A Contra Dance for Thanksgiving

Our thanksgiving feast is fast approaching as we wrap up our second to last week at Sólheimar. We have projects and presentations layered for a continual stream of work, but as each completed work falls to the background, plans for our final celebration gain momentum and evoke excitement. Next Wednesday, less than 7 days away, will be the culmination of our very last project, and albeit hard to conceptualize, our last real day in Sólheimar.

               Included in the plans for this celebration are: a repeat reenactment of selected Egil's saga skits, a brief history of Thanksgiving (potentially in story form), a day of cooking enough food for 100+ people, and, what I want to talk about, the possibility of a contra performance! I say possibility because with all of the things we have left to do, there is no guarantee at this point that we'll pull it together, but in my personal opinion it is entirely doable...so I'm 87% sure it's going to happen.

               Contra dance is a form of line dancing evolved from traditional English country dance. As Americans began to develop their own traditions diverging from the original folk cultures brought with Europeans, contra dance was created in the rural communities of Appalachia. Though its origins are in interactions between seldom seen neighbors, as a social event that engaged everyone during a time when people lived far apart, contra still brings people together in cities and small towns across the U.S. Generally, Contras are line dances, that involve one pattern repeated to progress couples up or down the line. Most of the dancing happens in a set of four, with one couple being you and your partner, and the other being your "neighbors" – who will change throughout the dance as the progression happens. It is quite a sight when a whole room of dancers are moving together in one complex pattern, interacting with everyone for a brief moment of the rotation. Because of this intermingling, where dancers are constantly changing neighbors, dancing with their partners for only a fraction of the time, contra is a very community oriented dance. It is whimsical and creative, mentally engaging, and also provides the opportunity for individuals to add personal touches as they develop more skill. You don't go to a contra with a partner, nor do you only dance with people you know; partners switch between dances, and strangers of both sexes initiate a request to dance with any other person in the room. In this way, dancing a contra is dancing with the whole community, it brings people together to enjoy themselves.

               The contra we are hosting here is a bit different, unfortunately not the whole community will be involved – it is more of a contra sampler. A demonstration of a traditional folk dance from the U.S., that, in line with the community premise of Thanksgiving, involves a group of people collaborating in an artistic way. Everyone seems to be excited about dancing, and even a couple of the interns will be joining us for the performance! The three dances I'm thinking of trying are Lady Luck, Cure for the Claps, and Through the Looking Glass. Hopefully after trying them there will be a dance that everyone likes the best for our Thanksgiving show, as we will perform just one.

Lady Luck
A1: Circle Rt. 3/4 (8), Ladies allemande L 1x while men orbit counterclockwise 1/2 to meet their neighbor (8)
A2: Neighbor balance and swing
B1: Men allemande L 1 & 1/2 to their partner (8), partners swing (8)
B2: Long lines forward and back (8), Circle L 3/4 (6), men roll away ladies with a half sashay (2) (to face new neighbors)

Cure for the Claps
A1: Balance, petronella (8), partner swing (8)
A2: Balance, petronella (8), neighbor swing (8)
B1: Down the hall in lines of four & turn alone (8), down the hall to bend the line (8)
B2: Circle L 1x (8), balance, California twirl (8)

Through the Looking Glass
A1: Circle L 3/4 & pass through up & down (8), new neighbors swing (8)
A2: Men pass L to start a 1/2 hey (8), men allemande L 1 & 1/2 (8)
B1: Men keep L hands, pick up your partner & start a promenade across, butterfly whirl to face in (8), ladies pass right to start a 1/2 hey (8)
B2: Partners balance and swing (16)

Update: A contra dance is definitively part of the Thanksgiving feast schedule! For anyone who understood the contra notes above, we will be dancing Lady Luck to a song by Perpetual e-Motion.

Laura

Digging in the Dirt

             Way back in October our class went to spend the night at a turf house and then help to build turf walls the next day. This was an incredible experience and we really got an inside look into what Icelandic life used to be like, and how this old style of building is slowly dying out, this is the last privately owned turf house in the country. Spending the night sleeping in one of these structures was also a hugely rewarding experience and got me thinking a little about how we live to day, and what I feel I would really need in a house, and what are extras.

