The Saga of Natalie Fair-Haired

Myndir frá Íslandi

2006-08-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

OK, now that I have been back in the States for a month, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite pictures from Iceland. Enjoy!

Levi and I at Perlan, overlooking Reykjavík:

A view of the bay from Snorrabraut, near where I lived:

Levi and I, under a waterfall on the south coast of Iceland:

Levi and Jessi outside an elf house at Oddi:

Another picture of Tjorn on a lovely day:

My running trail, 9:00 p.m.:

Da Group

2006-08-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

Here are 3 different pictures of our entire group at Ãingvellir, courtesy of crazy German Sven. With all three pictures combined, I think everyone will have looked at the camera at least once. Myself included.

Homeward Bound

2006-07-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Friday was my last full day in Reykjavík, and it was a good one.

I woke up on a beautiful morning in Reykjavík, went for a pleasant run, got ready for the day, and walked to school to take my final. We had a bit of a review session first, which was nice, and then the test was at 10:15. It went surprisingly well, and I feel very good about it.

The rest of the day was really cool. We watched a movie in the afternoon and were finished by 2:00. After class I decided to pop into the Arni Magnusson Institute, just to meet some people and ask about research opportunities. Little did I know, this ‘quick visit’ turned into a 2-hour affair, in which I met several great scholars, received photocopies of the two main manuscripts containing Cecilíu Saga Meyjar, and was invited to 3:00 coffee hour with the scholars there. It was great opportunity, and I made very important contacts and was actually encouraged to get in touch with one of the scholars to perhaps help out with a database on saints’ cults in Scandinavia that she is currently working on. All in all, it was definitely a good move to ‘pop in’ to the institute! I’m definitely glad I thought to stop in, otherwise I would have surely regretted it. It seems like a great place, ad I look forward to doing research there in the near future.

At 5:00 we had the end of the class party, which was great. Lots of wine and Icelandic delicacies (i.e. whale and puffin), and it was a lot of fun to hang out with friends and fellow classmates for one last time. I had an especially good time hanging out with my teacher, Sigga, who is wonderful. She made a point of telling me that I received an A+ on my final, which made the evening all the more enjoyable! He also encouraged me to contact her when I come back to Iceland, which I hope will be soon.

After the party some of us went to a restaurant called Tveir Fiskar, which was pricey and fancy but definitely worth it. I had halibut with shrimp and onions, entirely soaked in butter. It was amazing. It was good food, good wine, and excellent company. It was the perfect way to end my time here. After dinner we made our way to ‘our bar,’ Belly’s, to hang out one last time with pretty much everyone. I walked home with some friends a little after midnight (early by Icelandic standards), said tearful goodbyes, and turned in for the night.

This morning I woke up, cleaned like crazy, and went for one last run by the bay. We left BSÍ at 1:00, and our flight took off at around 5:00 Iceland time. I’m on the same plane as my roomies, Aquila and Jen, so that’s pretty cool. I will certainly miss this place, and it’s kind of insane to think that it has already been 4 weeks since I left. This was one of the best experiences of my life, and I am so glad to have participated in this course. I will be back again and again, knowing this time how to a) speak and b) understand spoken Modern Icelandic! Hooray!

Anyway, thanks for reading my blog for the trip. I’ll try to post more pictures once I get home again and have more downtime. I have hundreds of pictures, and will try to pick out the most interesting ones (which will be so difficult!)

I’ll leave you with a fun list of the top 10 things I will miss about Reykjavík and the top 10 things I will be happy to be home for:

What I will miss about Reykjavík:
1. Running by the bay.
2. Sigga (my teacher) and Háskóli Íslands
3. My boys Nate, Robbie, Eric, and Keith. FBs plus supporting cast, indeed!!!
4. My girls Tina, Veronica, and Bonnie.
5. Lunch at the Norræna Husið
6. Bæjarins Beztu
7. Belly’s
8. The swimming pools/hot springs
9. Speaking Icelandic on a regular basis
10. The beauty of Iceland

Why I am happy to be home:
1. Levi
2. The La-Las
3. The little boys, Henry and Calvin
4. Friends and family
5. Taco John’s
6. Pedro’s
7. My car
8. My townhouse, my bed, my kitchen, my STUFF!
9. Inexpensive groceries, etc. (compared to Iceland at least)
10. The beauty of Wisconsin

And here are a few pictures, and I plan on posting more soon. Sjáumst!

My la-la Freya's Street:

Me and my girls, Bonnie and Veronica:

Me and my darling Swede, Tina:

Bonnie and I with one of the coolest people in the world, our teacher Sigga:

Wednesday + Thursday + Pictures!!!

2006-07-28T06:16:00.000-07:00

Not too much to report on Wednesday. We had class, as usual, and then afterwards I met up with Levi and did some shopping for gifts at the Saga Museum and elsewhere. Levi had been walking around all day, visiting various museums, and we were both a bit tired.

In a rather disappointing turn of events, Pirates of the Carribean 2 was sold out. We were all very disappointed. Instead, we rented a movie with some friends and just hung out. It was nice - very low-key and enjoyable.

Today Levi and I woke up early, went for a nice run, and went to breakfast before class. It was really nice, and we had some delicious donuts and coffee. I went off to class, and Levi came back to the apartment to pack and then went to buy a few last minute gifts. We met up for lunch at the Nordic House, and then we said our goodbyes at BSÍ. Not as sad as the last time I said goodbye back in Minneapolis, as I will see him and everyone else again in 2 days!!!

Tonight I am studying for our final, which is tomorrow. I go between being somewhat nervous about the test and not really worrying much at all. It's basically going to be questions about the stories we have read throughout the course, and will also contain unseen text with questions and a 10-15 line writing section. I hope it won't be too bad...

Since I don't have too much to report on these days, here are some pictures of random things from the past week:

Levi and Jessi in front of a huge waterfall on the south shore:

Levi and I in front of the waterfall:

Jessi and I under the waterfall:

Our bus, fording a river. This was crazy:

The family at the Blue Lagoon. Check out the milky blue water:

Rainy Tuesday

2006-07-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

So the nice long streak of beautiful weather that we have had here in Reykjavík has most certainly come to an end. It's gross out today - really cloudy and drizzly. I have definitely become spoiled as a result of the gorgeous July weather of previous days.

