I ended last Saturday afternoon a bit lonely and a bit disappointed with my social progress. Sibbi and Disa had left me home alone for the weekend, and I glumly thought, “I’ve been in this country for two weeks and I haven’t met anyone my age.” I had ventured downtown to check out a concert, but just ended up eating a ton of ice cream. It was of low quality, and I considered making a post on www.cryingwhileeating.com, but decided against it. Disenchanted and cold (from the inside out) I wandered back up the 30-minute walk to my house.
I rounded a corner and noticed a trickle of water flowing down the side of the road. The trickle became a thin stream as I ascended, and the stream thickened with every step I took uphill. The stream followed me home, or rather, it led me home. The water coming downhill matched every turn I took uphill.
I made my last turn and saw the water’s source. A group of 20-something people had filled an inflatable pool with hot (geothermal) water. Geothermal water is pumped to every house in Akureyri, not heated in boilers, so filling this pool cost about 50 cents. The bathers sipped beers and chatted in the steam. This pool literally sat in front of my house – the son of the man who shares my duplex took the liberty of filling and overflowing the pool, hence the street’s new river emanated from my front door.
For some still mysterious reason I figured that the best way to get invited into the pool was to seem really American. Don’t ask me why. I just figured that blatant Americanism would start a conversation. I said, “howdy yall.” They all looked up. I thought, "I have made a grave mistake. I have triggered some deeply rooted Viking atavism. These Vikings view me as an intruder, and now I will die at the hands of bucksome blonde Viking women and their stout Viking men, drowned in the very waters I came here to study. I will be clubbed like a seal, speared like a whale. I know how these people operate...savages!"
Psyche. One of the Icelanders asked me to join. I felt like a freshman in high school again. The popular kids want to hang out with me! I ran inside and got changed. These “stout Vikings” turned out to be players on the Icelandic National Hockey Team. After an hour or so in the pool (and lots of questioning about my American heritage) they invited me inside, then to a house party in another part of town. Later we went to a nightclub where I think the average age was 19. My new friends Orri and Andri informed me that, “The most famous gay DJ in all of Iceland is playing tonight.” Yes, THE Paul Oscar presided.
Paul Oscar, decked in sequins, sweated and vibrated his way across the stage for six hours. After his last set, he pointed at me (the hockey players got us to the front row) and gestured me to the stage. Paul personally and singularly gave me a signed copy of his best-of album that says, “I heart U.” The party ended at 6:00 AM with sandwiches of cheese, beef, and French fries between béarnaise coated bread slices. I imagined translating the restaurant's name as, "Aggressively Seeking Heart Attacks."
I woke up at 2:00 PM the following day and rented a sail boat to explore my fjord. After sailing I got a text from Orri. He invited me over to his house with some other friends to barbeque puffin. Orri had hunted the semi-penguin-looking birds with a giant lacrosse stick. He plucked them from the air while perching on the edge of a massive cliff in northern Iceland. I got to see videos. We spent the evening cleaving dark puffin meat from breast bones, marinading, and finger licking. The bird is delicious! The night ended with vague plans for kayaking, rock climbing, and motorcycle riding next week.
The following day Sibbi and Disa returned, and we drove out to a region of fresh lava flows (photo at top of post, Sibbi featured) and geothermal power plants to learn the local geology and get a tour of a generating facility. We also checked out an awesome water fall (below).
Sibbi and Disa were very proud of my weekend exploits and social integration. I cooked a big meal of fish, risotto and salad to celebrate, and everyone went to bed burping happily. The End.
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