D.I.Y. University

Háskóli Íslands (aka: HÍ, University of Iceland) = D0-It-Yourself (D.I.Y.) University

A timeline of events with DIY University:

Sometime in June: Receive acceptance letter to HÍ. Acceptance letter states the need to wire the registration fee of 45,000 ISK to an obscure bank account by August 6th. Prompted to open an Icelandic bank account so that it would perhaps mitigate any outrageous "outgoing wire fee" assessed by Citibank N.A. Assume that it must be easier anyway to wire funds via a domestic bank account.

Sometime in early July: Realize that there is no indication on www.hi.is of when or where the "International Students Orientation Meeting" is occuring. Also realize that the timetable for the 2008-2009 school year isn't even up, or at least hasn't been updated. Planning a trip to the famous glacial lagoon in late August, so this info is needed for scheduling purposes. Drive to HÍ and ask friendly Student Services staff who says to check back in late July.

Sometime in last week of July: Realize that registration fee is due soon and that Glitnir online account needs additional information about HÍ bank account in order to complete online transfer. Bike all the way from Garðabær to HÍ and impress self with athleticism and short time to complete trip. Go once again to Student Services. Friendly lady writes down the additional info and also hands me an obscure piece of paper, which I am to use to manually register for my courses. Wonder why I'm registering on a piece of paper and not online since everything else in the country is done online. Go home. Complete fee transfer, fill out course registration sheet, and return to HÍ 2 days later.

Sometime in late August: Realize that school should be starting in one week and wonder why no information has been sent to me about my course schedule. Drive to HÍ. Friendly Student Services lady gives me a username and password to use for 'Uglan' on www.hi.is. Didn't know that I was supposed to have an online account since this info was never publicized in any literature for new students. (Not sure they send that info to new students anyway) Wonder if other new international students are going through same experience....

One day later: Gain access to Uglan and reset password, etc. But realize that courses listed in "My Timetable" are wrong since they seem to have overbooked me in several simultaneous classes. Think to self, "How can I possibly go to 3 different classes at the same time?". Go back to HÍ. Friendly Student Services lady tells me that I am not the first or only person voicing this problem that week. Friendly lady refers me to two other women in the Humanities Department.

And the day after that: Call to woman in Humanities Department at HÍ. Informed that the "Icelandic for Foreigners" professors have'nt sorted the students into class groups yet. Oh, and classes don't start until September 8th now. They were scheduled (online) to begin September 1st. The professors are meeting instead on Sept. 1st to do their sorting. Ask Humanities Lady when I will know what's going on. Told to check 'Uglan' again a few days after Sept. 1st. But the International Students Orientation Meeting is still happening on Sept. 1st as planned. Thank woman for info and hang up, still utterly confused.

The moral of this story is: When you attend a university in a socialist country that doesn't charge tuition for state-run schools (only a registration fee of ~$600), you'd better get used to doing things yourself. If you want someone to hold your hand, feel free to pay $10,000+ per year tuition at a US school.

Páll Óskar...Ricky Martin...same difference

I just realized that Páll Óskar IS the Ricky Martin of Iceland.

That´s all I have for today.

Icelandic Heatwave Confirmed!

Is it just me or is it hot in here?

No, I'm not going crazy or having hot flashes! We were indeed having a summer heatwave here in Iceland! http://en.vedur.is/about-imo/news/2008/nr/1362 (Not to be confused with a real heatwave in the US though... y'all know what I'm talking about in California or the Midwest...)

A heatwave in Iceland means that you can shed the raincoat and wool sweaters for a day. On such rare days, you almost need to wear [gasp!] a sleeveless shirt and shorts. That is until the wind picks up again or if you happen to be walking along a shaded sidewalk.

For those of you that voted in the recent poll "What or Who is Responsible for the Recent Icelandic Heatwave?", the most popular answer was "George Bush, because he hates glaciers" at 50% of all votes. Second place was tied between "Alcoa, the evil aluminum smelter" and "Too much farting from eating 'eina pylsa með öllu'". There were no votes for "Good Karma" or "El Niño or La Niña, or whatever-the-fuck-it-is". Thanks for voting!

Hurray for Global Warming!

It's a Nice Day for a....Viking Wedding

I was just telling a friend on Facebook "You haven't truly lived until you've partied in a cave..."

Yes, Dear Readers (all 5 of you), yours truly was gettin' down in a cave in the boonies last Saturday. I should probably explain what I was doing drinking in a cave in the first place just so my fellow Americans don't think that this is a typical Saturday night in Iceland. (As an American, I know how we tend to be geographically-limited and therefore quite impressionable people...) Really, we do have electricity and indoor plumbing here!

Saturday, August 9th was the setting for a spectacularly unique wedding held at the Þakgil campsite at the foot of the Mýrdalsjökull glacier in South Iceland near Vík, Iceland. South Iceland is a magnificent place with loads of scenic diversions and is probably my favorite Icelandic destination outside of Reykjavík (as a self-proclaimed City Girl, that means a lot!). As one drives towards Vík, the rocky Westmann Islands to the south come into sight as do the tall, imposing basalt columns that jut out into the ocean. It is here that the glaciers also enter one's line of sight (weather permitting!).

