Where to even begin… This morning as I was leaving the Brim Hotel at the bright hour of 4 am (see the picture above), I was able to take the chance to reflect on the entirety of this trip. While it feels like months ago that we were in Quebec City, I am able to see how I have grown as a teacher, learner, friend, traveler, and person throughout these three weeks. I want to focus on three main things that I learned. First, I cannot look at one issue without considering the many angles and issues that intersect with it. One example of this is environmental sustainability. When considering what is sustainable for a community, someone must also look at poverty, education, health, business, and many other sides of the issue. You cannot only look at how often someone recycles as a measure of sustainability as many may believe. Second, we each have a unique profession and calling so that we can learn and shed light on our specialties together, not so that we are each put into a separate corner. As a teacher, I need help from a variety of professions. Not only will I work with a principal, counselor, diagnostician, school nurse, and others within my own occupation, but I will also need the help of people from a variety of fields. For example, in working with a child who is in foster care, I could interact with his or her social worker. Additionally, I may work with a nurse if he or she has any medical issues or even learning differences such as ADHD. Third, the gender gap and various gender issues manifest themselves in so many areas. Someone cannot only look at the gender pay gap alone to measure gender equality. How about the percentage of women and men in the workforce? Or the amount of time men spend with their children? This issue manifests itself in many facets of our society, and in seeking justice and equality, we must consider all sides of the issue. It has been a pleasure to share my growth and learning with you all, and I hope you have learned something along the way! While my journey home is not complete and I have two flights ahead of me, I am looking forward to showering in egg-free water and seeing darkness outside my window when I fall asleep!

Until next time,                                                                                                                            Just a Teacher and Her Passport

Unfortunately, today is our last day in Iceland. Later this afternoon we will hold our final debate where Jordan and I will discuss the differences in human trafficking and prostitution in the US, Canada, and Iceland as well as how the varying governments deal with this issue. This morning we are back in our favorite coffee shop, Reykjavik Roasters, ready to continue our research and prepare for our debate. It is hard to believe that our time studying abroad is coming to a close. It is even harder to picture showing up in Quebec City three weeks ago. It feels as if time has flown by but has also moved at snail pace. I am excited to take these learning experiences with me as an educator but also as an informed citizen. This trip has taught me that is okay to be unaware of issues and injustices that occur in our world, but it is not okay to sit in that unawareness. A part of seeking justice in our world is to be willing to learn and grow and confront the issues and injustices that you find.

This morning we embarked on our last tour of the trip, the Golden Circle Tour. We visited two waterfalls, a crater, a geyser, and the rift between the North American and European tectonic plates. The picture above shows the Kerið crater. We learned that the crater was most likely formed by a small magma chamber beneath the crater. The water in the crater does not empty but rather rises and falls due to changes in the water table. The crater was formed approximately 6,500 years ago. It is about 270 meters long (about 886 feet), 170 meters wide (about 558 feet), and between 7 and 14 meters in depth (about 23 to 46 feet). The crater is part of Iceland’s Western Volcanic Zone. Many craters are hidden by vegetation, but three craters, including this one, are clearly visible. This crater stood out to me not only because of its size but also because of its immense beauty.

Later in the day, we visited Gullfoss nature preserve where the waterfall is permanently protected and preserved for visitors to see. Gullfoss was given its name because of the golden evening hue which covers its water as well as the rainbow that typically appears when the sunshine hits water spray. Some even speculate that a farmer’s treasure is buried beneath the spray of the falls. Before Gullfoss was made into a nature preserve, the waterfall was leased to foreign investors by the farmer of the land. His daughter, however, fought to make the contract void, and even though her attempt failed in court, she continued to fight until the investor left the waterfall alone. The farmer’s daughter is considered to be the first environmentalist of Iceland who fought to keep nature’s beauty.

This morning we planned to take a tour of Iceland’s parliament. However, parliament was unexpectedly still in session, so we were actually able to sit in on a hearing rather than take a tour. I was able to compare this parliamentary hearing to one that would be held in the United States. Iceland’s parliament has around fifty members; however, only one-third of the members were in attendance. It was very casual, and that one-third was even wandering in and out of the room while people were talking. Most people were on their phone or computer, and one man even walked in with mismatched socks and no shoes. Even though we weren’t able to understand the debates going on (since they were in Icelandic), it was very interesting to use even just what we are able to see to compare the American and Icelandic governments.

After our visit to parliament, lunch, and some shopping, we took the ferry over to Videy Island. The ferry ride was only about five minutes, but it felt like a different world. This little house was all that you could see from the dock. We spent our time on the island outside of this little house enjoying the view and a cup of coffee.

Today was our second day off, and we all decided to go on a tour of Snæfellsnes National Park. Going into the tour, I did not know what to expect, but I was bombarded by the beauty of the country around every corner. While I loved the South Coast tour, this tour took us off the beaten path, and our tour guide showed us so many natural beauties. The picture above is of one of the waterfalls we visited. I love this waterfall because from it, you see the mountains in one direction and the ocean in the other. In fact, that was the view of most of our day.

Later in the day, we visited a black sand beach. This beach was stunning because of the rock formations that lined the coast. Again I was amazed to see how few people were enjoying this view. It reminded me of my grandmother’s town in California where my cousins and I grew up climbing on the rocks by the water. Iceland is such a unique place because it combines all types of landscapes into one country. I wish I could stay here weeks to explore because there are so many places to explore.

Side note: today made me thankful for this crazy, sweet family of mine. They’re currently climbing those rocks (see above), and I can’t wait to see them in four days!