Today was rather uneventful, at least in the morning. I had class, as usual, and we talked more about the subjunctive and read part of a story called Icemaster. It's quite depressing, and ends with the father of the narrator killing himself by putting himself inside of a fridgerator. Definitely a bit of a downer. In the afternoon we had a lecture on Icelandic film and specifically on films dealing with the American base in Keflavík (Devil's Island, for example). It was quite interesting, especially considering recent events surrounding the base.

After class Levi and I made our way to the 66° North outlet. We bought Mike a nice jacket, and bought ourselves something as well. We then stopped by the mall, walked around there for a bit, and took the bus home. At 7:00 we met up with approx. half of our class at Reykjavík Pizza Company to celebrate the birthday of my friend, Bonnie. It was a lot of fun. After dinner we hung out with some friends at their place, and then went back home to read/do homework and sleep.

More tomorrow, and hopefully pictures soon!

Monday.

2006-07-24T06:04:00.000-07:00

Natalie again. Today is my final Monday in Reykjavík. I’m a little bit sad, but I think I’ll be ready to get back home again.

This morning I got my running partner back! It was so nice to take Levi on my new running route, which is a nice path running alongside of the bay. It was a lovely morning, and it felt to nice to run along the ocean and breathe in the crisp sea air.

Levi and I met the family at 8:00 for breakfast. We went to a delicious bakery down the street from the hotel, and had a very filling and very fattening breakfast. I hung out with them until a little bit before 9:00, at which point I headed to class. Levi stayed with my family, and they spent the morning shopping and walking around Reykjavík. We all met up at noon for lunch, and then Levi and I walked with everyone back towards the hotel, took a final picture, and said our farewells. It was so nice to have everyone out here, and I had a fantastic weekend. I hope we can do something similar again someday.

Class was class. We turned in a bunch of homework today, the majority of which I finished at almost midnight last night due to the busy weekend with the family. Oh well, it was definitely worth it, and I managed to finish everything. In class Sigga talked about subjunctive verbs, impersonal verbs, etc., and we finished reading a story called Þetta kvöld. In the afternoon we did some conversation exercises, and talked a little bit about the final test. It was a good day, although I definitely plan to finish my homework much earlier tonight!

This evening Levi and I went out to eat at Vegemót, window-shopped on Laugavegur, did some grocery shopping at 11-11, and are now relaxing at my apartment.

I’d better get back to working on homework! Sjáumst!

Weekend Report, a la Levi

2006-07-23T06:04:00.000-07:00

(Levi writing)

We just wrapped up a very fun weekend in Iceland. On Friday morning around 6:30am myself, Bob, Ann, Larry, Lorette, and Jesse Van Deusen all arrived at the Keflavik International Airport. After a short bus ride into Reykjavik, we met Natalie before she had to head off to classes. After eating some breakfast, Natalie had to leave us for the morning, and we mustered the energy (despite a serious lack of sleep for most of us) to wander around downtown Reykjavik. We got to see quite a few stores, with very fashionable clothing. Jessi was in heaven.

After Natalie got done with classes, she took us to Baejarins Bestu, a famous hot dog stand, to eat some hot dogs made Icelandic-style. They were pretty good! After that we wandered around a bit more, rested in the hotel rooms, and went out to eat at one of Natalie’s favorite local spots. Being exhausted, everyone else turned in early that night, while Natalie brought be to a little party hosted by one of her classmates and the professor that he is staying with. It was pretty fun, although I was pretty tired, so probably looked like a zombie as I met all of Natalie’s friends.

On Saturday, the whole crew split up for two different excursions. Natalie needed to go on a trip with her class, so Jessi and I tagged along with her to visit the sites in which Njal’s Saga, the most famous of the Icelandic sagas, purportedly took place. On this trip, we got to see a number sites significant to the saga as well as some spots that were unrelated, but really beautiful. Perhaps my favorite spot was a big waterfall. We were able to hike a path around and behind it, which was really cool. The Njal’s Saga sites were pretty cool as well, particularly some old stone and sod houses that we visited. For the most part, though, the significance was lost on me, as I had only begun reading the saga. And now I know how it ends. So much for suspense. We will post some pictures of all of this later. After visiting all of these sites, the bus stopped at a pool and we all had a refreshing swim. The hot tub and pool were both heated geothermal, and really warm. It was pretty fun. Although they generally smelled like boiled eggs, which is also the scent of the showers here.

Oh, and one other fun part of the trip was when one of the wacky Icelandic teachers stood up and passed out songbooks while we were on the bus, and proceeded to lead us on a sing along in Icelandic.

Meanwhile, Bob, Ann, Larry, and Lorette went on a tour of Gulfoss, Thingvellir (which Natalie visited and posted pictures of earlier), and Geysir. Evidently all of these were really beautiful, and they had a wonderful time. Hopefully we will get some pictures from their trip to post on here as well.

Later on Saturday night, Natalie took Jessi and I out to experience some of the famed Reykjavik nightlife. Around 10pm we went to a bar/restaurant to meet some of Natalie’s friends. After spending a few hours there, we left and walked around downtown for a while. One really unique thing about this place is that it doesn’t really stop being light out during the summer. So we were outside at 1am and it still light out. We decided that we weren’t in the mood to go to any nightclubs for dancing and the like, which apparently doesn’t liven up until 2 or 3 in the morning, so we wandered and watched the people, most of whom were dressed to the nines and evidently just going out. Jessi and I were still recovering from some jet lag, so we all went to bed at a relatively early: 1:45am.

