UNA
DEC 2018
dnalecI ni sreetnuloV
rinivradlareV - sdneirF ediwdlroW
MEET THE TEAM
JOURNALISM AND PHOTOGRAPHY CAMPÂ NOV 2018
Editor: Francesca, Italy
Graphic designer: Rini,India
Photographer: Nina, Serbia
Content writer: Pablo, Spain
Content writer: Ina, Taiwan
CONTENTS 01
14
02 ASATRU - THE UNKNOWN RELIGION OF ICELAND
15 MULTICULTURALISM OF WORLDWIDE FRIENDS
THE HISTORICAL CULTURE OF ICELAND
05
THE LOCAL CULTURE OF ICELAND 06 “THE DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF ICELANDIC”. AN INTERVIEW WITH KRISTJÁN HREINSSON 09 "ONE LIFE. LIVE IT”. A SPECIAL MEETING WITH OUR NEIGHBOR
MULTICULTURAL ICELAND
20 LIFE OF AN EXPAT IN REYKJAVÍK
23 POPCULTURE 24 EXPLORING ICELAND THROUGH FILM LOCATIONS 29 FREE THINGS TO DO IN REYKJAVÍK
THE HISTORICAL
CULTURE OF ICELAND
ASATRU
THE UNKNOWN RELIGION OF ICELAND
WRITTEN BY PABLO FUENTES
Asatru (literally, faithful or loyal to the gods Aesir) is the modern recreation and unification of Germanic paganism, officially recognized by Iceland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Spain. It is also known as Norsk sed (Nordic tradition), Forn sed (an ancient tradition), Vor sed (our tradition) and Odinism. The origins of this tradition are found in the Stone Age in Scandinavian, Baltic and Northern Germany. It is not until the Bronze Age when they begin to differentiate themselves from other neighbouring towns. It has a prominent presence during the era of Germanic migrations. These towns were assimilated by the Roman Empire and adopted Christianity, although they maintained some of their beliefs and traditions. At the end of the 8th century, these people who made their presence in the history of Europe, were known as Normans and Vikings. They brought their traditions, customs and ancient beliefs to various Christian countries. It was not until the end of the second millennium that they began to regain strength in the European continent, being Asatru one of the greatest exponents of European neo-paganism. The religious practice itself is a reconstruction of the ancestral cult of the Germanic peoples. The Visigoths practised it, and the Swabians in the Iberian Peninsula.Â
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Asatru is universally considered a non-dogmatic religion, but there are certain consensual concepts: - The belief that life is good and must be lived with courage and joy. - The relationship between gods and men is one of brotherhood and harmony, and not of subjection and slavery. - Each individual is responsible for their actions; what we do comes back to us. - Worship and sympathy for nature. - Man does not need salvation, but the freedom to face his destiny with courage and honour. Â - Men are connected with their ancestors, and at the same time, they will be part of their descendants. This religion recognizes many gods and goddesses divided into two categories, the Aesir and the Vanir. Thor, the god of thunder. Odin, the father of all gods Aesir. Njord, the father of the Vanir and god of the sea. Freyr, the god of fertility. Freyja, goddess of love and beauty, war and fertility. Frigg is the goddess wife of Odin and shares his leadership. Other gods and goddesses worshipped in Asatru are Tyr, Balder, Heimdallr, Aegir, Forsetti, Nanna, Bragi, Vali, and Loki, the god of cunning. The most emblematic ceremony is the blot, a communal celebration held in honour of the gods and elves, in which libations and sacrifices were practised in antiquity. Modern blots are usually carried out with the cycles of the seasons, four times a year, the most important being the winter and summer solstices. They include banquets and the act of ritually sharing a drink, having the opportunity to honour gods and goddesses, ancestors and ritual companions. The ceremonies in Asatru consist of three points: - The celebration of a blot or religious ceremony. - Holiday celebration, usually a dinner. - Representation of traditions and folklore. The modern practice of blots consists in the consecration of the place of the ceremony, then three traditional libations and offerings are made. The assistants are placed in a circular position and a container with the libation is passed. The first toast is dedicated to the gods, the second to the elves and Disar, and the third to the family ancestors. It is done usually using a drinking horn or some type of chalice.
