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June 1st, 2016

    For our final day in Iceland, May 30th, we spent the day exploring Reykjavik. We wandered the streets and were able to just take in atmosphere. Some of us took the opportunity to go whale watching, and we saw whales!! We saw two minky whales, a humpback whale, and a whole pod of ten or so white nose dolphins. It was magical! Emily cried a lot. I wouldn't have wanted to end my time in Iceland any other way. The sun setting over the harbor as we walked back to the hotel at 11:30pm just solidified the beauty that Iceland is. It was the sun setting on our time here.

    I don't understand how time works. How has three weeks flown by? This experience has truly been once in a life time. I know I will never be able to have an experience like this one again. From the academic side of the trip to the exploration to sight seeing to getting to know the people on the trip, I have learned so much about myself, a new land, geology, and other people. I will miss the beauty of this land. I will miss the single church in every village, the simplistic architecture, the 24 hours of daylight. What is so unique to the world has become so normal to me. I'm going to miss the little things as well, like home cooked family dinners, bourbons and Kremekex (cookies), the golden goose (our bus), the baby sheep, our Icelandic breakfasts (yogurt, cereal, rye bread). I will even miss expecting the water to smell like sulfur, the smell of fish wafting in the streets, living in tight quarters together, not having any clue of how to read street signs. Heck, I will even have to think twice about American modesty after all the pool house visits. I will miss all of these things because they a part of Iceland and I will miss Iceland.

I've had a few favorite memories and moments that stood out:

    Hallgrímskirkja  

    Blue Lagoon

    Landjökull glacier ice cave 

    Hike in Grundarfjörour

    Jökulsárlón

    Vestmannaeyjar islands

    

   I will be forever grateful for this opportunity. I want to especially thank Suresh and Dr. Ranson. This trip would not be the same or wouldn't have even happen without them. I've loved learning from them, especially in a different setting than the classroom, and loved getting to know them. I cannot say thank you enough.