The Land of Fire and Ice: Halfway

In two days my semester abroad will be halfway over. I can finally say I feel comfortable in Reykjavik, and have begun referring to the Gest-Inn as home. Walking down the street I can usually spot a friendly face or two and I definitely have my favorite "go to" places within the city. It will be difficult to leave this beautiful country... good thing there is still so much to look forward to! This week, as predicted it began to snow again, though that was not until halfway through the week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were all celebrations leading up to lent. Monday was Bolludagur, or "bun day". Most, if not all, the bakeries in town sold delicious "buns", which consisted of two light and fluffy pastries held together by whipped cream and a light layer of jam. Sadly, they are only sold for a few days, though that is probably better for the health of all people in Iceland. On this day, all the children woke their parents up by spanking them with paddles, in hopes of receiving a bolla, or bun for every successful whack. Tuesday was Sprengidagur, or "bursting day" where heavily salted lamb is eaten along with pea soup. A few housemates and myself went to the Loft Hostel to try some traditional lamb and pea soup. It was very salty, but good. Wednesday was Öskudagur, or Ash Wednesday. The children were to dress up in costumes and sing in shops or for strangers in order to receive candy, somewhat like Halloween back home. I did not have any Icelandic children sing to me, sadly, though I did see some adorable costumes. Also on Wednesday, my Icelandic Nature class went on a field trip to the seashore. Yes, it was snowing and we still ventured down to the seashore to dig around in the water to find seaweed and starfish and crabs. The trip was chilly, to say the least, but also fun to see some Icelandic nature. My group came back with not only seaweed, but two starfish, two worm type creatures, and two mating mini-shrimp looking insects as well. Oh what an adventure. On Friday Laura, Sierra, and I walked to the Student Cellar to meet up with some friends, to find there had been a fire in the kitchen. It was quite a scene. Our next best option was to go home and eat treats, so that's what we did. Last night we were able to successfully go out and listen to some live Icelandic music; a nice outing after working on homework all day long. This morning we tried the Student Cellar again, this time for brunch though, and man did it exceed my expectations. A plate full of delicious breakfast food is a wonderful way to end the weekend.