The farm from a distance
Photo credit: Christina Donovan

             I particularly enjoyed seeing both the historical aspect of how Icelanders used to live, and also how this can be incorporated with modern architecture techniques to make spaces that are more livable to most modern people, while still incorporating traditional building styles. Turf architecture might not be the most efficient at insulating a house, but it does a really good job based purely on the sheer quantity of dirt that is incorporated in the architecture. I was truly amazed and how warm the turf house stayed at night even with single pane windows and a really inefficient stove. I loved this, because it reminded me of how you can get by with a simple dwelling and have your needs met and be happy. 

Our host Hannes looking contemplative
 in the house he grew up in
Photo credit: Jordan Frazin

              If I lived in a turf house there would be some modifications that I would make to the interior design, mainly adding a hot water heater, but you don’t need much to be happy, especially if you’re not living with ten other people. This reminded me a lot of the backcountry skiing course that I was the teacher’s assistant for last winter where we stayed in yurts for 15 out of 19 days, and while they were definitely rustic, even with minimal insulation you could keep them warm with a fire on the cold winter nights due to small size, also having not private rooms made for a strong sense of being included because you could not go hide in your room. I really like the idea of incorporating these ideas with some more modern techniques to provide the kind of house that I would be both comfortable living in, but would not be excessive. By modern building I mean that I would put good windows in and better insulation in the roof so that it would retain heat better.

             I’m not saying that these rural housing situations are perfect for everyone, but with increased incorporation of these it seems like we could connect people to their roots better and also make their houses more efficient at the same time, which seems good to me. I find this a challenging topic though for me because I want to live simply and don’t plan on having a TV in my house ever, but also don’t want to simplify at the risk of losing information that could be valuable to my efforts of being sustainable. For this reason I will most likely have internet in my house which I think is good because it has so much information at your fingertips that can give you ideas about how to do things better or connect you with other people that are doing similar things and might be good resources. It is a dangerous tool though because it has the ability to suck time like nothing else; both because there is so much good information, but also so much junk that is designed with no intention other than to waste time. So this is what I struggle with, how connected do I want to be.  This will become even more challenging to distinguish as technology becomes more advanced and reaches more and more into every aspect of our lives.

Working on the new Turf House museum. Building a wall and some steps.
Photo credit: Lily Alverson

Dusty Reed

Geo-Thermal Power Station

Our trip to the Geo-thermal power plant between Selfoss and Reykjavik. I found the whole experience one that was both very helpful in terms of telling me how the system worked both on how they move the heat and electricity to the surrounding areas and in terms of how the whole system of how they get the heat and power from the earth and how they deal with the waste materials that get brought up in the process. Whenever we go to a big power station or governmental or cooperation headquarters I try and be as open-minded as I can while still trying to take in the information in a way that lets me take the people word as truth but not making myself out to be naive, since some time I feel that the group is a little harsher to the cooperation’s and the power stations rather than coming into the field with an open-mind not to say that that is a bad thing because it does allow some questions to be asked that might not be normally asked.  Another thing that I found to be amazing was the way in which they were able to get their information about how they operate and what they produce across thru the use of more interactive technologies and effective use of videos to get the message across. I thought that it was a great way to learn especially for me because I tend to use more technologies in my learning process because of my learning difficulties that it was very effective because it allowed me to do my primary learning using the computers and the videos but if I had any questions that couldn’t be answered by the screens then I was still able to ask the guide. This compares differently to the hydro-power plant and that tour because on that one we were guide by a person and it didn’t allow me to get a great understanding about the issues and the workings of the plant because the information that was given to me by the guide was stuff that didn’t really allow me to wonder about it was more or less just facts or ideas that I couldn’t ask about or at least I couldn’t ask about. So I feel that the use of these technologies in conjunction with hands-on work is a great step forward in terms of trying to get the message across of trying to be sustainable across to the population mostly the youth, I feel that this combination is one that could greatly improve the effectiveness of the “green” movement because it plays off of the strengths of the modern world which is the ability to present information to people in a way in which people can understand it and the use of hands on work in the field trying to get first hand experiences on trying to become sustainable is one that I feel will greatly improve the movement. I also think that is good because I feel like most people in the movement try and shy away from new tech and tend to bash on it (but I do agree that tech needs to be lessened in the importance’s of a person’s day this meaning that people need to stop worrying about having the best tech and the newest tech and focus more on trying to reconnect to themselves and each other) however, tech is a great part of the modern world and it is very much a huge part in the average person’s life so I feel by trying to use this tech to try and improve the effectiveness of the green movement is a much needed step in getting people to take action. 
By. John Charles Grunde

