Everytime I get ready to type up these posts, I try to remember all the great things I experienced during the day, but I always seem to miss something. I get frustrated for a moment until I realize that it just means I'll still have tidbits of information to talk about with someone wanting to know about this trip, even if they have read all my entries. Positive side to everything.
Okay, so today was the off-roading trip. It was advertised as a Super Jeep tour, but it was actually in a Toyota SUV.. It was still super though. Let me tell you.. We have absolutely nothing on the lifted vehicles found here. Off-roading here is not just done for fun, but in the winter it is a daily necessity. So their tires are usually over 35 inches at least, but many of the vehicles are well over that. I've got plenty of pictures of different vehicles to illistrate my point. But needless to say, I was excited.
Our trip headed out of Reykjavik for a drive over an hour so we had plenty of time to get acquainted. The two others in the vehicle were a couple from Scotland, and I could distinctly hear the difference in accent between English and Icleandic from that of a Scot. Never really been around that many different Europeans before, but they certainly do not all sound the same. We all discussed what we did, why we here, etc. The guide and Scottish man had a bit of fun discussing my accent, and the Scottish guy begged me to say "y'all". We critizied the States' (which is what most Europeans refer to USA as instead of just "America" which I agree with) system of measurement for a bit before we discussed how difficult and messed up the English language is. The guide tried not to laugh too hard at me as I struggled through pronouncing things once again, but the Scots weren't that much better at it, so I don't feel so bad. I mastered thank you and bye, which is Takk and Bless, but those aren't really that difficult. But hey, its something!
We stopped at the gas station to use the bathroom and get snacks before we started the tour. The guide and his brother were explaining to me the different beverages unique to Iceland, and I settled on a soda called "Mix" which is pineapple and blood orange flavored. It was wonderful! (And I'm sad I left the bottle in the car, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find again) But I did pass on the chocolate covered licorice, even though they assured me it "enhances the flavor". I think chocolate tastes just fine on its own, thank you.
From there it was on to Seljalandsfoss. The reason that Icelandic names are so long is because they mush a bunch of words together to name things. This name roughly translates to "waterfall where they milk goats". But the more I pay attention to the names of things, the more I understand the individual words. This language may not be so difficult after all. But anyways, the waterfall was beautiful, of course, but unfortunately it was rainy when we got there. And windy.. Plus it had been snowing on the way up there, but since there was a trail that led behind the waterfall, I wasn't letting that stop me. Braving the rain and freezing castoff from the waterfall carried by the wind, we all climbed the steps and followed the trail. And I'm glad, because on the other side I captured a photo when the sun was just starting to break through the clouds right behind the top of the waterfall and it was just amazing. I'm not a great photographer by any means, but I am so thankful for my present of the Nikon D40 camera from my mom, because otherwise these photos would not be possible. Thank you Mom! :)
From there it was a nice trip off the paved road through what used to be lake before the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull. This was the volcano that erupted in 2010 and delayed the air traffic in Europe. The eruption broke the side of the lake that was beside it and since all the water rushed out, tours are now led into the remaining crater so you can actually go up to the ice cap covering the volcano. Seeing a glacier up close and personal is definitely something worth bragging about. It was snowing again as we walked up to it, and all the volcanic rocks contrasted against the white snow made me feel like I should be wearing a lot more snow-approved apparel. The view though was unbelievable, and I was really thankful for the panorama feature on my iPhone. I really cant wait to get these pictures up.
Then it was another famous waterfall, Skógafoss. There were tons of photographers with their tripods at the base of this waterfall, although most seemed to be unwilling to do the steep hike up the side of the moutain to overlook the top. I do regret not going myself, but I was getting a bit worried about my camera being in the rain so much, so I snapped a few quick shots, played in the black sand a good bit, and hopped back in the car.
While we were waiting for the rest of the group to get back, the guide was telling me about a few of his favorite Icelandic bands. He asked if I knew any, and I said I didnt think so, but once he started playing Of Monsters and Men, I instantly recognized them. Did not know they were Icelandic. He played two other bands who sang in Icelandic instead of English, but even though I couldn't understand the words, I liked the music.
On the drive back, we disccused everything from language to food, from movies to education, and tons in between. They didn't know what okra was and I did 't understand their strange word for Eggplant. They thought it was funny that out guide's brother had guessed I was Scottish at first because he said I didn't have an American accent. He then called me a "Georgia flower" when I told him where I was from and I had to explain that the phrase was "Georgia peach". It then dawned on me I hadn't seen any peaches and he said they only had canned. Such a shame to not know the taste pf fresh peaches. Now many people may be wondering why I would ever think they would be able to grow fruit in such a cold climate, but the geothermal springs allow them to power greenhouses where they grow all sorts of fruits and veggies.. Even bananas! Yeah, they're very resourceful.
But the movies part of our discussion was my favorite. I had learned on the plane that the movie Prometheus was filmed in Iceland and the guide I hashed out our opinions on Ridley Scott's directing styles. Then we somehow got to Quentin Tarintino and Tim Burton. We also discussed the goreyness of Koren movies (thanks Daniel). What was the guide's favorite movie? The Big Lebowski! They really appreciate movies and make a lot here as well. I'm falling more in love with this country everyday. But although the guide assures me its really tasting and definitely worth the try, I refused to eat horse. Just no. Or that fermented shark thing. Yeah, some of their food I'm just not brave enough for.
But the conversations had to have been the highlight of this day. Between the jokes, stories, and opinions, it was pretty awesome to see so many commonalities. You can't really experience a country if you aren't willing to get to know the people. The culture is an essential part and any trip lacking that is just wasted. I'll have the pictures to remember the sights, but the people will have no problem sticking out in my memory.
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Iceland Day 3: Snorkeling Silfra Lava Fissure and lessons in English drinking
So the morning started off with me being a little concerned about the cold due to the amount of overcast in the sky. Yes, I am in Iceland, and there's snow on the ground, so I do realize it's already cold, but the weather yesterday was a good bit warmer and considering that I was about to be jumping into water that's 2° C (or 36.5° F for us weirdos using a different measurement system than the rest of the world) it was a bit of an issue. Not the cold part so much, it's pretty much what I signed up for, but the worry that it may be cancelled. But I'm quickly learning that the rest of the world believes in your ability to take care of yourself a bit more and doesn't feel the need to hold your hand as much as America. Well, at least that's true for here, anyways.
So it started with a drive out of town back to Þingvellir National Park to the Silfra fissure. The lake that we were swimming in is Þingvallavatn and the water comes from the runoff of the glacier Langjökull. Hence why it's so cold. Also, neat fact about the water in the lake.. it never freezes. It may be so cold outside that the banks are frozen, but the water itself does not freeze. If you take it out though, it will freeze. They're not exactly sure why this is, but many people believe there are magical properties to the water. I just know that it tasted cleaner than any water I have ever had and it made my hair all soft and curly.. and my hair never curls well. At least I've discovered the secret to it now..
