Halfway Q&A

I recently hit my halfway mark of living in Iceland. WHAT?! I know. Crazy. I might even venture to use the ridiculous phrase "cray cray" to describe it. I can't believe I've been 6 months, and I hate, HATE, to think of the day that I have to leave. New adventures are always exciting, but a part of my heart will always be held hostage in Iceland.

In honor of my halfway point, I had my friends and family throw out some questions on Facebook for me to answer here. Enjoy! (Also, thanks to my dad for taking such cool pictures of me while he was here!)

How has Iceland changed you? How has it improved/changed your photography/photographic style? - MV 
I went through enormous intellectual, moral, creative, and emotional changes during my brother's sickness and death, so I've enjoyed getting acquainted with my new perspectives and motivations. Being in Iceland has breathed new life into me. I'm happier than I've ever been with who I am, and I have a clear vision of the life I want to live. The most important event that has happened artistically for me is falling back in love with photography. It's been outrageously exiting to feel like a beginner again as I learn how to photograph landscapes. It's a completely new genre for me so I have that same haphazard enthusiasm I did when I was first getting into photography 8 years ago. It's been a lot of fun, something I had forgotten photography could be.

What would be your Iceland style dream date? - UB 
First off, not just any guy would be Iceland-date worthy, let's just say that right now. But if opportunity arose... a day trip to the Glacier Lagoon, complete with good car-ride conversation, a delicious beverage, and a smooch or two at a few choice locations along the way, all topped off with a clear starry night and northern lights.

Iceland would be a great vacation destination for the person seeking __________ experience. - SW 
“a unique and rugged”

What are your top 10 must see/do in Iceland (in order)? -SW
(I haven't seen/done everything, and I changed my mind about 4,000 times while writing this part...)
1. Photograph Jökulsárlón and the glacier beach.
2. Marvel at the northern lights.
3. Swim at Seljavallalaug, one of Iceland's oldest pools.
4. A day trip to Vik from Reykjavik with the following stops: Seljalendsfoss and Gljúfrarbúi, Dyrhólaey, Reynisfjall, and Skogafoss.
5. Go Killer Whale watching.
6. Explore Flatey for an afternoon.
7. Spend a lazy afternoon with the puffins in the Westman Islands.
8. Check out the otherworldly landscapes of the Námafjall, Krafla, and Myvatn areas.
9. Hike around Dynjandi Waterfall and explore the Westfjords.
10. Wander around Reykjavik.

Can I be you when I grow up? -MM
Your kids are too cute to give up and be an old maid globe bum like me. ;-)

Will you post a video of yourself speaking some Icelandic phrases? -LL
*sigh* I masked my humiliation within obnoxious iMovie effects. Get ready to laugh it up, Icelandic friends. 

What would be your 10 top advice for travel photography? -FL
1. Push yourself to take photos, even when you don't want to. I always get lazy about 3-4 days into any trip and stop taking photos. Don't do this. Take photos every day!
2. If you're not a professional photographer, and you don't want to be one, don't worry about getting a full DSLR. They are a pain to lug around while traveling! Instead, opt for the smaller DSLRs (like the Sony Nex series). Most cameras these days are pretty amazing, so even if you have your iPhone, you're going to be able to get some nice shots.
3. If you are a professional, or you want to be one, take an ultra-wide, a mid-range, and a telephoto lens everywhere you go. You never know what you're going to want when going to a new place.
4. Have a very boring looking camera bag, preferably something a bit old looking, and never let it leave your side (not for a second!). Camera bags are huge targets for thieves.
5. Be considerate of others. Nothing is more annoying that some jerk standing in front of everyone else's view all day.
6. Trespass considerately. If you go somewhere you're not supposed to be, don't ruin anything. Leave everything as you found it.
7. With #6 in mind, don't be that stupid tourist that ends up on the news because you made a very poor decision.
8. Practice, practice, practice. Don't buy a new camera you've never used right before a trip, or try a technique for the first time at a location you'll never go to again. Know how to use your camera before you go.
9. If you watermark, do so sparingly and artistically. Nothing ruins a gorgeous shot like some obnoxious papyrus font action.
10. Know when to put down the camera and enjoy reality.

What do you like best / favorite things about Iceland? What don't you like about Iceland? -LM
I love the textures in the Icelandic landscape and the overall ruggedness of the island. Plus, they don't really have any sort of predator or creepy crawly that can harm you (they don't even have mosquitos!), so it's fun to explore without fear of getting bitten by something. My least favorite thing is how expensive everyday items are, especially clothes. For example, the very ordinary and boring grey zip up hoodie I'm currently wearing as I type this cost me around $45.00. I wouldn't pay more than $15.00 for it back home.