Cheapest in the World

November 10, 2011 – I wish I had known about the Dreamland video when I was researching Iceland last year for my Sustainable Development class. This film has so many answers about Iceland’s relationship to clean energy and to the expensive, wasteful industry that the rest of the world relies on Iceland for. I have never really formed an opinion about hydroelectric power. I guess I have always thought it was a step above fossil fueled power because it does not pollute into the air, but I know that its environmental impacts on natural aquatic ecosystems are just as bad as some of the problems that coal fired power plants cause to ecosystems elsewhere. I guess that leaves hydroelectric power somewhere in the middle of the scale of quality for energy sources in my mind. 

            I was really surprised to learn from Kristín Vala that we would need 21 Earths for the whole world to live the way Iceland does, compared to 6 or 7 for the US, simply because of how much pollution comes from the aluminum smelters - the industry that hoards most of Iceland’s hydroelectric power because it is the “cheapest in the world.” For now, I think we are lucky that Iceland’s energy is so cheap because it is better that all this aluminum smelting is done using electricity that comes from a moderately clean source, as opposed to some cheap coal fired power plant in China. But that doesn’t change the fact that the aluminum production itself releases an excessive amount of sulfur and hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere that residents of Reykjavik and other areas in Iceland have recently started to get concerned about. It was a bit of a relief to hear that Andri Snaer’s book raised Icelanders’ interest in environmentalism. 

            If I lived in Iceland, this is definitely something that would motivate me to join a group and try to prevent the construction of any future dams and hydroelectric plants. Since I do not live in Iceland, it is not something I can easily get involved in, even though I have new found strong feelings against the future construction of hydroelectric plants. They not only send their energy to a terrible industry that produces essentially more waste than actual product, but they are ruining some of the world’s oldest and most amazing geographic features. I thought the photographer featured in Dreamland was incredibly brave to publicly display the images of places in Iceland that ALCOA was planning on destroying, and gaining the support of people who had no idea what was going on or what those places looked like. It is crazy to me that some of those people can make claims that it is not possible to emotionally connect to a place you have never seen in person. And that may be true, but that does not mean people should not want to protect it just because they have never actually been there. It was also crazy to me how they filmed a panorama view of a waterfall ALCOA plans on exploiting, trying to describe it as ugly and not special. I suppose they didn’t choose a cloudy gray day during the dreary winter season to film that shot on purpose? Hopefully Iceland’s environmental movement will grow and prosper to rise above ALCOA and the hydroelectric industry, and protect all of the remaining beautiful water sources and landscapes that would otherwise be destroyed. 

-Lily Alverson

Journal Entry

11 October 2011

          Today I went for a walk. When I first set out, there was little purpose to the walk; my work glazing figurines in the ceramic workshop had been very calming and soothing, and I was simply looking to draw out the feeling of mindfulness. As I walked up the gravel road, I began noticing the simple, archetypal changes that are signs of fall. I had grabbed my camera before I walked out the door, and decided to focus this walk on observing and doing my best to capture the little autumnal indications in my surroundings.

          The lupins by the geothermal pump were still thriving, despite the chillness of the air that became increasingly apparent as I walked on.  I have become more conscious of lupins as a non-native species in Iceland; yet it seems that there are few catastrophic side effects from this introduction of a foreign plant.  Instead, the lupins provided an unassuming, natural contrast with the faded red pump house—verdant and lush for now.

          As I moved on towards the cliffs overlooking Sólheimar, I encountered a patch of ice directly in my path.  The magnitude of the seasonal change struck me at this moment; this pool of ice hadn’t melted during the day, despite the abundant sunshine.  There was a distinctive nip in the air that made my fingertips tingle every time I shed my mittens to take another photo.  Fall seems to have hit us all of a sudden.  This swift arrival is intriguing, like watching the world in fast-forward... at least relative to my perception of a normal seasonal time-scale.

