Reflections from Skálholt...and a little bit after

These past three days have had a deep impact on my impressions of Iceland and its people. As I am learning, tradition plays a large role in the lives of the people that we have met here, and I hope to illustrate this in the following examples.

Skálholt
Our time here was spent in lecture, enjoying fellowship, attending church, as well as some time for reflection. This retreat was attended by pastors from Iceland, and, after dinner, these pastors gathered together for some fellowship time. After some time discussing the day, some members of our group of students began singing. This was followed by the Icelandic pastors joining together in songs of their own...many songs, to be exact. They began singing folk songs, some church songs, and they did it spontaneously...one person would start singing the first line of the song, and then everyone would join in, and I mean everyone. They even sang in harmony, and they did this without the aid of a director. This was amazing! And the thing that impressed me the most is that everyone knew the songs, and they sang them for an hour. When I asked some of the pastors how they learned the songs, they told me that they learned them early on, and it was a part of who they were.

Bonfire
After we returned from Skálholt, we attended a bonfire to celebrate the last day of Christmas. There was a firework display, as well as some singing and dancing. But, I began to realize how those pastors knew the songs so well as we were watching the scene at the bonfire open up before us. Picture this scene: There is an audience standing out in the cold and rain...there are two fires burning brightly...children are running around with sparklers, and there are fireworks going off all over the place. Then, as you look to the stage, you see and hear the master of ceremonies (a title given very loosely here) signing songs, and right in front of the stage is a very large group of parents with their young children. It was at this moment when I realized how early they teach their children these songs, and I started to wonder if this is something that we do in the states...and I couldn't come up with anything like it. All of the people knew these songs, both the children and their parents...I can't think of too many songs that, in a room in the states, you could start singing the first phrase of the song, and everyone would be able to join in and get all of the words correct...even my choir students struggled with this, and they had the words in frong of them! This is mind-boggling to me.

Storytelling
One thing I appreciate the most on this journey is our host family. They relish telling us stories, both about current events, as well as traditions about Iceland, and they listen intently as we tell them our stories. So much of our time spent with them is spent in conversation and fellowship, and this is something that will have a lasting impression on me after I leave.

Death
On Friday this week, we attended a funeral, and then spent time at a funeral home. This experience was eye-opening, as we learned about Icelandic traditions surrounding death and dying, as well as expectations and traditions surrounding the visitation (called laying in the coffin), and the funeral itself. There is much that can be learned about people when you see how they deal with issues surrounding death.

Each of these instances has been instrumental in formulating my ideas about the people that we have been meeting here, and I am looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Lord,
Thank you so much for opening my eyes to see your creation in new ways. Thank you for giving me the gift of fellowship on this trip, both with the others in my group and with my host family.
Please continue to comfort everyone who is back in the United States who are anxiously awaiting my return.
Please continue to open my eyes to new experiences here.
I pray all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.