Snorri Plus
Excerpt from “Saga 1”
The Shared Experience of Snorri
How did we come to this place So far from home And yet, home
LIFE’S RICHNESS OFTEN FINDS ITS NEXUS in relationships and
Sharing this outward journey
shared experiences. Those I met on the Snorri Program
Of emigration and facts and names and places
carved in me new perspectives and lasting friendships.
Seeking
Yes, Snorri provides insights into Icelandic culture, business, language, history, art, food, and geography, but it’s
…
sharing experiences with people during the program that adds the greatest flavor, texture, and richness. How can you step aboard a boat at Stykkishólmur and share a meal of scallops, crabs, oysters, and mussels freshly culled from the ocean floor and not be
What would Gudrun, my forebear, make of me? Does her light shine in me Have she and I anything recognizable to her heart’s eye in common
changed for the better? How often can you sit on the
What echo of her do I carry
grassy knoll of Viðey listening to the songs of Svavar
If any?
Knútur, eating sack lunches with fellow Snorris, and
If at all.
not develop lasting friendships?
Is it her poem that spills forth
Life is richer now knowing Sigrún (both of them!),
Or wholly mine?
Krista Hermanson Calgary, AB Snorri Plus 2011
Jóhanna, Guðrún, Áslaug, Ragnhildur – to name a few of the cousins I never knew of or expected I would find.
Or have I come full circle
Life is oddly richer having seen the farms, churches,
Spinning on my own tail
vistas, and graveyards of my ancestors – people I will
Like a drunken, silly dog
never meet but now understand with more clarity. My
Navel gazing and leaking poetry
living and deceased relatives show me that the mean-
No closer to answers?
ing of family isn’t discounted by the generations or miles that separate us, but by the love and affection we
My knowing is only this:
make room for in our hearts today.
I will drink deeply of this land
Sharing adventures with my fellow 2011 “Samurai
This time and seeking that we share The myriad things my heart has seen.
tunity that keeps on giving. Until my last breath, Snorri
And in quiet moments
memories will energize me and make my heart gallop.
I will unpack them
A huge part of that experience is attributable to the
My archives
creative and tender genius of Ásta Sól, our beloved
And listen carefully,
Den Mother, our driver and compatriot Kent Björns-
Patiently
son, and many others behind the scenes and those
For answers.
that had the vision to create and sustain this program for 20 years. I am forever richer and changed for the better.
David Johnson and Krista
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David Johnson Indianapolis, IN Snorri Plus 2011
Hermanson on a Viking Sushi tour.
Photo courtesy of Ásta Sól Kristjánsdóttir
Seven” Snorri Siblings was a once-in-a-lifetime oppor-