Natalie and I had the best intentions of getting up early on Sunday to spend a very full day about town and going to the Blue Lagoon. Unfortunately we both slept through the alarm after our late night on Saturday, and didn’t meet with the rest of the Van Deusens until around noon. Nonetheless, we had a really nice afternoon. We first decided to go down to a famous flea market that happens in Reykjavik every weekend. After spending a short while there, we explored some more shops around town. Later in the afternoon we went to the Blue Lagoon, which is definitely one of my favorite experiences of the trip thus far. We spent a couple of hours soaking in the water, which is a 50/50 mix of seawater and water from hot springs. The result is a milky blue lake of warm goodness. We wandered around, looking for hot spots, some of which were almost unbearably hot, and found a spot to soak for a while. There are a couple of stations in the lagoon which have vats of silica mud available, which we smeared on our faces for a mud facial. This was very pleasant for most of us, but unfortunately Larry got it in his eyes. He then used the saltwater to wash it out. Ouch. After hanging out in the Blue Lagoon, I felt totally relaxed, and it seemed to be really good for my skin. I definitely felt pampered.

We came back and went out to eat at a nice little bar and grill. The food was good, and we all had a great time. Afterwards we went back to our hotel rooms/apartment and turned in for the night. We plan on exploring more of the city tomorrow morning before the Van Deusens leave.

One More Day!!!

2006-07-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

First things first: I have learned that I CAN survive without my hair straightener. So that’s a good thing.

Today was our first full day with Sigga as a teacher. I must say that I like her quite a bit. She’s an excellent teacher, and it is very obvious that she has been teaching for a long time. She definitely knows her stuff. In fact, she was one of the people who wrote the book Learning Icelandic, which the lower level class is doing. Her teaching method is very good and also very engaging, and I think I’m going to learn a lot from her. We’re going to do a written assignment every day and we’re also going to ready a couple of short stories. It will be a nice change, I think, although I liked Hildur a lot too.

We were divided into two groups, and each group will alternate going to málver (language lab) every other day. My group attended language lab today, and it was actually kind of cool. We put headphones on and repeated into a microphone what we heard. What was creepy was that all of a sudden the teacher would chime in and say ‘flótt, Natalie’ or something like that. Anyway, it will be good to do this and practice proper pronunciation.

We also went to Listasafn Íslands today. I really enjoyed it, although I have never truly mastered the art of looking at/observing art. I am not one of those people who can stand in front a painting for an extended period of time, staring thoughtfully at the exquisite paintings. I think the pieces of art are pretty, but I definitely don’t have the whole ‘appreciating art’ thing down. Maybe I’ll have to work on that. Maybe not, though.

I’m going to go to bed super early tonight, since I´m going to meet Levi and the fam at BSÍ tomorrow morning at approx. 7:45 a.m. I’m so excited!!!

I’m sure I’ll have exciting weekend updates. More then!

Sjáumst!

R.I.P. Hair Straightener...

2006-07-19T09:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. What a crazy day.

First of all, I woke up this morning and did my usual morning thing: hit the snooze button approx. 10 times, took a shower, dried my hair, plugged my hair straightener in, ate breakfast. However, I encountered a small glitch in my morning routine when I came back to straighten my hair and my hair straightener was not hot. Alas, it is broken. It made it two weeks in Europe. This is better than my last straightener, which fared but two days in Norway. Oh well. Guess I’ll be going ponytail/hair-up-in-clip/hair-down-and-curly for the next week and a half…

After recovering from the aforementioned tragedy, I walked to school with my roommates and went to our classroom, as usual. I sat down, drank my Diet Coke, and waited for class to begin. Oddly, our teacher (Hildur) wasn’t there. Instead, Guðrún Laufey, who is the assistant to the program coordinator, was up at the front of the classroom. We figured we’d be getting a guest lecture or that our teacher was sick, but found out instead that our teacher will not be returning for the remaining 1 ½ weeks. This was rather abrupt, as yesterday we were given no indication of this happening. In fact, we were discussing the final exam, upcoming presentations, etc. Now we have a new teacher, Sigga, who began teaching us in the afternoon. She is very nice and speaks Icelandic very slowly and clearly, but now we have no clue what is going to happen for the remainder of the class. I suppose we’ll find out tomorrow, but it’s kind of crazy…

We also had a lecture on Icelandic literature and art, since we’re going to Listasafn Íslands (the Art Museum) tomorrow. It was interesting, and I’m looking forward to the trip. I’m sure I’ll talk about it tomorrow.

Since Levi, Mom, Dad, Jessi, Grandma, and Grandpa leave TOMORROW, I should probably start cleaning. I think I’ll get to that now…

More tomorrow!

I Heart Manuscripts.

2006-07-19T04:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a rather uneventful day, until the afternoon that is. We had our usual schedule: class in the morning, coffee break at 10:00, back to class, another break at 11:00, lunch at 12:00, class from 1:15-2:00. We continued doing presentations today about our home country, and played the Icelandic version of Taboo in the afternoon.

At 2:00, we made our way over to The Culture House. It was amazing. Seriously. I can't even describe how cool it was to actually see the some of the most famous manuscripts containing the Sagas and Eddas, laws, the Bible, etc. I'm definitely taking Levi and my family there, if we have time. I'm also planning on visiting the actual Árni Magnusson Institute sometime next week. Exciting stuff!!!

One of the coolest parts of the exhibition was a tiny manuscript containing Margaretar Saga. This tiny little manuscript was used mostly by pregnant women to ensure a healthy and safe childbirth. It's very beautiful. I can't wait to work with these manuscripts in the near future!

I'm also trying to plan out some excursions for Sunday. I'm thinking that this one looks good, but we'll see what happens.

More tomorrow. I'm tired, and need to get some sleep.

Sjáumst!

The Third Monday/4 More Days!!!

2006-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

First of all, there are only 4 more days until Levi, Mom, Dad, Jessi, Grandma, and Grandpa come out to visit. I am so excited to see them!!! I'm trying to plan for the Blue Lagoon on Friday afternoon, which would be wonderful and relaxing after their long trip.

Today was a pretty uneventful day. We had presentations in class, and we had to give 5-10 min. presentations on our home country. As there were approx. 7 of us from the States, we presented our state/region. I proudly represented the Midwest, and talked a lot about farming and cheese. I noted the number of dairy farms in WI alone (16,000) and the crazy amount of breweries. Represent. In any case, it went really well. I also got an in-class written assignment back, and I did very well. I improved from last time, which is great. If I can improve again this week, I'll be thrilled.

