and the story continues.

It's hard to believe that I started this blog a little over a year ago. I have gone back and forth between picking up the old blog or not again. I have decided to continue writing. My silence was because I felt my life back in the States wasn't "blog worthy" but life is a continuous adventure - no matter what country I'm in.
I know that this year is going to be one of many changes and one of joy. It is (crazy enough) my senior year of college and now more then ever I am becoming more present with life at North Park. I am living in a house with three other girls and already the adventures are rolling. Living in community is our main focus. I'm planning on exploring what that looks like with each new day.
I may not know where I'll be in the next year or what "dream" I'm chasing now, but I'm loving life right now this very minute. And that is a good place to be.

Bless

this is life. right now. this very second

Wow, a spare minute. Well, that is a bit over dramatic. I’ve had a few, but this is the first one that I’ve taken to blog, or even think about blogging. Some days are full of writing (between my dramatic writing, creative non-fiction, and many journal entries) I can easily become tired of words. We all can thank college life for that.

Every day is oddly similar (like it also became in Iceland). I wake up from a not wonderful nights rest (due to it being too cold, hot, light, uncomfortable, you name it) and decide to not work out because I’m too tired. Not a great way to start out any day. Then there is classes, which are interesting. I never noticed how fast and much professors talk, but coming back from lectures that were slow and brainless, I feel out of shape trying to follow the complex aerobics my professors expect their students to perform in class. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not falling behind, its just different to what was normal. Now all over again I must adjust to this new concept that will soon become normal.

I got a job, which is a blessing and I found out I only need to take a half a semester art class, not two halves. Now I’ll have more time to focus on my writing after spring break. I am ECSTATIC about that because it’ll be one of the first times that I’ll be able to dedicate full days for writing.

Real life continues to hit me at random moments. Little and big changes to stable things that once were not and now are. I’m not sure how I feel about them, but they’ve happened, they’ve been said, and now its my turn to react. It’s not like changes didn’t happen while I was away, I was just oblivious to them for whatever reasons.

I haven’t had much of a chance to explore Chicago like I had planned. I never let nasty weather stop me in Iceland so honestly I do not have a good excuse for my shut-in days. Hopefully that will change now that I’ve got a slight idea of how busy my week and weekends will be. But I have been able to get to Molly’s cupcakes twice :]

I’ll fill you in on dorm life. I live with two sweet ladies who I knew beforehand. We had decided to be roommies long before I even knew I’d be in Iceland (it was yet a dream). I had jokingly told one of my roommates to save all of her mini wheats boxes and put them on our wall. Well, she took it to a whole different level and tapped cereal boxes on my closet doors and the wall by my desk. I don’t even want to count them, but trust me, there are a lot!  She is a nut and I love her for that. It’s been great to spend time with my friends again, but some days I miss sitting around the kitchen table eating random food that people threw together that reminded them of home. I miss talking about different cultural experiences and traditions. I miss knitting and drinking Icelandic coffee. I miss being able to walk basically anywhere in the city in 10 or 15 minutes. To help me feel like a little bit of Iceland is with me I bought nutella. I know it isn’t Icelandic, but it will always be a reminder of my time there. I ate it a lot. ha.

bless.

21 days and counting

21 days have come and gone and only a few moments within have been still. Ever since I stepped onto the flybus in Reykjavik life has been more go, wait, inconvenience, go, go, wait, try to sleep, party, celebrate, wait, inconvenience. You get the picture.

My supposed 12 hour trip home turned into a 28 hour trip with a sleepover in the Boston airport. Still to this day I am upset at the airline because they lied. No one was at the transfer desk for me, thus making me miss my connecting flight. Oh well. It's now a grand story that will some day make me laugh I'm sure.

Christmas would have been a happier time if I hadn't been so jet lagged or if I would have had time to journal before I saw so many people. My brain was too full of thoughts and memories to make any sense when speaking.

Then without even presenting itself, I was on my way to the airport again, this time to KCMO for my roommate from last year's wedding. Okay, so I knew since July 2009 that I would be in KCMO in January, but under my tired-full-confused-mind it felt out of no where. 6 days of wedding craze, cookies, target, families, food,I do's, and more airport time. Needless to say, I spent all last Tuesday doing nothing. My mind and body needed to be still.

I moved into my dorm yesterday afternoon and have been fully enjoying the first real moments of peace and quiet. All returning students move in this afternoon and in a few short hours my solitude will come to an end. But I have decided that is fine, because the longer I sit by myself looking out my dorm room window the more I miss Iceland. Everything was prettier there. Where is the breath taking sky and mountains? I want them back. It's hard to go on Facebook and see friends uploading more Iceland pictures they have taken since I left. Their adventure continues. Mine seems to have come to a close, and what has opened is the scary prospect of graduating college in little over a year and starting "real" life. Living in another country was easy compared to the unknown future. Oh goodness, my dramatic side is taking over again.

There have been wonderful moments these past 21 days as well. I hope you didn't think that have been dragging my feet since I've been home. No no no. I got to hug my mom many times. I heard Bethany's laugh and laughed along. I learned a new card game (killer bunnies). I finally got to meet Sara's family and watch from the bridal party a beautiful start of a new chapter in the Hey's life. I've seen two beautiful sunrises. I took my dog on a walk. I ate too much bdubs. I had starbucks. I visited Hangtime! I watched Hannah Montana. And right now I'm in the best dorm room at NPU that over looks the the snow covered green space. And just for kicks I spent 36ish hours in airports in two weeks (it's a positive because I can now write many stories about them).

Classes start tomorrow and they will kick my butt and I'm sure it will take me awhile to remember how to study normal amounts during the week. Life in Chicago already feels like home. It's nice. I welcome all adventures that are to come.

Bless friends.

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.