Pagan Prayer: "Here I see my father, here I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers. Behold, I see the lineage of my people to its beginnings. And here they call me, they ask me to occupy my place among them, in the atriums of Valhalla, the place where the brave live, forever. "
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Asatru is a religion whose cosmovision is structured holistically and whose source of spirituality is found in nature. Nature is the ideal temple in Asatru and in Odinism. The festivities represent the seasonal changes and consequently the evolution of Nature. All its symbols and ceremonies have a natural representation. In a blot, there is a libation and a consecration. The consecration is done with a hammer, a symbol that represents thunder. The mead represents the fluid of Mother Earth. A blot is an act of communion. It reaffirms the alliance between gods and mortals. In the Asatru religion, sacred places are usually natural places, the most suitable places to find a communion between gods and human beings. Asatru teaches that the goal of living is to have a useful and valuable life and to value individual freedom. The nine noble virtues of Asatru are courage, truth, honour, fidelity, discipline, hospitality, productivity, trust and perseverance It is a religion officially recognized by Iceland (since 1973), Norway (since 1994), Denmark (since 2003), Sweden (since 2007) and Spain (also since 2007). Asatru has followers in almost every country in Europe, the United States and the rest of the Americas. Hispanoamerica is the third region with the highest number of Asatruar after the United States and Europe. The country with the highest percentage of Asatruar is Iceland. There are also believers in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, Azerbaijan and India. The main trends within the Asatru are traditionalists, identities (folkish), universalists and tribalists. Traditionalists understand that Asatru is something more than religion and therefore, popular traditions and customs (crafts, traditional music, blacksmithing, historical reconstructionism, etc.) are collected as part of the practice. Like the universalists, they accept anyone regardless of their ethnic origin, sexual orientation and political ideology. The traditionalists have an open and very liberal vision of Asatru. The groups referenced are Asatruarfelagid, Danmark Forn Sidr or Natverket Forn Sed. Identities, also called folkish emphasize ancestrality. They consider that Asatru is a religion native to the Germanic peoples and strongly tied to its people and with it a faith subject to identity. They consider that only descendants of Germanic peoples can be followers of this faith. They do not seek subjugation and domination of other peoples or races, nor discrimination, but foster ethnic and cultural identification. Universalists, consider that it is a universal religion open to all people of any race or ethnic origin. It is also against discrimination within their ranks of people by any race, ethnicity, nationality or sexual orientation. Tribalists are like a middle point between universalists and folkish.
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THE LOCAL
CULTURE OF ICELAND
THE DELIBERATE DESTRUCTION OF ICELANDIC KRISTJÁN HREINSSON
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We, the volunteers at the farm have been very fortunate to have Kristján Hreinsson as our housemate. He is a writer, a poet and a teacher. We think the best way to describe him is as an artist, who finds creativity in every nook and corner of his life. He is truly inspiring, and his way of thinking about the world is provoking. We are very thankful to him for sitting down with us and talking about the Icelandic culture and language, something he is very passionate about as well. Kristján Hreinsson started writing poems when he was 6 years old. People started calling him “the poet” since he was 10. And he wrote his first book when he was 17. He is also a musician and has written over 1000 lyrics for different people. He has written more than 200 Christmas songs and has translated many English, Swedish and Italian songs into Icelandic. He is working on two novels that will be published in 2019. One of which is called “Cardenio”. Cardenio originally was the title of a play by Shakespeare that got lost and was never found.
His novel is a story about a criminal and he started writing it way back in 1986. Kristján believes that different phases of his life have impacted his work and his writings. He gets his ideas from everywhere, from things that happen, from things that should have happened. He also mentions that the volunteers, who he has been living and working with for almost ten years now, have also inspired some of his works. He says, “I wrote a novel last year called ‘House of dogs’ in which I used ideas from volunteer groups.” He stresses that your environment has a huge impact on your creativity. You teach at the University, what are your views on the current schooling system? Yes, I teach philosophy and creative writing at the University of Reykjavik. I believe that children should be taught philosophy from a very young age. Children as young as two and three should be taught about virtues and the elements of their surrounding. I think that the
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schooling system should be changed. There should be more “human activities” in the classroom. Every individual is different, no two people have the same understanding of a single concept. But schools are about fitting everyone in the same box when instead we should focus on making different boxes for each individual.
What do you think about mass tourism, is it here to stay? No, I think it’s just a temporary phenomenon and will die soon. Everything here is horribly expensive, and the weather is bad. Thus, mass tourism cannot be sustained. I am afraid that the massive amounts of buildings being constructed for the tourists will just turn into ghost hotels in a few years.