I may have mentioned this before, but this upper-level class stuff is incredibly challenging. However, my roommates are in the beginner's level and every night when I help them with their homework, I know I'd be bored to tears in the lower-level class. There is just a huge divide between the two levels, unfortunately, and many of us are of the opinion that there should be an intermediate level. In any case, I am learning a lot and am definitely being challenged, which is what I need. In comparison to two weeks ago, when I understood maybe 5% of what Hildur was saying in class, I know understand approx. 85% of what she says. I'll definitely leave knowing a lot more than I did coming in. So far, it's been an amazing experience. I'm so happy I decided to come here.

And we're going to the Culture House tomorrow to see the manuscript exhibition. I'm so excited!!!!!

And here are some pictures. Enjoy!

A street sign that I thought was cute:

Me as a Viking warrior woman (costume courtesy of the children's dress up room in Iceland's National Museum). Scary, right?

The wax statue of Skarphéðinn Njálsson from Brennu-Njáls Saga

The Weekend, Part Deux.

2006-07-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

Another exciting weekend in Reykjavík.

On Friday, we were done with class at noon, so some friends and I decided to head over to the Saga Museum. Basically, it was a small museum with numerous life-sized wax figures from Iceland’s medieval period. We were given MP3 players with headphones, and these guided us through the museum. It was really cool and very well done. It took about 30 minutes, and covered most of the main events and people in medieval Iceland. I really enjoyed it.

On Friday night I was able to meet up with my friends Danya and Shai (sister and brother) from Danish camp. They had been staying with relatives in Copenhagen and traveling throughout Europe, and since they were flying Icelandair, they decided to book a layover in Reykjavík. We met up first at a restaurant called Vegamót, which had amazing food. We caught up on old times, talked about people we knew back in the camp days, and had a really good time. I was really happy to be able to see them. Danya took lots of pictures, so once she sends them to me I'll post them.

On Saturday I slept in until 11:00 and proceeded to work on homework for almost 6 hours straight. I know – I could barely believe it myself. Normally my attention span is so short that I am rarely able to do such a thing, but I did it, and I’m pretty proud of myself. I was able to get a lot accomplished too. Yay, me! On Saturday night we went out dancing. As things don’t normally get started in Reykjavík until 2:00 a.m., we went from place to place and just hung out and had a few drinks. A little while after 2:00 we made our way to a good place for dancing, and we were there until a little bit after 4:00 a.m. Keep in mind, this is early by Reykjavík standards. Most people stay out until 7:00 a.m. It was a lot of fun – super hot in the club, but really really fun. Exactly like 101 Reykjavík, actually.

Today I have mostly been lounging around and doing homework. I also went for a long run. I don’t know if I mentioned this, but my runs in Reykjavík have been some of the best runs of my life. The weather is perfect for running – cool, but not cold, and certainly not humid. As usual, it was a great run. I also went to the Catholic Church in Reykjavík for evening Mass, mostly because I wanted to see what it would
be like here. I was a bit disappointed – the music was not very good, and I could barely understand the priest (who was speaking in English, not Icelandic). Still, I am glad I experienced what the Catholic Church in Iceland is like.

Right now I am just finishing up the last of my homework for tomorrow, and then I plan on going to bed.

5 days until Levi, Mom, Dad, Jessi, Grandma, and Grandpa visit!!!!!

And here's a video from Þingvellir. Not good quality and no sound, since it was shot on my digital camera:

Sjáumst!

Storm's A Brewin'

2006-07-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

It looks like we're going to have some nasty weather in Reykjavík tonight. High winds, rain, chilly temperatures. Sounds like fun, eh?

So today was a nice and relaxing day. We watched a movie in class, called Kaldaljós (Cold Light). It was really good, and reminded me a lot of Nói Albinói. In fact, it reminded me a lot of Scandinavian film in general. Dark, depressing, with understated humor. Anyway, it was a very good film, and I highly recommend it. It's a sad one, though, so consider yourselves warned if you do go and watch it.

Other than that, I've been working on homework for the majority of the day. I turn in my journal and vocabulary list tomorrow, so I've been proofreading and trying to make it as close to perfect as possible. We'll see how that turns out.

That's about all I have to report for now. Tomorrow is Friday, and a couple of old friends from Danish camp are coming through Reykjavík. We're planning to meet up for dinner. I'll write about that tomorrow.

Take care! Sjáumst!

Miðvikudagur

2006-07-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

So today was Wednesday.

In the morning we had class, as usual. Our teacher was back, so we no longer had Úlfar as a sub. We talked mostly about the story we're reading, as well as about how to order in restaurants/at stores/in the movie theater.

In the afternoon we made our way to Þjóðminjasafn Íslands, the National Museum of Iceland. It was really cool, and pretty much covers every century in Icelandic history. There is a lot to see and take in, and I feel as though I should probably go back again at some point. Too much to look at, too little time.

At around 6:00 we made our way down to Háskólabíó, the movie theater on campus, and watched the movie Cars, called Bilar in Icelandic. What was really cool was that since it was a cartoon, they were able to dub the movie in Icelandic. It was a lot of fun. Over here they have intermissions during movies, so randomly half-way through, the lights turned on and we were given a 10-min. intermission. Just enough time to go to the bathroom and get snacks.

That's about all. I'll write more tomorrow, and hopefully post more pictures soon.

Sjáumst!

Þriðjudagur

2006-07-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yet another cold rainy day in Reykjavík. Luckily, I washed all of my warm clothing last night, so I’m not going to freeze to death. I’ll survive the day…

Today was rather uneventful. Class in the morning – Úlfar was our teacher again, as Hildur was sick today as well. It was fun. We talked about Icelandic film, read through part of a book called Goðir Íslendingar, and did a language activity. The morning went by quite quickly. This afternoon, we had a lecture on music in Iceland. It was pretty interesting – the woman who gave it has her M.A. in Icelandic music history. So she knew what she was talking about.

I came home this afternoon and did some homework. I am actually ahead – I have flashcards for every vocab word we have been given so far, and I have translated all we have been given of Góðir Íslendingar. I’m pretty proud of myself.

Tonight I went with some friends to the swimming pool again – it was great. There were 6 hot tubs, all at varying temperatures. Since I’m a little baby, I went in the coolest one. Anything over 40° C is too much for me. There was also a huge slide, so I was able to act like a 10-year-old again. It was wonderful.

