February and March 2004 Postcard

Typical Icelandic winter, maybe even colder than last couple years and days very short. I decided I should start doing something. Even though it was freezing cold and windy I felt I should try to get out of town for a tour. I headed to Þingvellir first and then on to Gullfoss and Geysir. It was crazy cold at Gullfoss but I was able to get some good photos so the frostbite was maybe worth it. Am I getting wussy in my old age? Work going well and classes are excellent. I am learning lots of interesting things and some Icelandic as well. Some things I am learning will help me with Tour Guide School, while other things are just down right interesting. I am learning about rocks, stars and weather to name just a few. Keeping the touring going I decided to take a tour company up on a free trip. I called ahead and they said come on over. I chose a trip to the south coast. It was a cold and bus was packed. We were in a small bus with a driver guide. It was a great trip and I was treated like a tour guide. I even got some of the free bees and such that go with the job. I enjoyed myself and was able to pick up a few things. Even though I have been all these places many times it was interesting to get a guided tour. There were a few things that I expected more info about but still got many interesting pints of view. It was another cold and windy day but was still able to get some good photos.

With some help from Erlendina, an English teacher at MH I was able to get an interesting part-time job of teaching English at the University of Iceland. Well I say teaching but it was more just practicing/tutoring. It was a course for University Staff, 6 weeks long. It was kind of a lucky day; I stumbled into a real sale at Kringlan. I bought some KSI, Icelandic National Soccer Team. I bought some jacket and shirts that were priced at $700. CDN for just $50. Well continued my busy ways. The MH staff went to see an art display together. There was a great turnout and the show was fantastic. The very next day, Valentines Day headed for Hofsos. I was invited to the Árshátið (Annual Ball) and I invited Guðmundur, Ingibjörg and Shawn. We got to Hofsos just in time for the premiere of the movie, Islendingar í Dakota (Icelanders in Dakota). It was also the town’s þorrablot and was a fantastic evening. We all partied until 3 am and felt it even in the morning. We returned to Reykjavik with a slight detour to Eyjafjörður and the Skagaströnd. A little out of the way but I never complain about touring.

Well the cultural activities continued. I attended “Greetings from Barcelona”, Þjóðahátíð í Reykjavík (International Days) and finally met President Olafur and his wife Dorrit. I guess you could say I have been with them before at various functions but never actually spoke with them.

Later in February were the traditional Icelandic days of Böllurdaga, Sprengidagur and Öskudagar. Bun day, spring/explode day and Ash Wednesday. The annual Lagningadag also finished off the month of February. The students held various seminars and lectures. I even held my first lecture for the students. The theme of my lecture was “What am I doing here?” It was advertised and now they are calling me Mr. Kent. February 26^th I made my début at University. I think it went well.

March started off a little slower. The MH staffs´ Árshátíð was March 6^th. It was at Garðaholt, a fantastic location in my neighborhood. It was like a country-dance and yet in the capital region. Our theme was a Mediterranean one. The food was excellent and a good time was had by all, as far as I know. I was chauffeur for the evening. I rented a 14-passenger van and drove people to the dance and home after the evening, so I had to be a good boy. Rain began to take over Icelandic weather, lots of rain and not just drizzle we are talking pouring. Potluck lunch at school, I bought a McCain Deep and Delicious cake. I was told to apply for my Busetalyfi “Green Card”. I had to take a test in Icelandic. It was a very easy test, it took longer to fill out the certificate that the test. I attended the premiere of Les Invasions Babarbes, a French Canadian film. Eric at the Canadian Embassy invited me. The Embassy was one of the main sponsors. It was all in French with Icelandic subtitles. I should have understood it better and will understand it better when I see it for the second time. Another interesting trip that I was able to take was a school field trip. I had to drive but it was really interesting. We went out to study the geology tour of Reykjanes. Before the trip I attended a meeting with the Rotary people that I will be touring with in July. I found a little time to help Villy with Nordictrails Canada House. It is progressing well and hopefully we can get people interested in visiting us and using the facility. The month finished on a good note, attending a concert with the University Choir at Langholtskirkja. It was a fantastic concert and I also ran into a familiar face, Freysteinn and Icelander that spent 1 winter in Canada. It was good seeing him again and he seems to be doing well so that is also great.