          Next I encountered the pitiful remains of our once-bountiful blueberry patch.  I was delighted to find a few blueberries still hanging on in shriveled defiance.  When I touched the berries, they immediately covered my fingers in a sugary bloodbath.  It looked as though I had pricked my finger and droplets of blood were beading on my skin; instead of my blood, however, it was the final death-throes of the blueberries.  I snapped a quick shot of my juice-covered fingers.  The simple naïveté of a peace sign seemed fitting in the company of these innocent blueberries, still sweet even as the creeping cold and frost brought them to ruin, one by one.

As I looked out over the village, I realized:

I am a part of Sólheimar, and Sólheimar is a part of me.

          Nose running and fingers beginning to itch from the cold, I turned back.  In contrast to the icy pools I met on my walk up the cliffs, this time my eyes were drawn to the sprigs of grass taking cheerful shelter near a rock.  The ruthless advance of winter had not yet wrought its fury on these delicate flora.  As it glowed in the light of the setting sun, the grass whispered to me of the waiting warmth and comfort of Brekkukot.  Closing my lens cap and turning off my camera, I hastened back home.  The comfort that met me there was as the grass had promised: friends gathered in the kitchen knitting and chatting, with the savory scent of onions in the air.  Here was home, community, security.  Yet I was immensely glad to have found another definition of home, community, and security simply by being alone in nature.

Tracy Mandel

handicraft + color

the museum visits in eyrarbakki,
a town by the coast with only 500 inhabitants,
was a reminder of what i am going to back home
and how i want to go about reconsidering my approach on design.

there is something to be said of the handicraft and essence of that time period in comparison to the development of minimalism and simplicity, how i was essentially 'educated' in regards to design.

i do not necessarily want to imitate the feel because those aesthetics have a place in history,
but more along the lines of bringing in subtleties and accents as part of the whole picture;
appreciating its forms, colors, textures, tangibility, and overall essence;
repurposing what once was into relevance for the current state of design;
understanding its historical context and what it meant to be specialized;
grasping a more holistic picture on preconceived concepts;
finding a balance between mainstream and alternative.

following are some examples
of quality pieces i thought to take note of:

and also, just a side note
being here in iceland has sparked a desire to do color studies
both from landscapes and housing.

Wrapping Up...

The last 11 weeks in Iceland have been a fascinating experience. We initially arrived in september as total strangers, unsure of what to expect. After meeting the group in the Boston airport, we shipped off to a far away country to become roommates. The first few days were spent adjusting to the time difference and familiarizing ourselves with Sólheimar, but I distinctly remember the nervous atmosphere. I also remember Karin stating something along the lines of "by the end of the trip, our interactions will be completely different than now." Not surprisingly, she was correct in this assessment. Although I adjusted to the group setting more quickly than I expected, I have continued to learn more about the group as time has passed and am closer with these people than many of my friends at home. Now, with one week left, I am finally coming to the realization that I must leave this place behind soon. This saddens me of course, but I do not intend to let the lessons I have learned and friends I have gained in Iceland. I will stay in contact with the group, and am looking forward to hearing about the extraordinary events awaiting each of us in the future. I am also looking forward to any potential reunions in the not-so-distant future.

As I go through my day-to-day life back at school and home, I will be constantly reminded of my semester in Sólheimar. Eating at the dining halls with friends will remind me of our daily lunches as a group, walking to class will cause me to think of our hikes, and cooking dinner for myself will seem like a small task compared to cooking for twelve. On the bright side, I feel very fortunate to have such great experiences to associate my daily activities with.

I look forward to returning home as well. The time has come to utilize the skills and information I have gained, and I could not be more excited to have the opportunity to positively influence my friends and family. Within our respective communities, each of us will surely be seen as a possessor of valuable knowledge regarding sustainability issues. I'm excited for each of us, and cannot wait to fulfill that role personally. As I conclude this blog entry and continue my own reflection, I realize that this semester has effected me more deeply than I could have ever hoped for, and for this I am extremely grateful. 

