so tell me, what is our ending?

This last week feels an awful like the first week except with a few differences. 1) I have friends 2) I know the city 3) there´s less day light. Some similarities have been: boring paper work, random things on a to-do-list, lots of spare time, and no computer. Instead of unpacking and organizing, I have started to organize and pack. The worst part is this week there are no hello nice to meet yous, but goodbyes for maybe forever.

As depressing as that sounds my week hasn´t been that sad. In fact, it has been fun and full of random and planned events.

Last Saturday my friend Maxine made Chines dumplings for me because I am leaving. She is so sweet. We were making dumplings all afternoon, I hadn´t eaten that much since Thanksgiving! The next day I had went over to my buddy´s house for an Icelandic meal. It was a very diverse weekend of my taste buds.

The most touristy thing I have done was go to the Blue Lagoon with Birgir, Charlize, Rabekka, and Maxine. The Blue Lagoon is the big deal of Iceland, a Disneyland type of big deal. Expect it is not long lines and rides, but a large relaxing outside naturally hot pool. It was great to get out of the city and just relax for an afternoon.

The craziest thing I have done was go to the beach with Gerick and Zak to swim in it. Yes, I have now been swimming in the North Atlantic. It was more of a jump in, scream, take a few pictures, and run into the hotpot that was also in the ocean. But I was in the North Atlantic in my swimsuit, and that´s all that counts. :)

Sunday is coming too soon, and I just realized today that I only have the morning in Reykjavik. The rest of my day will be getting to the airport, waiting around in airports, and flying. I´m not looking forward to that at all. Just like in coming here, I haven´t thought much about going home and what it means. I can foresee culture shock, not a lot. But it will happen. I was in another country for a semester, its bound to happen. As are changes in myself and all the changes that have happened back home and at school. Everything will be different and everything will be oddly the same. But at the same time, I am looking forward to the new adventures back home. I have never taken advantage of the beauty and exciting things in the cities that I live in. That will be changing.

Well friends, this will for sure be my last post before I am home. I don´t want to waste any moments on the computer today, tomorrow, and Sunday morning. But thanks for reading. Bless.

feel free to say "told you so"

I have a little story for you my blog readers.

Friday afternoon was my last final and just like the first two this one was about a 10 to 15 minute walk away. I have kept a very anti-bus philosophy while living in Reykjavik because this city is so small, why waste money when you have legs that can walk? I woke up to the wind screaming at the rain and the storm continued all day. At dressed for the worst and forced my way through the wind and the sleeting rain. At some points the wind would blow so hard I could barely move an inch forward. I had to walk across this bridge that crosses one of the only busy roads and a huge gust of wind came and I literally blew to the other side of the bridge. I almost started to worry that I wouldn't make it to my test at all because the weather was so bad. I did make it on time, just soaking wet and I smelt like a dog. It was not fun taking a three hour final wet, but I survived and came back to my dorm.(Oh the things I do to pass my classes, ha). I put on sweats, drank tea, and ate my mini spooners (an attempt at the real min wheats?) the rest of the night. Of course at night the storm stopped and it was beautiful out. Such is the weather in Iceland.

I refused to step foot outside the next day because it was still raining. But Sunday morning was beautiful and warm out. I went to church with some friends to watch another friend sing in a choir, and then we went to the flea market and out to coffee. For dinner I went over to my Icelandic Buddy's house for some lamb. It was amazing! Today I've been doing random things that needed to get done and ran home from down town. It was wonderful. I have made a fun-to-do-list for my last week in Iceland and it is really shaping up into an awesome week, at least on paper. :]

I leave the 20th, and hopefully I'll be able to blog again, but if not its been great sharing my life with you. Bless friends.

I saw santa, I saw santa!

the title gives away my big news but today santa stopped his car so I could cross the street. It is common in Iceland for drivers to slow down or stop for you if you look like you are going to cross the street. This afternoon, no joke, an elderly man with a fluffy white beard wearing a red hat and coat, stopped for me to cross the street. Thanks santa, you made my day.

No other land than the present

There have been uneventful events these past few weeks, and I must apologize for not updating my blog before now (especially after my last joyful ending). I have been computer less for too long now and will remain to be until I return to the States. It´s frustrating, but I can also count it as a blessing because I have been using my time for studying. But I am continually becoming more upset at the lack of communication I can have with my family. Oh these learning experiences are never easy... But I am learning the meaning of honesty and that when people from home ask me how I am doing - they really care and want to know.

It has officially been finals "month" since the 30th of November and I have only had two finals since then. They give you far too much time during finals if you ask me, but seeing as my whole grade rests on these tests, I should be thankful for the extra time. The two finals I had were easy and almost enjoyable. Studying for them is another thing altogether. No one has had to study much this semester and everyone´s brain is fried already from using it too much. I have been suffering from a bad case of procrastination this week because I don´t have another final until Friday. This one will also be easy if I put in the time. Good thing I have this afternoon and all day tomorrow to work on it.

I planned a little festive Christmas event last Sunday for everyone in my dorm. We got together and baked cookies from 2pm until 6:30pm (and then started up again at 8:30pm). It was fun because people baked cookies that they eat in their own country and I had a blast watching at least 5 people decorate their first sugar cookie! The only "bad" thing is that I have 200 plus cookies in my freezer that I keep giving people because I don´t want them anymore. (I now have to worry about fitting into my brides maid dress I got over the summer - yikes, should have thought about that before Thanksgiving and Christmas cookies). ha. That beautiful picture is what we ate just the first night.

I finished my first scarf this week also! I am very proud that I finally finished one after years of trying and giving up. Iceland is just a magical place to knit I guess. My little brother is no longer "little" anymore, and he got the package I sent for his birthday. :) I can´t wait to see the Icelandic "football" warm up on him.

My biggest joy is the fact that my wonderful friend Bethany is home from Africa!!! I´m talking to her right now. She is so awesome. Between her homecoming, my lack of a computer, and my family having a difficult time now, home is looking better and better. I still wonder if I´d feel homesick if those last two never happened. But there is no point in living in the land of "if only" or "I wonder". I´´ll be home in 11 days and I´m going to enjoy my last 11 days in Iceland to the fullest. Bless friends.

