Long Island

1/26/11

Where to start. This week has been so busy. First of all I moved out to Hempstead. It's a whole other world out here. I had orientation for like 3 days, met my new roommates and signed up for classes. I went to my first oncampus basketball game. Which was interesting. Hofstra towels flying around in the ai cheerleaders and danceteams. It was great. Afterwords we went to Bar Social, close by campus, where we had some beers, most of the people in there where students.
The classes I've signed up for seem interesting. Tomorrow my first photoclass and today I had some language classes.

Being here is so different from the University of Amsterdam. Everything is in one place and it feels like you're really a part of some group, because everybody you see all day is pretty much one of your fellow students. It's cool.

I'll post some pictures soon and tell you more about my adventure, but for now, just know that I'm doing really well and everything is nice.

My roommates are all very nice, we live in a cosy house!

bye now,

New York New York

So my trip continues as I arrive in NYC. The big apple is as I remembered. Booming, happening, always awake.

The last week in Iceland was nice, with trips to the blue lagoon and long mornings. My fellow traveler left me there, she returned to the Netherlands and my last days were slow. I spent some time with friends and family and enjoyed the nothingness.
But I must say it feels good to be back with the living again.

It is weird to see how easy it is to slip back into the city. It feels like I have never left and I feel very in sync with my surroundings.
Today I'm taking the train out to Long Island to see what my new home looks like. Moving in will be this weekend I guess. Can't wait to get settled in there.

Since I came I've been enjoying the city. Sunday brunch and a movie, Monday city walk and the moma and today it's back to reality.School starts next week and i need to get to working!

Barnafoss

After some complicated conversation we could finally all agree on going for a little drive. Landscapes i have seen many times in my youth where our destination. But as I wanted to share them with my friend I was sure we would have nice day out. The weather was even colder then the day before and as we stood by the waterfalls at Hraunarfoss and Barnafoss we were almost unable to enjoy the view before us. The clear blue water making it´s way through the lava rocks is however one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. On the way we laughed much, my grandfather did not understand why so many stops where being made to take so many pictures of mountains, rivers and clouds. This is the land he has known for his 70-80 years of life and he is not fascinated by it much.
The night ended in game of cards and a bottle of vodka, Reyka Vodka, Lava-stone-filtered.

Brenna

On the third day of the year we traveled on. We were headed north-east to a valley not to far from Reykjavík. We left in the late morning as it was just becoming light. We arrived around lunch and after eating we decided to go for a walk up the hill behind the farm. We passed the horses, and the old farm halfway up. Then as the hill became steeper and our steps heavier, the wind wilder we started to see everything beneath us becoming smaller and smaller. When we had finally reached the top the wind was extremely heavy. It started blowing tiny little snowflakes in our faces. All we could see was rocks. Nothing grew up there. We took some pictures as our noses were becoming numb in the wind. On our way down the hill we saw a dead horse, covered in plastic which was held down by old car wheels. The sight of the dead animal in the field was one we were certainly not used to, but it made us think of a different standard of living.

When we reached the house it was almost time for dinner. But as nobody was hungry we all had a plate of skyr (Icelandic yogurt). After this fantastic dinner we drove off into the dark night to bathe in a hot spring nearby. The wind was still blowing and it was very cold outside but it did not however stop us from undressing and getting into the water. The experience was amazing as we were sitting there hardly able to see each others faces because of the dark . It was very bright that night, millions of stars filling the sky and vague memories of Northern Lights flickering behind the mountains.

1-2-2011

A group of 4 drove off into the Icelandic wilderness. Visiting the geysers and Gullfoss. It was interesting to see it in such different weather then I was used to. Fog filled the view and the sound around us somehow were strengthened by it. On our way to town we drove through þingvellir although we could not see anything. Just as unexpectedly as the sun had come up it went down again and all we could see was the black sky surrounding us. As we neared the city we could see lights. Buildings and traffic lit up the sky and we left the black behind us. We drove down to the harbor to treat ourselves to a nice hot dog after a long day. Bæjarins beztu pylsur famous for being the best in town. We then went for drinks at Kaffibarin where the night took an interesting turn as we met some of the most unexpected people. A vegan chef from Mozambique now living in Norway, The tall slow speaking Icelander, Svein Jónson nr 101 in his family and the aspiring (although aged) actor from Manchester. We spoke of traveling, loving, living. We spoke of Björk and Icelandic women. But most of all we spoke off al the different reasons we had all been drawn to this special place where this very special night was occurring.

2011 1-1-2011

The first day of the new year is always kind of strange. Hungover in my bed I try and think of the year that has passed. But all I can say is that it came in went and nothing really happened. 2011 however is a promise of all that is new and I´m excited to get started. So I will sleep again.