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2019 SC Leadership Trip to Iceland Read more
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  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 1

    We're on the Road!

    May 13, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We’re off! After a slow start, Leadership SC’s adventure to Iceland has begun. We’ll be stopping off at Colby, Kansas, tonight, and then on to Denver in the morning.

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 2

    On the Plane!

    May 14, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We are on the plane! In a few hours, we will be in Iceland, ready to explore everything waiting for us. The flight attendants even gave out bottles of Icelandic water at the beginning of the flight! This was the first flight I have ever been on in which everything was written or advertised in Icelandic. Thank goodness the English translation was written right by it!Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 3

    First View of a Puffin!

    May 15, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    After the long eight-hour plane ride to Keflavik Airport, there was nothing I wanted more than to grab my bag and get out of that airport and finally see the beauty of Iceland for myself, but I didn't expect to see it so early in the trip! In the baggage claim area, a fake puffin hung from the ceiling to personally welcome us to Iceland and wish us well.Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 3

    Touring Reykjavik

    May 15, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    SC leadership team is finally in Iceland! After getting off the plane, we went to a bakery, took a tour of the city, and finished the day with a home-cooked authentic Iceland meal! We’re all exhausted, but excited for a new day in Reykjavík!Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 3

    Finally out of the Airport!

    May 15, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    #1 What kind of influence will this trip have on you as a leader?

    I believe all of the development opportunities that leaders can gain from traveling to different countries, such as managing uncertainty and gaining respect, will improve as a result of going on this trip, but the biggest influence this journey will have on me is that I will be gaining a variety learning opportunities. I will get out of this trip what I put in, and I plan on giving it my all. When I come across something that is new or an activity I haven’t done before, I often find myself standing in the back of the group watching others instead of participating, and that is the biggest habit that I want to change while on this trip. It will be scary and push me out of my comfort zone, but it will also be worth it and will help me continue to grow in my leadership journey.
    All around Reykjavik there are stickers or tags. Some of them are inspirational while others have no real meaning but to look cool. This sticker is one of the first I saw while in Reykjavik, and I feel like it set the mood for the entire trip. I was not going to hold myself back or let anyone else keep me from treating this trip as an adventure. I feel like I took everything Iceland offered me and learned from it, whether it was eating fermented shark or capturing the perfect picture of one of the many waterfalls. I don’t know if I will ever go back to Iceland, so I made to sure to create my own trip, one that I will remember for the rest of my life.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 3

    Monument to the Unknown Bureaucrat

    May 15, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    #2 What are you hoping to learn about yourself as a leader on this trip?

    On this service trip, I hope to learn how to handle stressful and frustrating situations in a more productive and helpful manner rather than in a way that ends up hurting the group's morale. In addition, I want to learn how to communicate more effectively with everyone around me during these types of situations, so that there is no gray area between what I am trying to say and what is understood. When irritating situations during a trip like this are handled in positive ways in which everyone in the group feels like he or she is understood, everyone can move forward faster and a bond is created that can’t be manufactured in any other setting.
    I believe that this statue, Monument to the Unkown Beauracrat created by Magnús Tómasson in 1994, can teach everyday leaders useful skills like how to better solve problems and improve communication. The statue depicts a leader who does a needed job, but not for the recognition or fame it will bring him or her. Instead, the leader completes the task because the people around need it done and not for any other reason. Working without expecting or needing a reward is an important part of being a leader because too often people take on roles that they are hoping will give them some kind of reward. The statue sits across from Reyjkavik’s city hall as a reminder to the civil servants that work there that they should be working for the benefit of others and not for themselves.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 4

    Meet Us, Don't Eat Us!

    May 16, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    #4 What about being in Iceland is a new experience for you?