Giving Thanks and other thoughts

Post-Thanksgiving by a full day, going on two, and I am still exhausted and somehow full. I never knew that Thanksgiving was so much work. I´ll give you a day by day account of our preparations.
Nov 9th: Our first meeting to talk about who we wanted to invite, when to have it, and what we wanted to make. Not much got done besides picking the day and a facebook event was made to see how many people were going to come.
Nov 23rd: we had our second official meeting to talk about food and what to buy. We decided to hold the dinner on the fourth floor tv room, for a more homely feel.
Nov 24th: I went shopping for food with Derek, Laura, Jills, and Birgir. We spent over an hour in Bonous and then another forty in Hagkaup. It was a successful trip besides the lack of pumpkin and rhubarb. Birgir´s trunk was so full I thought his car wouldn´t be able to move. I was disappointed that we couldn´t find pumpkin anywhere and when my friend Rebekka asked if we found everything I told her we couldn´t find pumpkin and luckily she had a half a pumpkin and she knew of a place close by that sells them! That put me in a good mood.
Nov 25th: After class I walked to this little organic foods place and got the last three baby pumpkins! I asked if they were going to get more tomorrow and he said that he ordered too many this time - so praise Jesus he did, or else our dinner may have been pumpkin-free. After my other class we started to bake. I prepared the pumpkin for pies and my pumpkin rolls. (Pumpkin is hard when you have to make it from scratch). Every kitchen was full of Americans cooking. It was great.
Nov 26th: The big day! Derek and I put the turkeys in around 11:30am and I started to cook stuffing after that. (after lunch five of us turned in our Icelandic Culture papers - yay for being done with one class already). Around 3pm every kitchen was in use until after midnight. Everyone really got into the Thanksgiving spirit. I could feel it all around me. I don´t even know how many dishes we made. Three tables full and enough to feed 48ish people plus leftovers still. People started to show up around 7 for dinner, but we weren´t ready. All I saw for a good hour was a whirlwind of food and chiefs finishing up their masterpieces. I don´t know how many times I ran up and down stairs, but it was totally worth every ounce of effort put in. The dinner was a success. I have never been so satisfied and content after completing a task before. Sitting with a view of each table and our quests eating the traditional American Thanksgiving meal we had worked SO HARD to prepare and a plate full of my own food, was a reward worth a million dollars. I couldn´t stop smiling, we had pulled it off. (if you know me at all you know how bad I am at planning parties - yes, this was a big accomplishment for me. ha). Everyone I talked to enjoyed the food and now want to celebrate Thanksgiving every year. I didn´t get to bed till after 1 am with all of the cleaning that had to be done, but I slept well. I will cherish this day for the rest of my life.
Nov 27th: I woke up full and to it snowing outside! What a great way to end Thanksgiving by bringing in the Christmas season :) All that was left was a little cleaning and moving the tables and chairs back to second floor. That morning/afternoon I spent outside with friends playing in the snow and on the ice. I made my first snow angel on the ice, it felt appropriate since I´m in Iceland. For dinner the cooks all got together to eat some leftovers. I know there is still food left. Can you say 100% true Thanksgiving? ha.

Amidst the Thanksgiving rush my life was slowly crumbling around me. I´m not a fan of bad news (giving or receiving) and when it comes out of no where it is so easy to close up. I guess you could say I am thankful that Thanksgiving was during this week so I´ve been able to distract myself from thinking about life. But today I will allow myself to slow down and examine life. At the moment I have more questions then answers. Like will it now be a tradition for my Thanksgiving week to be full of worry and confusion? Because two years in a row is enough for my pessimistic personality to place these events in connection with each other. There are just too many similarities for my mind to not come to that conclusion. Why, why, why? Why do my life lessons come through suffering? Can´t I learn the easy way for once? The ironic thing is I have been praying for my life to be changed here, to be broken, to experience God in a new way. Watch out for what you pray for. For over a month I have been going to a bible study at the Garman´s house and we have been going through 1 Peter. A perfect book about the suffering that happens in the world because we live in sin-filled world. Suffering is going to come no matter what, what really matters is where we place our faith, our trust, our hope. Nothing happens without a reason. I met the Garman´s because God knew I´d need to hear the truth of 1 Peter before and after last Tuesday. I have friends here that care and listen because God knew I´d need human comfort in Iceland. I may be back to where I was one year ago with different circumstances. But its a place where I have to fully rely on God with each breath I take, I wouldn´t be able to get out of bed without his strength. That´s a place of beauty, it really is. Beautifully broken.

Now I have a request of you friends. Please pray for my family (and me while you are at it). This is a crack in the road, a gap in the bridge, or the building blocks of a beautiful castle. I´m willing to share the details, I just don´t feel the need to vent details to the blog world. I always welcome ears to hear and a hug (even if its via the Internet). Bless friends.

feelings

Shock
Numb
This isn´t happening.
No
Can´t be.
Not now.
We were done with hardships.

I lied.
I don´t want to shine.
take it back.

This cycle
needs to end.
one time was enough.
the past
is pulled back
too much to focus on.

I lied
I don´t want to shine
take it back.

Take it back
take it back
for another time.

darkening days

Iceland is a northern country. In fact the most northern part of Iceland almost touches the Arctic circle (so I've heard). One would assume with that fact that Iceland is cold. I haven't had a problem with the cold, it isn't too different from Minnesota most days. The thing I am shocked about each day is the shortening day light. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in the library working on my Icelandic Culture paper, I wasn't paying attention to the time and when I walked out of the library I saw the sun setting. I was taken aback. How long HAD I been in there? My watch read 4:35. yep, in the afternoon. Oh Iceland. The sun started to rise at 9:40 this morning. So I got to watch it slowly come up over Reykjavik as I walked to the post office to mail a very special person a package.

Also on my walk I saw some men setting up a big Christmas tree in one of the center squares. I am very excited to see this city all lit up with Christmas lights. Supposedly people go all out. (After all, if there is only going to be a few hours of sunlight, you need to provide people with artificial lights because life goes on with or without light in the sky).

I wish I could upload a picture I took this morning, but I'm on a library computer. My dead baby is now with a friend's brother-in-law for some life revival. This week hasn't been as hard for me being without my computer. I feel disconnected to my family and friends back home, but I'm getting a lot done and I even started to knit! That is right friends, I have joined the Icelandic "cult" of knitting. :) Luckily Icelandic wool is cheep (it's the only thing that is. ha).

Thanksgiving is coming up and the North Americans (we Americans decided to allow the Canadians to help out) are making a massive dinner for the international students and our Icelandic buddies. Excitement does not even cover my emotions. Bless bless.

undignified

story time about real life:

Friday afternoon I decided to be a good citizen (well, technically resident)and take out the recycling. For some reason Icelanders are not too concerned about their environment and keeping it healthy. That being said we (the international students) have to take our own recycling to a place that does recycle. There was only two bags but I decided to take Charlize and the shopping cart someone is "borrowing" in our dorm to help with my adventure. We walked through campus with a loud orange shopping cart and two garbage bags. I wish I could read minds, because we got a lot of weird looks from people. My favorite was when a professor type looking lady walked by us and didn't even make eye contact! Oh people are funny little beings. Why don't we want to make eye contact with people who are doing things out of the ordinary? It's not like we had bodies in our bags. ha. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. I should do more random things, it keeps life interesting. Honestly, I had such a joy in my step throughout our recycling adventure.

do something random today and tell me about it please. Bless.

perfection

I went on a run today. I haven´t ran since early August. It was life changing. I thought you´d like to know that.

before civilization.

okay, so I guess my title is a bit over dramatic. But I am me and I have always been a little bit over dramatic, so the title stays.

I wish I had happy news for my blog readers about my laptop, but I don't. I am still laptopless, but I am blessed with friends who let me use their computers during the moments they are not. I'll be honest, not having a computer was great the first three days. I got all of my homework done for the week and even some fun reading. Now six days into my new life I feel my life slowly fading away. It is so sad how dependent I am on my computer, its my "go to" companion whenever I am bored, lonely, and even happy. It is my way of communication with the world outside Iceland, and it has my class notes on it...

But I have done some fun things besides pester my computer savvy friends to work on my laptop. Like climbing Tröllakirkja, a 939m high mountain that kicked my butt. The morning was beautiful and so was the mountain, but as the afternoon continued the clouds started to roll in and soon we were in the clouds. Ice covered the rocks and moss making it difficult to walk. I can sum up this day in two words: Epic Iceland. Everything you'd think of when you hear Iceland was there on this hike. When we got to the top everyone was frozen and we couldn't see 40m down.

