It is not every day you get to spend the night at Íslenski Bærinn (Turf House) and that is truly a shame. As I walked through the small wood door and took off my boots in the compact hallway, I was greeted by the aroma of wood and encompassing warmth as I made my way deeper into the house. In the baðstofa, there were five small beds and numerous wool blankets that I was excited to cuddle up in that evening while knitting by the wood burning stove. I claim that living in a turf house would be really nice, but there would be some that would disagree. Take my opinion with a grain of salt though because like I said, it was one night.
Whether it be a person or a country, there are somethings we try to hide or pretend didn’t happen. For some Icelanders, they see the modernization of their culture as an escape from the “mud holes” they used to live in and that going back to turf houses would be a bad thing. I will concede that there is a lot of mud involved because the CELL students and I had to help rebuild a section of wall and I have never been so muddy in my life. In fairness though, by the end of the night, there may have been some mud balls flying at each other so that is not totally to blame on the building process. While I don’t believe everyone should go back to turf houses (though they are really sustainable in design), I do think they should be something Icelanders are proud of, or at least not ashamed of and are willing to protect. As we were taught how to construct a turf wall, there was care and consideration in every lava rock we put in. Maybe not everyone will see it this way, but building a turf wall is in a way art work and Icelanders have been doing this for centuries with very few pieces left to show for their handiwork and creativity. The home we stayed in had been around for generations with the history of the families figuratively and literally engraved into the walls. Something like that, it should be cherished. At any rate, I want to say thank you Iceland for this experience and allowing me to reach back into your history and live but one moment in time. My night in the turf house is one I will never forget.
-Watts