Bless bless,

Jordan

Icelandic Culture

With just one week left here in Sólheimar, I've been thinking-what am I taking away; what have I learned about the Icelandic culture overall?  Well first off, I've learned that there is scientific evidence that backs up the claim that all Icelandic women are beautiful and all English women are ugly.  This of course is a personal matter of taste, but it is true that the genes of the majority of Icelandic women originate in the British Isles.  There is no Icelandic army.  There is no word for "please" or "you're welcome" in the language.  Everyone takes their parent's first name as their last.  With a population of just 30,000 people, most everyone knows everyone or is related in some way; one can always check the online Íslendingabók to see how exactly people are related.  Sheep have been vital to the survival of Icelanders yet they have degraded the environment to a great extent.  Farming seems to be a dying art, but even so, each year at round-up time everyone in each community helps to bring all the sheep in.  The Icelandic people really do seem to be independent, at least since the split from Norway during World War II anyhow.  However, with other countries cutting deals to use Icelandic resources, notably hydro power to run aluminum smelters, I wonder how long this independence will last.  Surely there are ways for the country to continue to grow and prosper without destroying either the culture or environment.  What would that be exactly?  Frankly I haven't a clue, as it seems no country has done it yet.  I  certainly don't feel as though I've become Icelandic in this short span of time, but I've learned a lot and it's inspired me to take a closer look at my own country and culture once I return home.
-Sarah McKenney

Our Community

Sólheimar

I didn't realize how involved we would be in the Sólheimar community before I arrived here. I knew we were doing a sustainability project for the village but i thought that was all. Once I realized we were hands on involved in the people of Sólheimar's everyday lives, I was intrigued but didn't think much of how that would affect me. When it comes to assimilating into small groups I usually do well and quickly get a sense of my place in things. But larger communities is usually a much slower process for me. That's why I'm really proud of myself for these past couple of weeks.
I don't usually assert myself in unfamiliar territory but I have felt very comfortable with it recently. I know Katrín has encouraged us getting involved but I never really realized what that would mean. Deciding to talk to Lárus about wanting to perform the piano in church was a big thing for me. I love piano but am very very apprehensive when it comes to performances especially in front of the whole community. However, once I started practicing and playing I was so happy and excited to continue. The first day with the home people choir was very powerful. First, we all introduced ourselves as their musical accompaniment and then started playing only soon to notice all the smiles I was getting from all of them. Later, even the most quiet home people came up to me and thanked me for playing. It was amazing to feel a part of them as well as understanding their Icelandic when one of them asked me to keep "spila" while I was playing a random jingle.
During the chapel service, the first one I've been to so far, I felt such a different dynamic. I didnt' feel like an outsider. I felt a belonging there as I watched people I recognized from the community with the rest of their families. I watched Karen (from the weavery) playing with the hands of her baby son while he slept through the service. For some reason that struck me, I think it's because I realized that I'm not just a visitor in some eco-village. It's people's home, their livelihoods. Their lives are here in Sólheimar, their passions and their love. I get to live amongst these people on an intimate level, not just scraping the surface and feeling that is something great and new for me.

Christina Donovan

We Smell Like Goats

Time to update you on yet another Icelandic adventure! This past weekend (October 28-30) the group was off to Reykjavik and West Iceland.

We spent Friday in the city, first heading to the Environmental Ministry to hear about Iceland's environmental quality and wildlife management policies. They were dressing up in the office that day for Halloween, so listening to speakers dressed as pirates and soccer players was only a little distracting.

We then headed to the University of Iceland to hear a presentation on their Environment and Natural Resources master's program. On the way up to the room our meeting was in, one of my classmates, John, got lost from the group and was stuck in the cafeteria area of the student center. After about 10 min, we realized he was gone and someone went to go look for him. We found him in no time, but won't let him forget that one for a while. We also went to the Icelandic National Museum on campus and got a guided tour. We saw lots of cool artifacts, skeletons (or skelets as they call them), and even got to try on some costumes!

John and I in our costumes... reppin' Northland!

After the museum, we had a few hours to explore the city. We stopped at a coffee shop, had some croissants, and met a cute Icelandic bulldog. By the time we got back on the bus (around 6pm), the sun had already set and dusk was beautiful at the church. 

We drove north on the cost to a town called "Borganes" and stayed at a youth hostel there overnight. Saturday morning was spent at a museum covering the settlement of Iceland and "Egil's Saga", a book that we're reading in our history class. We had an amazing meal there for lunch- salad, pasta, soup, and curry bread. Unreal.