I was blessed greatly by American Style on Sunday night. After church I went out to eat with Charlize and our two new Icelandic friends Johanna and Dagny and that night American Style was offering a free meal to the youngest person if you were in a group of four. Thank You God for that gift. I really needed that. I have noticed that during times of "suffering" (yes, I am suffering without my computer) it is important for me to acknowledge the blessings in life, even the small ones.

I'm not going to go into great detail about life before the death of bella or during because now I have more stories to share when I get home :) My time is coming to the close and finals are a few weeks away! I am going to start writing my Icelandic Culture paper tomorrow (thanks to a friend who is letting me borrow their computer, I don't have to use the nasty library computers.) Once that is done all I have is studying. ahhhh... I don't want this semester to end.

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever" 1 Peter 1: 24-25. (Danielle Translation: All computers are like ice cream, and their files are like cookies. The computer melts and the files are eaten. good thing my bible isn't on my computer. ha) Bless friends.

sad news

Unfortunately my computer decided to die on me yesterday. I spent an hour talking to dell and they couldn´t fix it. Luckily a friend here said he´d try. But don´t expect a real post from me until its fixed. I am horrible at writing on other computers because I like to take my time.

These Frosty Days

I went on another hiking trip on Sunday. This time our goal was Esja, which is the mountain that over looks Reykjavik. I have taken many pictures of it and I was excited to finally be on top of it. Our afternoon adventure turned into a long exciting one because we missed the first bus which caused us to miss the next one, but we did succeed in making it to the top (despite the misdirection we got from a local while hiking) before the sun had fully set. My body now is tired from working so hard. Esja was harder (to me) it felt like a never ending cross country meet. A joy and a burden. I knew I would finish (if there was enough day light to get down) but the finish line seemed to never be in sight.

The last few days here have been AMAZING weather wise (Yes, I am very Minnesotan to mention the weather – again). The frost has started to collect on the grass, trees, windows, and my breath is visible. I get chills of joy just thinking about it. Yesterday after classes Maggie and I ventured downtown to Hallgrimskirkja (a church I have also taken multiple pictures of) and went up to the top of the steeple. The view of Reykjavik from there was spectacular! The buildings were dotted about the city with their red and green roofs and the ocean was so close. There are days that I completely forget that I am on an Island, but yesterday I was reminded of that beautiful fact.

Also yesterday Charlize and I went to a bible study of University students (Icelandic and exchange). I was blown away by a few facts: they deal with the same struggles I do, they know the same worship songs I do, and they enjoy Apples to Apples! People in this world really aren’t that different once you get to know them, even if they grew up in another country. Again meeting all of these amazing people has brought a wave of sadness because I don’t want to leave after making new friends. These two months are going to fly by, and I know I should be thankful that I finally did meet some Christian students and enjoy each day I have here with them.

Homework calls me. Good thing today is a gloomy day because that means I will actually get things done!

Should have brought the Hannah Montana wig with...

This will be a fairly materialistic entry about my week.

I believe I have already written about the weather here and how it rains an unpredictable amount throughout the week. That being said my rain boots I bought last year at Filene's Basement have seen many puddles. Last week I found my first crack in one of them. I bought super glue that day and fixed the small crack. I found another crack on the other boot Wednesday and another one of Thursday! Needless to say I am very sad, I do not want to get rid of my first pair of rain boots. They are so beautiful to me. But at the same time, I am living in Iceland for two more months and the winter has just started. I may have to cave and buy a new pair...

I had my first Icelandic hot dog on Wednesday night. I hate hot dogs, but I would have another one here without a doubt! My friend Bryndis (who is half Icelandic) took me to this outdoor hot dog stand that is very famous in Reykjavik because Bill Clinton ate there. You may be wondering, what is so special about Icelandic hot dogs? Good question. Bryndis believes they are so amazing because they are made out of leftovers from the normal hot dog animals but also with lamb. They put some meat on it, two kinds of onions, two kinds of mustard, and something white. It sounds disgusting, but its not.

Friday's are always my favorite days here because I don't have class and they have become my coffee day. Yesterday Charlize and I went to a new one that was upstairs the building in the picture above. So cute.

Last night Charlize and I went over to the Garman family (the missionaries) and had a bible study with three other Icelandic families. We started the night off by singing an Icelandic worship song and it beat hearing a worship song in Spanish. I have never heard something so beautiful. My goal is to be able to sing that song before I leave. Pronunciation is so hard for me, but I want to be able to praise God in Icelandic too. I still can't believe that within a week I am connected to a group of Christians in Iceland. God is so good.

I should start getting ready for the day. I'm going to make banana bread and my Halloweens costume. :] Bless friends.

loving the clouds

"Iceland is kind of a big deal" is a saying that continues to pop up whenever I leave the dorm. I don't know why, but the nature is more breath taking this past week then it has since I've been here. The clouds are my new obsession without a doubt. They sit so close to the ground almost in reach of those who are grounded by gravity. Now that the sun rises around 9am I have the wonderful pleasure of watching the dark night sky turn from green, teal, lighter blue, orange, yellow, and finally sky blue. (Although it is harder to wake up without light shinning in my room) As I type tonight (7:15pm) it looks like it could be midnight. The limited amount of light during the winter is part of Iceland and I will embrace it with open arms.

Thursday was a very sad day for me because I bought my plane ticket home. It feels like a death sentence to my semester. My days are numbered from here on out and it made me start to realize I haven't done nearly as much as I wanted to. Thus I made a list of all the things I want to do before I leave. Hopefully the weather will cooperate with my plans. ha. I have less then two months left, my plane leaves December 20th and I will land at 11:35pm that night. At the moment I am trying not to think of that date and enjoy each day as it comes.

Saturday now has become "Best day in Iceland" because I went climbing with Charlize, Maggie, Tor, and Gerick (along with a few other study abroad students who don't live in our dorm). The 655m high mountain Vífilsfell was our goal and I am proud to say that we all made it (alive!). Yet again the weather was perfect: clear and calm. The first half of the climb was difficult for me but after that point my body was enjoying the challenge. Me and my competitive self made sure that I was the first girl to reach the top but somehow I still had plenty of time to stop, take a deep breath, and capture that moment forever. After that we went swimming in a city close to Vífilsfell. This swimming pool was like all swimming pools in Iceland - outside. I was glad we didn't get hailed on this time. I was exhausted after that active day and luckily so was everyone else so we finished the day by watching Wall-e.

A few weeks ago (while I was busy trying to dominate the world - aka playing Risk) my friend Charlize went to some Icelandic event and met an American missionary family. She got connected with them and they invited her and I over for tea and cheese cake last night. Spending the evening with their family was out-of-this-world (or at least country) for a moment I felt like I was back in the States hanging out with a family from church or my small group. We talked about life back home, life in Iceland, and about what they want to do in Iceland. (which makes me feel sadder that I am leaving Iceland now that I've met this family because I'd love to get involved). I'd have to say we clicked very well due to our similar interests (reading, writing, running, and the midwest). I am very excited for how God is going to work through our new friendship.

Other then that I spend my time reading for classes and hanging out with my friends in the dorm. A new addition to the fun is a large stuffed elf I found at a second hand store. The game of "pass on the elf" has started and I am excited to see how out of hand this game will get. Bless (goodbye in Icelandic) friends!

Birthday Celebration in Two Countries.

I know that if I put off writing any longer I'll never get it done because I am easily distracted and I have a ton of homework to finish. I have decided that I am not going to tell every single detail of the trip or else I won't have anything to talk about when I come home! There is nothing worse then a talkative girl who tells the same stories over and over again.

