Icelandic Myths Dispelled...Thank God

So my flight from LAX to Boston went relatively smooth. Once I arrived in Boston I waited at the gate for the CELL group to arrive. While I was waiting, I met a girl who lives in Iceland. Her name was Astrid and she had just finished studying abroad in California for the summer. What a coincidence, right? Anyway she dispelled some popular myths about Iceland for me. Based on a Vanity Fair article that I had read before traveling, I had two major concerns about Iceland. I needed to know if it was true that a majority of Icelanders believe that elves exist and if it was true that Icelanders were so inbred that only 7 last names existed in the entire country ( The Vanity Fair article claimed both of these ridiculous statements as facts). Luckily Astrid was kind enough to answer both. She informed me that Icelanders love their mythical sagas because they are part of the country's rich history, not because they actually believe in them. As far as incest goes, there are many more than 7 last names in the country. Moral of the story, never take anything seriously that you read in Vanity Fair.
Overall, I felt a little embarrassed, but for the most part I felt relieved that I was not traveling to a country full of superstitious lunatics. Astrid was also kind enough to give me her phone number and told me that she would be glad to show me around Reykjavik. Hopefully I can meet up with her sometime, though I am pretty sure the CELL program would not want me to wander away on my own.

You're in Iceland? What?

So a little background for those of you who have no clue what I am actually doing in Iceland. This fall semester instead of beginning my junior year attending classes at Cornell University, I have instead opted to study abroad in Iceland for one semester. I initially chose to participate in the CELL (Center for Ecological Living and Learning) study abroad program for two main reasons : A. The entire program is geared toward environmental science majors, and I am essentially an environmental science major, though technically on paper my major reads as SNES (Science of Natural and Environmental Systems), and B. I would get to travel to Iceland! Not only is Iceland a highly industrialized, and prosperous (before the financial crisis) country, it is also a leader in renewable energy sources and technologies because it is literally a hotbed for geothermal activity. Iceland is also known for its pristine natural beauty, its rich viking history, and of course Bjork. How could I resist the opportunity, right? So anyway the CELL program is takes place at Solheimar, which is about an hours drive from Rekyjavik, the capital of Iceland. Solheimar is an eco-village that caters to people with special needs. Here I will be taking 5 classes including: Sustainability: Secrets of Sumplicity, Sustainability through Community, Global Warming, Crossroads Thinking, and Iceland Culture, History, and Language. I will also be going on weekly field trips, and participating in various arts and crafts workshops. Lastly throughout my 3 month stay, I am told that the emphasis will be on community and community building, so I am sure that during the week I will also be interacting with the residence of Solheimar as well.