Leaving Borgarnes, we drove further north to a goat farm run by a woman named Johanna. She was great. After the obligatory coffee and cakes in the afternoon, we headed out to the barn. She is the only person still milking goats in Iceland and owns about 200 of the 350 goats left in the country. We spent several hours playing with the goats, helping out with a few chores, and milking about 25 of the goats. They were so friendly and lovable! Dogs, kittens, and chickens were also at the farm which did great things for my animal-loving soul.

 Me petting the sheepdog "Bossy"

 Jon and Christina with a barn kitty

 Johanna loving on her goats

Hank....and more goats!

The trip was finished up on Sunday with a brief tour at a large geothermal power plant outside of Reykjavik. Other recent highlights include a Halloween party and a breathtaking Northern Lights display last night. The interns and volunteers here set up a beautiful Halloween party in the coffee shop here for the whole community. It was fun to see everyone in creative costumes (Comet, Northern Lights, Volcano, Glacier, etc.) and we had fun playing Scrabble, eating, and dancing. Amidst all the merry-making, we stepped outside a few times to take a look at Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights. One of my classmates was able to capture them on her camera so I'll see if I can't post those pictures later. The only words to describe them last night were: amazing, wow, GREEN, hot pink, blue, dancing, and humongous. They literally covered the majority of the sky. We are so lucky to see them here often. 

This week involves lots of homework and projects, along with a little tour of some surrounding farms tomorrow. I'm going to be involved in another concert this weekend, but to what extent, I'm not sure yet. One of my biggest lessons from Iceland: Go with the flow. They're all about that here.

Thanks for reading! It's hard to believe I have only three and a half weeks left here! Was there ever a time when I wasn't in Iceland?

-Elise 

Hekla Poem

Autumn Harvest-A group effort

The rhythm of my plucking fingers comes in line with the heartbeat of the earth

Eyes scanning the fragile branches as the cold bites at my hands

My sight turns inward, contemplating this lace and our purpose here today

I wonder at my relevance in this space—if I am noticed by the silent birch and tiny seeds, a visitor in quiet harvest

While I try to help the birch to grow and thrive, it seems that it doesn’t really need me and will stoically survive

Oh thy sheep please lessen your numbers on the land if your human counterparts won’t do it for you

The precious little moments found in the forest transports myself and hopefully others to a world unknown and mysterious

The sense of solitude brings one self closer to the meaning of nature and to what it means to connect with nature

The peeling, sloughing birch bark could take the place of my own skin

With fingers speckled in brown, my movements become second nature and I find my bag filling without realizing it

I felt each nob of the branch, each slowly dying leaf, each catkin softly crumbling between my fingers—I was part of nature

Bringing forests to barren landscape in the land of fire and ice

Reconnecting with Nature

The time spent outdoors here in a month is probably more than I have in the past year. And even in the times that I spend outdoors back at home is not as much for enjoyment as it is to get from point A to point B. My excuse is having to work in studio all the time. Yet after being constantly immersed in nature here, I find myself thinking I was silly for even avoiding it because some of my fond, but rare, memories back home are spent outdoors. And here in Iceland, that part of me is emerging again and cannot wait to share experiences and make new memories with those back home.

One of our first activities was this: Find a place in the field. Sit there for thirty minutes. Think and do whatever you would like. At first, I did not know what I was going to do with my time. But I realized that my breathing suddenly became in sync with the sporadic gusts of wind, focusing on that for a while. And then I stuck my face in the high grass and looked down into a gap, creating an imaginary world. Began thinking about how to be able to do this in New York City. And about how it would be cool to find some secret getaways. 

The Hekla forest seed picking was a more active use of time in nature. Collecting the seeds off birch trees was both meditative and focused; It was a laid back activity but my mind was telling me to get every single seed I could find. Maybe that brought out the OCD tendencies in me. When we gathered all the seeds into one large bag that weighed 10 kilos after just one day, it was rather rewarding to see what a group can do in a short amount of time. 

During one of our free blocks during the day, I went and sat by myself outside by a pile of rocks and began to draw my surroundings. It was the first time that I had drawn since being in Solheimar and could have sat out there for hours. It reminded me to take time out of my day to do things for myself, and not for the sake of the classroom. Since then, I have been doing a lot of blind contours and was able to share it with some of my peers here. 