My trip to Sweden went wonderfully. We didn't have any major troubles with traveling or with our accommodations. Stockholm is a very unique city. A European flavor of Chicago (minus the sky skyscrapers) with a coastal feel and covered in brick. Vastly different from Reykjavik but I did not feel like I was a world away from Iceland either. I find energy and a passion for life coming to a new place and Stockholm did not disappoint. I would have liked to stay there longer, at least a month, to soak in their culture. But that kind of time is not at my disposal, so I will gladly accept the time I had there. We spent about 26 hours in Stockholm wandering around the city, seeing the Royal Palace, the Vasa Museum, beautiful churches, walking along the harbors, and through a dog park, eating amazing candy, shopping, and sleeping. Stockholm was a short trip because our final destination was Jönköping Sweden, which is a smaller town (but bigger than Reykjavik I thought) right on the end of the Vättern lake. On the bus ride there I started to wonder if I was really in Sweden because it reminded me of Minnesota. There were so many fall trees showing off their gift of change and farms scattered about. I'm glad I got to enjoy a little bit of fall because Iceland doesn't have many trees for it to feel like fall.

Jönköping was adorable and so were my friends there. Traveling to places that you have friends in is the best way to travel because they know where to go and can give you the history behind it. It was great to trade stories about cultural differences between Sweden and Iceland. We did some touristy stuff and some local activities like Fika (in Sweden they take an hour or so out of their day where they go out with friends to eat a pastry and have coffee/tea - I believe we should bring that back to the states). On the last night Anna, Abi, Tor, and I went to the Sauna and when we got back Alyssa had made me a birthday cake. They (The north park and Swedish students) sang happy birthday to me in English and Swedish.

My Birthday was very enjoyable even though I spent most of it traveling. We got up at 5am walked to the bus, road the bus till 11, walked around Stockholm one last time (I got some coffee), and took a plane back to Iceland. By five Iceland time we were back in our dorm and my door was covered in news paper cutouts saying happy 20th birthday and a cutout of Iceland. My friends here (who would like me to refer to them as my Icelandic Birthday Elves because it was my day and not a day to talk about all of the sweet things they did for me) put together a pizza party for me. Maxine had the brilliant idea everyone should sing to me in their first language. Well no one wanted to sing alone so they compromised and sang together in their own language. So I have now been sung Happy Birthday in: English, Swedish, Icelandic, Danish, German, and Chines. I have been blessed with amazing friends everywhere I go. Thank you Jesus! That is defiantly a birthday I will never forget.

My birthday fun has continued because the mail is so slow here. On Monday I got a card from Kayla filled with confetti and decorated my floor nicely and today I got a package from my tea time girls that contained MINI WHEATS!! I have already eaten a bowl.

Other then that I have been busy studying for a midterm, took that midterm, took a quiz, read lots of British history and literature, and played some Wii Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. :] It is good to be back in my dorm and settling back into "normal" life again. Although the travel bug has bitten me hard and I have started to talk about visiting some other cities in Iceland before the weather becomes impossible to drive anywhere. I don't have anything brilliant to close with or rant about I just wanted to fill you in on my life and it is time for me to get back to life (which consists of reading more British Literature. wahoo?). Until next time friends.

breath easy (if you were holding your breath)

A love song in another language

A soft breeze beside my ear
tickle the drum that beats inside.
There’s warmth on my face
gently moving its way through
the skin like rhythmic waves that
bring in the tide.

Crash. This is not a sirens call
to me. Crush. Rocks dig,
dig deep into the sand. Crack.
Go the shells that once held
life.

Life is breathing. Life is
beating in every kelp,
critter, and corner. Under
every rock, sand, and shell.
Count the sun’s pulse
off the glimmer of the sea.
One, two, and three.

One solitary guardian built
from the ground up
to illuminate the seasons
with little sun. Your purpose
is three fold: stand, shine,
and signal to those coming
from the vast unknown.
But I’m on the safe side
sitting next to you, admiring
the view.


If you couldn't already guess, that is the poem I wrote at the lighthouse. I am leaving tomorrow morning for Sweden to visit the North Park kiddos with my friend Tor. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. I'll be back on the day I was born twenty years ago.

bipolar writing mood

As I sit here in my one person white cottage cheese covered walls room there doesn't seem to be much to say. This week feels like a normal routine week. Nothing exciting and nothing awful has happened. I guess I could go as far to say that the excitement of being in Iceland is wearing off. I would say that is a good thing. My mind and eyes are now open wide for the first time. The glamor of the city and nature is not blinding my views. Since last Thursday I have started to see the hidden poverty of the country through the closing of a shop, and a few ragged looking people digging in garbage cans for food. Little Chicagos are everywhere if you are willing to see them.

For my Icelandic Culture class we had to read any article we wanted on Iceland to discuss in class. I decided to look into the current church situation in Iceland and found a BBC special on the church and the economic crises in Iceland. (If you didn't already know, Iceland is broke and owes a lot of money to other countries. 10% of Iceland's 320,000 population are unemployed. Yesterday was the anniversary of the crises). The special had back ground information and called the church out saying it has helped out during natural disasters, but what about this man-made disaster? Something the reporter said has me stumped (I'm not sure if that is the right word) and continues to make me ponder. He said that Iceland never had any martyrs for the faith (they voted on Christianity in the year 1000) and that was it. Is that what keeps the Christian faith alive? Martyrs? Those who are willing to go so far for their faith that they would die? When you look at the history of the church you see "martyrs" everywhere, those who died and those who almost did. Paul and Martin Luther come to mind as do many more. There are still "martyrs" for the faith today in America and in other parts of the world, who are standing up and standing out for Jesus. But in Iceland... where are the martyrs? Everyone here tries so hard to be like everyone else, is there even an Icelander who would be willing to be the first "martyr" for their faith? Are martyrs what keep Christianity alive, its something worthy of pondering I think.

On a more pleasant note I had a visitor this past weekend. My friend Alyssa from North Park, who is studying abroad in Sweden this semester, came to Iceland. She was here from Friday afternoon till early Sunday morning. It was a fast weekend and I tried to show her as much of the city as possible. (ready for this?) WE WENT WHALE WATCHING!!!!!!!!! :] :D :] I was very excited. The day was perfectly clear too (Thank you Jesus). We put on these ridiculous snowsuits with every other tourist and froze only our toes for the three and a half hours that we were out on the sea. I don't even know where to begin! The mountains from the ocean side view are breath taking, the city from the ocean side view is as well. We did see whales. A few in fact. I was shocked we saw as many as we did since the whale watching season is almost over. We saw a few Minke Whale, Harbour porpoises, and White-beaked dolphins. The White-beaked dolphins were my favorite. The last fifteen minutes of the trip (before we turned around to head back) two dolphins kept coming up right next to where I was standing. (can you picture me at that very moment?). Ah. Perfect. The best part of the weekend was being able to talk with Alyssa though. She also is having a difficult time with the (there is no better word) abuse of alcohol with the people she is living with. It's great to know that I am not the only one who is completely out of my comfort zone in that area. I was sad to see her leave so soon but I am going to visit her and the other 14 North Park kids next week. :]

I'm taking another shift in moods. I miss Bethany. There, I have finally written for my whole blog audience to see. I miss my friend. There have been countless times when I have wanted to talk to her (stupid and serious reasons). I never realized how much I rely on her friendship and support until she left for Africa. She isn't a phone call or facebook chat away, but a message that won't get answered for a few weeks. I know that this is her time to be God's hands and feet 100% without any interference from others. I am constantly reminding myself that she has given me more time then ever required and now its time for her to be fully present with God in Swaziland. But that doesn't make me miss her any less. On Sunday I got an e-mail and message from her. I broke down crying at the end of her message for multiple reasons. 1) She is finally living her dream 2) she is literally being the hands and feet of Jesus to broken, dying people 3) she finally saw a real lion, 4) she was sick 5) there is stupid girl drama, which isn't fun 6) she calls me her Iceland friend (and I've been telling people here about my Africa friend) 7) she misses me too... We both are changing apart from each other. I don't know if I like that. I want to hold on to her and never let go. Our situations are so different and I want her to be here with me and I want to be there with her, so we can relate to the others experiences in December. Please be praying for that and her. I am so thankful I can call Bethany my friend.