You have spoken and written a lot about the Icelandic language being in threat, can you share your views with us? Every language is always changing and growing. Every language will live and die. In most countries, the same language differs by the region but in Iceland, it’s basically the same all over. But now as the schools stick to their old ways of teaching Icelandic, kids are attracted to the internet and learn English in a fun way. They start speaking in English simply because, it’s easier. Why should the mind choose the difficult way to learn Icelandic when there are fun and an easy way to learn English through the internet and cartoons? It might not even take a hundred years for the Icelandic language to completely disappear and soon people will have to go to universities to learn it. I am proud of my culture and language and I got joy in reading and writing in it. Maybe I'm lucky to be in the last group who speak this beautiful language, but young kids now get the same joy from English. Young people show me that the Icelandic language has been deliberately destroyed. Other than the internet and popular culture, mass tourism also has a role in fading out the language. In 2008 Iceland was hit badly by the financial crisis, and tourism saved Iceland. So the community switched to English for the money. The community is greedy and has a profound hope that the American dream will be fulfilled in Iceland. The government has - undoubtedly especially for the sake of saving - allowed the tongue to fade.
Kristján warns that the government has underinvested in the preservation of Icelandic culture, and calls for a dramatic increase in funding for primary and secondary education, but also for grants to writers and Icelandic film makers.
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ONE LIFE. LIVE IT. WRITTEN BY FRANCESCA CIARMATORI
I think the best way to get to know a culture and the real face of a country is to talk to people who live there. This is also what signs the difference between just being a tourist and being a traveller, discovering places through local people’s eyes. One day we went for an excursion to a lake close to our farm and thanks to our group’s very bad sense of orientation, we got lost. We were trying to find our way back home when my attention was captured by this very interesting and warm wooden house close to the lake. I wanted to stop to have a look inside that house, it looked like “a house of an artist” from outside. We approached the unpaved street where that house was and we decided to keep walking on what it seemed like an off-path. 50% of chances to be on the wrong path, and as lucky as we were, we got more lost. Maybe it wasn’t that bad in the end since we got the chance to meet Dori, an 80-year-old friendly and reassuring Icelandic man who saw us wandering around and offered to give us a ride back to the farm. Nice moments are always unplanned, and this meeting was definitely one of those. This is how our friendship with our “almost” neighbour Dori started (I say “almost” because his house is 45 minutes by walk from the Worldwide Friends farm, but given the Icelandic standards, we can consider him our neighbour!). On our way back to the farm that day, he told us about his life and how he still loves to travel and getting to know people from all over the places. He told us about the beauties of Iceland and why he decided to keep living here. Even though he has almost seen the whole world, in the end he still feels that Iceland is like no other place and belonging to this land is a precious blessing for him. He left us with the promise to come back soon to the farm and get veggies from his crop. And so it was. Two days later we met him again at the farm. He was waiting for us close to the entrance with two big bags full of colorful vegetables. And this time, I made a promise to come back to visit him. His place looked so magical from outside, I couldn’t resist his offer to be introduced to that intriguing wooden house that stares calmly at the lake.
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We kept the promise and went back to visit him a week later. We arrived at his place with no prior notice, but he welcomed us with his charming smile and started introducing everybody to each corner of his house. After many conversations and seeing how kind and generous he had been to us, I decided to write this article about him. I think getting to know about his story will help us learn a little about the Icelandic culture. But it also means something deeper for me. I think when you have meetings like this, you somehow feel lucky. When you are twenty-eight, there are many moment in your life where you feel stuck and don’t know what the next right move for your future is. In moments like these it’s good to bump into someone like Dori. Someone who can look at you with kindness and give you advice that you can treasure forever and think about it when you feel lost. So for my first journalism camp, we thought of interviewing him for the article. But what came out of our meeting with him was something more. We left that place with a lot of positivity and also the belief that love, kindness and romance are virtues still worth fighting for. We were supposed to interview him, but we didn’t. We just let him introduce us to himself, his house, and to his world. The house of a loving grandpa, a caring father and a romantic husband. He started showing us around. His garden was full of every sort of plants. Many of them were typical Icelandic plants, many of them had been planted recently and were still growing and trying to find their own
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space in that garden. Dori told us that every corner of that garden, every little piece of art and decoration around it was the result of him and his wife picking up small pieces along the years. The garden had been organized in a very artistic way. The pavilion, the little pond, the tea- area were all little gems hidden in his garden by tiny shrubs and bushes. His chickens’ shelter (by the way there is a sign outside on his fence saying “this house is surveilled by attack chickens!), the tiny greenhouse and the Japanese-style path turn the garden into something enchanted. It was magical to look at it during the autumn time, I can’t imagine what a blessing it must be to look at during summers. Dori told us stories behind everything that we could discover in his farm, from the wooden statues – that his little nephew thinks are their family’s ancestors - to the lava rocks he found travelling around Iceland, everything in that garden was worth sharing anecdote about why they were there.
