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!