I'm going to shift the mood one last time. On Sunday I took a long walk (at least five miles) to the lighthouse that is literally on the edge of Iceland. You can only walk out to the lighthouse during low tide. When I left my dorm I wasn't planning on going there, I just didn't want to sit inside my room on another gorgeous day out. Once I got to the ocean I decided to walk along it because the wind wasn't strong for once. Again, can words describe the beauty of that walk? Have you ever went for a long walk/run without listening to music? I can't remember the last time I have, but being here in Iceland I feel like I would be insulting the nature if I was focusing on anything else. The only things I brought with me were my camera, a journal, and a pen. That's all I ever really need here. The walk was well worth it because the ocean was brilliant. Bright, clam, shinning, smooth, comforting, and inspiring. I was not the only one who thought it was a great day to visit the light house. There were families with little children and couples scattered about. For once that didn't bother me. Normally I'd have felt lonely and would wish that I had someone special to share the experience with. But I was completely content sitting on my large rock overlooking the mass of water called the North Atlantic Ocean. I will treasure that afternoon the rest of my life.

Monday night was the first snowfall in Reykjavik, it was beautiful and melted the next morning. Which I am thankful for, I don't know if I'd like snow from October till March. Here is a closing thought for you to chew on: Faith should actually make you more pliable, not less.

fool, look in thy heart and write!

I decided that blogging is not a game because I would have lost all of the extra points I gained last week for not blogging sooner and I'm not in the mood to lose those extra points. Life has been repetitive but at the same time busy. Whenever I want to blog there isn't time and when there is time I feel like I would be repeating the same facts: homework, how bothersome colds are, I got to know someone better again, ect. Tonight I have time and new things to say.

I decided before coming to Iceland that I needed some phone detox time. (Okay, so it started out with me wanting to save on money by not getting a phone plan over here, but it has turned into a good detox experience). Have you ever noticed how dependent we (Americans/young people) are on our phone? If we're bored we'll look at our phones and text someone, especially when we're sitting alone in a public place. No one wants to look alone so we start texting to make it seem like we have a life. I'll be honest, I do that all the time. As soon as I got through security at the airport I wanted to text anyone because I was already missing that instant access to people. Being here in Iceland I have had moments when I wanted to take out my phone to text or even to look at it because I was alone in a public place. Just yesterday while I was at the doctor's I longed for a phone so I didn't look so lonely because I forgot to bring a book and I couldn't read the magazines (they are in Icelandic). But really, how ridiculous is that?! I can't sit for fifteen minutes without needing a connection to people. On a totally different side I am LOVING not having a phone. I don't need to worry about loosing it, dropping it, or turning it off during class. It also forces me to get out of my room and knock on someones door to see what they are up to instead of texting to see what they are doing. I have only had one moment here when a phone would have been nice. I was going to meet Charlize and Maggie for a movie and when I got there I found out that the movie was at a later time, but I had no way to let them know. They got there late, bought a ticket and went in without seeing me (because we were walking different ways to get there). It all worked out in the end because Charlize was still able to see the later movie with me because Maggie had a all access movie pass. The only other time I have fasted from something (besides last years lent) was back in 10th grade when I gave up makeup for a week. I learned a lot from that and am looking forward to the challenges and successes of a phone-free semester.

I am finding that there are some aspects of the Icelandic Culture that I love and some that I can't get over that they actually do them. Like mother's leave their babies in strollers outside while they go into a store, or they let their children run around without much or any supervision. Maybe we are too uptight for that to happen or maybe they are too trusting of others, I'm not sure. I am in an Icelandic Culture class but I am learning far more by leaving campus and placing myself in places where they are. Like coffee shops, restaurants, the streets, and the night life. Last Saturday I went to two very Icelandic places. The first was the swimming pool (which are heated and people go there to socialize). It was interesting to be outside in 40/50 df weather swimming and then it started to hail, oh Iceland. The second thing I did was go to a pub that night to listen to some free acoustic music by locals. I enjoyed the songs they had written themselves because it shows a lot about what they value. Even the songs in Icelandic were great because that's who they are and their language is beautiful. I will NOT be partaking in their food culture though, I could never eat puffin or whale. No thank you. And they still eat things like Hakarl which is shark peed on and buried in the ground for awhile and Svio which is sheep head. But I have been eating the candy, rhubarb jam, and lots of fish!

Yesterday was the perfect day ever. It started off by me receiving my student id for the school. (yay for finally being able to get discounts on coffee!) Class was great because I was interested in what we were talking about (This great poem I'll talk about later) and I made a doctor's appointment for that day. After that things continued to get better. The weather was 100% ideal for viewing the oceans and mountains. You could see every peak, valley, and the ocean was crystal clear. There was no way any of us could sit inside and do homework so thankfully Maggie had moldy bread and a group of us went to feed the ducks (thus the picture above). The rest of the afternoon we wandered around the city and walking down streets we haven't been down. My doctor's appointment didn't ruin my day either because nothing is wrong, its just a cold and I got medication now. wahoo. And while I was walking back from getting my medication I ran into more people from my dorm who were taking advantage of the great weather. (Gotta love a small city where you are always running into people you know). Weather days like yesterday make the rain/hail every 10 minutes bearable.

I had been ignoring my own journal as well as my blog and when I was in class and read Sir Philip Sidney's "Astrophil and Stella" line biting my trewand pen, beating myself for spite/"Fool," said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart and write" I knew I was guilty of allowing myself into a lull of letting my music express my feelings this past week instead of trying to express it myself. My professor explained that this was the first time in British Literature when an author was trying to be creative and not following the literary style of the age (King Arther stories). 7,000ish years later and people (myself included) still are reworking and rewriting what they have learned, read, or heard). When my afternoon class was canceled there was no doubt about it, today was my day to go and write. I left campus and walked toward the big church for no particular reason besides the fact that I am captivated by it. I love the truth behind the renovation the church is under-going. Even strong institutions that have been standing for years need fixing eventually. There is no point in fighting the renovation because change brings growth. I sat on a bench outside the church, taking in the beauty/majesty/peace/security of the church's steeple, wrote for fifteen minutes (until I was cold) and then I visited the coffee house without a name and finished up. I am now caught up in my journal and even wrote two poems (that are very terrible, I'll think about posting them after I give them more love, but don't hold your breath).

I have now been in Iceland for a month. Time is interesting here because it feels like I have been here longer than a month and that I have a ton of time left. In reality the weeks are trickling by rather fast (it's almost October and my birthday! ba). I am determined to do as much as possible while I am here because this is a once-in-a-life-time kind of a trip.

Random fact for closing this post: I can bake jaw-dropping-wow-that's-amazing banana bread. I never knew I could bake and I can't wait for more people to forget about their banana's so I can make more when they are all brown. :]

five points?