Mýrdalsjökull is Iceland´s 4th largest glacier at about 590 square km and 1480 meters tall. It should be noted that this glacier rests atop an active volcano called Katla, which normally erupts every 40-80 years and is considered by scientists to be part of one of the most powerful volcanic systems in the Northern Hemisphere. The last time it erupted was in 1918, so scientists agree that another eruption is overdue. A powerful eruption would trigger glacial bursts and massive floods in the low-lying areas and could possibly wipe out the village of Vík. This is all comforting information to know when camping in a tent in a low-lying valley. (i.e. You're so fucked.) Especially given the frequent seismic activity that has been happening lately in the area - though small tremors are common across many parts of Iceland.

But Icelanders laugh in the face of fear and the wedding proceeded with no catastrophe at 5 pm sharp on the side of grassy hill in cold, blustery weather. (Icelandic summer is like any other countries' winters...) Both bride and groom adorned traditional Icelandic wool and linen "Viking" outfits and were joined in marriage by a Pagan high-priestess, also adorned in a wool ceremonial dress. The ceremonial wine was consumed from large horns of unknown-animal origins. Of course, the ceremonial rites were spoken in Icelandic so I had no idea what was said! But the bride is from Ireland as were half the guests, so I'm sure they were suffering from the same confusion as I was. Or maybe they didn't care and thought it was exotic...

After the ceremony, we were ushered into the cave where picnic tables with candles and a large fireplace greeted us. This was also the first time most of us had the opportunity to try Mead, a honey-like Irish "honeymoon" wine. It is said to enhance fertility. (Footnote: The Icelanders certainly don't need any help with fertility...there is a baby or a pregnant belly everywhere you turn here!) In some instances, the Mead was being passed around in the same large animal horns from the ceremony. As for the food, the reception was catered by Á Næstu Grösum, which is one of few vegetarian restaurants in Reykjavík. It was absolutely delicious! We started with a coconut-lemongrass soup and enjoyed such treats as falafel, naan, hummus & chutney, and sweet potato salad for the main course. Dessert was an organic chocolate cake and of course we had all the red wine you could ever drink. Needless to say, I had to lay down in my tent for 30 minutes afterwards due to the pain of overeating.

The entertainment during the reception was provided by 2 classically-trained Icelandic singers. Not only could they do a proper opera, but they even pulled out a few Abba & Queen songs. And costume changes -- yes they did those as well. My favorites were the Vikings, Elvis, and Village People. After the dinner, these gentleman finished their shtick and it was on to the DJs. Yes, we had DJs in the cave and they were spinning all night until the wee hours of the morning. And did I mention the Mead and endless bottles of red wine? (Or the glow-sticks? Or the fireworks? Or forgetting where the tent was pitched?) Needless to say, nobody from this wedding will probably ever be allowed back into this campsite again. So what if we disturbed a few families in their RVs? Children need to learn about sex and alcohol sometime in their lives! Why not at a campsite?

Needless to say, I'm still trying to heal my body from the toxins of alcohol from Saturday. But mostly, I'm still trying to heal from the "Hen Party" from last Thursday night, when I accompanied the bride & her Irish gal pals to BanThai restaurant and then to dancing & muchos drinks at Q Bar (Thursday was the beginning of Gay Pride weekend so Q Bar was packed!). I met so many fun and fascinating people that night. Too bad I can't remember any of them...
P.S. I discovered that a taxi ride from downtown Reykjavík to the suburb of Garðabær is only 2800 ISK!

Iceland: Better at Welcoming Immigrants than Japan

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080807/hl_nm/japan_immigration_dc;_ylt=AgdO6zVfRYr9d.lmzJQABv_VJRIF

OK I haven't blogged in a while...my bad!

I really don't have a valid excuse for the absence of new posts here in the last few weeks. I haven't been run over by an errant Land Rover nor have I been hospitalized for any severe mental breakdowns. I've been sitting in the same spot in the same apartment in the same (slightly depressing) suburb the whole time. Sure, we've taken a few day trips on weekends and I have my Icelandic classes 3 nights a week but otherwise my workdays are as boring as watching paint dry. Or watching golf on TV perhaps.

Maybe I haven't blogged because I was overwhelmed by the Icelandic heatwave. (Footnote: It's a relative heatwave. People from California would be wearing ski jackets here yet.) Or maybe I was in awe of the powerful beauty of the Seljalandfoss or Skogafoss waterfalls. Or perhaps it is because I've been spending a lot of time on the weekends hiking on cold, windy, tree-less mountains. In the countryside. I don't generally like being in the countryside. It makes me sleepy. And sleepiness equates to laziness. And laziness doesn't bode well for creative tasks such as blogging. (Oh, and laziness leads to getting fat but that's a sensitive subject for me at the moment. I will divulge on the "Icelandic diet" later...)

Or maybe I just need to get out of the suburbs more? If I spend all of my days in the suburbs then I have no real inspiration for a blog subject, do I? Imagine my blog titles about suburban life:
"Wow, These Wasa Crackers have Great Fiber Content"
- OR -
"I Just Discovered the Most Fucking-Unbelievable Oven Cleaner"
- OR -
"I Think They Need to Repair the Pavement in the Hagkaup Parking Lot"

NOTE TO SELF: GET OFF ASS AND GO TO 101 REYKJAVIK MORE.