Iceland AMA

[Puffinshop]

I'm a naturalised Icelandic citizen, born and raised in England and living in the capital area of Iceland for over a decade. Fluent Icelandic speaker, mother of Icelandic children.

Can't offer a native Icelandic perspective but if you have any questions about Iceland please feel free

Don't know really, I don't have much experience with teenagers here. They seem OK but I'm sure there are things I'll learn when my two reach that stage. I know teens don't drink much here but I'm sure they're up to other stuff.

No, haven't noticed anything with mental health but that's not really an area I have any expertise in.

Covid rules were much less extreme here than in the UK, closer to the Swedish approach. But stricter than Sweden. Schools never closed, children never wore masks, we always had complete freedom of movement. It was difficult here like anywhere. Many things did close or were cancelled but I was certainly glad to be here rather than the UK, especially for my childrens' sake. The government just did as they were told by the Directorate of Health for the most part, it wasn't politicised as much.

Yeah, the weather here too. It's always changing and usually bad so there's always something to comment on 😄

Sure there are trees. There aren't many very tall trees and there are certainly fewer trees but I can go to the woods if I want and there are lots of trees in sight of my house.

Of course most people don't exactly love having loads of tourists, nobody does. Some people are making plenty of money from it, most not. It's annoying but it is what it is, we're all tourists sometimes, aren't we?

It would definitely be fine in Rvk anyway. I don't think you'd have too much trouble in the countryside either tbh, but it's not really on my radar as an omnivore.

I find Iceland fascinating!

What are the Icelanders like, socially? Are they easy to make friends with?

If I lived there, as an introvert who's not outdoorsy at all, would I find it boring? Is everything geared towards outdoor activities/living?

The best thing to do is to climb a mountain or get into the highlands. It's a place to enjoy the outdoors. There are any number of spots all over the country that are as stunning as anywhere you've ever seen before.

I believe most people are against it. It's very hard to do anything about it though, because the politicians are in the whaling companies' pockets. There's been some attempts to ban it but nothing sufficient yet.

It's also a traditional source of food for the Icelanders just as much as it is for indigenous people in Canada and Greenland for example, so I do see that argument and I think there's a lot of hypocrisy. Many Icelanders don't like being lectured to because of this hypocrisy.

But yes it is overall generally unpopular and there's no way Icelanders actually need to eat whales.

Do you like sitting on a hot geyser

It's still majority Lutheran, but only just. Membership in the national church is rapidly declining. A significant proportion of the population are non religious.

Eh, maybe a little. There's certainly more female leadership and men are usually more involved in raising young children but it's no utopia here, that's for sure.

Yes, in some places. In the countryside near water. Not really in the city.

Do you horse ride? Icelandic horses are absolutely the best breed in the world. Have owned and bred them myself.
Would really like to make a trip to Iceland soon. Have considered moving to iceland many times but the lack of winter daylight and the quarantine restrictions on bringing pets has put me off for now.

What's the racism level like? Do black people get a hard time? Are people hostile to black tourists?

No, it's not that easy to make friends with them. There's only one city really and most people live there so they are mates with people they've known since childhood or young adulthood and you're not going to find someone else who is new in town apart from other foreigners. Icelanders tend to be fairly reserved until they've known you a while.

Once you are friends with one Icelander you can break into a circle, though, and they are wonderful people. Very similar sense of humour to the British, so it is easy to get on with them and have a laugh.

Plenty of people are not outdoorsy, you certainly don't need to be to live here. Seems a waste though!

I grew up riding horses so I can ride and I have ridden in Iceland, but I don't have time or money for it now. I also don't care for Icelandic horses to ride, although they are very friendly and sweet natured. They are too little for my tastes. I could probably get used to it, but as I say riding is not a part of my life anymore.

Very big questions and ones that as a white immigrant I am not qualified to answer really! I think from what I have heard from other people that aggressive overt racism is not common and things are fine for tourists, but there is certainly a lot of casual racism and issues that black Icelanders and black immigrants have to deal with.

How easy is it to emigrate to Iceland? What do you need to get a visa?

i’ve never been, but it’s on my bucket list to visit. Such a fascinating country. Been watching whats happened on the Reykjanes penisula with the volcano, and am in total awe at the resilience of the icelandic people. Lava? Yep - just build a massive wall or just build a road over it!

what name do you have if you dont know who your father is?

If your father is Icelandic there’s a national genetic database with 2/3 of the population in it, so a fair chance of tracking him down. Not the same as him acknowledging you and giving you his name, I know.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Dslendingab%C3%B3k_(genealogical_database)

I’m interested in Puffin’s reply about how it works in practice.

My friend is from Canada. What are her best options to live/work in Iceland? She works as an EFL Instructor currently in the Maldives.

What are the food prices like and are there issues with people being able to afford groceries?

This is my favourite AMA ever. I love Iceland - such a beautiful country. It's so good to get your insider views @Puffinshop

Can't think of any questions but I've enjoyed reading answers to everyone else's.

Loving this and now really want to visit !
My question would be food related too
What's your favourite Icelandic thing to eat ?

I genuinely thought this post was going to be about the shop!

Why did you move there in the first place? If it was to be with your DP, how did you meet him?