Anyways, back to the actual snorkeling part. First, we had to put on these puffy snow-suit type outfits that were insulated and very warm. We were also allowed (and encouraged) to keep a base layer on underneath even though the suits were so thick. Next came the dry-suit over that. As the name suggests, it is intended to keep you rather as opposed to a wet suit. The boots were already attached to the suit so they were sealed, and then the wrists and neck of the suit were lined with this super tight but stretchy rubber material. Once you finally manuvered your way into the thing (because it was hard) the rubber sealed to your neck and wrists to prevent absolutely anything from getting in.If I ever had one of those things on and needed to get out of it in a hurry, well I'd be shit out of luck.
Next came the hood and gloves. Those were made out of neoprene so the water did soak right through those. But it only took about a minute for your face and hands to go numb so you weren't suffering the cold too long. And by the time you had your face in the water, you were just in complete awe that the cold was the last thing on your mind. At least for me.. there was one lady in my group that seemed particularly upset with her husband for dragging here into it. But for me, it was beautiful. Visibility for up to 100 meters, bright blue water, interesting rock formations, and a nice slow current that meant you really didn't have to swim that much.. just float along. Which was a blessing for me because my boots were a bit big (the guide decided that a women's large was good enough for me.. he should never go into the fashion industry) and so my flippers were a bit awkward. But the contrast between the view of the banks to the world underneath was staggering. It made me wonder who discovered how beautiful it is in the water because you seriously could not guess it from the top.
When it came to the end of our swim, we got out and walked back to the entry point. Right behind there was a ledge overlooking a deep water hole. We were listening to them tell us that jumping off that ledge into the water was a right of passage for men many years ago and we were welcome to do it as well. Except that the generations of Icelanders before us had been doing it naked.. since no one seemed to eager to start stripping, they let us jump in with the suits. They also told us that there was an underground spring present there so the water was a bit warmer than the rest of the lake.. yeah, it was a trick. But it didn't matter.. I was on a ledge and the thrill of jumping was to great to pass up.. down I went. I didn't have the feeling in my face and hands return until about 30 minutes later, but I still say it was worth it. Plus we got hot chocolate after.
The overcast cleared up a bit on the drive back and we were able to see the mist rising off the lake like something out of a Tolkein movie. I'm telling you.. this place is where fairy tales originate.
Back at the hotel, I hate to say it, but I crashed. My body was letting me know that all this running around with absolutely no regard for time was taking its toll and I was out until dinner. Which this evening was an Italian dish that I can't remember the name, but had chicken, bacon, and chili. And my first beer here! Which was really smooth and a bit stronger than the beer back home. I loved it!
Which brings me to the next interesting thing that happened to me. The other day I had told a woman waiting for the elevator that I loved her jacket. It was this beautiful cream colored, down jacket, with more pockets than I cared to count, but it just looked great. Well I ran into her and her daughter in the lobby while I was trying to start this post so I could shower and get to bed early, but apparently they were very nice and loved to talk, so three hours later, here I am. They are from England and we talked about so many different topics. Another English woman came down because they had ran into her earlier as she was trying to get some pictures of the Northern Lights and she came to show us what was coming up on her camera. The lights haven't been visible since I've been here because of the overcast and rain, but hopefully it clears up by the weekend. Anyways, the photographer woman has telescopes at home where she can actually take pictures of the stars, planets, and moons. And they are book-quality clear. It was amazing looking at some of her photos. The older woman kept telling her how clever she was and her daughter asked her how much she had had to drink this evening. She replied that she was on her third glass of wine, to which her daughter said, "Mum, this is the same beer I had at 7!" And what was the mom's response? "Well that's because you're just silly my dear. Drink up!" Yeah, they suggested I just not go back home and just go back to England with them. One day, I will be in a position to say yes to an offer like that. Until then, we will just make plans for me to visit them later.
So it started with a drive out of town back to Þingvellir National Park to the Silfra fissure. The lake that we were swimming in is Þingvallavatn and the water comes from the runoff of the glacier Langjökull. Hence why it's so cold. Also, neat fact about the water in the lake.. it never freezes. It may be so cold outside that the banks are frozen, but the water itself does not freeze. If you take it out though, it will freeze. They're not exactly sure why this is, but many people believe there are magical properties to the water. I just know that it tasted cleaner than any water I have ever had and it made my hair all soft and curly.. and my hair never curls well. At least I've discovered the secret to it now..
Anyways, back to the actual snorkeling part. First, we had to put on these puffy snow-suit type outfits that were insulated and very warm. We were also allowed (and encouraged) to keep a base layer on underneath even though the suits were so thick. Next came the dry-suit over that. As the name suggests, it is intended to keep you rather as opposed to a wet suit. The boots were already attached to the suit so they were sealed, and then the wrists and neck of the suit were lined with this super tight but stretchy rubber material. Once you finally manuvered your way into the thing (because it was hard) the rubber sealed to your neck and wrists to prevent absolutely anything from getting in.If I ever had one of those things on and needed to get out of it in a hurry, well I'd be shit out of luck.
Next came the hood and gloves. Those were made out of neoprene so the water did soak right through those. But it only took about a minute for your face and hands to go numb so you weren't suffering the cold too long. And by the time you had your face in the water, you were just in complete awe that the cold was the last thing on your mind. At least for me.. there was one lady in my group that seemed particularly upset with her husband for dragging here into it. But for me, it was beautiful. Visibility for up to 100 meters, bright blue water, interesting rock formations, and a nice slow current that meant you really didn't have to swim that much.. just float along. Which was a blessing for me because my boots were a bit big (the guide decided that a women's large was good enough for me.. he should never go into the fashion industry) and so my flippers were a bit awkward. But the contrast between the view of the banks to the world underneath was staggering. It made me wonder who discovered how beautiful it is in the water because you seriously could not guess it from the top.
When it came to the end of our swim, we got out and walked back to the entry point. Right behind there was a ledge overlooking a deep water hole. We were listening to them tell us that jumping off that ledge into the water was a right of passage for men many years ago and we were welcome to do it as well. Except that the generations of Icelanders before us had been doing it naked.. since no one seemed to eager to start stripping, they let us jump in with the suits. They also told us that there was an underground spring present there so the water was a bit warmer than the rest of the lake.. yeah, it was a trick. But it didn't matter.. I was on a ledge and the thrill of jumping was to great to pass up.. down I went. I didn't have the feeling in my face and hands return until about 30 minutes later, but I still say it was worth it. Plus we got hot chocolate after.
The overcast cleared up a bit on the drive back and we were able to see the mist rising off the lake like something out of a Tolkein movie. I'm telling you.. this place is where fairy tales originate.
Back at the hotel, I hate to say it, but I crashed. My body was letting me know that all this running around with absolutely no regard for time was taking its toll and I was out until dinner. Which this evening was an Italian dish that I can't remember the name, but had chicken, bacon, and chili. And my first beer here! Which was really smooth and a bit stronger than the beer back home. I loved it!
