Today we had language classes again for the first part of the day. We have been learning new phrases and common greetings such as hvað hetir þu? 'Eg hetir Amber! (Which means what is your name? My name is Amber). I am slowly but surely catching on. I am glad they had us take an online course prior, but I do feel like I have absorbed more now that we have been in a classroom setting.
After our language lecture, we had a lecture about Icelandic nature, which was very interesting. The lecturer was a glaciologist, and monitors Iceland's glaciers and volcanic activity. A few interesting facts that I learned:
-Iceland is both on top of a hotspot (similar to Hawaii) as well as on top of the north Atlantic ridge
-Many of Iceland's volcanoes are covered by ice.
-Glaciologist are currently measuring and calculating is the rate at which the glaciers are melting as a consequence of climate change. Climate change thins the layers of ice, which can cause more magma to rise to the surface, and so there have been more eruptions in the past two decades.
-The divergent tectonic plates of the north Atlantic ridge are spreading apart about 2 cm per year
After the nature lecture, we went to a presentation by Icelandic Roots. They gave us all exclusive access to their website, so that we can get information about our Icelandic ancestors. It was really neat because they map out where all of our ancestors are from, and you can view the landscape via google maps. They also had a few pictures of some of my ancestors and had a few stories.
We were then invited to the chairman of the Snorri program's residence where we had dinner. The food was excellent- but I especially liked the Icelandic pancakes which were AMAZING. We talked to some young Icelanders who are about to participate in the Snorri West program. They will be going to North America to re-unite and discover their Icelandic relatives who migrated to North America! It was really neat, the chairman's daughter apparently participated in the Snorri West program and stayed with a host family in Provo about 30 minutes away from where I used to live! Everyone was really kind, and I felt very welcome and excited to be apart of something so important to Icelanders.
To finish of the day, we went to the thermal pools again. Going to the thermal pools is a very common practice for Icelanders, and everyone goes quite frequently. They are all outdoor, and usually there are a few pools at different temperatures, and there is usually a steam room as well. With all of the walking we have been doing, it is really nice and relaxing!
Even though its only been three full days here, I am really loving it. Even though it is cold compared to Hawaii, it is a nice change and can be pretty refreshing. I am having such a great time and becoming pretty good friends with all my fellow Snorri's. I truly am so blessed, and I can't wait for each new day with its activities and experiences!
Stay tuned for more adventures!
No comments:
Post a Comment