Había una vez...

So I have allowed myself to be persuaded, swayed into beginning a blog. Since I have been blessed with the possibility of traveling and gaining knowledge of other places and cultures, it only makes sense that I try to depict my experiences in written, and photographic, forms for those people interested in sharing my experiences via this blog. As so eloquently stated by my roommate, Froy, in his blog it is also a way for me to remember my own travels, as all the information quickly overwhelms me. I only wish I had begun a blog, or some other form of diary/journal, earlier in order to hold on more dearly to significant travels and experiences of my life. From my travels within the US, my travels around México, to Ecuador (with MIT friend Kendra, who also inspired me to start my blog - check out her blog), to Europe, and many, many more.

Perhaps in future posts I will try to recapture these past adventures, as I try to recall them. But enough with dwelling on the past and with remorseful sentiments, let us live in the present and let the rest worry about itself.

Currently, by present I mean the actual present and the recent past. More specifically, my time in Iceland.

For those who may not know, or have forgotten, I am/will be in Iceland this summer of 2008, with plans to return to Boston on August 31 (with greater knowledge of this far land and with one more year under my belt - I'm getting old). I have already been in this land of the Vikings for one month and have already encountered so much. I will try to remember most of the happenings and will write about them whenever they re-enter my memory, so bear me if my posts seem sporadic. (or if they seem long...I've been known to write a lot, but I will go into as much detail as I deem possible or necessary.)

Also, please comment on my blog: likes, dislikes, suggestions, questions, pedantic corrections, greetings, absolutely anything you want (at a PG level). It would be helpful for me when writing and I would love to have your feedback.

And so I begin, enjoy!

Earlier this summer, I boarded a plane in San Francisco at 7am on a Friday after some relaxing weeks in California with some relatives. The plane went to New York and I transferred there to a plane en route to Reykjavík, Iceland (sadly and unbeknownst to me, my luggage missed the plane). After some movies, light sleep, and plane food, I landed in Iceland at roughly 7am on a Saturday (local time) and headed to the alcohol store. Having previously spoken with Icelanders, one tip from them was to buy the limit of alcohol at the duty-free store in the airport, as alcohol at other stores and bars are much more expensive. Knowing the guy whose flat (apartment) I would be living in (in Akureyri) loved coffee, I bought a Bailey's mint chocolate and for myself a Bacardi Límon. I discovered no luggage, so filled out some paperwork, and then went outside to try to find the person who would pick me up. However, I didn't have anybody's phone number and nobody was holding a "Welcome Fernando" sign. Luckily, after several minutes of waiting, I recognized the face of a young Hungarian, Péter, who works at the same company, Mannvit, so everything turned out fine. He was staying in the company house in the suburb called Garðabær along with two other Hungarians, Attila and Béla. This would also be the future home of three other MIT people - Cash, Cynthia, and Jennifer - who would also come for the summer. As previously insinuated, I would not be staying with them or even in Reykjavík, but instead be working at the office located in Akureyri (45 min flight or 4.5 hr drive from the capital). On this fateful Saturday in June however, Péter had been alone at home, since his Hungarian compatriots had gone home the week before for a vacation. So Péter and Fernando (Third person? Seriously? Yea or nay? I’ll only find out if you comment!! ) headed home to relax a bit, eat, and get to know each other. Being a Saturday during the summer in the capital of Iceland, the nightlife simply had to be explored and I spent my first darkless night dancing. Firstly, as previously mentioned, alcohol is expensive, so the average Icelander’s weekend night goes like this: 1. starting whenever you want till about 2am, drink with your friends at someone’s house, 2. Around 2am, head downtown wearing very nice clothes consisting mostly of black and this dark blue color and go dancing, 3. Go to as many clubs as you can, especially since they are pretty much on the same street, and feel free to break any glass bottles you have on the floor, 4. Sometime before 5am, go to Bæjarins beztu and buy a hot dog, 5. Call a cab or somebody to pick you up, and go home. Secondly, yes I did say darkless, as in ‘does not get dark.’ Because Iceland is so far north, the sun always sheds some of its light during the summer days. This also means that the winters are rather dark and appear colder. Anyway, Péter and I went to several clubs and had a good time. The music at each club was mostly Europop or American pop or Icelandic pop. Every now and then some places played rock or American oldie or hip-hop/R&B. Sadly none of the places we went to were primarily techno/electronic in nature, which had been my image of the Icelandic music scene. Like good Icelanders, we finished the night with a hot dog. Now if you really know me, you would know that I do not like hot dogs and haven’t really enjoyed one since the age of about 9. But since Péter insisted that I simply must try one and since ex-President Bill Clinton had eaten here, I tried one with everything (bun, wiener, onions, fried onions, ketchup, and two unidentified sauces). These hot dogs are said (mostly by Icelanders) to be the best hot dogs in the world. Although I haven’t tried many varieties of hot dogs, I do have to admit that it was the best hot dog that I had ever tried.

Evening came and morning followed, the first day. (Do you know where this line is from? If so, put it in the comments! Yay for shameless plugs for comments.)