Today was our first of three days on the Iceland City Card. We started off the day together at Kjarvalsstaoir, a local art museum. We visited two exhibits that featured local Icelandic artists. I really enjoyed the exhibits because they did not only showcase the final products but also the process. One sketch was even done on hotel stationery because you never know when inspiration will strike. We then broke off into groups, and my new friends and I went to Ásmundarsafn. This art museum contains the sculptures of Ásmundur Sveinsson. While walking around, a curator was able to explain the stories behind multiple pieces which really brought them to life. The sculptures in the museum were merely duplicates, and the real sculptures are scattered around this city. We have now been on the lookout for the sculptures around the city and have already spotted two.

Later in the day, we visited the zoo. The Icelandic zoo was very different than an American zoo. As shown in the picture above, it was more like a farm divided into sections. There was a cow section, a duck section, a sheep section, a goat section, a reindeer section, and a horse section. There were also various animals in the center of the zoo such as pigs and chickens. After visiting the Icelandic environmental organization, I started to consider if the animals were being properly cared for. I came to the conclusion that some may not be. The seals, for example, were gigantic and did not have much room to swim in, and on the other hand, the reindeer were so thin that I could see their ribs. While I do not know much about the care of animals, I could see that some of the animals need more attention.

Today we embarked on one of our group tours of the South Coast. While I have loved going to various organizations to learn about Iceland, there is something so special about spending time in the nature of Iceland and learning more about the country’s history beyond the city. During the south coast tour, we visited two waterfalls, a glacier, and the black sand beach. Visiting the glacier reminded me of what we had learned about at the environmental organization. Unfortunately, much of the glacier has melted, so it was devastating to see how this diminishing size affected the area. While the rock formations were still gorgeous, it was a clear loss to the area.

The picture above showcases the second waterfall we visited. Each site we visited continued to amaze me and seemed to be more beautiful than the last. This particular waterfall was stunning to me for two reasons. First, there were less tourists, so we were able to appreciate the true nature of the waterfall. Second, a rainbow appeared at the end of the waterfall. Rainbows hold a special place in my heart because they remind me of hope and a promise. A promise that the beauty of nature is good and lovely. While I could take about this forever, there is something amazing about how nature is such a reflection of goodness and beauty yet we as humans also can reflect this beauty in the way we love and treat one another. This is significant because it shows how all these things that we discuss, all the social issues, are connected and can boil down to how we treat one another. How would we treat others differently if we saw beauty in one another as we see in nature?

This morning we visited Landvernd, the environmental NGO of Iceland. The name of this organization translates to mean “protector of the land.” The women who spoke with us presented on how her organization is working towards sustainability. In her words, sustainability is acting as a steward of the land rather than an owner. An example she gave of this was a local farmer in Iceland who was approached by a power company to sell her land. As an owner of the land, she could have sold her land and made more money than she did raising sheep; however, as a steward of her land, she realized that the company would drown the land to extract energy and thus destroy the land. As a steward rather than an owner, she could not allow this to happen. The woman also shared with us that sustainability also comes in other forms. Educating women, for example, is sustainable because it will make impacts far beyond the education itself. She taught us that we could make small changes such as reducing our use of plastic, driving more sustainably, and eating consciously. While I believe that these are changes that I could make, after leaving the organization I began to consider how for many in our country this is not possible. From a position of monetary security, it is realistic to make these changes, but how can we better care for those in our countries who, for example, live in food deserts and consciously eating is not even an option? How do we not only live sustainably ourselves but also help those around us who do not have the privilege of being able to live this way?

After visiting this organization, we visited Reykjavik Roasters, a local coffee shop, to work on our blogs as well as our final debate. Jordan and I are researching and will be presenting on how human trafficking and prostitution affect women differently across the US, Canada, and Iceland and how there are varying social and cultural determinates that affect this issue.

This afternoon we visited one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions on our day off, Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon was created in 1976 with the water coming from the neighboring geothermal power plant. While the lagoon was formed and is thus not naturally occurring, the water does completely renew itself every 48 hours. The average temperature of the water is 102 degrees Fahrenheit all year. Additionally, the water contains minerals such as silica that are said to be great for your skin. With the basic entry to the lagoon, we were given a towel and a locker for our things as well as a complimentary drink and silica mask once we entered the pool. Additional drinks and masks were available for purchase without leaving the water.

We left our hotel at 4:30 pm and were taken to the Blue Lagoon by bus where we arrived around 5:30 pm. After checking in, showering, and changing, we finally made it to the lagoon. With the chilly weather, the water felt wonderful, and I can hardly imagine how great it would feel during the winter as well as how pretty it would be with snow on the ground. We stayed at the lagoon for about three hours to soak in the warmth and minerals and enjoy the relaxing water. While there were many people, the vast expanse of the lagoon made it feel less crowded. Going to the Blue Lagoon and having a morning to rest was a great way to care for ourselves in the midst of all our busy touring and learning. While there are many lagoons and thermal pools in Iceland, I can see why so many people want to visit the Blue Lagoon.

This morning we visited Kvenréttindafélag Íslands, the women’s rights organization in Iceland. We discussed not only political issues involving women but also social issues. One topic that we discussed was a new law that requires companies with more than fifty employees to hire at least 40% women and no more than 60% men. If a company does not fulfill this requirement, they receive a daily fine. The woman who spoke with us explained that one change she believes would benefit women as a whole in any country would be free daycare. When a woman does not need to worry about how to care for her children while she is at work, she is free to work as well as to pursue a career and a family.

After visiting the organization, we had the remainder of the afternoon free. Earlier in the week we walked near the water but did not walk away from the city, so today we just started walking. The views we were able to see were amazing. I cannot wait for the three tours we have coming up that will allow us to go further from the city and see more of the mountains, the cliffs, and the glaciers.