The Land of Fire and Ice: February 2014

As soon as I stepped out of the house Monday evening I could tell something was off. Did it seem foggy outside, perhaps smell smoky? I continued walking to school for my first evening class, thinking maybe it was just in my head. When I reached the park, I finally looked up to find literally every person in the park facing the direction from which I had come. I turned to see smoke billowing from one of the houses not but a block from my own. Then I heard sirens for the first time since coming to Iceland; a sound which I had become so accustom to in Chicago, yet here it sounded so foreign and piercing. By the time I reached school I could still see a trail of smoke, though it has subsided quite a bit. I think it struck me so much because again, I have not even heard a siren since arriving here. Iceland seemed to have a bubble around it in my mind still, but alas, bad things happen here too. The class I was walking to was Business and Intercultural Communications. I have to say, even after just two classes, it is my favorite I am taking. The teacher is very nice, very knowledgeable and does a very good job keeping her class engaged, not to mention the class itself is small and much good discussion has come from it already. It is so fascinating to learn about how greatly culture impacts the business world. Wednesday I woke up and felt as though I had been run over by a truck. I don't get sick too often, but when I do it usually stays with me for a while. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I slept a lot, trying to encourage my body to get better, though it doesn't seem to be working. Last night, to get out of the house for a bit, Laura, Alex (Laura's boyfriend), Sierra, and myself went out for sushi.. This was the first time I had ever tried sushi... pretty good, though I think I would rather just eat a whole piece of salmon. A good experience nevertheless. I have also been working on a great deal of homework this weekend, due to the large amounts needing to be turned in in the near future. Within the next three weeks I have two exams, three essays and two presentations. As one of my housemates said "It is the point in the year where I don't feel like I have learned anything, yet everything seems to be due." So true. That being said, it has been a tough week, though through it all there definitely were a couple of highlights. First, the sun shone about five out of the last seven days, yay for sun! Second, my parents Face-Timed me last night telling me my wonderful boyfriend would be coming to visit the last week I will be here in May..Yay parents! What a blessing :) I think I took about six pictures this whole week, I apologize.

My refuge, Kaffibrennslan.

One of the main buidings on campus, though I have never been inside.

Alex and Laura

Salmon, avocado, and garlic all wrapped up in rice and seaweed. Yum yum.

I am writing to you from the land where parking is chaos, children are adorable, stopping for pedestrians is an afterthought at best, cleaning up after your dog is unheard of, on time usually means 20 minutes late, rules are more of guidelines, and animals are seen more often on the heads of women than in the wild. Just a few quirks I have picked up on during my time here. As I walk down the street, one of the things that still stuns me is the pandemonium of the cars "parked" along the edges. Not only have I seen cars facing each other, but I usually have to walk around multiple cars parked halfway on the sidewalk. They park where ever they please, which is convenient for them but madness for the rest of us. Another aspect of Icelandic culture that has not fully sunk in yet is the lax nature of "rules". Rent is payed sometime during the month, assignments are turned in on the due date, give or take a few days, and once again, time is somewhat of an abstract concept. I can definitely see some American influence here, yet there are also quite a few purely Icelandic traits. I am straining my brain to remember anything from Monday or Tuesday last week, yet nothing comes to mind, thus I will conclude nothing of importance happened. Wednesday is also a bit of a blur except for the later hours. After having turned in our first essay for our Icelandic Nature and Culture class, Laura and I decided to reward ourselves by making cookies. They were some of the most perfect cookies I have ever tasted; crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle. Thursday was Sierra's (Canadian housemate) birthday. Luckily I did not have to bother myself with class that day, so we went thrifting! Later that night our house made pizzas, ate cake, and partied the night away (until about 10, it was a school night). Friday night we ventured out on the town. Trying to blend in to the crowd, we started at one in the morning, yet only lasted until three or so. Let me tell you, the people here are night owls. I have never seen the streets as crowded as they were at three in the morning! Saturday I woke up to the sun on my face and decided it was a day to have a solo adventure. I walked along the harbor I have been to many times, yet this time continued past all the familiar spots. I weaved through new boat houses and found new harbors and piers to walk along. I was able to see the city from an outside view looking in, rather than being the one to always look out from its limits. That night we saw another beautiful show from the northern lights! Sunday was group adventure day. About half of our house, including the first of the many boyfriends to visit, drove to the peninsula called Snæfellsnes that is about two hours north of Reykjavik. Our first stop along the way was a little town called Borgarnes. We didn't stop here for long, mostly to stretch our legs, but the view of the mountains across the sea was beautiful nevertheless. The next stop on the list was a little more challenging to find. We had to drive off the main road about 30 minutes, finding ourselves in the middle of a red pebble dessert surrounded by mountains and a volcano at one point. After a few more bumps in the road, literally, we found a magnificent hot spring in the middle of nowhere. The run from the car to the hot spring in about 20 degree weather made the naturally hot water feel that much more satisfying. The view wasn't bad either. It was difficult to drag ourselves out of the hot spring, back in to the below freezing temperatures, but we managed after about half an hour or so. From there we drove around the entire peninsula, stopping whenever we pleased. Mountains and glaciers, oceans and cliffs, oh what a journey it was. The drive home, even in the darkness, was spectacular; mountains and fjords silhouetted by the starry sky while northern lights danced above. This country continues to amaze me with its majestic sights and extraordinary nature.