"To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live."
Hans Christian Andersen
Today began with an Arctic Seminar. We went over to the University of Akureyri and listened to 4 different presentations by scholars. First we heard about Arctic Ecology and Geothermal Environments. Although I learned many things one of the things that stood out to me is there are no known pathogens for thermophiles(mind you I didn't know what a thermophile was until this morning). Then we heard about Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna where it was reinforced that it is important to work with youth on education and how visual communication really helps in transforming the knowledge from scientists into policy. Then we learned about the geohazards of landslides in Iceland and some of the approaches they are using to prevent them and/or manage the consequences. Finally we learned about afforestation and river stability from a Fulbright Scholar. Apparently soil loss is one of the most important environmental issues in Iceland and she showed us some her initial findings from measurements of roots along river banks in 4 areas. Not only do we learn a lot of information in these seminars, but we always discuss ways to bring this back to our classrooms. In each presentation or lecture there is always good discussion with the experts about how to connect this information to classrooms.
After the morning seminar we got on the bus and headed to Siglufjorður, the northern most town in Iceland. It is a historic fishing village. We began with a visit to the Herring Era Museum and then had time to walk around the village. Other interesting moments today included seeing the rushing brown waters from the sediment in the snow melt running off the mountains and what you do when there is a semi-truck going the opposite direction from your tour bus in a 3 kilometer one-way tunnel, yikes. Off to get ready for another busy day tomorrow.
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It was mainly a travel day today with a few events sprinkled in. We began the day with a 2 hour drive to a town called Sauðarkrokur. Here we got to have lunch with 2 Icelandic Educators. They spoke to us about their roles and challenges. They are really moving towards a team teaching approach and see the real benefits of this model. Unfortunately we did not have much time, but we did see examples of some ways that they integrate technology into their classrooms. The big take away for me was when one of the other US educators asked what is the one thing that you would change, the Icelandic Educator responded that he would include more art. I wanted to have more a follow up conversation, but we had to get back on the bus. Both educators gave us their contact information so hopefully follow up connections will happen that way.
We continued north and stopped again at Holar. This is where Holar University College is and it is also one of the nation's principal historical, cultural, and ecclesiastical sites. We had a tour around Holar seeing one of the Icelandic turf houses, visiting the church, and climbing to the top of the bell tower. They finished the tour serving us Ponnukokur, an Icelandic sort of crepe, yum. We had another 2 hour drive to Akureyri, our home for the next 5-6 days. The landscape on the drive reminded me a lot of Montana with beautiful plains with sheep and horses surrounded by mountains. Akureyri is about 100 kilometers from the Arctic Circle and when we arrived the temperature was about 70 degrees, much warmer than Reykjavik. Well as always I must review our agenda for tomorrow and get some rest. What a day! We left the hotel at 9am and just got back at 10pm, and it's still very light out.
So the beginning event of the day was the horseback riding tour. On the bus on the way to the horse farm we passed around Kaylie's through notes so we could all review the tips. Icelandic horses are unique, they tend to be shorter and more muscular. They also are apparently the only horse breed that can perform 5 different gaits. I was paired up with Alby for the tour(Alby also had another name based on a fairy tale similar to Cinderella, but I cannot remember it). So Alby, an albino horse, was my trusty steed and I'm not sure what gaits Alby performed, but my favorite ones were the slow steady ones where Alby didn't go rogue. During our tour we crossed a few streams and went up some embankments through the fields. It was quite spectacular. After the horseback riding tour we visited the Agricultural University of Iceland and had a presentation and a short walk around the beautiful campus. We then went to Reykholt Historic Site and Cultural Center where we again had an interesting presentation and brief tour. We headed out on the bus again to the Haafell Goat Center. The owner gave us a brief talk and described how the Iceland Goat is an endangered species and what she has done to help try to save them. We sampled the goats cheese and other products that they produce at the center. We went into the goat pen where I had my a celebrity sighting(Game of Throne fans might recognize). Although he was more focused on grazing in his retirement, he was very friendly as were many of the goats. Finally we went to the Hraunfossar and Barnafossar Waterfalls. We had some time to wander around and take photos before we had to leave for dinner. At some point I will have much more information to share, but I am tired and it's been a wonderful busy day. Tomorrow we pack up again to head to the North while visiting historic sites and getting to meet some Icelandic teachers along the way. We headed west today. The first stop was the Ljosafoss Power Station which had a small hands on exhibit area. This hydroelectric station originally opened in 1937.
We then went to Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This park was the site of the Alþing, the oldest parliament, beginning in 930. The park is also significant as it marks the crest of the North Atlantic Ridge and the boundary between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. We went on a guided walk through a part of this beautiful park and heard more about the historical and geological significance. Our day ended with a meal at the local Settlement Center Restaurant. We ate traditional Icelandic mashed fish with rye bread. It was delicious. Tomorrow's agenda is once again packed. The biggest event for me is horseback riding tour. I have never ridden a horse before. One of my incredible students Kaylie, an expert, wrote down notes to help me. I am going to review them again tonight before bed. Yesterday, Saturday June 26th, we began the day with a walking tour of Reykjavik. We were guided by a Fulbright Scholar who is an urban planning specialist. They showed us several sites on our walk noting some important features of the original designs of houses, the layout of the streets, the original well in the city, and so much more. During the tour we made a stop at the famous hot dog stand, Bæjarins beztu, where I got to eat their original pylsa(hot dog). It was quite good, especially the fried onions. Our tour ended with a visit inside Hallgrimskikja, the church that sits atop a hill in Reykjavik which is one of the best known landmarks. We saw one of the largest organs in Europe and the beautiful arches inside. Then we took an elevator to the top of the tower and looked out at the city. One of the things the urban planning specialist pointed out was the variety of brightly colored roofs that you can see throughout Reykjavik. In the last photo you can kind of see the Fagradalsfjall volcano, the active volcano which began erupting earlier this spring. It is behind the cone shaped mountain you see towards the center of the horizon with some clouds. We will hopefully be visiting this on our way back to Reykjavik in a couple of weeks depending on conditions.