I think I should get five points for blogging before another week went by. What the points are for, I'm not sure. But it could be a fun game.

Even though I have been fighting a loosing battle with this cold, these past few days have been eventful.(Sleeping in between homework sessions does count as an event in my book). Saturday afternoon Petur picked me up and took me to see Sigur Rós (along with others)perform their take on an old Icelandic saga poem called Hrafnagaldur Óðins(Odin's Raven magic). It was really cool because they played these stones like a Xylophone. That is 3/4 of Sigur Rós in the picture above. If you don't know who they are, they are the hottest music band that has come out of Iceland. They perform all over the world so it was a big deal that I actually got to see them in Iceland. It was all in Icelandic so I understood nothing, but we got to sit in the front row and Petur just told me that we are in the paper! I haven't seen it yet but I plan on walking around the city until I find my face. After that Petur showed me the "ghetto" of Reykjavik, which was a grouping of apartments. It didn't seem very ghetto to me after living on W Foster for almost a year, but every city seems to have a lower-class end and Reykjavik's isn't that bad. Since it was a nice day Petur decided to take me to a few more places. I got to see a newer neighborhood where the houses look very modern, and my favorite was this small waterfall in the city. Petur said that he used to go there and play as a kid. I cannot even begin to imagine the crazy fun adventures he had as a kid there. It looked like it was a hobbit style of Lord of the Rings forest, perfect for kids. Sadly, it's too far away to walk there or I'd totally go back. Our last stop was Hackup because it was American Days there and I wanted to see if they had Mini Wheats (my life has not been the same without that wonderfully nutritious cereal) but sadly they didn't. Mini Wheats must not be big enough to make American Days in Iceland. But we did get candy because Saturday is half off candy day! What is a true Icelandic candy? you may be thinking. Let me tell you, it is lickerish covered in chocolate. The rest of the day I hung out with people in the dorm and went walking around downtown. Saturday night is not as crazy as Friday night but it was still fun.

I paid the price of going out at night the next morning by feeling sicker. Yes, Sunday my bed and I had a few dates. I didn't mind too much because I was in need of solitude anyways. Monday was about the same as Sunday except I went to class and got a ton of homework done! Tuesday was a bit more fun because after classes I went downtown with Charlize, Maggie, and Siri (she is from Denmark) and we shopped/window shopped. I got a new pair of flats, wonderful. I also finally got my mom's package (Thanks mom!) When we got back I went to cook my dinner and the electricity went out on first floor, so Charlize and I took our food up to the third floor to cook. That by far was the best part of my day because I got to talk with Maxine (she is from China) and really got to know her. I love when "hi/bye" relationships become real and meaningful.

Today I woke up feeling refreshed for once (although I still have a cold, we are friends now) and class wasn't as bad as normal. I believe I finally saw this professor show a bit of emotion and passion for literature, which is what I had been missing. OH big news, today in the mail I finally received my Icelandic ID residence permit. It looks a bit like our drivers licenses with a smaller picture. I can't read it because it is in Icelandic but says the day it was printed on it (18 September, 2009) and on top of that says 1 Februar 2010 so I am a resident till Febuary? Cool, but I'll be leaving before that.

I have to get to Icelandic Culture class. But thanks for reading friends. love love love you!

Falling for Reykjavik

I had thought that the rainy season had started but these past few days have been the best kind of fall days. As I am writing this now the sun is shinning pleasantly on my face. It is easy to fall in love with a city during your favorite season. Fall is a beautiful face of Reykjavik. Yesterday on my wanderings I noticed the trees changing into a gold that Minnesota trees would be proud of.

I decided yesterday that Reykjavik is the kind of city I could live in. If only there was a bit more English around (I guess it wouldn't matter if I could speak and read Icelandic. ha) This city has charm and class with its brick sidewalks and colorful buildings. You can literally walk everywhere if you give yourself enough time, the mall, downtown, the art museum, and the pier. You wouldn't need a car here (but most locals seem to have a car). The coffee shops here are all small and adorable. There is not on Starbucks here and I would like to applaud Iceland for that fact. They don't need to be commercialized, the charm would start to die if Starbucks was on every corner. Yesterday I spent the afternoon in a coffee shop that seemed to not have a name but had great chairs and awesome chi tea! I have only heard police sirens twice since I got here. The first one was two mornings ago and for a second I thought I was back in Chicago. ha. I was walking back from getting food one afternoon and this little girl about 6 or 7 was walking home alone from school and when she got to her apartment she took out her key, unlocked the door and walked right in. That's not something I am used to seeing.

This past week has been very chill for me, mainly because my cold has left me exhausted. I was going to go out last night and walk around with Rebakka and Charlize but I fell asleep at 9 and didn't wake up until they came knocking on my door at midnight. I felt so bad. But now after having 12ish hours of sleep I feel like I can enjoy my days again. I didn't even hear the loud party people come back early in the morning - now that is an accomplishment for me!

I am coming up on my third full week here and some days I still can't believe that I am here! I was sitting in class on Tuesday (British Novels from 1900-40s) and the teacher was using examples of authors that I have also read. When I was leaving the class room I thought, "wow, how crazy. I am in Iceland taking a Literature class and we have all read the same authors even though we grew up in different countries." It may seem like a silly realization to you, but to me, it was a big deal to notice that. There are ways that the human race is connected, and I am thankful that I can be connected to the Icelanders here through written words.

I am fully enjoying getting to know some of the ladies here in my dorm. Last Monday Rebakka heard Charlize and I in the kitchen putting away our food and she asked if we wanted to have a coffee break with her. It was wonderful and warmed my heart.

The photo above I took yesterday on my walk back from coffee. I love that I have to walk around the pond to get back to my dorm. I walked toward the edge of the pond and five ducks came running (waddle run) towards me because they must have thought I had brought them food. It made me laugh but I still left as soon as my picture was taken because I have seen those ducks become agressive over food.

"... when you stop learning, you stop growing. When you stop growing, you start dying." wide awake 53. Go learn something today friends.

Thoughts on: Language, Religion, Tourism, Beauty

I should update more often so my brain isn't as overwhelmed trying to remember every thought and emotion I wanted to share from the week. But since I cannot travel back through time I will shift through all of my thoughts and try to organize them.

Language. I have only had one problem with the language barrier and that was when an older local did not understand the English words: cold medicine. No big deal, the next local did and I found what I needed. The fact that I am in another country where English is their second or third language but I am completely fine going wherever I want because they understand me, blows my mind. I feel very stupid and selfish most of the time. I don't need to work nearly as hard as everyone else here because English is my first language. I think in English, I talk in English, I write in English, and I dream in English. I eat every meal with people from other countries who work so hard to keep up a conversation with me in a language that is their second or third. There is this girl here from Germany,Rebakka and she speaks German, Norwegian, Icelandic, and English. And she has apologized to me for her poor English. I feel like I should be the one apologizing for not being able to speak in her native language. At every meal I am asked how to say a certain word in English or how I would say something in a sentence. I have become very good at guessing what everyone is talking about and I feel like my Scatigories skills are improving greatly, but that doesn't take away from my disappointment. It is a mix of disappointment in myself and in the American standards. Everyone else here (international students and Icelanders) learn English in elementary school as well as whatever other languages that are spoken around them. I learned Spanish in high school and would have a difficult time trying to speak with locals today, *insert the sign language action for "fail" here*. (Note: that is about the extent of my sign language skills too).

