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Iceland

May 2019
May - June 2019 Read more
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  • TravelerIceland
    Day 8

    Service Work in Iceland Part 2!

    May 20, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    11) What about the service experiences is different than the service we do on the team at home?

    Service work conducted in Iceland compared to service work in Winfield, Kansas is superficially similar. In both places, we do various tasks such as cleaning or repairing structures to help individuals or organizations in need. However, after close examination one obvious difference arises. At home, the people we are doing the service work for generally live in our community and we often see the impact of our work right away or over the following weeks as we drive by the sites where we were working. Differently, in Iceland, we were only conducting service at the sites for a couple of days and then we left with the idea that we would most likely never directly encounter that community again. One would generally assume that it would be harder to foster a connection to the work we were conducting but at both Daladýrđ and the “Meet Us Don’t Eat Us” service, our leaders took this into consideration and took extra effort to close this bridge so I almost felt I was making more of a difference in the work I was doing for the people in Iceland than I do at some of the service projects at home. This picture is of me carrying a kid (baby goat) out to the playground we built for Beggy and his family to celebrate the work we did at their petting zoo, which was one way they helped us feel the impact of our hard work.

    Kouzes and Posner suggest exemplary leaders should “treat every job as an adventure.” What have you learned about how to do this on this trip?

    In our service work at Daladýrđ, there were several aspects of this job that felt more like exciting opportunities than work. Using the job to learn as much as I could about the family we were working for and their home and livelihood made the experience more fulfilling and exciting than just mindless work. Learning to celebrate and have fun while doing work or on breaks was also crucial to enjoying the experience. Beggy exemplified this well when we would take breaks for Lolli-waffles or play with the animals. Having a positive mindset allows one to have a better experience with any job and many times, it does feel like an adventure.    Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 8

    Making Connections

    May 20, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    12) What kind of influence will this trip have on you as a leader?

    Before traveling to Iceland, I had little to no exposure to life outside the United States. I had not traveled internationally so I did not know what to expect or how to manage all these new experiences. It was a whirlwind of new: new foods, a new language, new culture, new landscapes, new currency, new activities. Many times I felt overwhelmed by all of these foreign experiences, and I longed for a small taste of home. For the most part, though, I felt like a sponge: I tried to soak up as much information and details as I could about the country and its people. There was so much I had never been exposed to, like the fact that some children know four more languages than I did at the age of nine, or the fact that tea and coffee were served with every, single, meal (not just for breakfast). Understanding that there are people around the world that have completely different lifestyles than I do is important when leading a group of people. Deepening one’s sense of variation and building awareness of differences allows one to have empathy for their followers. By realizing not every person’s experiences are the same, the mind of a leader is broadened so they can better understand how to work cohesively with others. An important aspect of building awareness is recognizing the varied values of others and what motivates or inspires them. Experiencing a different culture firsthand instead of just reading or researching it allowed me as a leader to be more open to new ideas, new customs, new traditions. Before meeting Beggy at Daladýrđ, I would have never completely understood the importance of completing a task correctly because the livelihood of him and his family depended upon that project withstanding time and nature. Now, as a leader, I have a broader view of the world and the daily lives of the people living in it, increasing my ability to build stronger connections and relationships with those surrounding me.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 8

    Mývatn Nature Baths

    May 20, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    13) Iceland has several geothermal hot springs where tourists can swim and experience the pleasure of an outdoor pool in Iceland. We stopped at the Mývatn Nature Baths and relaxed for a couple of hours after a long day of work and travel.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 9

    Music and Nature

    May 21, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    14) 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?

    The Icelandic leader I researched was Björk, a popular Icelandic musician. The goal of several of her albums was to increase awareness for the beautiful geography of Iceland, such as the mountains, volcanos, glaciers, waterfalls, fjords, bays, and more. Much of Björk’s inspiration for the music she created came from the landscape she grew up around in Iceland. Prior to visiting the country, I was able to look at pictures to see why Björk was so passionate about the environment; however, the pictures did not completely capture the total experience of visiting the island and seeing all the landmasses for myself. While traveling throughout Iceland, I was able to view many different landscapes and geographical land masses—all of which make the country beautiful to view. It was breathtaking and I gained a better understanding of why Björk was so inspired by the landscape. I understood more completely why she would advocate for protecting the beauty around her, as it was truly unique and it would be a tragedy to see it destroyed by harsh, gray factories creating pollution. The environmentalist movement was an important piece of the context surrounding Björk and her actions as a leader. The movement impacted many of her values, such as a love for nature and music, and the education of the people of Iceland. Thus, her actions as a leader reciprocated these strong feelings and beliefs, demonstrated when she created several albums surrounding the environment, or when she publicly supported or disagreed with organizations making changes in the geography of Iceland.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 9

    On the Coast

    May 21, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    15) The next stop on our timeline was in Seyðisfjörður, where we did service work for the Blue Church and a nearby cemetery. The town itself was tiny and beautiful, as it was nestled in a valley right next to the ocean. Coming to and from Seyðisfjörður we had to take a treacherous mountain road; however, I think this was one of my favorite parts of the trip because the scenery was so beautiful while driving (when it wasn't covered by dense fog).Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 10

    (Water)falling for Iceland

    May 22, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    16) The second day of our service in Seyðisfjörður, the caretaker of the nearby cemetery took a small group of us outside the town to hike to a few waterfalls. I hiked as close as I could to the waterfalls and it was absolutely gorgeous. Talking with our guide was difficult at times due to the language barrier but it had improved significantly over the few days we were with him as he shared with us stories about his personal life.Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 10

    Beach Day!

    May 22, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    17) We stopped at several black sand beaches on our way to our final destination in Iceland. There were "diamonds" on several of the beaches as pieces of glaciers broke off and washed ashore; however, one lucky ship got a real diamond as well!Read more

  • TravelerIceland
    Day 12

    Context and Culture

    May 24, 2019 in Iceland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    20) In regards to the contextual factors, talk about one and what you learned while we were in the country that helped you understand that factor in more depth?

    The economy of Iceland is a huge contextual factor when viewing leadership and the country itself. Iceland had an economic collapse in 2008 that affected virtually everyone in the country. Banks and businesses were going bankrupt and many struggled financially. The boom of the tourist industry in Iceland helped the country recover. I did not realize prior to visiting the country that tourism is the main source of income for the country now. I assumed fishing was still the largest industry. Staying in Reykjavík allowed me to see how many stores and businesses rely heavily on tourists for profit, as there are streets upon streets of stores for tourists to buy t-shirts, sweaters, hats, and more. The increase in tourism also explains one reason for why so many Icelanders speak English fluently, as the shop keepers interact with tourists every single day and practice speaking the language often.

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

    Food and the nutritional diet of a typical Icelander were very interesting to note while visiting the country. Prior to traveling, I understood that there was much more fish in the diet than I was used to, but I did not realize how utterly different the cuisine was. When we visited the grocery store, beef and chicken—which are staples in the American diet—were limited in availability and the prices were quite expensive. Instead, I was able to try many different fish options which were all unique and some were tastier than others. I also did not realize how popular lamb was in their diet. It was quite common to find lamb on a restaurant menu; yet, this factor makes sense as sheep are common livestock in the country. Many of the fresh fruits and vegetables in Iceland are imported into the country due to the difficulty of growing them in the harsh environment; however, upon visiting the Friđheimar, we learned that some produce is grown with greenhouse technology. Tomatoes grown in the Friđheimar tasted just like tomatoes we have in America but they were fresher and local, as they were grown right there in the restaurant. It was a unique opportunity to experience Icelandic cuisine and note the stark differences between it and American cuisine.    Read more

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