That’s about all for now. I don’t have too much else to report – today was rather uneventful. Tomorrow we will be going to the National Museum, so I’ll talk about that a little bit.

And for whoever is counting, it’s only 9 days until Levi and my family arrive. Just thowing that out there.

Take care! Sjáumst!

The Second Monday

2006-07-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

This daily blogging thing is getting harder and harder. I am getting busier by the day, but I’m going to force myself to write every day on the weekdays and once on the weekend. Otherwise, I’ll surely regret it.

This morning we had class, and our teacher was sick so Ulfur was our sub. It was fun – we learned how to say various phrases, talked about our trip on Saturday, and talked about the Icelandic government. It was enjoyable. He speaks very clearly and slowly, so it is quite easy to understand his Icelandic. I’m increasingly amazed at how much more I can understand each day. It is quite amazing, and certainly says something for “total immersion” in a foreign language. I’m very glad I’m doing this.

This afternoon, we had an in-depth lecture on Icelandic politics and then we visited the Alþing. We had a tour around the building, and then sat in where the representatives sit. There were really fun buttons for voting, and we had a lot of fun pressing those. Yep, I’m still 13. We were also able to speak to a member of the Alþing, although I don’t know is we were ever told his name. Anyways, he spoke completely in Icelandic and very quickly, so I only caught a bit of what he was saying. Overall, it was a fun experience. Amazingly, there were no metal detectors or major security, aside from this guy in a black suit who followed us around. Other than that, no cameras (that I saw), no metal detectors, nothing like a government building anywhere else I have been.

Speaking of security, I have noticed that over here parents just leave their babies in the strollers outside of stores/coffee shops/restaurants while they are inside. At first I was completely appalled by this, but then I came to find out that this is the norm throughout many European countries. Also, in Reykjavík and Iceland in general crime rates are extremely low. I don’t think there have been any instances of people stealing a baby. I mean really, who would steal a baby anyway? And the babies don’t even freak out when they don’t see mom/dad right in front of them. I am still unsure as to how I feel about the whole situation. But who am I to judge, right?

Anyway, that’s all for today. Tonight is laundry night, homework night, as well as buy-more-Diet Coke night. I’d best be off, and I will post more pictures of the weekend, etc. as soon as I get the chance. I promise.

Sjáumst!

My first weekend in Reykjavík. Wow.

2006-07-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Friday is only a half-day of classes, so at 12:00 we were finished. I went to the big mall, Kringlan, with some friends, and we did some shopping. I must say that Icelanders are incredibly fashionable. They are always “with it” when it comes to the latest trends, and next to them I feel frumpy. I was doubtful about the return of tapered jeans before I came here, but the Icelanders make them look good and make flared/bootleg jeans look like a thing of the past. The very distant and non-trendy past. I think I need to change my wardrobe.

On Friday night I went out to eat with some friends, and then we went to a bar afterwards and stayed out rather late. It was a lot of fun, but rather tame – Friday nights aren’t the “big party nights” in Reykjavík. We came early by Icelandic standards, because we had an early morning the next day.

On Saturday, we took a trip around Southwest Iceland. Our first stop was Þingvellir, the site of the Alþing during the Icelandic Free State. Needless to say, this place is my heaven. Not only is it extremely rich in history, but the landscape is like nothing else I have ever seen before. Ever. I can’t even begin to describe how incredibly cool it was to be there. It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.

After Þingvellir, we took a trip to Reykholt, the home of Snorri Sturluson. It was interesting, but a little weird that modern buildings (such as hotels, a tourist center, etc.) have been built at the site. We saw Snorri’s hot tub, as well as the tunnel in which he was allegedly killed. After Reykholt, we made our way up to Kaldadalur to see some of the smaller glaciers and things of that sort. Some very cool landscape here, but extremely cold – only 0° Celsius. We made our way down the steepness of Kaldadalur, had some lunch, and then saw Deildartunguhver, the largest hot spring in Iceland an in Europe in general. Finally, we saw the home of Egill Skallagrímsson. The site of Egill’s home near Borgarnes was similar to the Snorri situation – modern buildings sort of took away from the coolness. It was still cool, especially because the grave of Kjartan from the Saga of the People of Laxardal is supposedly there. I took a picture of it, and will post it later.

We went out on Saturday night again. I will only say that Reykjavík nightlife IS all it is said to be. Insanity. In-sa-ni-ty.

Today I slept in, went to the famous flea market, and watched the World Cup. Now, it’s back to doing homework and (hopefully) posting every day. We get to go and visit the Alþing tomorrow, so I’ll certainly be writing about that! I'm only going to post a few pictures, as there are SO many. All of these are from Þingvellir:

Þingvellir landscape:

More landscape:

Me at Þingvellir:

Me and some friends at Þingvellir:

The Icelandic flag at Þingvellir, near Lögberg (the Law Rock):

Super clear Icelandic water:

Adventures in the Laug

2006-07-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

Well, this is going to be a short entry, because I am beat.

Almost an entire week finished. Time goes by so quickly here. I am constantly amazed at this. All of a sudden, it is 11:00 p.m. It is very strange, but I suppose I am so busy that time just flies.

Today we had more language, and we learned some grammar and had a written assignment about the advantages and disadvantages of our home country and of Iceland. It went well, I think…we’ll find out tomorrow! In the afternoon, we had a lecture on Icelandic history from the settlement to modern times. It was very much an overview, but still interesting. After the lecture, I went to a museum downtown with an exhibition called 871
+/- 2. Basically, it is a museum dedicated to the settlement age of Iceland. The name indicates the official date of the settlement of Iceland – 871 plus or minus two years. The museum is very interactive, and has all kinds of computer simulations of houses, boats, and people in 10th century Iceland. It is very new, and although I normally get very bored and ADD in museum exhibitions, this one was great. I absolutely loved it.