Tourism: Tourists in Iceland stand out. I have become an expert at picking them out and I had a wonderful realization as to why I feel like everyone stares at me - I look like one too! Let me explain what a tourist in Iceland looks like. They are wearing more clothing then needed, they have warm boots or hiking boots on, they carry umbrellas, they all must be holding a map of some form, have a camera ready, and they are wearing colors. To be a local here means you wear black, gray, or white with the exception of one small splash of color. Locals also don't wear a lot of clothes either. Most girls wear tights and a thin sweater or shawl. Yep, I'd be freezing my butt off. I have not yet decided to dress like a local, even though I now own boots to pull off the look. Picture this: a brunette walking down the street in brown/blue rain boots, a green jacket, and a purple umbrella while everyone else is in black with their hoods up walking quickly to get out of the rain. That was me and the locals this past Friday. I didn't understand why they weren't using umbrellas while it was down pouring, then the first large gust of wind came, ha. Now I understand. So on my walk back from getting coffee (which was too sweet, next time I should get something that I don't understand from the menu) I decided not to use the umbrella because it almost broke, needless to say I was wet. The only redeeming thing that happened that morning was when a tourist asked me for directions and I knew where she wanted to get to! So I guess dropping the umbrella I fit in a little bit more - or else they had not been in Iceland long enough to be able to distinguish between locals and foreigners. I look forward to the moment when I blend in, but that may never happen because I am not giving up my colors. :]

Religion: Icelanders are proud of their history. Every tour guide I have heard, every tour guide book I have read, and every history book I have read, will tell you that Iceland took on Christianity as the national religion in 1000ad. Which is earlier then most of the other countries. With having such a pride in that fact I am finding that not a lot of people here are interested in Christianity. It is so odd for me to sit in class and hear Christianity talked about casually by professors and them joking around about how they don't find it a serious matter either. Yet the most beautiful buildings in this city are churches. So far the worst moment was this past Wednesday when a group of us international students went to go swing dancing. The night before it had met at a church and we went there again because they said they were meeting again. But since it was Wednesday there was a church service going on. A couple of the guys were joking around saying that Kadri had tricked us and really wanted to "save" us. I didn't laugh, I didn't say anything. I honestly didn't know what to say. It didn't feel like the right time to speak out, but I still feel like I missed out on an opportunity. I don't know where they stand, but from their jokes I'd guess they could care less.
It's hard for me to imagine not noticing the beauty of creation being in Iceland. What do they think when they see the mountains all around? That they just happened to be there by chance? It saddens me greatly. I am thankful that I am not alone here. My friend Charlize is also a Christian. She may not be bold about her faith, but she is honest and I absolutely love that about her. This morning she came in my room and we listened to a podcast from my home church and talked about what it is like being a Christian in our countries. It amazes me that she deals with some of the same struggles that we in America deal with when it comes to our non-Christian friends and deciding on the best way to invite them to church. Our conversation energized me. I had been missing stimulating conversations. Don't get me wrong, I am greatly enjoying everyone else's stories and life adventures from other countries, but there is something special and holy when the topic has eternal meaning.

Beauty: Yesterday I took a trip with other international students to the Golden Circle. If it is a life goal to see amazing places - add the Golden Circle to that list. I wish we would have had more time to enjoy it. At one point I climbed up this hill and tried to take it all in. But I couldn't, I knew I could look at the surrounding area for days and still be fascinated by it. The pictures I took do not capture the awe I felt or even a fraction of the true beauty. I can't even find words to describe it and part of me doesn't even want to. That was a special moment - a once in a life time moment - that was meant for me and God.

I also went to a literary reading on Friday night with Charlize and this new girl Maggie from Canada. She had wayyyyyyy worse problems with her student permit then I did and had just arrived on Friday. On Saturday we also went to this Icelandic sheep round up that they have every year. That was so funny. They put all the sheep into this circle pen and everyone tries to find their families sheep by looking at the ears. I participated but never could hold onto a sheep long enough to see its ears. After stuffing our faces with food I finally exposed Charlize and Rebekka to Hannah Montana the Movie. :] It was great and they enjoyed the movie.

Classes start back up again tomorrow and I am excited to go even if they are less challenging. I feel lazy always having a three day weekend, but it is nice that I don't have to worry about keeping up with homework because I have an extra day! I hope you all took time to be in awe of our Glorious Maker today, if not, please do.

Reykjavik Weekend

I have officially survived my first week (and one day, going on two)! I am beginning to form some structure to my day now that I know when and where my classes are. But thankfully I had the weekend free to explore some more.

I won't have any classes on Friday the whole semester, so this past Friday I walked to the Krona to buy a ton of real food with a few other study abroad people. It felt great to finally have a real meal in my stomach. (I am pretty sure I hadn't eaten a full meal since the Friday before I left). Later that night their was a get together in my dorm so we could meet everyone else. That was fun and someone had made this crazy amazing cake. It was a mix between a normal cake and cheese cake. Yeah, yummy! Around midnight people left to go bar hopping and I walked around town with a friend, Gerick from Washington, to watch the loud night life. It defiantly was worth staying out late just to experience to sights of Reykjavik with a completely different energy.

The next day I walked to the mall with my Taiwan friends and Gerick. It is no MOA but it was still cool. Very modern with all of their glass stairs. I finally bought a towel (I had forgotten one, ha) and enjoyed a knock off of a Chipotle burrito. That night I went to the Iceland vs Norway "football" game. I would have to say being in that stadium has been (so far) the coolest thing I have done here. From inside you have a gorgeous view of the Mountains all around. The game wasn't too exciting (even though I was told later on that it was the best game Iceland had played in two years) they tied one/one. The picture at the top of this blog is of Gerick, I, Charlize, and Laura (from ND) after the game. We had taken the bus to the National Stadium and had missed the back bus by ten minutes. We decided to walk back because the next one wasn't coming for another hour (buses here run less then in Chicago and completely stop at night). At the bus stop we met an American guy who was touring Europe because he had just retired from Sony, he walked back with us and we invited him to eat with us downtown. He ended up being very interesting because he had worked in Japan for awhile as well as England. We each talked about why we were studying in Iceland and what and then he told us about how he met these other Americans in Iceland who had just finished college and had been drinking the whole time and he even saw them at the game totally smashed. At the end of the meal (I got the Icelandic fish stew - an amazing creamy mashed potatoes with fish on top of Icelandic bread) he told us that he was glad to meet some Americans who were using their time studying the country and not wasting our time drinking so he paid for our meal! Lesson to learn kiddos: don't follow the crowd, but be yourself. You are always representing yourself, your country and your God - so make everyone proud!

Sunday was also great because I went to the flea market with Charlize and Ting. It is HUGE! A total thrifters dream. Millions (or so it seemed) of shoes and clothes. Lots of fresh fish and Icelandic baked goods. Most importantly was all of the hand made wool sweaters, mittens, and hats. I could probably go back every weekend and find something new. I tried grandma toast, it was like a giant fignuton with icing on top.

During my free time I have been skyping with my family (I sure would like to skype with some of my friends though!) and catching up on my reading. I am still behind even though I spent all of monday afternoon reading. I have now been to each of my classes at least once and I think I'll enjoy them. My Literature class seems like it will be much more boring than it is back home because the teacher spends the whole time telling us what to think about the passage, but other then that I'll be learning lots. I have a whole week off in October (right before my birthday) so some of us are trying to decide where we should go for a trip. :]

Last night I hung out with my Icelandic buddy Petur. He was going to take me to his Quidditch practice (yes, Quidditch as in Harry Potter, just not flying) but it was canceled... So he took me around town and showed me his high school and the beach. It was a lot of fun to talk to a local more and see where he spends a lot of his time.

