and feel the mist on your face and hear the water thundering down. There was also a rainbow by the falls, and the waterfall was surrounded by exceptionally green grass. We drove for awhile and got to see the amazing Icelandic landscape. We could see the ocean, mountains, cliffs, volcanoes, and glaciers in the distance. The landscape is also dotted with lots of sheep, horses, and some cows. Houses pop up along the way, but it is sparsely populated which I like. Along the way we stopped at this bridge that was wiped out by a glacier flood this past summer. Iceland has this one main road that goes around the whole country (ring road) and this flood wiped out part of it so it was a huge deal and they had to erect an emergency bridge which I believe took about 7 days. We also saw another bridge that was wiped out in the 90's by another glacial flood. I took some pictures of it and that was left was some pieces of twisted steel. Our next and main stop on this trip was the glacial lagoon called Jökulsárlón. It was pretty amazing, you saw the glacier and at the base of the glacier was this lagoon filled with icebergs and you could see the icebergs float out to the sea. The glacier is retreating but apparently not from global warming but because the salt water is melting it. At this lagoon we got on a boat and rode around the lagoon. We saw a seal sitting on an iceberg, and got to taste ice from the lagoon that I think was 1,000 years old. After this stop we were headed back to Reykjavik. We stopped a couple times on the way back--once to these piles of rocks which were started by the vikings and have continued today by modern travelers (see below or in my pictures).
We also stopped at a museum that showed a short video about the glacier flood in the 90's that wiped out the bridge. Which now I'm remembering was the largest bridge in Iceland. Our next stop was in the village of Vik where we ate dinner. We all had lamb and was told that it was raised in the village. Animals here are free to roam during the summer and eat grass for their diet. They do not receive hormones and are treated nicely--so much better than our food system back home. After dinner we walked down the the black sand beach (named one of the best beaches in the world--the only nontropical one). Off the shore are these rock formations and legend has it that they are petrified trolls. The trolls played tricks on the village at night time, but one night they were having so much fun that they didn't see the sun come up and they turned to rocks. Vik also has the most beautiful church, it is perched up on the hill and surrounded by mountains. Our last stop of the day was a waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. This was also really awesome because you could walk behind it.I will quickly explain the other excursions because I have been writing for long time! I did a bus tour of Reykjavik on Thursday (after my parents have left) and got to see some of the city I hadn't seen yet. I got to stand on the observation deck of the Pearl restaurant and see all of Reykjavik (didn't bring my camera so no pictures oops!), saw a lighthouse, saw residential areas, and got to see the largest swimming pool in Reykjavik. Then on Saturday I did a glacier trip to the glacier Langjokull and got to stand on a glacier! The bus ride was really bumpy and I don't think our bus driver knew exactly where he was going because he kept looking at his map. I went with my friend Emily from Tennessee and we both got carsick. Then we went on this really intense bus that drives up glaciers and that was also really bumpy and a lot of people got motion sickness. Unfortunately it was also foggy at the top of glacier so we couldn't see anything, but the driver did bring us below the fog and we did get to see a bit. It was really cold up there and it felt like winter. After the glacier we stopped at these two really pretty waterfalls that are next to each other. One is Hraunfossar and the other was Barnafoss. Then we went to some geothermal area that I'm not really sure what it was since we didn't have a guide on this trip.
That is all for now! Check out the pictures!
First Week
Words to describe this first week would be stressful, exciting, fun, beautiful, and expensive. It has been stressful getting settled into Iceland. I can't register for classes, get internet, or a bank account until I receive my Kennitala (an Icelandic social security number) so that has been really stressful. Although almost my whole dorm is having the same problem. It was also a pain to get my phone to work with an international sim card, and although it finally is working I have no access to my address book. That means I can't add new contacts to my phone, so I have been writing them in my notepad. Things are also expensive here, and grocery shopping is rather confusing with most things being in Icelandic. I'm also not used to cooking all my meals, so this a new experience. Hopefully by the end of the semester I will have some new cooking skills, so far its been mostly sandwiches and toast for me. :)
But besides all of this, everything else has been great. Iceland is so beautiful and I am so happy that I came here (check out my pictures at http://emilyiceland.shutterfly.com/). The past couple days the weather has been really nice and Reykjavik is just so beautiful in the sunshine! I spent one afternoon by the pond (Tjorn) that is less than a 5 minute walk from my dorm taking pictures, watching the ducks, soaking up the sun, and writing in my journal. My dorm is pretty nice too. I get a single room with lots of storage and we have a nice kitchen on each floor. My floor spends a lot of time in the kitchen, either cooking or just talking. There is usually always people in there and it has been nice to get to know everyone. We have students from Croatia, Japan, USA, Canada, Norway, Germany, and Pakistan on my floor. An Icelandic student even moved into our floor the other day and she is super nice and strangely her English doesn't really have an accent--if anything it would be like a Midwestern US accent (although she's never been to the US). It is definitely good to have an Icelandic student in the dorm because she can tell us what we should do while in Iceland, where to shop, etc.
So far I've only had one class, British Literature, which is going well. All lectures are recorded and slides put online so if I ever can't go to class, it is not a huge deal (she also doesn't take attendance). Although right now since I am not registered I don't have access to the website where those are posted. It seems most classes here get graded mostly on a final and/or midterm. 40% of my grade for this class in on my midterm and 60% on my final. The other classes I am taking, which start on Wednesday, are Pronunciation and Speech I (Icelandic language class) and Icelandic culture. So right now I only have classes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, although I may need to pick up another class (even though this is considered a full schedule at University of Iceland).
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