After the museum, I went home and did some homework, but then we went to the swimming pools. The pools here are all heated by steam, and at the pool we went to there was a large swimming pool (very warm), 5 hot tubs, and a steam room. It was great, and we stayed there for around 3 hours. Unfortunately, my friend Tina and I were cornered in the hot tub by an old Icelandic man who spoke only Icelandic. And by cornered, I mean we were sitting in the hot tub and he knelt in front of us and was literally 5 inches from our faces. He proceeded to speak to us for approx. 45 minutes about his brother’s fortune of over 200,000,000 ISK that he inherited, his home in Aukaeyri, the protest on the dam in Egilsstaðir, and finally about whaling. It was a strange combination of creepy and interesting. Tina and I didn’t know quite how to feel about it all.

Wow, this was longer than I thought it would be. I’d better get some sleep. I didn’t take many pictures today, but I will take some tomorrow.

Take care!

Another Day in Rainy Reykjavík

2006-07-06T04:14:00.000-07:00

Another Day in Rainy Reykjavík

I can’t believe I’m already halfway through the first week of class here in Iceland. It really seems like I just got here, and it’s kind of crazy. But I still have 3 more weeks, and in 2 weeks, Levi and my family arrive! Yay!

They manage to keep us extremely busy here. We are at class by 9:15, have a coffee break (yep, definitely a European school) at 10:30-ish, and have lunch from 12:00-1:00. At 1:00 we have class again until 2:00, when we finish for the day. When we finish with class, I usually end up walking around Reykjavík with friends, shopping and sitting in coffee shops doing homework. It’s really quite lovely. I must say, though, Iceland is insanely expensive. It’s important to know the right places to eat and shop, otherwise one overpays for almost everything. Luckily, I have befriended a nice Swedish-Norwegian (Swedish but lives in Norway) gal named Tina who has been here before and knows of all of the cheap shops and places to eat. We’re going to look for sales tomorrow after class, apparently. Maybe at night we will go to the swimming pool…we’ll see.

Things are going very well in school, though. I understand more and more each day, and I think that if by the end of the class if I can understand a majority of what she is saying, I will be very happy. She doesn’t tone it down for us at all – she speaks very fast, and only in Icelandic. I like it, though. We talked about food and shopping today, and then listened to some Icelandic pop music. We listened to the obligatory Björk and another Icelandic artist, Bobbi Morthens. It was quite fun. Then in the afternoon, we had a lecture about Icelandic nature. Absolutely fascinating. Iceland is unique in that it is both a volcanic ‘hot spot’, and it is on a continental ridge. It is constantly being pulled apart and the volcanoes fill in the gaps with lava, which of course becomes rock. We also talked a lot about glaciers, and the visible effects global warming has on Iceland. Very interesting.

Oh! I almost forgot – I got a cell phone. They are very cheap to buy, and it’s one of those pay-as-you-go things. I buy something like a calling card to add minutes to my phone to call people, and it is free when others call me! So, here’s my number (including the code to dial out of the States):

011 354 663 7679

I’d love to get phone calls……*hint hint*

And, of course, pictures. The weather has been icky crappy, so I haven’t taken any of the bay yet. But these are all pictures of the parliament house, or the Ráðhús Reykjavíkur.

I hope everyone is well – love and miss you all!

Úlfar's Wild Ride

2006-07-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Day three.

Today was much better than yesterday. I was extremely overwhelmed yesterday, freaked out at the prospect of our teacher Hildur speaking only Icelandic. The four people who have had prior experience with speaking Modern Icelandic didn't help matters. But during this morning's class, I actually understood what she was saying. And the homework isn't so bad! I worked on it with another student who has
studied Modern Icelandic before (the rules are somewhat different from Old Norse, so it can be confusing), and he was very helpful. So today, we discussed hobbies and things we like in Modern Icelandic. It was quite fun, actually. Mér finnst gaman að spila Ultimate Frisbee!

This afternoon, we went on a tour of Reykjavík and Hafnafjörður with Úlfar Bragason of the Sigurður Nordal Institute. It was great, and I am constantly amazed at how much Úlfar knows about, well, everything. He is extremely informative, really nice, and very witty. I love his typical understated and often not P.C. Scandinavian humor Here is my favorite quote of the day:

"The Icelandic population is growing rapidly, more so than any other European country." Pause. "This is mostly due to the fact that Icelandic women like having babies." Pause. "Já."

During the tour, we saw almost all of Reykjavík and Hofnafjörður, and we also were able to visit the church at Bessastaðir, where the president of Iceland lives. It was beautiful, but on a small penninsula, so very windy.

So this tour of Reykjavík and its surroundings took up most of the day. After the tour, we walked back to our apartment, along with our new Swedish friend Tina and our new British friend Nick, and worked on homework. At approx. 6:30, we met a few friends and watched the World Cup match between Italy and Germany. And I have to say, that was an experience! Icelanders get very involved in the World Cup, and are very intense. Every bar was packed with soccer fans, the majority of whom were cheering for Germany. Unfortunately, Germany lost in overtime, but it was a good match and we were able to experience a different part of Icelandic culture.

So I'm back at home now, about to start writing in my dagbók. Here are some pictures, and will return with more updates tomorrow! I'm hoping to go to the swimming pool either tomorrow or the next day.

Sjáumst!

Úlfar:

Bessastaðir (where the Icelandic president lives):

Hallgrímskirkja:

Leifur Eiríksson:

A street in Reykjavík near Hallgrímskirkja

Annar dagur

2006-07-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

I started off the day early with a run around Reykjavík (which was lovely), came back, and took my time eating breakfast and getting ready.

We left plenty early, so as not to get lost. Today’s agenda included a placement test, and I was extremely worried. We got there about 20 min. early, and had time to meet some of the other students. People came from all over the place – Czech Republic, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Estonia…it’s pretty cool. Everyone is really nice, and at all different levels in terms of experience. In fact, two guys can speak almost fluently. They both have Icelandic parents, and
live in the States/Canada. I have no idea why they are taking a beginner’s course, but whatever.