Which brings me to the next interesting thing that happened to me. The other day I had told a woman waiting for the elevator that I loved her jacket. It was this beautiful cream colored, down jacket, with more pockets than I cared to count, but it just looked great. Well I ran into her and her daughter in the lobby while I was trying to start this post so I could shower and get to bed early, but apparently they were very nice and loved to talk, so three hours later, here I am. They are from England and we talked about so many different topics. Another English woman came down because they had ran into her earlier as she was trying to get some pictures of the Northern Lights and she came to show us what was coming up on her camera. The lights haven't been visible since I've been here because of the overcast and rain, but hopefully it clears up by the weekend. Anyways, the photographer woman has telescopes at home where she can actually take pictures of the stars, planets, and moons. And they are book-quality clear. It was amazing looking at some of her photos. The older woman kept telling her how clever she was and her daughter asked her how much she had had to drink this evening. She replied that she was on her third glass of wine, to which her daughter said, "Mum, this is the same beer I had at 7!" And what was the mom's response? "Well that's because you're just silly my dear. Drink up!" Yeah, they suggested I just not go back home and just go back to England with them. One day, I will be in a position to say yes to an offer like that. Until then, we will just make plans for me to visit them later.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Iceland Day 2: Horses, Gulfoss, Geysir, & Thingvellir
Today was just epic. No other way to describe it. The sights of Iceland can not be compared to anything, anywhere, ever at any point in time. This whole country is on a pedestal of beauty. At least, it is to me, and it is in the eye of the beholder, right?
Okay, let´s start at the beginning. Driving about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik over a very windy mountain pass (oh, yeah, I keep forgetting to mention this, but they have a shit ton of roundabouts! I really don´t like those things), we get to the horse ranch. Little history of Icelandic horses.. the breedline is pure. It is the ONLY breed of horse here on this island. No other breed is allowed. And if one does leave, it can never come back. Since a stable population of these horses has been established here (not sure when that was but it was long ago) there has never been another breed of horse to step foot on this island. Ever! And it´s not like these horses aren´t living in other parts of the world.. there is actually a whole circuit of competition for this specific breed and what they can do.. but if the owners take their horses outside the country to compete in those shows, they can never bring it back. It´s kinda sad, but it means that the blood line has never been tainted. And I will have to look into it more when I have the time, but it makes me wonder if that has anything to do with their coloration. For the most part, they are all solid colors. Out of the hundreds I saw, I maybe saw 6 or 7 paints. It is crazy.
Anyways, the special part about them: they have their own gait. I said something about it yesterday, and I understood it as something between the canter and gallop, but it is actually slower and closer to the pace of the trot, but it can get faster. It is actually pretty flexible, but from what I experienced today, I can best describe it as a really fast trot, but smooth. You are not bouncing around in the saddle at all. You are not bouncing really and anyone who rides will understand how amazing that it. They all are born with this ability, but when they are broken, they do have to be taught how to trigger it. You have to hold the reins pretty short so their heads are pulled up but keep your hands down so they don't think you're telling them to halt. And you just squeeze you're thighs instead of digging in your heels. If I loosened the reins a bit, my horse would switch to a trot and it would be bouncy again. Pull the reins tighter, and everything smoothed right back out. It´s called the tölt and it is amazing (I attempted to get the guide to teach me how to pronounce that.. again, I failed. Ugh, this language is so difficult!). My horse was named Stormer and let me tell you, he thought he was the leader. He would actually head butt the rear of the horse in front of him until he moved out of the way and let him pass. I was so impressed by amount of personality he had, I let him do it. And even though we weren´t supposed to, we cantered a bit. And if there is a horse on this Earth that has a smoother canter, I have never ridden it. That little guy liked to go fast and I was all too happy to let him. I could be perfectly content living here and working on a ranch like our tour guides. One was Swedish and the other French. Neither had ever ridden Western style and had no clue what Barrel Racing was. I wonder how well an Icelandic horse would take to running some barrels.. Hmm..
Okay, so after that lovely ride, it was on to Geysir. This is where the word geyser comes from because geysir is derived from the norse verb "geysa" which means to gush. If I'm not mistaken, I think the sign said that it was the second largest geyser in the world, but I may be remembering that incorrectly. The tour guide said it erupts almost every twenty minutes, but I think they were just estimating on the safe side, because it was more like every five. I got tons of pictures away as it erupted and one right beside it. I also got pictures of the many hot pools and smaller geysers around it as well. It was a beautiful place.
But the next stop, was the whole reason I ever really paid attention to Iceland in the first place. I wanted to stand beside the gigantic waterfall that is Gullfoss, which means Golden Waterfall. I did what I promised myself I would do and it took my breath away. Beautiful just doesn't seem to adequately describe how that waterfall looked to me. I took so many pictures of every angle I could. And to top it off, there was a rainbow diving down into the cascading waters and it appeared so well on camera. The trail leading to the side of the falls was "closed" due to the weather and the path being slippery so I took a picture of the sign to show that I saw, acknowledged it, and crossed it anyway. And I´m glad I did because there was a completely different view from over there that you just couldn't get from the top. There was tons of other people doing it too, before anyone freaks out that I'm gonna get myself thrown in foreign jail. Trust me, if that happens, it'll be for a much more interesting reason.
And then we were on our way to the National Park that completes the triangle of what is referred to as the Golden Circle. But before I talk about that, I would like to discuss the things our tour guide told us. She was a very nice woman with pretty good English, even though her accent was extremely thick. And she called some things differently than we know them as, such as referring to Polar Bears as Ice Bears, which cracked me up. Anyways, she was telling us about the Fairy and Troll Sagas. Icelanders sincerely believe in fairies and trolls (and they'll get pretty pissed if you make fun of them) and there are many ways it affects the way of life on the island. They believe the rock formations at the bottom of some of the mountains or out in the bays are trolls that got caught out in the open when they sun comes up and gets turned to stone. They build small wooden, decorated houses, similar to birdhouses to offer as homes to fairies. And they also believe if you are building something such as a house or road and the construction is having issues, then you must be too close to the home of a fairy and they will actually move the project. Unless, of course, you get permission from the fairy. Case in point, this lady that built a house at the bottom of a mountain known to be "fairy territory". But she built many extra windows and doors into her house (on the smaller side.. kinda like doggy doors) and welcomed the fairies to share her home. And when an earthquake happened last year, rocks were falling all around the valley from the mountain, but not a single one hit her house because the fairies were protecting her because she protected them. Honestly, I think there are crazier things to believe in, so this was pretty cool to me.
