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.