Ohhhhh Anne. She brings the comedic ab workout to our group. Even though I feel a little overwhelmed with homework right now, she turns everything into a joke-a funny joke.
Just thought I'd post and say that if you want to see pictures, there's an album on my facebook. just search "Kaelyn Lykins" and my page should come up. I'm setting it to public temporarily so y'all can all see it, but it won't be that way for long!
It's 10:30 here, but I have more reading to do before I can go to bed. Class is at 9:30...
before I go to bed,
Ash update: my black jacket has brown spots on it, and my eyes itch. That's about it, because it has passed now and we can see the sun "setting," a.k.a. the sky is blue but the clouds are pink.
Bless Bless!
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Ashes Are Coming!
Classes started this afternoon, and as we finished our lesson on how the Earth turns and why we are living in constant daylight, we went on the backporch to observe the sun. Guess what we saw instead? ASH. The entire southern sky is a deep brownish black; needless to say, we couldn't see the sun. I should probably be a little concerned, but I'm so excited there's no room for a different emotion. Don't worry, Mom, Eyjafjallajokull isn't erupting again. The wind and rain are stirring up all the ash and moving it west, so we are getting an ominous show of Mother Nature's angry leftovers.
Snack time is over now and we are resuming class, but I'll update soon on the latest natural mess.
Bless Bless!
Snack time is over now and we are resuming class, but I'll update soon on the latest natural mess.
Bless Bless!
Passing of the Frith
Yesterday morning (Sunday) several of us woke up and took a mile-or-so long walk before breakfast. Michelle and I learned how to pronounce Eyjafjallajokull, the vlcano that has been erupting recently. At 11 we attended service at the church in our valley, where we listened to hymns, scripture, and a sermon in Icelandic. The priest also spoke English for us, and we sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Most of Iceland is Lutheran, but you can see in the pictures on my Facebook album "Elska Island" that there is also a baptist church in Reykjavik, and we have been told that there are several Catholics as well.
After service we met an 88y/o lady from Indiana who's daughter brought her to visit Iceland "before I drop dead." She laughed because initially she didn't want to come, as she missed the Indy 500 for cold weather and volcanoes. Iceland managed to woo her:)
Also on Sunday, we met Gunnhild, an older German lady who is studying variations in the protestant church. At her own expense, she has traveled to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iceland, Norway, and a few other places. Currently she is living in the Bishop's basement, between where we eat and the church. Yesterday afternoon she traveled to "the wonders" with us. She's a tough little thing! Climbing to the waterfall and walking around Geysir were no problem for her!
All us angels feel tough, too, walking around in our hiking boots and waterproof clothing. We are quite the adventurers! Angels turned Vikings...I can see it now.
Bless Bless!
p.s. "Frith," pronounced exactly as it looks, means "peace." In church we passed the peace, hence the title: Passing of the Frith"
After service we met an 88y/o lady from Indiana who's daughter brought her to visit Iceland "before I drop dead." She laughed because initially she didn't want to come, as she missed the Indy 500 for cold weather and volcanoes. Iceland managed to woo her:)
Also on Sunday, we met Gunnhild, an older German lady who is studying variations in the protestant church. At her own expense, she has traveled to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iceland, Norway, and a few other places. Currently she is living in the Bishop's basement, between where we eat and the church. Yesterday afternoon she traveled to "the wonders" with us. She's a tough little thing! Climbing to the waterfall and walking around Geysir were no problem for her!
All us angels feel tough, too, walking around in our hiking boots and waterproof clothing. We are quite the adventurers! Angels turned Vikings...I can see it now.
Bless Bless!
p.s. "Frith," pronounced exactly as it looks, means "peace." In church we passed the peace, hence the title: Passing of the Frith"
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Góðan daginn!
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!"
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!"
Friday, May 28, 2010
"Think I'll go to Bossssttoonnn..."
^^I always wanted a reason for that song to apply to my life haha. Now I definitely have one. We have been killing time during our eight hour layover. Yes, eight hours. This means hundreds of overpriced calories have been consumed at the "Dine Boston Cafe" in terminal E.
To follow up on my last post, the flight went well! It took some getting used to, but by the time we reached the ocean I was really excited, and grateful for my window seat. The plane was tiny, as in my book bag and I had trouble fitting down the aisle at the same time. I could have high-fived the guy sitting across from Coley and me, even though we were sitting on opposite sides of the plane.
Hmmm, what else?
Well we've had a few mishaps in the airports, between a lost trapper keeper and, most importantly, a missing Onyx! Us MC Angel were frantic, and when the announcement went across the terminal speakers that it had turned up, our group gave a round of applause for the return of "a girl's best friend." Wherever we go, people know real soon that we are Meredith girls:)
Speaking of which, we have taken on an alias: when asked by airport personnel, we are a womens cage fighting team, the "Meredith Maulers." Maybe it was the hot pink bow in Michelle's hair that gave us away...
The IcelandAir booth opens soon, so we'll go get our boarding passes for the next flight and be on our way through security. Nap on a terminal floor, here I come.
Bless Bless!
To follow up on my last post, the flight went well! It took some getting used to, but by the time we reached the ocean I was really excited, and grateful for my window seat. The plane was tiny, as in my book bag and I had trouble fitting down the aisle at the same time. I could have high-fived the guy sitting across from Coley and me, even though we were sitting on opposite sides of the plane.
Hmmm, what else?
Well we've had a few mishaps in the airports, between a lost trapper keeper and, most importantly, a missing Onyx! Us MC Angel were frantic, and when the announcement went across the terminal speakers that it had turned up, our group gave a round of applause for the return of "a girl's best friend." Wherever we go, people know real soon that we are Meredith girls:)
Speaking of which, we have taken on an alias: when asked by airport personnel, we are a womens cage fighting team, the "Meredith Maulers." Maybe it was the hot pink bow in Michelle's hair that gave us away...
The IcelandAir booth opens soon, so we'll go get our boarding passes for the next flight and be on our way through security. Nap on a terminal floor, here I come.
Bless Bless!
Scared to Fly
It's midnight, I have to leave home at 5a.m to make it to RDU on time, and I'm still packing. So why am I sitting on the computer?
It still hasn't hit me that I'm about to leave the country for the first time in my life. I 've never even been west of the Mississippi, or north of Baltimore. Crazy that in a few hours, I'll be over the ocean and approaching the arctic circle.
Actually, this will be my first time flying. The only time I've ever been on a plane was my third grade field trip to Charlotte Douglas, where we got to sit first class and be told how cool it would be if we were actually off the ground. Well Mrs. Smalls, I'm finally doing it!
Y'all wish me luck as I take a nap at 30,000ft.
It still hasn't hit me that I'm about to leave the country for the first time in my life. I 've never even been west of the Mississippi, or north of Baltimore. Crazy that in a few hours, I'll be over the ocean and approaching the arctic circle.
Actually, this will be my first time flying. The only time I've ever been on a plane was my third grade field trip to Charlotte Douglas, where we got to sit first class and be told how cool it would be if we were actually off the ground. Well Mrs. Smalls, I'm finally doing it!
Y'all wish me luck as I take a nap at 30,000ft.
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