“I bought this house with my wife when we retired. We wanted this garden to be like this, and we tried our best to make it the charming place you see now. For a summer we didn’t even go on vacation. We felt perfectly fine here, in the magic of this place”
In his stories, Dori constantly kept referring to his wife. When he showed us the tea table, he told us that this was their favourite spot in the garden. He and his wife used to have tea there together and look at the sunset at the end of the day. He spent his 50 years of his life with her. They met for the first time at the church when he was 19 and she was 17. After that moment of what he calls 'love at first sight', they never separated again. The love passing through his words every time he referred to his wife who unfortunately died a year ago, was touching. A life together, every single moment spent together, and still, his words were full of love every time he told us about her. He let us enter his memories, he gave us the gift to know about his beautiful love story. Love stories so pure like his are so hard to hear these days. We are getting used to the idea that eternal love doesn’t exist. The materialistic perspective that shapes our lives has entered human relationships too, so much that today being romantic is considered by the majority a weakness. It seems vulnerable now to love some
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one so much. Therefore relationships now often come with an expiration date. My generation has forgotten the importance of romance or feels too vulnerable to show it. It's simply too hard to fit in the idea of a lifelong lasting love in such a fast-paced world. Dori represents exactly the opposite. He was so proud of his marriage, about how he fell in love with his wife and how they lived happily even through the ups and downs. He was proud of it all. Someone like me - who has grown up with a highly romanticised idea of love and relationships- could only meltdown listening to him. When we asked him to share his secret behind a love that lasts a lifetime, he admitted that being in love is never enough. Loving someone is a commitment, living and sharing a life together is a choice that you make every day.
“The secret is to give your love a kiss every day before going to bed. No matter how tough the day has been. No matter how hard you've fought. Just never go to sleep angry. ”
"We used to give each other a good night kiss before falling asleep. I think this was the secret of our story. We were each other’s best friend. She was the one who stopped me from making mistakes. She was a strong woman, stronger than me, she was my inspiration."
The way he talked about her and their last moments together was touching, it was hard to hide my tears. At the end of the garden tour, he invited us for a cup of tea inside. The house was simply amazing. When Nina, one of the volunteers, entered, the first thing she said was, “This house feels like home”, and I think with that she said it all. It was so warm and cosy, full of pictures, and decorated in Dori and his wife’s good taste. I understood then what he meant when he said he never felt alone in that house, his wife's essence was present in every corner, with everything kept intact the way she had picked, placed and left. Once gathered at the table, with hot cups of coffee in our hands, he told us about another chapter of his life. Many years ago he used to be a policeman, it was actually hard to imagine someone as kind as him could have been a cop! But I am sure he was a good one, probably the kind who let you go for
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your petty infringements of the speed limits. Thanks to this profession, he also got to turn his passion for Iceland into a job by becoming a tour guide. He started planning trips for Norwegian groups of tourists when his chief at that time - who was married to a Norwegian woman - asked him for a favour to take these groups around Iceland as Dori could also speak Norwegian. He told us he wasn’t a usual tour guide. He used to show these groups secret pearls of Iceland, places tourists don’t usually go. He was very proud of the fact that people kept coming back and they always chose him as their personal tour guide. Some even offered money but he always refused, he asked him to send postcards instead when they got back home, now he has a bunch of beautiful collection of postcards and even more beautiful memories. We thanked him for this special afternoon. He opened up his house and his heart to us, and we were given a chance to live in the magic of the house and of the person who seems to have understood the secret behind living a fulfilled life.
Once at the door, he told us “I travelled a lot with my wife. Every place we visited, we met people who helped us, who let us consider their home like our home. I want to reciprocate the favour when I can. Being kind to others, being curious so you destroy prejudices. My wife and I have tried to do it, and I give it to you as an advice. We are all people with our story, be kind and kindness will come back to you, you can be sure about that,” This is Dori.
On our way out, we saw his jeep parked in the porch. There was a quote painted on one side. It said, "One life. Live it". I think this quote truly represents him and how he has lived his life. Finding a reason for loving life every day and being grateful for being here, now. I think when you get to live a life the way Dori is still doing that is when you get the real meaning of life. I think bumping into someone like Dori wasn’t casual in the end. I think meeting someone with such a light in his eyes, who reminds you that life is always worth living no matter what, is a gift that life gives you and it’s up to you to make the most out of these lessons.
He taught me that happiness is a constant search and the secret to be happy is to be grateful for “today”, and for being here today. I think all of us left his place a little bit richer that day.
