Settling in Reykjavík
home? - 2 Jan 2012, 19:15
It seems I'm continuously on my way home. Home to Germany, home to Reykjavik, soon home to Blönduós to give up my flat. At the same time it seems I'm not really at home anywhere, my things being equally distributed among these places and I left Blönduós without settling somewhere yet. And without a plan or any rhyme or reason. Everywhere I moved I have made my home quite easily, but it feels more difficult this time. Maybe I'm getting old? In Berlin I went to the Taizé meeting, another place like home. But things and places change, even surprisingly, Taizé. New songs, preaching and a five year plan created a creep with the otherwise familiar atmosphere.
Melabuðin - 4 Jan 2012, 14:40
I was a bit doubtful about moving to Reykjavík, money-wise it is not a smart move and my German sense of duty makes me feel guilty about leaving the Blönduósians without a physio. But walking into Melabuðin today convinced me, that I was in the right place. So much good food! Real cheese from Austria! Bread, which also has the consistency of bread! And my beloved ginger-apple lemonade.
Fortunately there were several conditions preventing me from buying up the shop.
I was by foot and could only buy as much as I can carry (Ginger-apple juice will have to wait).
I don't have a fridge yet, so food that can spoil is not an option (I will buy the cheese next time...)
I also still don't have a stove, so nothing I have to cook.
I did buy amazing apples, which taste like apples, obviously the bread (I hope the taste will be in accordance with the consistency) and humus.
And now I'm hungry.....
Just because I can - 3 Jan 2012, 18:06
So, how do my lovely readers like my blog?
See comments
This is what happens if I don't have access to the internet and have to entertain myself...
snow or a failed attempt at getting to aikido on a bike - 9 Jan 2012, 19:03
Reykjavik is the worst city for biking I have ever lived in. OK, I lived in Amsterdam and Beijing before, two cities where bikes are one of the main forms of transport. Still, I did not expect the snow to slow me down that much and the cars are so much scarier than Beijing, as they are not used to bikes sharing the road with them (why make space, it is only a bike).
Now I will start Aikido on Wednesday, as I did not want to be late for my first class. I bought grapes and ginger lemonade instead, so it was not a wasted trip.
And if it snows this much on Wednesday I will go by bus.
While I'm drying off and defrost:
Similarities between Reykjavik and Beijing:
Both are capitals
Both slowly destroy their pretty old parts with pretentious glass buildings
Both have weather, which makes you wonder why the hell you live here for 80% of the time (actually, this is true for all of Iceland, looking forward to South-America)
Both have an inadequate public transport system
There are some very nice bars in both of them, with good music
Easy to spot tourists
Friendly locals with an obscure language (Icelandic and the Beijing errrrr)
and now both had the honour of me living in them! (and having a case of Stockholm's syndrome as for no logical reason I love both of them, even if their weather or car drivers are trying to kill me).
Unemployed! - 10 Jan 2012, 17:04
now who wants to drink some bónus léttbjör in front of bónus with me?
The most difficult part was getting to the Vinnumálastofnun in a snowstorm. I have to prove that I'm actively looking for work by pressing a button on my personal webpage once every months. I think I'm already registered as a possible problem case, because when the nice women (she apologised when she was taking some time on the computer for making me wait, I told her I was still recovering from getting there by foot, not phasing out because of the wait) told me I have to press this button I asked: "So I actually don't have to prove I'm looking for work?"
I was just surprised, because I was not made to jump through hoops or scrutenised, or my life organised by the unemployment office.
Hopefully HartzIV will never make it to Iceland.
What a lovely country with awful weather.
It seems I'm continuously on my way home. Home to Germany, home to Reykjavik, soon home to Blönduós to give up my flat. At the same time it seems I'm not really at home anywhere, my things being equally distributed among these places and I left Blönduós without settling somewhere yet. And without a plan or any rhyme or reason. Everywhere I moved I have made my home quite easily, but it feels more difficult this time. Maybe I'm getting old? In Berlin I went to the Taizé meeting, another place like home. But things and places change, even surprisingly, Taizé. New songs, preaching and a five year plan created a creep with the otherwise familiar atmosphere.
Melabuðin - 4 Jan 2012, 14:40
I was a bit doubtful about moving to Reykjavík, money-wise it is not a smart move and my German sense of duty makes me feel guilty about leaving the Blönduósians without a physio. But walking into Melabuðin today convinced me, that I was in the right place. So much good food! Real cheese from Austria! Bread, which also has the consistency of bread! And my beloved ginger-apple lemonade.
Fortunately there were several conditions preventing me from buying up the shop.
I was by foot and could only buy as much as I can carry (Ginger-apple juice will have to wait).
I don't have a fridge yet, so food that can spoil is not an option (I will buy the cheese next time...)
I also still don't have a stove, so nothing I have to cook.
I did buy amazing apples, which taste like apples, obviously the bread (I hope the taste will be in accordance with the consistency) and humus.
And now I'm hungry.....
Just because I can - 3 Jan 2012, 18:06
So, how do my lovely readers like my blog?
See comments
This is what happens if I don't have access to the internet and have to entertain myself...
snow or a failed attempt at getting to aikido on a bike - 9 Jan 2012, 19:03
Reykjavik is the worst city for biking I have ever lived in. OK, I lived in Amsterdam and Beijing before, two cities where bikes are one of the main forms of transport. Still, I did not expect the snow to slow me down that much and the cars are so much scarier than Beijing, as they are not used to bikes sharing the road with them (why make space, it is only a bike).
Now I will start Aikido on Wednesday, as I did not want to be late for my first class. I bought grapes and ginger lemonade instead, so it was not a wasted trip.
And if it snows this much on Wednesday I will go by bus.
While I'm drying off and defrost:
Similarities between Reykjavik and Beijing:
Both are capitals
Both slowly destroy their pretty old parts with pretentious glass buildings
Both have weather, which makes you wonder why the hell you live here for 80% of the time (actually, this is true for all of Iceland, looking forward to South-America)
Both have an inadequate public transport system
There are some very nice bars in both of them, with good music
Easy to spot tourists
Friendly locals with an obscure language (Icelandic and the Beijing errrrr)
and now both had the honour of me living in them! (and having a case of Stockholm's syndrome as for no logical reason I love both of them, even if their weather or car drivers are trying to kill me).
Unemployed! - 10 Jan 2012, 17:04
now who wants to drink some bónus léttbjör in front of bónus with me?
The most difficult part was getting to the Vinnumálastofnun in a snowstorm. I have to prove that I'm actively looking for work by pressing a button on my personal webpage once every months. I think I'm already registered as a possible problem case, because when the nice women (she apologised when she was taking some time on the computer for making me wait, I told her I was still recovering from getting there by foot, not phasing out because of the wait) told me I have to press this button I asked: "So I actually don't have to prove I'm looking for work?"
I was just surprised, because I was not made to jump through hoops or scrutenised, or my life organised by the unemployment office.
Hopefully HartzIV will never make it to Iceland.
What a lovely country with awful weather.