If Iceland were a fine pastry, which fine pastry would it be, and why? -DH
It would be the pastry I had with my friend Jason at the french bakery in SLC a few years ago (remember that day, pal? Good times!). Why? Because every single bite was delicious. Just like Iceland.

What do you wish someone had told you about living abroad before you left that would have been helpful and what tips prepared you best? -KW
I think people, especially those hobbits who want to leave the Shire so to speak, should keep in mind that it's something totally do-able and not as scary as it seems. Just go do it. There are limitations, mountains of paperwork, expenses, waiting times, etc, but it's all worth it. Trust me. Nothing beats the experience of living completely out of your element.

Is there a great recipe for fish stew and fish soup. How is that lamb so incredible? Is the Penis museum the coolest thing in Iceland? How are the hot dogs there so crunchy and good? French fried onions here are not quite the same on hotdogs. - JL (aka, Dad, who just returned home from our trip)
Everyone just needs to come here and experience these things in real life (disclaimer: I have not been to the Penis museum).

Did you apply color corrections to your photos? If Iceland is really THAT vibrant I'm going to pass out. -DN
While I'm still figuring out my post-processing style for landscapes, I try to keep the integrity of what I'm interpreting. So, in a nutshell, you should probably lay down... Iceland is more vibrant and beautiful than my photography could ever show.

This picture was snapped by my friend Syliva and edited by me. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far in my journey. It really has been some of the best months of my entire life. And of course, thanks for reading the blog!

2 Month Update

Well, I've officially been here for 2 months. That's 1/6th of the way. Crazy.


The Good News

- The sauce section at the grocery store is glorious. It seems Iceland likes sauce as much as I do. They even have fry sauce here (but they call it burger sauce). Some of the first Icelandic settlers to the United States were mormons who settled in Spanish Fork, Utah. They have fry sauce. We have fry sauce. Coincidence? I think not. (Everyone I've explained my theory to so far has been unimpressed...)

- The days are getting longer. Much longer. Two months ago daylight lasted from about 10am to 5pm, now it's around 6:30am to 9:00pm and getting longer everyday. The weather accompanying the longer days has been magnificent. For some reason I figured Iceland would be very overcast most of the time. False. The climate has been not unlike a spring in Utah... except for the piercing winds of a Satan.

- Icelandic is hurting my brain less. Street names (and other long words) usually make phonetic sense now instead of looking like a bunch of letters being thrown in random order. And the other day, I totally understood a random little boy who told me I had good looking shoes. Win!

- I've made a variety of wonderful friends. From the people in the LDS branch, to other au pairs, to other expats, to my host family: I'm surrounded by some really fun, smart, interesting, artistic, encouraging, funny, and all around great people. I count myself very blessed and lucky.

- I really dig the genuine trend of sweater wearing. I didn't know if the whole Icelandic sweater thing was just to sell crap to tourists or what, but it's legitimate. Lots of sweater wearers are to be seen all the time here. Men, women, children, everyone. I'm into it.

- Because I don't have the endless stream of entertainment from Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, my personal movie collection, etc., I've been reading a lot in my spare time. I've read 4 books in the last month, which very well could be a record for non-school-related readings. Though I enjoy reading, I definitely prefer visual and auditory storytelling, so pushing myself to read more has been a good and rewarding challenge. My current read: The Great Gatsby. I figured I should experience the original before I see Baz Luhrmann's highly anticipated interpretation next month.


The Bad News

- There is an alarming lack of beards. They exists, but not in the numbers I'd hoped for. By my highly scientific calculations, I figure only about 14% of the male population sports facial hair. I've seen some of the most satisfying beards since my arrival, which makes it a shame it's not more trendy. I don't know if it's the rugged landscape or the sweaters, but Icelandic men wear the look well. I just wish they wore it more often.

- I've yet to receive all my proper documenting paperwork from the Icelandic immigration people (or whoever is in charge of doing whatever they're supposed to do to get me whatever paperwork I'm supposed to have). Because of this, I can't do certain local Icelandic-y things like buy a bus pass. Lame, unknown person not being quick enough at a probably pretty hard job, very lame indeed!

- My dear sweet little niece Ivy is starting to forget me. I knew I should have whittled a life-sized statue of me in some heroic pose for her to display in her bedroom. Guess I'll just to step up the Skype dates instead.


And that's the update from across the pond... and to the north.
Bless!