    A new experience for me was the opportunity to advocate for animals - specifically, for whales. Being from Kansas, I've had very few encounters with whales and I've never thought about using them as a food source, but this is a regular practice that Icelanders think and debate about. I knew even before I came to Iceland and learned more about the commercial whaling topic that I did not want to eat whale meat, but I didn’t have a good reason for why, and some of the team that went on the trip even said that they weren’t against eating whale meat if they were offered it. The first night in Reykjavik, the team had the opportunity to eat a traditional Icelandic meal at an Icelander’s home. When she was asked about her opinion on eating whale meat, her answer was “Why wouldn’t we eat it?” Her answer made me question my view on it, because as an outsider who has very little knowledge of Iceland’s whaling situation, I feel like I should not be able to try and convince those who have lived in Iceland their entire lives to change an aspect about their culture. Through the Whales of Iceland exhibit as well as learning from leaders of the Meet Us Don’t Eat Us organization, I was able to defend my opinion against commercial whaling and believe in it wholeheartedly. I’ve never advocated for an animal species before, but I’m proud of the work I was able to do and hope that I did help the whales. Even if only one of the tourists I talked to decide to not eat whale meat, I will be happy.Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 4

    Whale Watching!

    May 16, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    It was a whale of a day because after helping the Meet Us Don't Eat Us organization, the team got to go on a whale watching expedition! Even though we only got to see the tails of the whales (and a few puffins), the experience was extremely beneficial to everyone in the group because we were able to see the creatures we're helping in their natural environment.Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 4

    The One and only Vigdis

    May 16, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    #5 In regards to the Icelandic leader that you researched, what did you learn while we were in the country that helped you understand him or her in more depth?

    Throughout the entire time the team was in Iceland, not once did I find a picture or drawing of Vigdis Finnbogadotir and that surprised me more than anything. It wasn’t the fact that we were fed raw reindeer or that hotdogs are considered a delicacy, it was that Vigdis’s image was not plastered on every single wall and billboard sign. She was the first democratically elected female that Iceland had ever had, beating out three male competitors for the presidency, and then she continued to be president for sixteen years. Despite the fact that her picture couldn’t be found or maybe because of it, I learned that Vigdis was truly one of the people: she worked for them and took their needs into consideration and didn’t work toward a personal agenda. I think the reason she wasn’t everywhere was that she was expected to work for the people, while in the U.S. most citizens know that there are lobbyists in the government and that they work to advantage themselves and big businesses. Due to her election to office, more women followed suit and made history themselves. While traveling the country I saw that the men did not outnumber the women in positions of authority, but that they were equal to each other. Because the number of citizens is so small, everyone in a town or village is needed to help get jobs done, leading to a more gender egalitarian society. This was the type of world Vigdis was born into, a world where anyone can be anything, no matter what their gender is. While walking the streets of Reykjavik I couldn’t help but wonder if Vigdis had walked these same streets just like me, dreaming of what she could do to change the world.Read more

  • TravelerIceland Service Trip
    Day 5

    Free Day in Reyjkavik!

    May 17, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    #6 In regards to cultural factors, talk about one and what you learned while we were in the country that helped you understand that factor in more depth.

    Iceland has several interesting factors that contribute to its extraordinarily rich culture, but I think one of the most important is their ability to expand on what art is and what it can mean. Iceland taught me that almost anything can be thought of as art as long as some creative thinking is involved, whether it's a man singing on the street, a pig in a sequinned leotard wearing a hat, or the step-by step instructions for how to wear a tie painted onto the side of a wall. Art is extremely important for a culture to express itself and Iceland is no exception. I saw how art is woven into every aspect of Icelandic culture very clearly during the free day in Reykjavik. When looking at their art from the outside, it seems very strange. Take their music industry, for example, especially famous singer and songwriter Bjork. It focuses more on sounds than on words, and Bjork uses her music to illustrate nature, very different from the U.S. were the songs that sell are the ones that have a catchy beat and be remembered easily. Icelandic art is constantly pushing boundaries and the traditional sense of what art actually is. A lot of the art that I saw included pieces that I think I could have done, but I didn’t. Someone looked at this pig and thought, “What if it had sequins? And would it look better if it were wearing a straw hat?” The creativity Icelanders have is unparalleled and leaves the rest of the world in awe.Read more

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