At 7 am, after a 24 hour journey that included three flights and an 11 hour layover, seventeen students, two professors and a professor's daughter arrived in KEF airport in Iceland.
At 7:30 am, I had a new stamp in my passport and since then the excitement hasn't stopped.
Stepping out of that airport I was struck by a sense of awe and could not stop smiling. Iceland was like a land I had never see before. Volcanic black rock beds covered in grass spread as far as the eye could see. In the distance mountains covered in snow reached past the clouds. I felt as though I was immediately in the scene of a movie or on another planet all together.
Our host, Thorleifur, met us at the airport with the bus driver. We drove about 48 km along a beautiful road to Thorleifur's home. We could see the beautiful land and could catch glimpses of the ocean. At his home, he treated us to breakfast made of breads, cheeses, meats and jams along side coffee and tea. It was a delicious taste of our first traditional Icelandic breakfast. His home itself was lovely. As I have come to notice, all of the homes are small, cute and modern, making the area that much more beautiful. His home was no different, especially on the inside. It was decorated so chicly and I absolutely loved the art on his walls. His windows spanned the whole of the back wall, letting in so much natural light.
After breakfast and some rest, we all grabbed our swim suits and headed to the local geothermally heated pool, the Kópavogslaug hot pool. We walked along a path that followed the water. It was beautiful. I have never seen black sand before and it gave us another look at the scenery of Iceland. When we got to the pools, boy, that was an experience. Traditional Icelandic hygiene calls for a pre-swim shower. This is fine except this shower just so happens to be one large shower and we all have to be naked, butt naked. Talk about culture shock. I have never seen so many boobs in my life. I think the Icelanders were a bit annoyed with our hesitations but they have to understand the modesty the US culture presents compared to this. We embraced it however and the hot pools in the end, were really really nice. It was definitely a bonding experience to say the least.
We were at the hot pools from about 11:00 to 12:30, but pre and post swim, my life seems to briefly fall apart. Soap exploded in my suitcase, the jewel in my nose ring fell out, and my black and blue toe nail began to hang. I was so surprised with how I did not freak out. Usually these little things give me so much anxiety, however, here they barely made me sweat. I'd like to blame the good Icelandic vibes.
After the pools we checked into our hostel, Reykjavik City Hostel, around 2:00. I had never stayed in a hostel before so I had my worries. The hostel, however, is nicer than many hotels I had stayed in. It's clean and modern and I am so impressed with the sustainability and go green initiatives I see here.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty relaxed. Around three we had a small late lunch at an Italian restaurant. Camille and I split some yummy gnocchi. Promptly after that I took a much needed nap until 6:30 (not that I hadn't already fallen asleep four times throughout the day). I was also able to connect to wifi in the hostel and contact my family which was nice.
At 6:30 the group met back up in the lobby of the hostel and headed out to dinner. We took the local busses to an Icelandic EES Furman alum, Inga's, home. When we arrived there, Eurovision, a European nation singing competition, was on the tv. It was fun to watch for a bit and such a spectacle. On the table was a whole spread of traditional Icelandic food that Inga had made for us. There were traditional lamb hotdogs, cheese breads, meat breads, veggies, not so traditional watermelon, and various desserts including chocolate cake, pancakes, doughnuts, and candies. It was all so delicious! I was definitely worried about what I would be eating before arriving here but all my worries have been put at ease. I couldn't bring myself to try the dried fish yet, however. It will happen by the end of the trip. We all talked and talked after dinner. Inga spoke of Iceland culture and politics and her own life. She went to grad school at Columbia and is now working in waste management here at the Environmental agency in Iceland. It was cool to speak with her, learn about the Icelandic culture, and see where her degree took her.
We ended up leaving around 10 pm. No one realized how late it was because it was still light outside! I have never experienced anything like it. As we took the busses back the sun was only starting to set. I am sitting here writing at 11:30pm with light still outside. It's truly something to witness.
As I am sitting here reflecting on my first day in this new place, I am still giddy. I am so exhausted but that doesn't seem to phase me. I am ready for tomorrow and all the adventures to come!
Sounds so fun! Can't wait to hear more
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