One Huge Catch-Up Post

Last Sunday, we had the opportunity to attend the church at Skalholt. At this time, we had only been able to tour the church so far and had not yet attended a service. It was very interesting to see the church come alive as a place of worship. The interior of the church was decorated beautifully with candles and stained glass windows. The priest wore an elaborately decorated robe. The church normally has a choir, but it was not present at this church service. The organist played music throughout the service. Other than us there was the priest’s family, a couple, and two women tourists. The majority of the service was conducted in Icelandic, but the priest periodically explained the sermon and chants to us in English. Although there was a language barrier, I felt very welcome and included in the service. The service seemed to have a few common characteristics with a Catholic service such as the responsive readings and communion. Communion was open to everyone and was conducted at the altar. The bread and wine were prayed over by the priest. What impacted me the most in church was when was when we all sang “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It was touching to know that even though I am so far from Iceland, Jesus can be the common factor and binding tie.
We took a field trip to see two absolutely breathtaking natural wonders, Gulfoss and Geysir. We learned that the ending foss is the indication of a waterfall. It didn’t take us long to drive to the Gulfoss waterfall and the geothermal fields of Haukadalur. It was simply magnificent to see Gulfoss and actually be able to get so close to it. We were able to walk right up to the edge of the powerful waterfall. I was awestruck that it took the splitting of the earth to make such a wonder. The geothermal fields were no less astonishing. The small area of land was the home to erupting geysers and hot springs. The eruption of the geyser was the highlight and surprise that kept everyone on their toes. Other than observing this entertaining spectacle, we were able to get very close to the hot springs. These hot springs were more unique than the ones at Skalholt because the water was bright blue. Later it was explained to us that certain minerals contributed to the color of the water. Being one with the landscape of Iceland was the most humbling of experiences.
Our first guest speaker was Eyglo, the editor of the Iceland Review online. There is a section on the website where people can ask Eyglo questions. We sat in a circle and just had a conversation. We did exactly what people do on the website-ask questions. We were able to ask Eyglo any questions we had. Our conversation was about everything from IceSave, volcanoes, to Iceland’s perception of America. It was such a joy to meet Eyglo because she was so open and welcoming to our questions. This was our first real chance to meet Icelanders outside of Skalholt. Eyglo presented herself as a very strong willed and intelligent woman.
Our second guest was Thorir Olafsson, who is the consultant to the minister of education in Iceland’s parliament. Thorir presented a power point on the system of education in Iceland. He began the presentation by sharing some important facts about Iceland. Next, he highlighted the fundamental principle of education to be, “that everyone shall have equal opportunities to acquire an education, irrespective of sex, economic status, residential location, religion, possible handicap, and cultural or social background.” It was very interesting to see his diagram that showed the organization of the levels of the system. The system is organized starting with pre-schools and followed by compulsory schools, upper secondary, higher education, and specialized schools. One of the main differences between the educational system of Iceland and that of America, is the that the national government of Iceland controls education, while the state governments are in charge of education in America. Iceland strongly supports lifelong learning. Education has been affected by the economic situation and is facing the possible change in the budget for education. Despite the economic situation, Iceland is dedicated to strengthening the individual learner and the quality of the education.
On Friday we traveled to the city of Reykjavik, the capital and largest city in Iceland. On arriving to Reykjavik, we went to the Althingi. The Althingi is the place where parliament is housed. The Althing was established in the year 930. Before entering, we were able to see the statue of Jón Sigurdsson which was located in front of the Althingi building. We learned that Jón a main advocate and influence in Iceland gaining its independence. The reason that Iceland celebrates its independence on June 17th is because it was Yon Sigurdsson’s birthday. We were given a tour of the building and were able to see most of the rooms. Our lovely tour guide explained why walls were painted certain colors and why certain pictures where on the walls. From the art on the wall a poet told each person their advice for the day. The most interesting room was the room where the large meetings are held. We were asked all kinds of trivia, which Dr. Novak had prepared us very well for. During our tour, our friend Maria Sol spent time with us. After the tour, we all had hotdogs at a small hotdog stand. The whole afternoon we were free to explore downtown. It was very fun to walk down the streets, shop, and watch the Icelanders interact. My group ate dinner at a local pizza place. We had the experience of staying in a really nice hostel for the night. Maria Sol invited is to attend a party she was throwing at her house. We had the best time at this party, even though it didn’t start until 10:30 pm. I learned the most about Icelanders that night. We were able to interact with people who were our age. Maria Sol’s friends were very welcoming and fun to be around. We compared songs and movies in Iceland to those in America. It was interesting to learn all the things we have in common. The next morning we woke up to a full day ahead of us. Our adventure began with the 871± 2 Museum. This was the most interesting museum because it was interactive and very visual. This museum was built when excavators found an early settlement house. The information included in this museum was reflective of the information we had been learning in class. Later in the afternoon, we were able to walk around and go to the flea market. That night, we went to the famous site of the Perlan. Located inside the Perlan was the Saga museum. This museum told the history of Iceland by creating wax like exhibits. Each of us were given an mp3 player and allowed to go through the exhibit on our own. The museum was the perfect exclamation point to our wonderful weekend full of fun and learning. I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures! I wish you all could be here and experience it with me. More pictures and updates are to come. I am going to do my very best :) I want to do it everyday, but time is an issue. Even if I don't get to say it everyday, you all know how very much I miss you and love you.