Three weeks ago I landed in a mystical land: Iceland. This is where the border of the arctic circle begins. I didn’t know what to expect upon arriving in this far away land, but it has turned out to be a more than spectacular journey so far. Sólheimar, the Eco-village we are living in, has the most admirable qualities a community could hold. Not only are the people here living healthy sustainable lives, they are also sincere, joyful, hard working people. I’ve personally never had this great of a sense of community before. Living amongst the other CELL students and learning and working together has taught me a lot already and we’ve only been here for a few weeks. Also, living and working in the Sólheimar community as a whole has taught me even more.
Every weekday we go to the morning meeting where we stand in a circle holding hands and sing the morning song in Íslenska (Icelandic). This is my favorite part of the day. The community as a whole is just over a hundred people and when we all come together to hold hands and sing there is a connection between us all. Each day I will hold hands with different people and it’s always a new experience. The homes people as well as the workers at Sólheimar have so much love and compassion for others. Many homes people will greet us with a smile, halló, or hug when they see us. One morning a lady I was holding hands with kissed me on the hand; it was so sweet of her.
Although we have only been here for a short time and have had some wonderful experiences, we have many more adventures to come in the weeks ahead. I look forward to strengthening my connections with the homes people and the CELL group, as well as the natural landscapes around us, and continuing to live and learn from the community as a whole.
Sjáumst!
-CHELSEA