Shew! We made it!
After a delayed departure (Icelandair waited for one late passenger- just one example of the kindness of the country. How many airlines have you ever been on that would wait for one person to board a plane?) we were finally on our way. Last night's flight went well, except for the toddler behind me who screamed for literally hours, some of that time just to see how loud he could be. Banshees aside, North America looks amazing at night from 30.000 ft. It wasn't dark enough to appreciate for too long, though; our flight chased the sun all the way through Canada. Dawn forcibly broke right around the time we reached Greenland, and if I thought Boston lights were pretty, they were nothing compared to the Atlantic at sunrise.
Breaking through the cloud layers as we descended to Iceland, you could feel the excitement between our four rows on the plane. It was a little like love at first sight- I wanted to laugh but toss my cookies at the same time. I have a feeling this is the start of a beautiful relationship...
After driving in circles (literally, there was a maze of roundabouts) in Reykjavik, we asked directions from a shy college girl and a gang of bikers. We scanned their leather while they ogled our Mercedes van, which would have worried me back home. Somehow in Iceland, you can tell as soon as you deal with airport security that things are different here. The sketchy is no longer sketch, the environment no longer polluted, and the people are no longer likely to run into you without saying "excuse me." It's ok to leave my jacket on the hook outside where we eat, and it's perfectly fine to leave our door unlocked. After all, who would drive 45 min from the nearest city to break into a well-hidden dorm on the most sacred site in the country? This may sound like ignorant, wishful thinking, but we are safe. And it feels weird.
It also feels weird to freely wander all over the place, with no one to yell "hey you kids get off my lawn." In America we sing "This land is your land, this land is my land," but in Iceland, they live by that philosophy. We are allowed to explore the mountain next to us ("The Guardian,") or play with the horses pastured nearby, and no one gets territorial. This is great, because we will be exploring this country constantly for the next month:)
From the back porch on the building where we have our classes and all the girls stay, you can see The Guardian, a hot spring (which supplies our hot water...and fills our hot tub), a glacier, and Hekkla, who would've probably erupted this summer if not for Eyjafjallajokull releasing so much of the pressure built up under the Earth's crust. You can also see the church that is on a foundation layed for the church over 1000 years ago. Of the six churches that have been built on that site, two of them have been blown away by the wind. Literally, like the bishop just opened his door one day and the structure was gone. In the morning we will go to service at that church, but we got all our pictures in there today so we wouldn't be tempted tomorrow. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow. Right now it's bed time, even thought it's still 100% daylight outside. It feels weird to go to bed, knowing the sun will never set. For tonight, at least, the jet lag will help.
Bless bless!
p.s. "Góðan daginn," pronounced "GO- than DIE-unn, is how Icelanders say "Good day!"
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