But then she told the story of how fairies came to be. Apparently it is said that Adam and Eve had many more children than just Cain and Abel. One day, God came to visit and see the children, but Adam and Eve were ashamed of their children being dirty and tried to clean them before God arrived. They only had time to clean Cain and Abel though, so they made the other children hide behind the large stones. God knew this, and told the children that from now on they would live within the stones and have the ability of invisibility. Bam, fairies. This story was a little harder to take a face value, because Icelanders are descendants of Vikings, who followed the paegan religion of Old Norse, and therefore didn't have a monotheistic belief in one God until they were converted to Christianity. So yeah, I have a lot of issues with that one, but it was interesting nethertheless.
And then there is the little factoid that all Icelandic glaciers are named after men names, and all Icelandic volcanoes are named with women names. I'll let y'all go ahead and have fun coming up with the jokes of that one (that means you Mac). The one that we were passing at the time that she was telling us this is named Hekla, and she is referred to as the Gateway to Hell because of all the destruction she has caused. She's supposed to erupt or have some kind of activity every 5 years, and the longer she remains dormant, the worse it will be when she does erupt. And I believe the guide said the last time she showed activity was 2000.. I think.. but if so, that's a lot of built up badness. Also, this is a picture taken from the ash cloud of when she erupted last time, and it kinda makes you believe in her name.
Okay, now to Thingvellir. Or also referred to as "Parliament Plains" where the first Icelandic government was formed and continued to meet there until 1798. Today it is a beautiful national park and also home to the Icelandic president's summer house.. oh and by the way, it is in no way outlandish, showy, or heavly guarded. It is quaint and cute and our leaders could learn a thing or two from this country.. just saying (I'm still having a hard time dealing with the government suspending the military's tuition assistance, so no good feelings towards them from moi right now). It is also where the European and American tectonic plates are separating and the movement if causing these massive rifts all along the fault lines which run through the park. You can see the crevices where the ground has literally just been pulled apart. We actually crossed from the European to the American plate on our drive, at which point the guide announced, "Welcome to America!" My first thought was, I'm not ready to go back yet! This place is just something ripped out of a fairy tale and I am still amazed I am actually here. I'm even embracing new foods here! I avoided the horse on the dinner menu because I just couldn't bring myself to do that, but I did try lamb for the first time (wonderful) and some weird fruit thing that was the shape and size of a grape, but bright orange and kinda tart. Okay, so lamb and weird fruit may not be that daring, but I do plan on trying puffin and possibly whale before I leave. We shall see. I am just not that brave when it comes to food.
So I am still really irritated with myself that I do not have my computer to upload pictures with this post, but then I guess I would probably not get any sleep and that just would not work. It will be a field day when I get back going through them all though. I find a reason to take a picture pretty much every five seconds, and I really don't care if I look like a silly tourist. I just love this place.
Oh, and that tectonic plate rift I was talking about? It extends to the water as well, where you can snorkel and scuba dive in the crevice. I have to settle for snorkeling because I don't have a scuba certification (yet), but it's my activity first thing in the morning and I just can't wait. Am I ever gonna run into anything I'm not excited about in this place? Let's hope not!
And on a sidenote, I am typing on the computer offered here in the lobby because typing on my iPad really just takes way too long for me and I make too many mistakes, but I'm still making just as many here. See, most of the time I don't have to look at the keyboard as I'm typing, but when the keyboard you are using in in a different language and has different symbols, it is bound to mess you up. These are some of the natural keys on this keyboard:
°° ö ð æ þ ´ € µ
So yeah, when those letters have replaced the ones I'm used to, I'll get halfway through a sentence and realize I can't read it. I wonder what kind of keyboard I'm gonna need when I learn multiple languages...
Okay, let´s start at the beginning. Driving about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik over a very windy mountain pass (oh, yeah, I keep forgetting to mention this, but they have a shit ton of roundabouts! I really don´t like those things), we get to the horse ranch. Little history of Icelandic horses.. the breedline is pure. It is the ONLY breed of horse here on this island. No other breed is allowed. And if one does leave, it can never come back. Since a stable population of these horses has been established here (not sure when that was but it was long ago) there has never been another breed of horse to step foot on this island. Ever! And it´s not like these horses aren´t living in other parts of the world.. there is actually a whole circuit of competition for this specific breed and what they can do.. but if the owners take their horses outside the country to compete in those shows, they can never bring it back. It´s kinda sad, but it means that the blood line has never been tainted. And I will have to look into it more when I have the time, but it makes me wonder if that has anything to do with their coloration. For the most part, they are all solid colors. Out of the hundreds I saw, I maybe saw 6 or 7 paints. It is crazy.
Anyways, the special part about them: they have their own gait. I said something about it yesterday, and I understood it as something between the canter and gallop, but it is actually slower and closer to the pace of the trot, but it can get faster. It is actually pretty flexible, but from what I experienced today, I can best describe it as a really fast trot, but smooth. You are not bouncing around in the saddle at all. You are not bouncing really and anyone who rides will understand how amazing that it. They all are born with this ability, but when they are broken, they do have to be taught how to trigger it. You have to hold the reins pretty short so their heads are pulled up but keep your hands down so they don't think you're telling them to halt. And you just squeeze you're thighs instead of digging in your heels. If I loosened the reins a bit, my horse would switch to a trot and it would be bouncy again. Pull the reins tighter, and everything smoothed right back out. It´s called the tölt and it is amazing (I attempted to get the guide to teach me how to pronounce that.. again, I failed. Ugh, this language is so difficult!). My horse was named Stormer and let me tell you, he thought he was the leader. He would actually head butt the rear of the horse in front of him until he moved out of the way and let him pass. I was so impressed by amount of personality he had, I let him do it. And even though we weren´t supposed to, we cantered a bit. And if there is a horse on this Earth that has a smoother canter, I have never ridden it. That little guy liked to go fast and I was all too happy to let him. I could be perfectly content living here and working on a ranch like our tour guides. One was Swedish and the other French. Neither had ever ridden Western style and had no clue what Barrel Racing was. I wonder how well an Icelandic horse would take to running some barrels.. Hmm..
Okay, so after that lovely ride, it was on to Geysir. This is where the word geyser comes from because geysir is derived from the norse verb "geysa" which means to gush. If I'm not mistaken, I think the sign said that it was the second largest geyser in the world, but I may be remembering that incorrectly. The tour guide said it erupts almost every twenty minutes, but I think they were just estimating on the safe side, because it was more like every five. I got tons of pictures away as it erupted and one right beside it. I also got pictures of the many hot pools and smaller geysers around it as well. It was a beautiful place.
But the next stop, was the whole reason I ever really paid attention to Iceland in the first place. I wanted to stand beside the gigantic waterfall that is Gullfoss, which means Golden Waterfall. I did what I promised myself I would do and it took my breath away. Beautiful just doesn't seem to adequately describe how that waterfall looked to me. I took so many pictures of every angle I could. And to top it off, there was a rainbow diving down into the cascading waters and it appeared so well on camera. The trail leading to the side of the falls was "closed" due to the weather and the path being slippery so I took a picture of the sign to show that I saw, acknowledged it, and crossed it anyway. And I´m glad I did because there was a completely different view from over there that you just couldn't get from the top. There was tons of other people doing it too, before anyone freaks out that I'm gonna get myself thrown in foreign jail. Trust me, if that happens, it'll be for a much more interesting reason.
