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.