First steps in North America

I am back in Iceland now. It is a true summer here with temperatures almost reaching 20 C and blue skies for the last week. I have worn my newly acquired summer dress bought to survive Montreal temperatures and I have sat by the beach and watched the warm waters from Öskjuhlíð trickle into Nauthólsvík making a small sun, sea and pale sand oasis along these normally dark, chilly northern shores.

Nauthólsvík sand castle, made September 2006.
The sand is just a touch too shelly for great architectural feats.

I have returned also with lots of thoughts and ideas stemming from my trip to North America. I had expected something rather different. I was nervous of those big cities I planned to visit. I thought I might get lost or maybe I´d feel in danger walking through streets alone. I certainly didn´t expect to feel at home.

At home in a bookshop on Commercial Drive, Vancouver

The best things .. I didn´t feel like a foreigner, particularly in Montreal; seeing chipmunks and blue jays; talking to people I´d heard about and finding that they are really decent people; feeling the sun on my skin and watching the world go by from the shade of a tree or a balcony with a book in my hand; looking an old friend in the eyes. The worst things .. wearing woollen trousers at 30 degrees C; trying to be a tourist and see the highlights of Vancouver in one day; trying to stay in touch with home with a 7 hour time difference.

Mt. Rainier snowman, mid June.

Some spell has been cast over me that has opened my eyes to what I like about different lifestyles. It is nice to have clarity and a different perspective. The life of a city, the bustle, the freedom of not needing a car and the friendliness of strangers. I don´t know if this can be achieved in Iceland. Outside a 10 minute walking zone of the centre of Reykjavík you are in the suburbs already because it is a city serving a pretty small population, and is definitely car-dominated. No corner shops, no high frequency public transport. No general openness to strangers. In general it can take time to feel the friendliness of Icelanders though it is there, just gradually revealed and true and long-lasting once found.

I am also re-inspired about work. I met some interesting people and saw some interesting sand and gravel! Avalanches deposits and mud flows. It is funny that sediment can create such enthusiasm in me but since it does I take this to assume I´m not in the wrong field of work. Nice news.

Osceola mudflow deposits.. and trees. A massive mid-Holocene lahar. Much more about the Osceola mudflow on the US Geological Survey site.

So, last week I started something new at work. I start working with others more, I start thinking about a project that is less specific than jökulhlaups / glacier floods. I start writing again.

Montreal colour

I am sat in a rocking chair by the window listening to reels and jigs played on a fiddle wafting from across the street, the music dancing through the leaves of the trees and landing softly on the windowsill beside me.

It has been a warm day, okay, rephrase that .. very hot .. my head hurt from forgetting to drink enough and not been covered up. It is still warm at 7pm-ish, warmer than it ever gets in Iceland. I have wandered, in and out of streets, shops, cafes, watched salsa dancers dancing in the street and sat in the park under the shade of a big maple where the ground was cool and the grass fresh-smelling.


It has been a day of green tea. I started the day by ruining my first cup by automatically, sleepily putting milk in first.. then the second cup was better and accompanied by interesting conversation from E my host about immigration and multiculturalism. She is a port in a storm or in a lost at sea feeling anyway for Brazilians visiting or moving to Montreal which I think is such an excellent purpose for a guesthouse. A home from home really, and a lovely one at that. I'm not sure how intelligent it is possible to be at breakfast for me .. but I was awake from 5am thinking I had slept in (slept out) in Iceland! Cups two, three, four, five, six and probably also seven were served with delicate tea service and beautiful wooden implements, a clay teapot and the tiniest little cups.. hence the number. I am waiting to meeting a Montrealler from Montreal .. so far everyone is at least one generation or less away from being an immigrant.. it is fascinating. An Iranian-Canadian geography masters graduate drove the taxi from the airport to my guesthouse, the lady who runs Chez Brasil where I am staying is a psychologist from Brazil (obviously) and the Taiwanese tea fan who treated me to tea and Taiwanese shortbread (really) was a Scottish Canadian.

I am relaxing now listening to Irish fiddle music, snacking on cherries and black olive bread and feeling very comfortable and happy. Maybe after two years of being different it is nice to be somewhere where everyone is so different. I do believe it is easy to fall in love with Montreal. Still, I know at night I will lie in bed, sniff the city air, and hear the buzz of night here and remember my Icelandic home with a gentle, fond thought.

All colours .. ert þú þessi Erlendur?

The International Women´s Rainbow Choir

Bellydancers from Kramhúsið - "Shams el amar": Fífí, Margrét and Solheir

Ghanan dance, picture from Morgunblaðið

This is a weekend of festivals .. the festival of the sea for sailor´s day at all ports, particularly in Reykjavík, bright days festival in Hafnarfjörður and today the Festival of Nations or Þjóðahátið in Hafnarfjörður, with participants from more than 40 countries. We Scots were there and had a popular stall .. we were giving away samples of whisky, fruit cake and cups of tea .. sang some Scottish songs and we went for a record breaking attempt at the longest strip the willow in Iceland .. 24 brave participants from Ghana, Germany, England, Japan, Iceland, Scotland, Hungary and Bulgaria .. perhaps more .. joined in and span and span and span across the hall. Pretty amazing for a two minute lesson beforehand and we are fairly sure that this may be the longest Orcadian Strip the Willow in Iceland so far and most certainly must be the most international Strip the Willow in Iceland! Next year we´ll aim for even more. Congratulations and thank you to all who joined in!

Whisky sampling!

The best bit for me was seeing people and pictures from countries I knew nothing about - Bulgaria, Lithuania and Ghana particularly. And wow, Ghanans really love shortbread! The dancing was also so fun .. so many types of bellydancing, beautiful elegant Thai dancing and Carlos´ infectious high-spirited salsa. So much colour .. proud to be a foreigner .. and delighted to meet Icelanders with open eyes to the world! Takk fyrir daginn!

More pictures can be seen on the Bulgarian Community's (BG Islandia) web album.