And then we were on our way to the National Park that completes the triangle of what is referred to as the Golden Circle. But before I talk about that, I would like to discuss the things our tour guide told us. She was a very nice woman with pretty good English, even though her accent was extremely thick. And she called some things differently than we know them as, such as referring to Polar Bears as Ice Bears, which cracked me up. Anyways, she was telling us about the Fairy and Troll Sagas. Icelanders sincerely believe in fairies and trolls (and they'll get pretty pissed if you make fun of them) and there are many ways it affects the way of life on the island. They believe the rock formations at the bottom of some of the mountains or out in the bays are trolls that got caught out in the open when they sun comes up and gets turned to stone. They build small wooden, decorated houses, similar to birdhouses to offer as homes to fairies. And they also believe if you are building something such as a house or road and the construction is having issues, then you must be too close to the home of a fairy and they will actually move the project. Unless, of course, you get permission from the fairy. Case in point, this lady that built a house at the bottom of a mountain known to be "fairy territory". But she built many extra windows and doors into her house (on the smaller side.. kinda like doggy doors) and welcomed the fairies to share her home. And when an earthquake happened last year, rocks were falling all around the valley from the mountain, but not a single one hit her house because the fairies were protecting her because she protected them. Honestly, I think there are crazier things to believe in, so this was pretty cool to me.
But then she told the story of how fairies came to be. Apparently it is said that Adam and Eve had many more children than just Cain and Abel. One day, God came to visit and see the children, but Adam and Eve were ashamed of their children being dirty and tried to clean them before God arrived. They only had time to clean Cain and Abel though, so they made the other children hide behind the large stones. God knew this, and told the children that from now on they would live within the stones and have the ability of invisibility. Bam, fairies. This story was a little harder to take a face value, because Icelanders are descendants of Vikings, who followed the paegan religion of Old Norse, and therefore didn't have a monotheistic belief in one God until they were converted to Christianity. So yeah, I have a lot of issues with that one, but it was interesting nethertheless.
And then there is the little factoid that all Icelandic glaciers are named after men names, and all Icelandic volcanoes are named with women names. I'll let y'all go ahead and have fun coming up with the jokes of that one (that means you Mac). The one that we were passing at the time that she was telling us this is named Hekla, and she is referred to as the Gateway to Hell because of all the destruction she has caused. She's supposed to erupt or have some kind of activity every 5 years, and the longer she remains dormant, the worse it will be when she does erupt. And I believe the guide said the last time she showed activity was 2000.. I think.. but if so, that's a lot of built up badness. Also, this is a picture taken from the ash cloud of when she erupted last time, and it kinda makes you believe in her name.
Okay, now to Thingvellir. Or also referred to as "Parliament Plains" where the first Icelandic government was formed and continued to meet there until 1798. Today it is a beautiful national park and also home to the Icelandic president's summer house.. oh and by the way, it is in no way outlandish, showy, or heavly guarded. It is quaint and cute and our leaders could learn a thing or two from this country.. just saying (I'm still having a hard time dealing with the government suspending the military's tuition assistance, so no good feelings towards them from moi right now). It is also where the European and American tectonic plates are separating and the movement if causing these massive rifts all along the fault lines which run through the park. You can see the crevices where the ground has literally just been pulled apart. We actually crossed from the European to the American plate on our drive, at which point the guide announced, "Welcome to America!" My first thought was, I'm not ready to go back yet! This place is just something ripped out of a fairy tale and I am still amazed I am actually here. I'm even embracing new foods here! I avoided the horse on the dinner menu because I just couldn't bring myself to do that, but I did try lamb for the first time (wonderful) and some weird fruit thing that was the shape and size of a grape, but bright orange and kinda tart. Okay, so lamb and weird fruit may not be that daring, but I do plan on trying puffin and possibly whale before I leave. We shall see. I am just not that brave when it comes to food.
So I am still really irritated with myself that I do not have my computer to upload pictures with this post, but then I guess I would probably not get any sleep and that just would not work. It will be a field day when I get back going through them all though. I find a reason to take a picture pretty much every five seconds, and I really don't care if I look like a silly tourist. I just love this place.
Oh, and that tectonic plate rift I was talking about? It extends to the water as well, where you can snorkel and scuba dive in the crevice. I have to settle for snorkeling because I don't have a scuba certification (yet), but it's my activity first thing in the morning and I just can't wait. Am I ever gonna run into anything I'm not excited about in this place? Let's hope not!
And on a sidenote, I am typing on the computer offered here in the lobby because typing on my iPad really just takes way too long for me and I make too many mistakes, but I'm still making just as many here. See, most of the time I don't have to look at the keyboard as I'm typing, but when the keyboard you are using in in a different language and has different symbols, it is bound to mess you up. These are some of the natural keys on this keyboard:
°° ö ð æ þ ´ € µ
So yeah, when those letters have replaced the ones I'm used to, I'll get halfway through a sentence and realize I can't read it. I wonder what kind of keyboard I'm gonna need when I learn multiple languages...
Monday, March 11, 2013
Day One in Iceland!
It really takes me forever to compose a post on my iPad, but since I decided last minute to not bring my laptop, it'll have to do. I'm concerned I might forget something if I wait to jot this all down until I get back.
So, Iceland.. One word: WOW! This country is just so dang beautiful and the people are incredibly nice. Except for the guy who hung out the window as he drove past and BAAed at me (yes, like a sheep). Still not sure what that was about. But everyone else has been nice for the most part. Went to an Angolian steakhouse for dinner and the waitress tried to teach me how to pronounce the dish I ordered (picture is unfortunately on my phone and that will have to wait until I get back). The hard part is that French is technically my second language, even though I'm not fluent..yet, its the first experience I have had with a foreign accent. So in French, you roll your R sounds at the back of the throat and most sounds are nasal. For Norse(or Icelandic as they more often call it) the R sounds are pronounced by a clicking of the tongue behind the teeth.. Its hard to explain but the point is that it is opposite of what I'm used to. So she got a kick out of trying to teach me.. I failed miserably today but tomorrow I shall try again!
Speaking of accents, no one guesses I'm American. They're not used to my Southern accent, so they assume I'm British most of the time.That totally cracks me up. Especially since theyhave a slightly different accent than any Britsih person I've ever encountered. But I do certainly stand out as different. I have noticed very little people wearing blue jeans here, and thats kinda half my wardrobe. And I may be wrong, but it seems like no one really fixes their hair.. At least not in the way we are used to. At the airport, there was a girl with the most beautiful head of thick, curly, flaming red hair I've ever seen, but you could tell those waves weren natural. Most people have hats on or their hair pulled up (lazily thrown in a ponytail), but even if its down, it looks natural. Have not noticed one person with hair that looks like its been straightened or curled with an iron. Not sure why, but that stood out to me. Also, not much makeup either. But tons of freedom with body modification, i.e. piercings, tattoos, and dreads although the last doesnt really fall into that category but theres a lot of people with them. Passed by two tattoo shops on the walk through downtown, and you know I'm itching to go get one. Most shops close around six, so I'll have to check it out more tomorrow.
