CAMRY DEAN
Staff Writer
For the past two summers, I’ve been able to say that I’ve been in two places at one time. Literally.
Last June, I traveled to England with Fredonia’s Literary London program. We visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, and I made it a goal to stand with one foot on each side of the Prime Meridian.
Basically, I stood on both sides of the world at the same time.
This summer, I traveled to Iceland with the Magical Iceland program, and on one of our free days, a group of us decided to go snorkeling. This wasn’t just any snorkeling trip, but then again, nothing you do in Iceland is normal.
Þingvallavatn Lake in the Þingvellir National Park in Iceland is home to Silfra, a rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plate. The separation has resulted in a fissure full of just above freezing, completely clear and 100 percent drinkable fresh water, making it a perfect spot to snorkel and scuba-dive (if you’re certified).
So in addition to standing on both sides of the world at one time, I’ve also stared down at what looked like the center of the Earth, in some of the clearest water on the planet, and I didn’t even care that I couldn’t feel half of my face.
For almost two weeks, our 12-plus hour days were filled of doing more of these incredible things in some of the most breathtaking spots you could ever visit.
Our first three days were spent at Sólheimar Eco-village, just an hour outside of Iceland’s capital city, Reykjavík.
During our time spent at the village, our group learned about Icelandic culture, language and politics, all while being surrounded by mountains and fields of wild flowers and catching the occasional glimpse of a glacier in the distance.
The village is considered a pioneer in organic farming, and it currently has almost 100 individuals, both with and without special needs. Sólheimar believes in reverse integration, where those without special needs adapt to the lives of those with them, creating an environment of potential and equality.
Because of the Sólheimar’s emphasis on sustainability and nature, at 9 a.m. every morning, those who lived and volunteered at the village met in the grass to listen and meditate to the sounds of the earth. Our morning meetings concluded with holding hands and singing along to an Icelandic song.
I’m not just saying this because I think our adviser might be reading, but I’ve never felt so grounded and connected to the earth. It was truly a life-changing experience.
Our entire trip was.
After our days in Sólheimar, we explored everything southwestern Iceland had to offer. This included hiking the Solheimajokull glacier and having a picnic at the bottom, going on a seven-mile hot-spring hunt and off-roading to find black sand beaches.
We were even able to be true Icelanders for a night and watch Iceland defeat Austria in Reykjavik city center during Euro 2016. The natives didn’t even care if you were a tourist wearing a blue, red and white scarf you just bought moments ago, as long as you were drinking pilsner and cheering for the island.
While the incredible views and opportunities are enough to make anyone want to visit, my favorite part was just being on an island that is constantly referred to as “one of the happiest countries on Earth.”
Reykjavík is one of the safest cities in the world. Not only can you venture off at 3 a.m. because of the 24-hour daylight in the summer, but also because there’s virtually no violent crime. Almost a third of all Icelanders own a firearm, but there’s been less than 10 gun-related deaths a year since 1997. Police in Iceland only carry batons and pepper-spray.
In terms of politics, while volunteering at Sólheimar, the resident who runs the community garden advised us that once a government starts caring more about making money and less about the well-being of its people, you’re in trouble.
Paid for by taxes, Icelanders receive free healthcare and secondary-level education tuition, up to nine months of paid maternity and paternity leave, and as a country with a little more than 300,000 citizens, they currently only have 105 prisoners in mostly open or low security prisons. Iceland’s open prisons require little supervision, security, and prisoners are usually responsible for taking care of themselves, which includes employment. Individuals convicted of low-level crimes can even serve their sentence with their family in Sólheimar.
In Iceland, you’re able to see first-hand how different forms of policies work for the small country, and in my opinion, it allows you to become more open-minded.
Next summer’s program departs a few days after Commencement in May and is interdisciplinary, so any major is welcome. As an English major, I had no formal training in the sciences when I visited, but Iceland should be a dream for any science major, especially geology.
If you have any questions, contact professor Iclal Vanwesenbeeck.
Go to Iceland. Eat horrible dried fish. Soak in a hot spring. Get a tattoo at midnight at Irezumi Ink (sorry mom), explore underground lava tubes, volunteer at an eco-village and talk politics with the village gardener.
It’ll change your entire outlook on life.