Obligatory Gratitude Post (Part II)

Part I is here.

Tomorrow I have the opportunity to have "Gamli-giving," which is the Icelandicized psuedo-Thanksgiving made in the style of the poor, displaced college students living here in Gamli Gardur. We've managed to find a turkey and there will be people and food and... well, I'm sure it will be a sight to behold and I will take pictures and post about it later--you know how I do.

Back in October, around Canadian Thanksgiving, I was asked what American Thanksgiving was about in relation to the date, since American Thanksgiving is observed in November. The askee figured it had to do with a significant event, like the "first" Thanksgiving or when our ancestors first arrived at Plymouth Rock. My answer? "It marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season!"

I stand by the answer, because it is true.

...and technically we should be giving thanks every day, not just the fourth Thursday in November or the second Monday in October (but only if it's a leap year and the Queen is alive; special arrangements are made for any years ending in "5" or have born witness to a "blue moon," or you know, however the Canadians do it...) but I will admit, it is a nice thought: that everyone you know is gathering around a table that evening to gorge on turkey in gratitude.

This year I am especially grateful: I have had the amazing opportunity to come to Iceland! And if that was not enough, I was further blessed to get to know some beautiful new people who've taught me much about myself and what lies out there in the world around me. Ryan and Michelle especially--they've helped me with those typical "struggling undergrad" troubles, made this place home, and made sure that I changed clothes every once in a while so I didn't stink! I can't help but to think about everyone else here as very spirited friends, and would list them all out one-by-one and give the psychoanalytical breakdown I have filed in my noggin for them  in an effort to tell them how much I appreciate who they are and that they chose to come to Iceland, of all places, but that might get a little creepy. Feel free to ask though!

I've also had the opportunity to hear first hand about war and oppression from those who grew up with it and are now fighting against it. I get to hear stories about regimes in the Middle East, including the Taliban, which has been referred to as "the shit-group" many times now, and the policies they've enforced, especially those impacting women. All I can say is that I am so grateful that I did not have to grow up in that environment and that I do not have to return to it... But that will never feel like enough.

This year... this semester... this Thanksgiving day is one I hope I will never forget. I am not one to hold hope for humanity, but if there is any hope in me left, it will be manifested tomorrow when I can stop and stare and truly focus on all that I have been blessed with and all that I can be doing to bless the lives of those around me...

Gobble, Gobble!

Family Dinner

So when we first moved in and starting exploring our surroundings--that is to say we were no longer shy about putting our food in the refrigerators or using the kitchen when someone else was occupying it as well--there came the occasional murmuring of having a dinner for the residents of our floor to get to know one another. When we found out that the people on the third floor ate dinner together regularly, such murmurings congealed to form a real idea, and from that came what I lovingly refer to as the Family Dinner...

On the menu was: baked salmon with cream cheese, tomatoes and mushrooms, steamed broccoli, roasted potatoes and carrots and red wine. Michelle and Ryan acquired the ingredients and did most of the preparation and cooking and they did a FANTASTIC job, no matter what Shell says about "her standards."

The food was delicious--end of story. And beyond that, we all had a great time! Mind you, the entire floor did not participate, but those of us who did enjoyed some great conversation and companionship that brought us all closer together, a quality everyone should seek in their neighbors.

Nick more or less lives in Iceland. He proved the wine, as you can see!
Ryan is awesome, despite being from Canada!
Judy is from China and is in Iceland studying English!

It was a great deal of fun and we're planning on doing it again. In fact, I have been contracted to do Mexican food since I skipped out on cooking this time, hahaha! Dia De Los Muertos is quickly approaching as well, so stay tuned to see what kind of mess I concoct then!

Fruit Tea & Paratabs

I have a bunch of blogs queued up already that are much more interesting than this one, but I just felt the need to pay dues to some absolutely wonderful people I've had the pleasure to meet here...