Also, their food is interesting. They have many of the same things we do, just different packaging. Their skittles bags cracked me up. And I even saw Angry Birds gummies, ha. But they advertise a lot of natural and organic food, as well as food from different cultures. In a four block radius, found Pakistanian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Meditteranen. And I wanna try it all!
The one complaint so far.. The bathroom. Oh goodness its small. And the shower is just set up in the corner, with the curtian on a rod that curves around the corner and a drain in the bottom. So when I walk in and see a squeegee propped on the wall and no molding or barriers enclosing the shower space, I'm a little suprised but I guess I assumed they would design the floor to make the water drain easier, but no... That thing flooded!!! Oh, and since the water is heated by underground geothermal springs, it comes with this lovely side effect of smelling like.. Sulfur. That's right.. The water smells like rotten eggs. Its really not strong so its not terrible, but man its an experience. And even though the sign promises the water if safe to drink, I'll buy my own, thanks. Oh and no washclothes.. Just towels. Weird.
Tomorrow though, is going to be fun. Horseback riding trip to the famous Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. Seeing those sights on horseback is going to make it just so much better. Icelandic horses have a fifth gait between their canter and gallop thats supposed to be incredibly smooth. We shall see!! I'm regretting not having my computer to be able to put all my pictures together to illustratewith my posts, but I'll just have to make a big one with tons of pics next week! Now, bedtime. Got an early day tomorrow! Eeeeee!
But this is the view from the room to hold you over for now :)
So, Iceland.. One word: WOW! This country is just so dang beautiful and the people are incredibly nice. Except for the guy who hung out the window as he drove past and BAAed at me (yes, like a sheep). Still not sure what that was about. But everyone else has been nice for the most part. Went to an Angolian steakhouse for dinner and the waitress tried to teach me how to pronounce the dish I ordered (picture is unfortunately on my phone and that will have to wait until I get back). The hard part is that French is technically my second language, even though I'm not fluent..yet, its the first experience I have had with a foreign accent. So in French, you roll your R sounds at the back of the throat and most sounds are nasal. For Norse(or Icelandic as they more often call it) the R sounds are pronounced by a clicking of the tongue behind the teeth.. Its hard to explain but the point is that it is opposite of what I'm used to. So she got a kick out of trying to teach me.. I failed miserably today but tomorrow I shall try again!
Speaking of accents, no one guesses I'm American. They're not used to my Southern accent, so they assume I'm British most of the time.That totally cracks me up. Especially since theyhave a slightly different accent than any Britsih person I've ever encountered. But I do certainly stand out as different. I have noticed very little people wearing blue jeans here, and thats kinda half my wardrobe. And I may be wrong, but it seems like no one really fixes their hair.. At least not in the way we are used to. At the airport, there was a girl with the most beautiful head of thick, curly, flaming red hair I've ever seen, but you could tell those waves weren natural. Most people have hats on or their hair pulled up (lazily thrown in a ponytail), but even if its down, it looks natural. Have not noticed one person with hair that looks like its been straightened or curled with an iron. Not sure why, but that stood out to me. Also, not much makeup either. But tons of freedom with body modification, i.e. piercings, tattoos, and dreads although the last doesnt really fall into that category but theres a lot of people with them. Passed by two tattoo shops on the walk through downtown, and you know I'm itching to go get one. Most shops close around six, so I'll have to check it out more tomorrow.
Also, their food is interesting. They have many of the same things we do, just different packaging. Their skittles bags cracked me up. And I even saw Angry Birds gummies, ha. But they advertise a lot of natural and organic food, as well as food from different cultures. In a four block radius, found Pakistanian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese, Indian, and Meditteranen. And I wanna try it all!
The one complaint so far.. The bathroom. Oh goodness its small. And the shower is just set up in the corner, with the curtian on a rod that curves around the corner and a drain in the bottom. So when I walk in and see a squeegee propped on the wall and no molding or barriers enclosing the shower space, I'm a little suprised but I guess I assumed they would design the floor to make the water drain easier, but no... That thing flooded!!! Oh, and since the water is heated by underground geothermal springs, it comes with this lovely side effect of smelling like.. Sulfur. That's right.. The water smells like rotten eggs. Its really not strong so its not terrible, but man its an experience. And even though the sign promises the water if safe to drink, I'll buy my own, thanks. Oh and no washclothes.. Just towels. Weird.
Tomorrow though, is going to be fun. Horseback riding trip to the famous Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. Seeing those sights on horseback is going to make it just so much better. Icelandic horses have a fifth gait between their canter and gallop thats supposed to be incredibly smooth. We shall see!! I'm regretting not having my computer to be able to put all my pictures together to illustratewith my posts, but I'll just have to make a big one with tons of pics next week! Now, bedtime. Got an early day tomorrow! Eeeeee!
But this is the view from the room to hold you over for now :)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Juggling
So, needless to say, it's been a while. I have noticed throughout my relatively short years that I have a bad habit of starting things with the utmost excitement, but somehow losing the momentum to see them through to the end. I'd like to break that habit because it tends to be pretty frustrating. My first step to achieving that is going to be keeping up with this blog regularly. Putting my thoughts down on paper, so to speak, really does help me, but sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time. Which is a lie of course.. I'm just not the best at time management. I'm certainly not the worst, but I do have a strong procrastinating streak. I blame my dad for that one.
Anyways.. time management. Something you most certainly need in college. And with the 18 hours that I am taking this semester, it's no wonder that I really don't take my head out of the books during the week. Even so, life creeps in the way and demands a slice of my time and attention. For example, I need to get an oil change really bad, I need to go get some groceries, and today would actually probably be the best day to get some time with Tay in before I head off to Iceland for Spring Break. A whole ten days out of the country... I'm so excited! But I'll talk more about that when I'm safely through the trials of midterms and can actually take a moment to relax. Back on topic though.. there are somethings that demand my presence outside of the library and I am trying to figure out what to deem "more important". Fact is, they are all important in some way.. so how to I fit them all in? Piece by piece. I take advantage of every second I have from the time my feet hit the floor so that when I lay down, I'm out in under 5. And even then, somethings slip through my hands a bit. Mostly assigned reading... because if the subject really doesn't interest me, I end up getting sidetracked a lot and will not even pay attention to what I just read. I try to balance it with a bit of personal reading, but I doubt that reading for 1 hour out of a text book and 3 hours out of a Clive Barker book is beneficial. Although it did come in handy for my philosophy paper which I did on Hedonism and Cenobites. Not at all what I set out to write about at the computer.. I actually had another book in mind, but that's what ended up coming out and in a little over 3 hours, I had researched the founding philosopher for Hedonism and written a 4 page paper (well over what was required). There is no doubt in my mind that I am an academic and learning is my path in this world. I am addicted to the thrill of learning something new and seeing the world in a different light and I hope I never lose the love of that.