Today is a very big day back home because it is my brother's first day of his senior year (hope it was amazing Dallas!) AND my great friend Bethany left for Swaziland Africa! She will be gone for three months helping at an AIDS orphanage. So please keep her in your prayers. Here is the link to her teams blog: http://09sw0908rl13.myadventures.org (it should work.. for some reason my blog won't let me copy it into here...)

I am off to do more homework. Thanks for reading. *HUGS*

First five days in Reykjavik

Hello my blog readers. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I did not know that the University was going to be this slow at setting up Internet.
The perfect word for every experience is different. Not bad, but different. (duh Danielle, you may be thinking, you are in a different country).
I have only wanted to leave once, and that was within five minutes after moving into my dorm. But after giving myself some freak out time over the fact that I was in Iceland alone, hungry, and had no idea where I could get food. I decided that I was going to make the most of my time here. After all, I was on an adventure and it couldn't continue if I was sitting in my room all semester. I walked around the city by myself and instantly fell in love with the picture-book cuteness of everything.
I did end up finding food and even a calling card. When I returned back to my dorm I met two other girls that live in my dorm from Taiwan. They were very nice to me and told me there was a cheaper place to buy food. So they took me there. Nothing else exciting happened that day because I slept for at least 10 hours.
Another reason why I had been freaking out when I first got here was because I had a "to do" list and no idea how to get it all done. Thankfully so did every other international student! So Ting, Charlize and I decided that we would go together. It took us two days to become "legal" in Iceland and legal in our rooms. I have become very comfortable with the map of Reykjavik now after having to walk in different directions for papers signed and photos taken. The city of Reykjavik is like no city I have ever been to. It is far from Chicago and nothing like Cottage Grove. It is small, homey, and cute. I feel like I have walked around most of the streets here and things already seem familiar.
During those two days I continued to meet more people in my dorm. The dorm I am staying in is coed and everyone is an international student besides the RD (who is Icelandic). There are about seven from the US (one from MN), six from China, two from Taiwan, and a few others are from Germany, New Zealand, and Canada.
Story time:
A total "Danielle" moment happened on Monday. Ready for this? I was eating dinner with Ting and Charlize and this guy walked in and started to make his bagel. We all said hi but that was it. After a few minutes he asked me a question that I could not understand, so I repeated what I thought he had said, "Do I know if there are any good churches here?" thinking maybe he saw my WWJD bracelet. He looked at me very confused, "No, I was wondering if you knew if this toaster worked." ha, yeah. That is how I met Tor. He is from Washington and oddly enough we are friends even after my "Danielle" moment. (hope you enjoyed the story, it still makes me laugh).
Okay, back to how things are different. These dorms are different from NPU because they are all single, guys live here, and we all have to cook our own food. The oddest difference is this University does not seem concerned if we miss class because classes started on Monday and we couldn't sign up for our classes until Monday. But we couldn't find out when those classes were until we had our user name and password for the school website, which I just got today. I ended up going to one class because I found out when the time and day was, but other then that I have been bumming around the city and campus getting little things done. I also found out that the professors don't care if you show up to class at all, just as long as you pass. Another difference is how people pass the time for fun. As I am sure you have guessed, a lot, well more like all but a few, drink. That has been interesting for me because I have never put myself in a situation like this. But God has blessed me with three friends that don't want to party either. We all went to the international student "meet your buddy" party but enjoyed ourselves without any alcohol.
Speaking of my buddy, he has been great. Petur picked me up from the bus stop and has been e-mailing me ever since I got here. I told him about not knowing if my classes would fit together and he sat down with me and helped me pick out classes that did not overlap by using his username and password.
For those wondering about the weather. Yes, it is cold. It feels like MN in late fall, but nothing unbearable. It has rained a few times, but like every travel paper I have read says, if you don't like the weather in Iceland - wait five minutes. Which is true. It does change often.
It is hard for me to believe that I have been here for only five days. It feels more like two weeks, yet I still feel jet lagged. Oh well, I'll soon get used to sleeping when I should just like I have gotten used to making food. (ha.. or not).
I started this book on the plane over called "Wide Awake" by Erwin McManus and my friend Bethany is going to be reading it to while she is in Africa. I'd like to invite you to join us reading this book. I am only 39 pages into it and I am finding it an enjoyable read as well as challenging. Here is a quote from it: "Life is a work for art. The canvas you paint first is your life. Then your life becomes the brush from which you paint that part of the world you touch while you are here on this planet. You are an artist. What work of art will you leave behind?"
I hope you take that question and quote to heart, give it some thought. I am praying that God will use me as a brush to paint a masterpiece here in Iceland for all those I meet.

waterfall swimming anyone?

Welcome friends and family to my "study abroad blog" - a place where I can be myself and share about my time abroad with everyone. This has not been an easy road to travel and it's still hard to believe that this is for real! I thought I'd take some time this evening to express my reasons for taking this trip and to elaborate about my frustrating summer.
I have always wanted to travel, I blame my infatuation with reading for that want. After awhile I was no longer content with just reading about new places, I wanted to experience it for myself! That is one of the reasons I ended up in Chicago for school. A book I read over Christmas break was my motivation behind signing up for study abroad. It's called "Do Hard Things" (what a wonderful title), the main point was that just because we are young does not mean that we cannot do crazy hard unexpected life changing things! Being the list motivated type that I am I wrote down five hard things that I could do with my life. Thank you "Do Hard Things" book, and Bethany for telling me to read it.
I filled out all of the wonderful paperwork and wrote my essays and in no time I got the acceptance e-mail. That is when all of the unforeseen struggles came. First I had to switch my semester from Spring to Fall because I needed to take a few Spring classes for my major before my senior year. No big deal, I had not missed any deadlines for the Fall. That was when I got the best advice from Sara (my roommate). She said, "It will only be 100% when you land in Iceland". I am very thankful I took that mindset.
The paperwork I needed to fill out over the summer for the University of Iceland seemed easy in the beginning, but after having to send out my finger prints to the FBI things became hard again. I had insurance problems, then every contact I had was out of town, then I was out of town, then it was okay, then I was told I could not miss the deadline. Oh, wait, I could miss the deadline I just had to write a cover letter. Ba, that was my summer. Worry worry worry... I felt like I was trying to swim up a waterfall.
Towards the end of July I was sleeping and no joke, I re-experienced a few weeks from last November in minutes. I had a rush of emotions that I had felt during my little health scare and ever so softly God said, "I took care of you then, I've got you now." A few days later I found out that my student permit was on hold because of missing funds.
I have spent the last 17 days of this month making two sets of plans. One set for Iceland, and another for North Park just in case my student permit fell through. There was no way I was going to miss a whole semester of school.
Praise the Lord! I can drop one set of plans. I found out yesterday that my student permit has been granted and on August 29th at 7:20pm I fly to Iceland. Even though I have a million and two things I need to do before that date, I am at peace. I know that God was there last November, He has been there this summer, and He will be there in Iceland.
So please friends, if I ever complain about how hard life is and that I am having a hard time trusting - remind me of summer 2009. ha. Also thank you for all of your prayers. And let me end this post with one of my favorite lyrics from Mercy Me: I am unaware of my fears, unaware of my shame, nothing else matters here, but Glorifying Your Name.