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MULTI
CULTURAL ICELAND
MULTICULTURALISM OF WORLDWIDE FRIENDS
"But one thing that is common between us all is that we’re a group of people who are willing to get out of our comfort zones and are open to new experiences."
Worldwide Friends (WF) is an organization that is able to reach people from all over the world. Even if Iceland seems far away and isolated, the beauty of this land and its unique culture and history attracts people from everywhere. The camp leaders, who represent a vital part of Worldwide Friends, are a good example of the international characteristic of the organization. At the moment, we have camp leaders from over 17 different countries. Worldwide Friends has
become a meeting point for people with different backgrounds, culture and languages. But one thing that is common between us all is that we’re a group of people who are willing to get out of our comfort zones and are open to new experiences. We all share this beautiful bond and an opportunity to discover the magic of this island through multiple (in our case over 17) perspectives. Worldwide Friends not only gives you the chance to travel around this beautiful country but also an opportunity to learn about different cultures,
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thanks to this constant exchange we are exposed to. In our opinion, this is what turns working with this NGO into a unique experience that lasts with you for a lifetime. We asked our volunteers about their experience as a camp leader and how does the multiculturalism of Worldwide Friends affect them. The way some of them answered is the best way to get a picture of what it means to join this organization and how this melting pot of cultures can impact you. These are the questions we asked:
“What have been the biggest cultural differences so far?” and “How do you think the internationality and the multiculturalism of this program can affect you?”
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VICTORIA, MEXICO “The biggest cultural difference for me has been the level of security here. I was shocked to learn that we do not need to lock the house, it is really safe to hitchhike around Iceland, some people even leave their babies outdoors for nap time. Which sadly are a big NO in Mexico. Another difference for sure is the unpredictable weather: rain, hail, blizzard, howling winds, hot/cold weather, rainbows, sun, sometimes all in one day, can be a bit of a challenge, especially coming from a warm country. On the approach to life, both countries definitely like to relax, have barbecues, enjoy a drink, have a laugh and enjoy life”
GYUNAY, RUSSIA “I think the biggest cultural difference I found are the people. There is a very spontaneous and relaxed attitude to life in Iceland, so Icelanders seem to be enjoying their lives to full measure. I hope I can learn to be more open-minded, flexible and tolerant through this experience. Moreover, it offers a window to other cultures and ideas that enriches you on many levels. You get to see the world through other people’s eyes.”
BRITT, BELGIUM “I'm sure that the multiculturalism of WF will help me in a lot of ways! It will make me grow as a person. It will give me more experience about real life than at school”
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KRISTEL, ESTONIA “First of all I am glad I will have friends in different counties after this program, so I can visit them when I travel to their country. It's awesome to have a local friend that would show you all the nicest places. I have already learned about different cultures thanks to the participants - the food, some words, dances, traditions, religions, problems and perks of the countries. It has been really amazing and interesting for me. Not only the cultural nights, but also the habits of the people and the everyday communication teaches a lot about their background. The international connections are also good for future work/business/career - I'd like to work in an NGO and contacts like these could be useful. People don't come only from different cultures, but also different backgrounds regarding education /work /interests - so there is a lot to learn from each other. I have already gained some in-depth knowledge about some cultures and hope to find out more.”
YUTA, JAPAN
“The biggest difference I found was the idea about future and planning. As I know, Japanese often plan long in advance and for us planning is absolute and sometimes Japanese work even when a typhoon is happening. But I think Icelandic people don't think of planning as absolute, they don’t seem to plan in advance and things more or less depend on the weather.”
SARA, ECUADOR “I haven’t felt many big cultural differences between the people I have worked with so far, but I have seen that Icelandic people are more direct with what they say and feel, they are more expressive; for example, if they don’t like something they will say it and in a good way. In Ecuador and I think in general people from Latin America tend not to do it. I feel that this experience will help me to have more confidence in my professional life. Also personally because as It is a multicultural experience I have had the chance to meet wonderful people from all around the world, and it has helped me to open my mind more."
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GIULIA, ITALY “During the free time and the cultural evening lots of cultural differences showed up. For me it was so cool to know more about the different dishes people prepared for cultural nights. Sometimes the most difficult part was the language barriers but we always found a way to involve everyone.. I’m sure the intercultural exchange changed me a lot and for the better. I learnt to see places, traditions and people in a different way, I destroyed some of my prejudices and I made friends from cultures that I thought had little in common with mine.”