Well, that seems like a very positive note to start my day out on! Now I must brave the below thirty degree weather outside and squeeze in some gym time before my first class.
Btw, I miss Rhino terribly recently. I am very grateful for the pug beanie Aunt V and Jordan gave me to help with that, and I'm surely testing the limits of the stitching because I pretty much carry it everywhere with me now. There is no love like that of a companion animal :)
Anyways.. time management. Something you most certainly need in college. And with the 18 hours that I am taking this semester, it's no wonder that I really don't take my head out of the books during the week. Even so, life creeps in the way and demands a slice of my time and attention. For example, I need to get an oil change really bad, I need to go get some groceries, and today would actually probably be the best day to get some time with Tay in before I head off to Iceland for Spring Break. A whole ten days out of the country... I'm so excited! But I'll talk more about that when I'm safely through the trials of midterms and can actually take a moment to relax. Back on topic though.. there are somethings that demand my presence outside of the library and I am trying to figure out what to deem "more important". Fact is, they are all important in some way.. so how to I fit them all in? Piece by piece. I take advantage of every second I have from the time my feet hit the floor so that when I lay down, I'm out in under 5. And even then, somethings slip through my hands a bit. Mostly assigned reading... because if the subject really doesn't interest me, I end up getting sidetracked a lot and will not even pay attention to what I just read. I try to balance it with a bit of personal reading, but I doubt that reading for 1 hour out of a text book and 3 hours out of a Clive Barker book is beneficial. Although it did come in handy for my philosophy paper which I did on Hedonism and Cenobites. Not at all what I set out to write about at the computer.. I actually had another book in mind, but that's what ended up coming out and in a little over 3 hours, I had researched the founding philosopher for Hedonism and written a 4 page paper (well over what was required). There is no doubt in my mind that I am an academic and learning is my path in this world. I am addicted to the thrill of learning something new and seeing the world in a different light and I hope I never lose the love of that.
Well, that seems like a very positive note to start my day out on! Now I must brave the below thirty degree weather outside and squeeze in some gym time before my first class.
Btw, I miss Rhino terribly recently. I am very grateful for the pug beanie Aunt V and Jordan gave me to help with that, and I'm surely testing the limits of the stitching because I pretty much carry it everywhere with me now. There is no love like that of a companion animal :)
Monday, February 18, 2013
Don't encourage that!
I find that I usually write my posts at the end of the day, right before I lay down. I say lay down, not go to sleep, because more often than not I still stay up and read for a bit before I actually let myself shut down. Man, I love reading. But it is so hard to read when I'm not that interested in what I'm having to read. But with 6 classes this semester, I really haven't had much time to read for my own pleasure. But I chose to do my philosophy paper on Clive Barker's "The Inhuman Condition", so I will be reading that for pleasure and academic reasons. I'm griping about reading because I am having the worst time getting through this book assigned for my history class. I think it's more the author's writing style that I don't like than the actual content, but either way, it's proved to be the fastest way to make me get sleepy that I have ever found. Ugh. But good note for today.. found out that my cheap-o tubberware (yeah, probably not how it's spelled but I liked it better this way) do not hold onto odors if I happen to leave the food in there longer than I should because it got shoved to the back of the fridge and overlooked for a bit. Yes, I was genuinely excited about that, because anyone who has opened a container and had it take your breath away (in the worst possible way) knows how exciting that is to NOT have it happen. Or maybe you don't. Either way, I had my little happy dance in the kitchen today, so yay. (:
Anyways, on to my actual point of this post. I had my global studies class today and my anthropology class. Both had videos that really got me thinking. The global studies featured a video about this group of African guys (I forgot what specific part) who came to America in the 80s just to visit and they were talking about how different it was for them. It was hard for them to get to know people because they weren't friendly or wouldn't go out of their way to help them, and they were having a lot of trouble understanding why people were so rude to them. In their culture, that just didn't happen. My anthro class was actually a film, and it was about the continuously rising growth of our population. About all the issues we are facing trying to provide for so many people, how we honestly do not have enough resources for the amount we consume, and how all of this is affecting the environment and wildlife. That alone was shocking and unnerving. But then it started following this woman who talked about how her and her husband had two kids of their own and adopted a girl from Ethiopia because she wanted a bigger family and her husband was against adding to the population. When they approached her about a part in the film, she took up the opportunity to go visit Ethiopia and actually see where her daughter came from. She met this young woman who told her the story of her life, how she had decided to go against cultural norms in her city and not marry young. She works 6 days a week to provide for her family (the main provider), and attends school at night. She takes care of her young niece because her mother died of AIDS when she was a baby. Her mother was 12 when she was forced to marry her father, and she had once asked her mother to get on birth control so she wouldn't have anymore kids and make a bigger burden on her. She talked about how her father did not believe in it and her mother would not stand up to him. The first time anyone in the family stood up to him was when she told him she would not be married off and when she finally made him realize she had bigger dreams for herself, he was ashamed for ever trying to make her do that. Now all her siblings look up to her as an inspiration because she's making her own decisions. And she got the courage to do that from listening to soap opera on a radio station that promotes powerful women who make their own decisions about their lives and their bodies.
Why did this touch me today? Because it made me realize how fortunate I am to have been brought up with that choice encouraged from the time I could understand words. I have a say in what I want to do with my life, and I have never been faced with a reality that had that taken away.
But the thing I asked myself was, what do I want to do? I want to travel, first and foremost. I want to learn.. I never ever want to stop learning. I want to experience the world and learn how other people live. I want to walk to the edge of my comfort zone and take a flying leap, laughing the whole way down until I find a way to fly. But these are not specific goals. These are not career choices. Their just abstract goals that guide me in the direction I want, but I'm no where near determining what the road signs say up ahead. There is no, "Your destination is (blank) and it is (blank) miles away."
And once upon a time that would have scared the shit out of me. I was the type of person that wanted to plan out every detail because I found comfort in that. I am a planner. I am organized, slightly OCD, and detailed. I'm horrible at telling stories because I don't want to leave anything out, and so I drag them out way more than need be. So how the heck am I dealing with this sudden change of having no clue what exactly it is that I am doing? I take a deep breath every morning and allow myself to pay attention to everything around me. I took my eyes off the road map and started staring at the road. And if I see a sign for some quaint little tourist stop, or just something on the side of the road that interests me, I stop. I take my time and take it all in. I'm allowing the road to guide and teach me along the way instead of rushing headfirst in the direction I think I want to go.