Seeing the northern lights for the first time took my breath away. It must have been the first week we were here. I do not know exactly how the phenomenon works, except that it involves the magnetic fields and the bouncing of particles. But it is a rare sighting that became a reality for me, rather than watching a time lapse youtube video before coming here. Just goes to say that nature can amaze in unexpected ways and wherever you go, there will be something waiting to be discovered.

-tracey

Simplicity

Simplicity is a word I have always tried to live up to and I see it as a key defining factor of how I picture my life to be in the future.  I fully believe in the importance of buying fewer quality items rather than continually accruing new items, growing what food you can when possible, being mindful, and caring for the individuals and places you surround yourself with.  However, this seems to be common sense to me-actions that naturally make for a more fulfilling life.  We watched a brief video from some "news" program ( I quote "news" because I see most programs of that nature as well as many news programs as utter garbage-changes to Facebook and celebrities lives is not news) where someone interviewed an urban farmer, and it made me angry to see the angle of this program and how this family was portrayed.  The word "frugal" was used a nearly obscene number of times and the innovative ways this family has chosen to live was treated as something novel, something quirky and nearly anti-social, something done only as a way of saving money.  I disliked the angle, but was inspired by this family who has been able to create an almost rural way of life in a suburban/urban setting.  Now how does this relate to simplicity?  Providing for oneself, one´s family, and if possible, community is one of the most simplistic actions that can be undertaken.  This doesn´t mean easy necessarily, but simple in that it´s common sense to learn, understand, act on, and teach others how to care for oneself.

Part of this (sometimes) inner struggle towards simplicity is this feeling that things "should" be a certain way, a feeling summed up quite well by Shannon Hayes in the article Homemade Prosperity.  I had heard of Shannon through some blurb on the Yes! magazine website so it was good to have the opportunity read some of her work for class.  She talked of this inner war where she knew she wouldn´t be happy with a job she had worked towards for years-she even knew what she wanted to do but felt she needed to earn a paycheck to survive.  I´ve had this same thought many times and it´s tough because the idea of earning a paycheck-working for someone else, and worst of all having a job I won´t enjoy goes against my ideal of simplicity.  I strongly feel life doesn´t have to be that way regardless of who or what says otherwise-no one can tell me what I can or cannot do-especially to be happy.  I believe the first step is financial independence, and from there, there´s no limit.  Now I don´t mean being rich, I mean not owing any business anything-from there it´s totally possible to live as richly, as simply as you choose-even if it´s not in the traditional sense. 

-Sarah McKenney 

A Tuesday Workshop

Another Tuesday workshop today, this time in the ceramics studio working alongside Dusty. Amid a cloud of clay dust, we sanded down fist to melon sized figurines. Most were the white birds that are sold in Vala, varying sizes, and a few other animal or creature figures as well. After sanding down about 15 or so, till they were soft and smooth, we got to paint a few. White glaze for the body, adding black lines and dots for the tail feathers and eyes. We did not however get to do the final step, which is the orange glaze for the beak. Two even coats of white, careful to leave the beak glaze free, then scrape the excess white from the divots on the tail and carefully apply narrow lines of black. Voila! an almost completed bird figurine.

            I have appreciated each of my workshop experiences so far, in that I have the opportunity to get to know another member from the group on an individual level, and also that we can integrate into the Sólheimar community in a different way. Often times it is still from somewhat of an observer perspective, for me this feels more like being the child at dinner with your parents and their friends. I am able to sit and be a part of what is going on, though I may not understand it, and learn by simply being there watching listening and feeling. However, the opportunity to actively engage with the home people and other Sólheimar community members during workshop has been hugely exciting and fun for me as well. I enjoy laughing with people when they try to say something to me and laugh because I don't understand (though I suspect there is a joke there perhaps at my expense, I still think it's funny), and when people have wanted to share with me, pointing at things and telling me what they are called, or showing me a better way to do something.

