I was asked to tell you more about my year as an exchange student in Iceland in 1992, so here goes! Just over twenty years ago, I spent a whole year as an exchange student in Iceland. I was 17 years old and living with a family on Hemön, south of the Icelandic mainland. I went to the local high school and participated in life on the island. Here is my story!
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Learning the language
I was in secondary school and could choose which subjects I wanted to participate in. Among other things, I studied Danish. A course in Icelandic for beginners was not available on the island, so I had to learn by listening and practising. In the beginning it was very difficult, but suddenly one day it was like I understood what everyone around was talking about... a fascinating experience!
Home Island
Hemön has only around 5000 inhabitants and to get to the Reykjavik you have to fly or take a ferry. I did a school trip to Reykjavik during the year, but otherwise you were "stuck" on the island. I joined a theatre society and made some friends. I mostly hung out with Icelanders, but I also got to know the two other exchange students on the island: a guy from Australia and a guy from Honduras. Both had chosen to go to 'Europe'. ... and ended up here of all places!
Wolf winter
The winter of 1992 was a wolf winter in Iceland, and it snowed so much that the cars on the streets disappeared under the snow. The exchange student from Honduras decided not to even go out... The rest of us, of course, braved the snow, but one day it was so windy that all the students at the high school were picked up in bandwagons... An interesting year, of course, but a long time ago now. It will be incredibly exciting to go back to Iceland on Friday!
Read more about Iceland
After my year as an exchange student in Iceland, I have been back to the country several times. Read more about Iceland:
- What do you eat in Iceland? 15 Icelandic specialities
- Icelandic traditions - Christmas celebrations and Þorrablót
- Around Iceland by car - 9 places you must see
- Facts about Iceland - 30 things you (might) not have known
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Frankie & Co says:
Oh! Thanks for the interesting story, I thought so too
03 September 2012 - 8:16
Pumita says:
Exciting! I guess Iceland is part of Europe too, but maybe it didn't turn out quite as your mates thought... must have been a real culture shock.
03 September 2012 - 9:28
admin says:
Pumita, well I think there was a pretty big culture clash...! The guy from Honduras had no clothes warm enough after September and the guy from Australia lost weight just eating fish....
03 September 2012 - 11:22
Catherine in Asia says:
Interesting, indeed! Not many people have been exchange students there, I suspect!
03 September 2012 - 13:38
Erik in Thailand says:
Nice to read about your experiences. I was down in France for a few months, and can really recognise myself in not knowing the language. It goes like in steps. Sometimes it feels like you don't learn anything and then feel that you know as much as possible.
Language is fun
03 September 2012 - 15:53
Across the board says:
What an experience to suddenly understand what was said. It will be exciting to hear how long it takes you to discover the same thing now. Maybe it just says "poof" and the language is there
.
03 September 2012 - 16:58
admin says:
Erik in Thailand, yes it's a special feeling there... not understanding. And of course it goes in steps, quite difficult sometimes but fun then when you realise that it goes forward!
Across the board, yes... I think I'll be able to talk a bit. But that's the thing about vocabulary when you don't usually use the language... we'll see how it goes.
03 September 2012 - 20:06