Back when I was in high school, I was bound and determined I was going to be a vet. If you had asked me, I could have told you my plan for the next 10 years of my life. And so many people were impressed by that. They were like, "Wow, you've got it all planned out. That's great! You know where you wanna go and you've got a plan to get you there." But the truth is, if I had stuck with that path, if life had never intervened, I don't think I would be happy. I think I would feel stuck and be wondering where all my time had gone. My point is, don't encourage people to plan everything out. There is a time for us to be all mature and prepared, but we have to make our mistakes first. We have to get wonderfully lost and in those moments, find out what's really inside of us. We have to be faced with things we've never known before and figure it out on our own. We need to feel the fear of stepping outside our comfort zone so that we can feel the sweet relief of surviving life outside of it. We need to be challenged in every aspect from out beliefs, to our goals, to our interpretation of the world around us. So please, don't encourage the safe routes. Don't try to convince the people around you that something is too scary or too risky. Because chances are if they're telling you about their dreams, then they value you opinion in some way. So encourage them to be true to themselves and not play it safe. All we need is the reassurance that we're not alone. Encourage the road less traveled by. None of us ever make it out of this alive anyways.
Anyways, on to my actual point of this post. I had my global studies class today and my anthropology class. Both had videos that really got me thinking. The global studies featured a video about this group of African guys (I forgot what specific part) who came to America in the 80s just to visit and they were talking about how different it was for them. It was hard for them to get to know people because they weren't friendly or wouldn't go out of their way to help them, and they were having a lot of trouble understanding why people were so rude to them. In their culture, that just didn't happen. My anthro class was actually a film, and it was about the continuously rising growth of our population. About all the issues we are facing trying to provide for so many people, how we honestly do not have enough resources for the amount we consume, and how all of this is affecting the environment and wildlife. That alone was shocking and unnerving. But then it started following this woman who talked about how her and her husband had two kids of their own and adopted a girl from Ethiopia because she wanted a bigger family and her husband was against adding to the population. When they approached her about a part in the film, she took up the opportunity to go visit Ethiopia and actually see where her daughter came from. She met this young woman who told her the story of her life, how she had decided to go against cultural norms in her city and not marry young. She works 6 days a week to provide for her family (the main provider), and attends school at night. She takes care of her young niece because her mother died of AIDS when she was a baby. Her mother was 12 when she was forced to marry her father, and she had once asked her mother to get on birth control so she wouldn't have anymore kids and make a bigger burden on her. She talked about how her father did not believe in it and her mother would not stand up to him. The first time anyone in the family stood up to him was when she told him she would not be married off and when she finally made him realize she had bigger dreams for herself, he was ashamed for ever trying to make her do that. Now all her siblings look up to her as an inspiration because she's making her own decisions. And she got the courage to do that from listening to soap opera on a radio station that promotes powerful women who make their own decisions about their lives and their bodies.
Why did this touch me today? Because it made me realize how fortunate I am to have been brought up with that choice encouraged from the time I could understand words. I have a say in what I want to do with my life, and I have never been faced with a reality that had that taken away.
But the thing I asked myself was, what do I want to do? I want to travel, first and foremost. I want to learn.. I never ever want to stop learning. I want to experience the world and learn how other people live. I want to walk to the edge of my comfort zone and take a flying leap, laughing the whole way down until I find a way to fly. But these are not specific goals. These are not career choices. Their just abstract goals that guide me in the direction I want, but I'm no where near determining what the road signs say up ahead. There is no, "Your destination is (blank) and it is (blank) miles away."
And once upon a time that would have scared the shit out of me. I was the type of person that wanted to plan out every detail because I found comfort in that. I am a planner. I am organized, slightly OCD, and detailed. I'm horrible at telling stories because I don't want to leave anything out, and so I drag them out way more than need be. So how the heck am I dealing with this sudden change of having no clue what exactly it is that I am doing? I take a deep breath every morning and allow myself to pay attention to everything around me. I took my eyes off the road map and started staring at the road. And if I see a sign for some quaint little tourist stop, or just something on the side of the road that interests me, I stop. I take my time and take it all in. I'm allowing the road to guide and teach me along the way instead of rushing headfirst in the direction I think I want to go.
Back when I was in high school, I was bound and determined I was going to be a vet. If you had asked me, I could have told you my plan for the next 10 years of my life. And so many people were impressed by that. They were like, "Wow, you've got it all planned out. That's great! You know where you wanna go and you've got a plan to get you there." But the truth is, if I had stuck with that path, if life had never intervened, I don't think I would be happy. I think I would feel stuck and be wondering where all my time had gone. My point is, don't encourage people to plan everything out. There is a time for us to be all mature and prepared, but we have to make our mistakes first. We have to get wonderfully lost and in those moments, find out what's really inside of us. We have to be faced with things we've never known before and figure it out on our own. We need to feel the fear of stepping outside our comfort zone so that we can feel the sweet relief of surviving life outside of it. We need to be challenged in every aspect from out beliefs, to our goals, to our interpretation of the world around us. So please, don't encourage the safe routes. Don't try to convince the people around you that something is too scary or too risky. Because chances are if they're telling you about their dreams, then they value you opinion in some way. So encourage them to be true to themselves and not play it safe. All we need is the reassurance that we're not alone. Encourage the road less traveled by. None of us ever make it out of this alive anyways.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Text talk: the death of our language?
I had a realization early this morning in my first class of the day. I was already not in the best of moods because I had experienced a first in my life that morning.. never before had I had a parking spot been stolen from me, but today it happened twice. If I thought I had road rage before, it was nothing compared to this. I was late, it was raining, and I had to pee. Just overall not happy. But as I sit there and listen to a fellow classmates give his two cents about our assigned reading, I started counting how many times he said the word "like". Now, I have noticed that he does that a lot before, and I have even pointed it out to him, but it made me take notice of how many other people in the class say either the same word, or other filler words just entirely too often in their conversations. Now, I am sure I am guilty of this as well.. I'm not claiming to be the most eloquent speaker (I am Southern after all), but it just really stood out to me today and from then on, I couldn't help but to pay attention to the way everyone else spoke for the rest of the day. And I am horrified as to what our language has turned into. Back whenever texting first started catching on, I still took the time to spell out all my words. I don't like shorthand and abbreviations, no matter how much time they save. Why can we not take the time to appreciate what we are writing or speaking? Just appreciate our language for what it is meant to be? But no, we're always have to rush through everything. The biggest turn-off to me? Grammar and spelling. Blame it on being a yearbook editor for three years or just an avid lover of literature and poetry, but I believe there is a certain amount of respect that should be places on words and language, and if you and I can't agree on that, well then I have nothing more to say to you. Or more likely to be the case, there is nothing more that I wish to hear from you.
I believe Robin Williams pointed it out best in his quotes from the movie, "Dead Poets Society". I love this man.
I believe Robin Williams pointed it out best in his quotes from the movie, "Dead Poets Society". I love this man.
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