So I took the test, which was almost entirely grammar and wasn’t so bad, then we had a tour around the University and the National/University Library. At around noon, we ate lunch, then 1:00 we were to be back at the classrooms to be divided into two groups – as they called the groups, ‘a better and a worse.’ Turns out I’m in ‘the better’ group, and actually scored second highest out of all 35 students on the exam (and thus did better than one of the fluent speakers!). Class is going to be difficult, though. The teacher speaks only in Icelandic. While I’m extremely confident in grammar and reading, I have never spoken Icelandic and have rarely had it spoken directly to me. Also, we are to write daily journals and a list of at least 5 new words with definition and preferably a sentence using the word. It’ll be good for me, though – and that’s why I came here: to learn how to speak Modern Icelandic.

At 5:00 we had a reception at the Sigurður Nordals Institute, which is the house for Nordic Studies at the University. It was nice, we were able to socialize, eat, etc. I met a lot of people.

I’m quite tired, and today was not incredibly exciting, so I’ll be off for now.

Sjáumst!

Pictures of Tjörn:

Me, with chocolate-and-Toblerone-dipped ís:

An entire section of a bookstore dedicated to Halldór
Laxness, Iceland's Nobel Prize Laureate:

A typical store on Laugavegur - I took a picture of this one for Jessi (notice the Prada, Jess):

Pure Deliciousness.

2006-07-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Skyr, Skyr, beautiful Skyr.

Where have you been all my life???

I am completely serious when I say that I will never eat yogurt again, and will have this stuff specially imported if necessary.

Arrived.

2006-07-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: This post is most likely very poorly written, as I am going on 2.5 hours of sleep. Many apologies.

Suddenly, I am in Reykjavík. Less than twelve hours ago, I was in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, waiting to board the plane. Now I am sitting in my room in Reykjavík, trying to process that I am, indeed, in Iceland.

Levi and I arrived at the MSP airport at around 4:30 on Saturday, exactly 3 hours before the flight was scheduled to depart. My dearest friend Caitlin met us for coffee at 5:00 outside of the ticketing gate, and at around 6:00 I had to say goodbye to her and then I said a somewhat sad goodbye to Levi (I say somewhat, since he’ll be here in 3 weeks!). I made it through the security checkpoint with no problems and no hassles, which is good. The flight was running late (of course), so we left an hour late from MSP and arrived a half and hour late in rainy and chilly Keflavík. No biggie – I still made it to BSÍ in Reykjavík in time to meet the person from the University. I also met some of the other students there, including my roommates. They are two girls from Winnipeg (cousins), about my age or a bit older, of Icelandic descent. Aquila and Jenny. They are great, and I’m glad my roommates are cool. In fact, Aquila went to Concordia. Small world.

When we arrived at our ‘house’, we were greeted by a jolly Icelandic opera singer named Jón, who happens to own the building. The place is really, really nice and cute. We each have our own bedroom, and we share a kitchen and a bathroom. We get to use the washing machine downstairs for no cost, and he told us to use his laundry powder and not buy any. It’s a very clean little place, with nice hardwood floors, a small but very nice kitchen, and spacious rooms. It will be a nice living space for the next month.

After unpacking, my roomies and I walked down Laugavegur, where there are a bunch of stores and coffee shops. We fueled ourselves with caffeine and then looked around at some stores. I already bought a few books (Salka Valka and a book called ‘Manuscripts of Iceland’). We then did a bit of grocery shopping, and I bought a phone card. However, no land line here, so I’m going to need to figure out where to find a pay phone.

The plan for the rest of the day is to just hang out, prepare for the placement exam tomorrow, go out for dinner later, and most importantly try to not fall asleep. DON’T…..FALL…..ASLEEP!!!

In any case, Reykjavík is awesome, and I'm very happy to be here. I'm excited to start my class tomorrow and get into a routine!

I almost forgot…here is my address:

Skeggjagata 6
101 Reykjavík
Iceland

No phone, as I mentioned, but I may try to get hold of a temporary cell phone (if I can get one for cheap). Apparently, you can buy a number and put a balance on it – kind of like those pay-as-you-go phones. I’ll keep you updated on that.

And now, for pictures!

My room:

The kitchen:

My roomies (Aquila on the left, Jenny on the right):

A few street signs:

For the la-las:

For the Levi:

Viltu læra íslenzku?

2006-06-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Translation: Do you want to learn Icelandic?

Simply click here to access the online course sponsored by Háskóli Íslands (The University of Iceland), click on "Fara inn á námskeiðið" (meaning "Enter the course") and learn a little bit of Icelandic.

The best part? It's free!

An Icelandic Roadtrip

2006-06-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

My dear husband, Levi, was thoughtful enough to notice this article and pass it on to me. It is an interesting article about some people who road-tripped the entire ring around Iceland. There is a great slideshow, and it is overall a great article.

Click here to check it out!

Iceland 101

2006-06-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I just realized that perhaps all of you would like to know a little bit about the place I'm going to be visiting in 18 short days (!). Therefore, I ~~stole~~ obtained some information from Reykjavík's tourist website. Here it is:

History

Reykjavik is by far the largest community in Iceland, with a population of about 115,000. Including the neighbouring towns, the capital area has a total population of about 170,000, which is about 60% of Iceland’s population of 300,000 people.

Iceland was settled by Norwegian and Celtic immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D. According to the medieval Book of Settlements, Ingolfur Arnarson – the first settler of Iceland – built his farm on the peninsula where Reykjavik stands today. The place was named Reykjavik – “Smoky Bay” - after the columns of steam that rose from the hot springs in the area and made such a profound impression on the original settlers.

Many centuries later, around the middle of the 18th century, a small town started to grow around the farm of Reykjavik, thanks to Royal Treasurer Skuli Magnusson, known as the Father of Reykjavik, who established wool workshops at Reykjavik as part of his efforts to modernise the Icelandic economy. This led to the beginnings of urban development at Reykjavik. Reykjavik received its town charter in 1786.

The Icelandic parliament, Althingi, was founded in the 930 AD at Thingvellir in the southwest. In 1798 the Althingi was abolished, but in 1845 it was re-established in Reykjavik, where the country’s government and administration were now located. In due course, when Iceland won Home Rule and then independence from Danish rule, Reykjavik became the capital of Iceland. With the rapid economic progress of the 20th century, Reykjavik grew steadily, but developed especially fast in the second half of the century.

Basic Facts

Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic ocean. The most northern tip of the island lies just below the Arctic Circle. Reykjavik has approximately 115,000 inhabitants, about 40% of Iceland’s total population.