Yesterday, Friday, I started my geology courses--FINALLY. I also woke up with a sore throat. By the time I came back from my last class at about 15:00 I was in the throes of that cursed thing we call the Flu. During class I had begun shaking and crying from the aches and pain; I had a fever and felt nauseous and congested. To put it lightly, I was absolutely miserable and knew that I wasn't going to be able to make it all the way to the pharmacy.

Enter "absolutely wonderful people..." I asked Shell if I she could go to the store for me today and she agreed, even going so far as to giving me a hug and just letting me collapse for a moment. Then, when I made it back to my room, Steven, an international student from Ireland, asked what was up and I explained to him how I felt. He was out and volunteered to check the 10-11 and see if there was something he could pick up for me. He ended up bringing me some fruit tea that more or less was a godsend.

I feel much better today. I'm no longer shaking or in pain, just congested and occasionally nauseous. The moral of the story, however, is a two-parter: 1) stock up on medication when you first arrive, you never know when you'll get sick and 2) make friends and then be very, very grateful for them. It's wrong to wish ailment on anyone, but if either of them get sick, I will be there to help them!!

(Also--SLEEP! That's probably the one thing I haven't been doing enough of here, and you don't realize how important it is until you get sick and end up sleeping for 17 hours.)

The Obligatory Weather Blog

(Ignore the poor quality; I used my webcam)

I don't have a great view from my window, it's really just of a small grassy area with a table and some big gray buildings... But one of the first few days I decided to go out and sit at the table in between the rain storms, just because. This picture was taken at about 20:30 and is just a sampling of the gorgeous weather... it rained every day for the first week or two... Which is like Heaven for me.

Not all people feel that way though, understandably. Getting drunk when it's gloomy outside seems to be the favorite coping mechanism, at least amongst the international students. :P

Home Is Where The Heart Is...

...hopefully there's a bed there as well.

So this weekend I will have been here one month! I am so excited to mark the occasion by just being able to stay in Iceland for the next three! It's just been a really wild ride, and I apologize profusely for not blogging--I promise I will make up for it!

In the last month I have been in and out of various offices trying to justify staying here when the law (and pretty much everyone I've spoken too concerning the issue) says that I should not have been allowed to come in the first place and need to leave immediately. My student visa has yet to be approved and it is explicitly stated that a person cannot be in Iceland while they have a pending application. And without going into further details--because I've been through them backwards and forwards several times a day for the past month--I can tell you that I will be staying. For as long as possible. And hopefully my visa will be settled... eh, before I leave would be nice!

Regardless of how stressful this venture has been, I am still quite blessed to be here. I have my own room with a very comfortable bed (NAU take note!) and is just five minutes from the beach, I will be starting geology courses next week, I've made some very interesting friends, a couple of which I hope to stay in contact with long after this semester is over, I have stood where two continental plates are rifting apart (a religious experience for me, I tell ya!), and the weather is just beautiful all the time... The scenery itself and just having a new place to explore easily makes up for the bureaucracy they put you through in order to stay.

When I was in the Reykjavik airport I was able to talk to one of my best friends, Kenzie, who very kindly listened to me deliriously gripe about not having a nice warm bed to snuggle up in after so much travelling... Ha, with all that has been going on, those feelings have come back on occasion, repeatedly making me realize how truly grateful I am to have a bed in the first place. I've not been through war, and the only times I've slept on dirt have been on my own accord, so maybe I don't deserve to be so thankful, but I am... There have just been days when I've felt hopeless and cold after walking back and forth through the rain and not getting the answers I was searching for... and the only comfort is being able to curl up in my bed under the NAU afghan my mom crocheted me.

Okay, so enough of the sentimental crap, you wanna see pictures, doncha?

1. View of my desk and more or less the room.

2. A view directly on to the left of the door once you walk in... Sink, cabinet, etc.

3. Said cabinet... it's so roomy!

4. The wardrobe directly to your right once you walk inside. Again, very roomy.

5. My shelves, they partition the rest of the room from the sink area.