Oh yeah!

It's been a while since I spammed my loyal readers with some music to enjoy, much less anything Nordic in nature. I think everyone knows of my infatuation with Sigur Ros, but one of my favorite Icelandic artists right now is Mugison. He's got an impressive range and plays a cool combination of blues + indie.

Enjoy!

So, that volcano.

I guess I can't really make an entry about my travels abroad without making note of this darling little event. This entry serves mainly to put my concerned relatives (hi, Dad) at ease about whether or not I'm choking on molten, volcanic ash. (Hint hint: I'm not.)

For those of you who don't pay much attention to international news, Eyjafjallajoekull, a volcano in Iceland, began erupting last Wednesday--something that no one here in Norway really noticed at first unless they were traveling or trying to travel, because the weather has, in fact, been glorious for the past two weeks. Aside from one or two days where certain parts of the city reported a bit of accumulated ash (I personally have seen none), Oslo itself seems to have been spared the irritation of volcanic particles building up on our windowsills or making travel between cities a hassle. The rest of Europe, I'm afraid, has been thrown into total chaos; I've been keeping close tabs on all developments via the BBC, who have been extraordinary about writing detailed articles every day. My main concern at this juncture is whether or not all of these delays will prevent my friend Jennifer from visiting me from Germany. As I understand it, mainland Europe is in a bit of a tighter spot where all of these travel restrictions are concerned. :/ I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

As you can see, the amoebic ash cloud of doom is making its wandering way just south of us. It's all sunshine and blue skies here; nothing dramatic at all.

Really, that was my only reason for writing this update, so that all of you back home know what the status quo is here at the moment. Rest assured that I'll update this further with more details if they become relevant.

Hadet. <3

Some thoughts on why I'm going to Norway.

A few people have asked me recently why I'm going to Norway to study abroad instead of somewhere else, so I thought I would take a moment to lay out my response to that here while it's on my mind.

I got into Scandinavian and Nordic history and literature via a pretty interesting segue way--Icelandic music. Sigur Rós is one of my favorite bands and has been since 2006 when I first got into them; they kept me company while I moved out on my own for the first time, got my first serious job, and started taking on more responsibilities in my life as a student. For Christmas in 2007, a good friend gave me a copy of their musical documentary Heima, and... well, let me just quote directly from the website:

"The question of the way Sigur Rós’s music relates to, and is influenced by, their environment has been reduced to a journalistic cliché about glacial majesty and fire and ice, but there is no doubt that the band are inextricably linked to the land in which they were forged. And the decision to film this first-ever Sigur Rós film in Iceland was, in the end, ineluctable."

Needless to say, I was more than a little inspired. :) The stunning visuals combined with Jónsi's melodic voice and the sound of the language on my ears turned me into an addict pretty much overnight. My dad found a copy of The Sagas of Icelanders, which immediately got me hooked on medieval Icelandic literature. This continues to be what interests me most.

So... why Norway? Why not Iceland? For one, it was easier for me to study at the University of Oslo than in Reykjavik in Iceland, because the program I am enrolling through, the University Studies Abroad Consortium, did not have an agreement with any Icelandic universities. For another, Oslo is centrally located on the Scandinavian peninsula, meaning I'll have greater access to its neighbor countries. More travel opportunities! Having said that, I've got every intention of visiting Iceland while I'm abroad, and I have no doubt that it will be an intensely personal and uplifting experience for me.


Sigur Rós's "Heima."