The native language is Icelandic, which is related to the other Nordic languages: Danish, Swedish and Norwegian. Most people speak English, and many speak Nordic languages, German and French.

See latest facts and figures about Reykjavik.

Geothermal Heating

Icelandic homes are relatively inexpensive to heat, thanks to abundant resources of hot water under the earth. Iceland, which lies on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, was formed by the drifting apart of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Due to the newness of the land itself (approximately 16-20 million years), the crust of the Earth is thin, which accounts for the huge number of hot springs around the country. Iceland is located on what geologists call a “hot spot,” and the geothermal resources are used for heating, and also harnessed to generate electricity.

While Icelanders have long used natural hot water for bathing and washing their clothes, it was only in the 20th century that technology made it possible to provide geothermal heating by drilling down to underground hot-water sources.

Geothermal heating of houses began around 1930, and today all of Reykjavik is heated by the Reykjavík Energy district heating system. Throughout Iceland, about 90% of the population now enjoy geothermal heating (not all parts of the country have utilisable hot water resources).

A Virtual Tour of Iceland!

To take a tour for yourself of this magnificent country, click here.

18 Days?!?!?!

2006-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to comment quickly that my much-anticipated trip to Iceland is in 18 days.

How did that sneak up on me so quickly???

Just think, folks - in 18 days, I'll be in the heart of Reykjavík, purusing the Mál og Menning bookstore, taking my run around Tjörn, and trying to recover from what I hope to be only minor jet lag. Who knows? I may even take a dip in the hot springs...

I have only one question: jealous???

I heart travel.

2006-06-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Through Rachel's blog, I found this oh-so-fun procrastination device. Try it! It's fun, and it's guaranteed to keep you from doing whatever you should be doing for at least a FEW minutes...

create your own visited states map

create your own visited countries map

31 days. And counting.

2006-06-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

All of a sudden, it's summer. My first year of graduate school is done. One more year and I'll finish up with my M.A. and officially begin on my Ph.D. And in one month until I leave for the Land of Fire and Ice. WOW.

I'm very much looking forward to this "all expenses paid" trip. All of my FLAS money is currently on its way, so that's a definite plus. The plane tickets are booked, the housing situation is being arranged, and Levi and my family are finalizing their Iceland plans for the end of July. Life is good.

In true OCD fashion, I have already typed up a detailed packing list, broken down by category (tanks, shirts, pants, running clothes, electronics, etc.) with items I have yet to purchase marked in bold. Still, I'm sure I'll forget something.

If anyone has any travel tips they swear by, send them my way!

Heyr á Endemi!

2006-05-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I totally stole that title from Rachel. And I'm also going to totally steal the content of her post as well. I'm definitely feeling unoriginal today.

Today was our last day of Old Norse. We had our final, it went well, blah blah blah. It was a little bit sad for me, though, since we've had so much fun. Here are my top 5 favorite ON I and II memories:

1. Anna: "just too much man."
2. Katie, on a sentence involving "litill" immediately after a name: "is that his nickname?"
3. Adventures in mistranslation.
4. Vats of sour whey.
5. Heðjar

This year has been a great one. Great program, great professors, ágæt friends who can understand my random insertions of ON words. One year left for my M.A., four on top of that for the Ph.D. (at least). It's a lot of school, but I'm a ginormous nerd and I love school. That's why I'm going to become a professor. So I can stay in school forever. Anyway, I'm glad I chose to come here and do this program. It's been a great year, and I look forward to many more!

Only one more final to go. Sagas, watch out!

The Fruit of my Labor...

2006-04-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Anyone curious what I do all day? Here's a glimpse of a recently finished project, a normalization of the Agnesar Saga Meyjar text, an Old Norse-Icelandic legend of the virgin martyr St. Agnes:

Agnes svaraði með mikilli staðfesti: Ef þú vissir, hverr guð minn væri, þá mundir þú eigi þetta mæla, en þar sem ek veit krapt dróttins míns Jesus Krists, þá ógumz ek ei ógnir þínar, ok trúi ek því, at ek mun eigi blóta skurðgoñð þín ok eigi syndgaz af annarra syndum, þvíat englar guðs eru meñðmér þeir er þú kant eigi. Þeir varðveita likama minn, ok sonr guðs, sá er þú kennir eigi. Hann er mér borgarveggr óumstigiligr ok vörðr, sá er aldregi sefr, ok hlífskjöldr, sá er aldri þrotnar. En god þín er ór eiri eru gjör, þá væri nýtsamligra at þar væri ker ór gjör til gagns monnum, eða þiljuð stræti með þeim, svá at eigi vaði menni leiri, þvíat guðdómr er á himnum en eigi í steinum, ok helldr í loptríki en í málmi. En þú ok þér líkir, ef þér látið ei af blótum yðrum, þá mun ein písl yfir ljúka alla þá er þau, blóta þvíat svá sem þau blásaz saman í eldi þá er þau eru smiðuð, svá verða ok glatanarmenn þessir brendir í eilífum eldi, eigi til þess at þeir verði smiðaðir, heldr til hins at þeir skammiz ok fariz æ ok æ.

Gotta love it.

In 3 Months....

2006-04-11T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'll be here:

Yay!

...ok Björn bjó at Borg.

2006-04-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

I've decided to start another blog. I'm travelling to Iceland this summer to study Modern Icelandic, and wanted to dedicate an entire blog to this trip, other trips in the future, and my studies in general so as to not dominate our personal blog.

What is this trip, you ask? It's a month-long course in Modern Icelandic at Háskóli Íslands, the University of Iceland. I'm able to study there due to a generous FLAS scholarship, and I can hardly wait. I'll be going over there in July, and can hardly wait. Levi will come to visit towards the end, and we can finally have the honeymoon we never had.

Why Modern Icelandic? I study Old Norse-Icelandic language and literature, and Modern Icelandic is very similar to its medieval counterpart. Imagine a country that spoke a kind of English that was extremely similar to Old English - that's what Modern Icelandic is to Old Norse-Icelandic.

So, there you go. Check back for more information about my trip and other related stuff.