DINA, KAZAKHSTAN
PASCAL, GERMANY "I am always surprised how useful the English language is. It is like a tool helping you to understand and get in touch with people all over the world. Without it we would not be able to ask for the recipe of the delicious Indian Curry or the tasty Italian bread from our fellow volunteers. Even the insider knowledge of the local people, who know the best hiking path, the cheapest coffee and the most interesting places to be would be inaccessible without the language. So give it a try and do not be shy, you can learn from the whole world."
"These experiences can broaden your mind and make you think differently because exposure to many countries, nationalities, mentalities makes you adjust and accept changes."
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LIFE OF AN EXPAT IN REYKJAVÍK What does being an expat in Reykjavik feel like? What are the main cultural shocks expats face when they move to Iceland? We decided to discuss this with some expats who were willing to help us for this UNA Magazine article. We experienced the first-hand power of Social media nowadays when we reached out to the expats through a facebook group “Away from home – Living in Iceland” and we got in contact with many willing expats who showed interest in taking part in our little investigation. A Facebook page enabled us to gather this bunch of people keen to meet and spend an afternoon together discussing their experiences and their life in Iceland! The group that met at Babalù café, a cosy and old style café downtown, was composed of the following: -Dino, from Croatia, who is currently working as a social media marketing manager; -Sabrina, from Germany, who is conducting her post-doc research in Psychology at the University of Reykjavik; -Ionut, from Romania, who visited Iceland the first time as a tourist, fell in love with this beautiful island and decided to stay;
-Tiphaine, from France, who decided to stay in Iceland after her period here as a volunteer for a local environmental NGO and is now actively participating in the Reykjavik music scene; -Julia, from Romania, who came to Iceland through a European Voluntary Service program and is carrying out her volunteering for a local NGO. They all have travelled a lot, most of them weren’t living in their home country before moving to Iceland. Dino used to live in Spain before Iceland, Ionut in Germany and Sabrina in the Netherlands. They also are seeing this moment here in Iceland as a parenthesis of their life. Apart from Ionut, who is planning to live here permanently, Sabrina, Dino, Tiphaine and Julia know that soon they will make the next move and leave Iceland. Dino said that he sees himself living in Iceland for a few years, and then probably move again maybe back home to Croatia. He also stressed how this country has changed in a short span of time. He fears that in a couple of years this country will have more drastic changes impacting its real face and soul. We all agreed on this since we can already see it. Most of them see Iceland not only as a parenthesis in their working life but also a stage in their process of personal growth. Some of them chose Iceland, like Ionut, others were
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chosen by Iceland, like Sabrina, who moved here to continue her post-doc research. We started our informal conversation with the “must ask” question:
What kind of cultural shocks have you experienced so far? Ionut took the initiative and told us about what he found singular when he moved to Iceland. First of all, in his opinion, Icelanders are new to tourism and in particular, to migrants. This makes the Icelanders quite suspicious initially, but this cold impression lasts shortly, because inherently Icelanders are very extrovert and curious people, and they have a genuine curiosity towards different cultures. Icelanders are used to travelling a lot, and when they meet someone from a country they haven't been to their curiosity springs up. Ionut went on saying that he has never had any bad experience in Iceland with the locals, he has always felt welcomed and a part of the community (which is one of the things that motivated him to move). Dino told us that the main (and most common among expats) cultural shock he experienced was the weather. For someone from the South of Europe, who moved from Croatia to Spain and then to Iceland, it isn’t easy to readjust to the Icelandic temperatures. Another aspect he is still dealing with is the short choice of vegetables that is possible to find in the supermarkets. In Iceland, it’s possible to find vegetables only in the supermarkets, and since the main chains are controlled by the same big corporation, it’s hard to find a big variety. He agreed with Ionut while saying that Icelanders have a good heart and they are keen to help you when you are in need. They are friendly and genuinely curious to learn more about you. Iceland is a small country, Reykjavik, even if the capital city is, in the end, a small city, therefore locals are all related or at least know each other, so the whole atmosphere is really friendly. Julia stressed another aspect of life here that everyone seemed to agree with. This country is very safe, in fact, the amount of safety here is almost overwhelming. The idea of not having to stress about being alone in the night, or leaving your bicycle without any surveillance is
very new for most of us. Iceland is a country in which it’s still possible to go to sleep without locking your doors or can leave your babies outside cafes in their stroller. Sabrina also said that she is getting used to the safety a bit too much, she fears that she is getting careless and this carelessness might cost her when she moves back to Germany. Among the cultural shocks everyone has experienced at some point, there is also the Icelandic attitude towards life. The more we were talking, the more everybody agreed that Icelanders are not very well organized. And you can experience it in every situation, both if you are here as an international volunteer or if you work for a firm downtown. “þetta reddast” (everything will be fine in Icelandic) is their mantra, it’s a sort of lifestyle in a way. Why stress too much when there will always a solution to every problem?! Icelandic people may seem disorganized or too optimistic from outside, but this comes from their mindset. The relationship Icelanders have with punctuality is another aspect that surprises everyone at the beginning: they are really relaxed about meeting times. There is no social shaming towards showing up late at an appointment. This includes also their attitude about deadline. Sabrina well described her cultural shock when she found out that the deadlines at the University where she works are not as strict as they were in Germany. Missing a deadline doesn’t have the same critical consequences as they were in Germany. In the end, we all agreed that Iceland might be a Nordic country from a geographic point of view, but it’s very Mediterranean when it comes to lifestyle. They are chilled, very relaxed and have a positive-oriented mentality. As they told us, it is not uncommon here for the head of the company to forward emails to his workers encouraging them to take the day off so that they can go out and enjoy the sun! After this general conversation, we asked the expats about some aspects that the media always cover about Iceland and if they found them to be true or if they disagreed with this portrayal of the media.
