Update teaser

I spent over an hour today talking about the environment and the aluminum smelters here in Iceland with a local. There are three companies operating here: Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and Bechtel. If you know me, then you know how exciting that was and how I likely have TONS of information and thoughts to share on this topic but it is 11:30 pm (still daylight) and I don't have the time nor mental energy to delve into it now. Stay tuned for the full discussion tomorrow....

Dark Water

The second night here we went out to a club called B5. It was fun. We partied hard. that's all there is to be said about that. SO here is the new music video from my Dave Icelandic band:
Agent Fresco!!!!

Feeling foreign for the first time

In the past few days I finally felt like a foreigner. Having to ask everyone in shops if they speak my language is something I have never had to do before. I feel ignorant, frustrated, and ashamed at times. I wish I had more time to prepare myself in the language before arriving here, alas I have to struggle along with my lessons here.

I know I feel as many of my friends have felt in coming to Canada and having to learn English here. And it is an awkwardness that I want to feel to really understand their journeys, but that does not make it any easier in the moment.

It is not just the language, the money is different in appearance and value. About 1 Canadian dollar is worth 105 Icelandic Krona. Coffee is about $4.70 and beer is about $10. Food is fairly expensive but much of it is imported and with the krona so weak, it is easy to understand why.

Things will get better as I become immersed in the language and start my summer work a week from Friday.

Leir watches ducks

Leir spent more time than he expected to sitting on the bench, watching the ducks. He'd seen ducks before, but these ones were huge. They were at least twice the size of regular pond ducks back home. Mentally noting the differences between his familiar ducks and these foreign ones, Leir sat there for fourteen minutes comparing the different hues of beige and brown in their feathers, their larger bodies and beaks, and their larger webbed feet too. He could only compare the females because no  male specimens were available. The ducks drew him in because they appeared so familiar upon first glance, but then the differences slowly disturbed him. 

It made him think of his ex-girlfriend. They had been so in love in the beginning, but after many months and a few years, everything had changed. What he thought he knew about her turned out mostly wrong. The little things that he initially adored turned into the things that drove him crazy. And her seemingly deep love for him also turned viciously sour. When they broke it off the only thing he could think about was to get as far away from her, and as far away from all the ashen memories as possible. So he bought himself a plane ticket to a remote country, a land where the sun never sleeps in the summertime, and a place where he could be alone to regain his sense of self: Iceland.

So there he sat, thousands of miles away, watching Icelandic ducks that reminded him of Amy. He felt pathetic. Getting up, he chose to walk back to the heart of the downtown, rather than away as was his original plan. He decided he wanted to lose himself amongst strangers rather than be isolated that day. There were always tourists in the downtown, and with World Cup soccer in full swing, any of the pubs would provide him the distraction he so desperately sought. 

Vilkomin til Íslands: Waterslides and Handball

I arrived!
Left Toronto at 9pm last night : arrived at 6:20am this morning... It was a 5 hour flight and I may have slept 2 hours. I wish I could say I am wired with excitement but all I want to do is sleep. We have an orientation meeting in about an hour, then we go swimming, then go to an international handball match: Iceland vs. Bosnia. I fear napping to only wake up feeling much worse. Better to push through the day and sleep early tonight.

I am sitting in the kitchen of the Odin Guesthouse, which is like a B&B or hostel type environment. Most everyone is snoozing, so quiet alone time is welcome. I'll have lots to share tomorrow but for today, let me back track to leaving Toronto. WOW terminal 3 at the C gates, you look like a scene from the future. I approached a bar where everyone sat at the counter with iPads in front of them, stating at football on the tv, not talking to each other, not even talking with the servers. Food, drink, everything is ordered via the iPads. But it only took me 10 minutes of sitting there in confusion to figure this out. I felt like an idiot, watching everyone's motions to figure out the mystery of how certain people were being served but no conversation actually occurred. And then I saw the Italian victory over England and I knew it would be a good day!

So after a stressful day of ready goodbyes and over tiredness, I am ready for adventure! I am on GMT time and using Viber for international texting. Get the app if you want to be in touch... Or use the usual methods of internetland.

Bless bless,
Natalie.

Destination Determined

As part of my journey I will be living with distant relatives for the 3 out of the 6 weeks that I will be in Iceland. Today I received word of who those relatives are and where that will be. I will not be naming my family members on this blog, but I do have the privilege of attending sessions on genealogy while I am there. So if family members want to know what it is that I learn, you know how to reach me, although I am not sure if it can be expanded on what is already known by key members of our family already.
For the rest of you, well, all the details of my family tree are not important. I will share my experiences, my happy, funny, sad, and even terrible moments as I go along. And lots, and lots, and lots of photos!

What I do know: I will be staying in a small town on the Eastern coast of Iceland, called Reyðarfjörður (Ray-thar-fyore-thur). On the ocean! I am so delighted. As for the family (and families) that will be hosting me, I will share that we are linked via my great-great-great-grandmother's family line. It may seem a distant connection, but it is strong enough that they are willing to welcome me, a stranger, into their homes and lives for three weeks. I have a feeling we will all get along fame-ously!



 Today I was also given my work assignment for those three weeks. I get to work in a kindergarten class for three weeks. It sounds like it is school and daycare together because I was told that I get to work with kids between the ages of 2 and 6. I am thrilled about this placement because it means I will really get to immerse myself in basic Icelandic language. I am sure I will learn a lot from the kids.

12 days to go ... and now I have to start packing. I've never lived out of a suitcase for that length of time. If anyone has any tips I would be grateful!

A Little VIking Humour