            To return to today's experience, in the ceramics studio Dusty and I were apart from the rest of the people in the workshop – at our own table we sanded. Others were across the room, carefully glazing sculptures with what will become bright colors. This definitely elicited a feeling of being outside, and perhaps that glazing looked more fun, but I still enjoyed it. Our quiet private table allowed for the ebb and flow of silent reflection and conversation. I could listen to conversation in Icelandic, and smile as those painting on glaze silently worked in heavy concentration. I appreciated too my small part. I felt productive sanding little birds, knowing my small act was a necessary step in the process. In that way I felt a part of the community, all producing these pieces or artwork together, each task requiring someone's attention.

Laura

Hiking in the rain and wind

                So back from September 16^th to Sptember 19^th we went on a hiking trip from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk. This trip was a fantastic experience, because it really let us see into the soul of Iceland both on a physical and cultural aspect. Physically, we got to see the mountains and geography that define Iceland. While Solheimar is both beautiful and very different from what I’m used to, it could be many places in the world, but as we hiked away from the drop off point there was only one place in the world that we could have been, Iceland.

 This is because all of Iceland’s distinct and incredible geology and plant life become super apparent when in that area. This leads into the second point, looking into Iceland’s soul as an independent and rugged people. During our hike we got to spend time in this rugged and spectacular environment which gives you a clue that if you had to survive and raise sheep in a climate like that you would need to be really intense.  Additionally because we got to hang out with Palli and Rosa and got to know two Icelanders and really experience how they think about everything from the environment to the government

 . This was an extraordinarily valuable experience to me and I hope but don’t expect to get another experience like it before we leave Iceland. Additionally both getting to see the natural beauty of the area and the danger it’s in from different risks made me feel more connected with Iceland in a way that I had felt was missing before the trip, and also made me want to work to reduce emissions and work toward climate change and land management issues that much more.

             Dusty

Landmannalaugar - Þórsmörk Hike

19 September 2011 – At the beginning of the 4-day hike from Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk, I thought I was going to be miserable throughout the entire trip. After finding out that my raincoat literally absorbed water rather than repel it only 5 minutes after stepping off the bus, I probably started with too negative an attitude to really appreciate some of the wonderful rock formations and unique geological features that we saw on the first day after leaving the cozy hut where we ate lunch.

            But as soon as we arrived at the first hut that night and hung up essentially everything we were wearing on the radiators, hot water pipes along the ceiling, and bedposts, I was already in a better mood. The second day was infinitely better than the first, the third was better yet, and the fourth was the icing on the cake. Walking through scenery that looks like something out of Lord of the Rings was really an amazing experience. With minimal rain after the first day but temperatures low enough to keep our layers on, we enjoyed an extremely comfortable but still challenging scramble to Þórsmörk. The entire trip was full of pleasant surprises that only added to my pure enjoyment of being in the middle of Iceland’s remote highlands. From the waterfalls to the canyons to the labyrinth to the rainbows and of course all the delicious treats and strong coffee that Palli and Rosa never failed to forget, I found myself saying, ‘How cool is this?’ practically every five minutes. And of course, walking on a glacier, through ice tunnels, and around a haunted lake are memories that I am certain will stay engraved in my mind.

            At the end of each day, I greeted my warm, full, and tired body with a cozy sleeping bag in a room full of unbelievable people laughing at some last joke before we turned off the lights. But I really started to think deeper about the intention of the trip when we walked silently through the birch forest for the last hour of the hike. Up until then, the walk consisted of appreciating the incredible views and enjoying each other’s company while snacking on peanut butter and rhubarb jelly sandwiches. But while I slowly followed Christina through the winding path through the birch trees and down the hill to our final destination with Eyafjallajökull looming over us like some kind of glacial guardian, I realized that this hike represented the end of summer and the start of fall. Because green mossy hills and grassy fields surrounded Solheimar, walking through the birch forest was the first time I saw yellow, orange, and red leaves since being in Iceland. And for me, and probably lots of people, the changing of the leaves is the most significant indicator that fall has officially started. So after a few minutes of giggling and waving and picture taking during the final silent hour, it began to sink in that the first phase of this semester is over. The first two weeks of learning the ropes and adjusting to a new country are complete and all the projects and assignments, which have already started, are quickly approaching their first round of due dates. So in a way, ending this hike, which for the most part was a fun recreational activity, represents the start of the more determined aspect of CELL and the larger importance of our presence to the Solheimar community. 

Lily Alverson