What do you think about the gender gap? Do you think Iceland is a role
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model to other countries the way it is described by media? Dino started replying this question. He confirmed that Icelandic women are very self-confident and emancipated, but the wage gap is still present (even if in a smaller scale compared to other European countries). Ionut confirmed that women and men are equal in Iceland, and this feeling is really present, especially among the younger generations. An example both Dino and Sabrina provided is that women are very well organized in their female-focused protests or strikes. When a strike in support of gender gap is organized, men, co-workers and the firm fully support it and even encourage more people to join it.
What about Iceland and environmental sustainability? Do you think the locals have an environmental friendly mentality? Iceland and all other Nordic countries, in general, have the right capacity to make some radical changes when it comes to the environment, and Iceland is going in the right direction but there is still a long way to go. Sabrina stressed that even though environmental friendly mentality should shape every decision and aspect of the locals’ everyday life, in her opinion, it’s not exactly like that. Icelandic people are very proud of their nature and they want tourists to be respectful of it as well, but
on the other hand, the number of cars every family owns here is very high compared to the population and the use is excessive, and sometimes unnecessary. Another aspect is the packaging used by supermarkets. Plastic is still way too far from being banned. Even local vegetables are wrapped in plastic. Sabrina is conducting her personal fight against cucumbers. She says its unbelievable how each cucumber is wrapped in plastic cling wraps, something that's just coming from the local greenhouses. In the end, we were curious to ask them if in their opinion it’s been worth moving to Iceland.
Would you recommend to someone to move to Iceland? The way the expats replied was very interesting. Everyone agreed that Iceland is a beautiful country, and it’s definitely worth coming here at least once in your lifetime. But when it comes to moving here with the idea of staying longer, one should be clear about a few things, firstly, this country is very expensive, and without a good salary, it’s very hard to survive. Cost of living and crazy high rents were addressed as the “biggest” problem of living here. Secondly, the weather is also something you have to adjust to. It's especially hard during winters with only a few hours of sunlight. So, in conclusion, everyone agreed that "yes, it still makes sense to move to Iceland, but only if you get avery well paid job”.
From left to right: Pablo, Francesca, Rini, Nina, Ina, Tiphaine, Dino, Sabrina, Ionut and Julia
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POP
CULTURE
EXPLORING ICELAND THROUGH FILM LOCATIONS WRITTEN BY INA (邱佳瑩)
What is brought to your mind or imagination when you think about this Iceland? Aurora? Glaciers? Hot springs and Waterfall? For me Iceland has been something more. I shared my experience here with a group of people from all over the world. We met at the warm WF farm where we spent ten days together. Even if we came from very different backgrounds and were of different ages as well, in the end we were very similar. We were all curious about Iceland and our willingness to discover this mysterious place brought us here. Have you seen the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” or the series “Game of Thrones” and been blowed by the picturesque locations? If your answer is yes, there is no doubt you need to come to Iceland - and then you can be the main character of your secret life.
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Skogafoss Come here for the Walter Mitty experience. Skogafoss is located on the South coast of Iceland. It's one of the locations the movie “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” was filmed in. You feel so small standing against the thundering flow of water. You may also be very lucky to see a rainbow since there is a 95 percent chance of seeing single or even a double rainbow on a sunny day. https://grapevine.is/mag/2017/03/27/where-was-walter-mitty-shot/
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Snæfellsnes If you are a Game Of Thrones fan, you have to visit Iceland’s Western region! This region is called “Iceland in Miniature”, since you can find everything, from waterfalls, caves, black and yellow beaches to mountains, glaciers and much more. Snæfellsnes will surely amaze you by it's breathtaking scenery.