After our tour we got to go swimming(in my case more like sitting and relaxing in soothing warm water) at the thermal swimming pool Sundhöllin. The geothermal pools are an important part of Icelandic culture not only as a place to meet friends and family, but also for well-being. Time to pack and attempt to figure out how I got everything that is currently strewn about my hotel room into my small suitcase and backpack. We are traveling to Borgarfjörður today. So Friday's agenda included a morning seminar on equality. We heard from 3 experts on gender equality and equal rights in Iceland and empowering women and girls to be entrepreneurs. Iceland considers itself to be a champion of gender equality, so it was interesting to hear the historical background for this and also what perceptions and realities they see. The afternoon was the Art Walk. We had a whirlwind tour of 3 galleries and 2 museums, and a brief visit to the Harpa(the beautiful concert hall). I took many photos of art work and notes, but need to go back through and review so I can make sure to credit these artists before posting some of my favorites. One of the things I am looking at in my curriculum project is how the land informs art practices and inspires creation. We saw a wide range of artists from traditional landscape painters to contemporary artists who create using resources from the land. We also saw an artist who combined weaving, natural colors found on her land, synthetic colors, and sleeping patterns of her children that she recorded in excel spreadsheets(shout out to my math colleague Kris Wagner who always reaffirms the important connections between math and art).
Today, Saturday June 26th, we are heading out on a walking tour and going to the thermal swimming pool. Tomorrow we leave Reykjavik and go traveling along the ring road in Iceland for a couple of weeks. It's a beautiful morning here in Reykjavik, time to get ready for more exploration and learning. Another packed day of learning and new experiences. Today began with a walk to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We had 3 presentation/discussions from an expert on trade, security and defense, and Iceland's participation and former chairmanship of the Arctic Council. One of the important take aways from today was that "good relations are not self-evident and need to be nurtured and reaffirmed." Like always I will post more information when I have time.
We then went to the Arni Magnusson Institute of Icelandic Studies. They brought out a couple of preserved Icelandic Sagas for us to view under glass. The conservation expert talked about some of the ways she works with preservation of these amazing documents. The last fun excursion today was Flyover Iceland, the immersive flyover experience. Beautiful scenery from all over Iceland was shown as we simulated being in the air. Not going to lie, but I had to close my eyes during some of the extreme dips and turns. More later, but for now I must as always review my notes and prepare for another wonderful but busy day tomorrow. Yesterday, June 23, we spent most of the day at the Ministry of Education learning about the Icelandic Education System. Again I will have to post more details later as I do not have much time this morning, but it was interesting to see the differences and similarities between education in Iceland and the US. One similarity is Iceland is facing a teacher shortage and they discussed their 5 year action plan which they hope will help that issue. We also had a tour of an Icelandic preschool and the Hjalli School Model. More later on Icelandic Education.
In the evening we had a reception at the residence of the Chief of Mission for the US(the home of the US Ambassador, who is not currently in place, but again information for another post). It was a beautiful top floor apartment overlooking the city of Reykjavik. I had wonderful conversations with the current Chief of Mission for the US and some of the education policy experts we had heard lectures from earlier in the day, plus some great photo opportunities. Since we were inside most of the day I've included some photos from my morning run and from the Chief of Mission residence. Off to get ready for another busy day. It was my first full day in Iceland and it was incredible from beginning to end. The day began with a tour of the Althingi(the Parliament House) and a tour of the Children's Parliament in which they demonstrated how they engage students in government. We then walked to the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources where we had presentations which highlighted several topics including their pledge for carbon neutrality by 2040. We then took a bus to another site where we heard a lecture about the UNESCO Geothermal Training Program. We hopped back on the bus over to the University of Iceland where we heard 2 lectures from professors and experts in their field on sustainable cities and geology in Iceland.
The biggest event of the day was a visit with the President of Iceland, H.E. Guðni Th. Johannesson at the presidential residence, Bessastaðir. We were served tea and kleinur(Icelandic donuts) while we sat and had a discussion of his work, his role, and education. Later I will post more about that discussion, but for now I must review my notes from today and our agenda for tomorrow and get some sleep. As a fascinating side note it's almost midnight here and still quite light out. The photo I took of the church, Hallgrimskirkja, was taken around 10pm this evening. I have arrived in Iceland. The airport arrival was incredibly efficient as we went straight from customs to the PCR test to the bus. Now we have to quarantine at the hotel until we get the results of this second test which should happen within the next few hours. Viktor, a Fulbright Program Officer, met us at the airport and has done a truly wonderful job arranging our travel and accommodations. The weather is cool, rainy, and quite foggy so it was difficult to see much this morning. The biggest take away so far has been meeting the 15 other educators in this group and hearing about their lives and work. What a dynamic group of people.
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