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Kirkjufell Kirkjufell is a mountain in Snaefellsnes Peninsula. It’s one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. It is also a great sight to catch the northern lights. This location can be seen in season 7 episode 6 of Game of Thrones when the heroes go to north of the wall, described as the "Arrowhead mountain". It also appeared in season 6 episode 5 when the children of the forest created the first White Walker.
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Thingvellir National Park Thingvellir National Park is a spectacular natural park. If you are searching for more Game of Thrones locations, this historical and geological place, a breath-taking UNESCO site is a must visit. It is located on the Eurasian and North-American plate. Walking through the trail in winter, I was really impressed by the snowcovered landscapes, it felt like I was walking inside a postcard. https://www.mustsee.is/three-places-visit-game-of-thrones-episode-6/
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FREE THINGS TO DO IN REYKJAVÍK BY RINI THOMAS
Iceland can get expensive, we all know that. But the myth that you can’t visit the country without a pretty fat wallet is not true. If you’re on the budget side of life but still would love to do something fun around Reykjavik then here is a list of things we would like to recommend.
1. FREE WALKING TOUR Citywalk Reykjavik, the famous two hour walking tour focuses on the history of Iceland, the evolution of Reykjavík as a town and Icelandic culture in general, laid out in an informative and comic way. This tour is “free”, and the guides mostly rely solely on your donation after the end of the tour. The meeting point is the main square Austurvöllur, in front of the House of Parliament (Alþingi). Booking for this tour is mandatory and you can easily book online through the website. I participated in this walking tour in my first week here in Iceland. It was a great way to become orientated with the city and I would recommend doing it at the start of your stay in the city as well. Not only did I see the main sights and learn about the history I got a better understanding of the Icelandic way of thinking, approach to life, culture, politics, family etc. The guides have a great sense of humour and a big personality which makes the tour very enjoyable. They are happy to answer questions and give recommendations on places to visit if you ask. Even though the trip is free it's recommended to tip them, and to do so generously as I promise it’s worth it. Website: https://citywalk.is/
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2. NORTHERN LAUGHS Northern laughs is a free comedy show featuring some of Iceland’s best English Stand-Up Comedians. It starts at 9:00 pm every Saturday at The Secret Cellar. This place was recommended to me by a friend and I can’t ever be grateful enough to her. The comedians are hilarious and I genuinely laughed my lungs out. If you get there before nine, you can grab a few beers at happy hour rates. To know more about the events you can look them up on Facebook: SecretCellarRKV I advise you to avoid the seats close to the stage if you’re not feeling too adventurous. You will be picked on and it can get brutal, but it's harmless and all in good fun. Also another advise would be to tip them generously otherwise they threaten to switch the northern lights off. Address: The Secret Cellar, Lækjargata 6 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
3. KARAOKE There are quite a few Karaoke places downtown where you can sing your heart out, but we recommend the Secret Cellar again because, well, convenience? The Karaoke starts right after the Saturday Comedy show, at around 11pm, but it’s also conducted on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Check their Facebook page for more information : SecretCellarRKV Address: The Secret Cellar, Lækjargata 6 101 Reykjavík, Iceland Website: https://www.facebook.com/SecretCellarRVK/
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4. ICELANDIC STREET FOOD
5. FLEA MARKET
If you want to try some amazing yet affordable authentic Icelandic food then you have to go to Icelandic Street food. It is not exactly free like the other things on the list, but you can get as many refills you like. You can buy one soup and continuously get refills of anything from the menu not just the soup you bought. They also have a craft beer bar two doors down and you're welcome to bring your food there.
Kolaportið is a weekend flea market. Here you can find both useful and useless stuff to take back home from your adventure in Iceland.
I would like to recommend their famous lamb soup, it was hearty and full of flavour.
Address: Laekjargata 8, Reykjavik 101, Iceland +354 519 5125
It’s a small market, but somehow you can easily manage to spend a whole day in there, browsing through other people’s stuff. There is no entrance fee. It's cheap and chaotic. It's the best place to find second hand clothes, DVDs, CDs, books and various souvenirs. The best thing about it though is the food section where you can try lots of chocolates, candies and even shark meat for free. Kolaportið is open Fridays – Sundays from 11am-5pm. Remember to bring cash.
Address: Tryggvagötu 19 , Old Harbour Grófin Reykjavik Kvosin
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