As hard as it is to believe, I’m now sitting in Pittsburgh reflecting on this incredible trip. So many memories, great views, new things I’ve learned. I am so happy I chose to study abroad, and even happier that I chose Iceland.
I’ll break down what we did Friday and Saturday, and reflect a bit on this unbelievable journey.
Friday started off with hopping on the bus to Reykjavik University! It’s an beautiful sprawling campus that consists of… one building! Must be pretty easy to roll out of bed at 8:55 for your 9am class; something that I can’t relate to in Oakland. Anyways, we had some wonderful discussions with faculty and students in the school of energy and toured some great labs.
After the university visit, we headed back to Reykjavik for our last day here. What better way to spend that time than to walk, shop, and eat?! I started off by taking a walk to Hallgrimskirkja- the massive church! While it was closed on the inside, we made the best of this sunny day in Reykjavik and got some great pictures.
After getting my fill of the shops and buying some good gifts, it was time to head to our farewell dinner. We all got some delicious Ling and a little cake for dessert (peep the pictures below)! But more importantly, here we bid farewell to our incredible guide Ólöf.
If you ask me what made this trip so special, it was Ólöf. All of the knowledge and stories she has about Iceland was truly wonderful. Previously, I thought Iceland was a country filled with nature and not a whole lot else, but she changed my mind about that. Iceland is filled with nature, but it also has history, folklore, music, and so much else for such a small country. Iceland is an incredible and otherworldly place.
Saturday started with some shopping, eating, and walking around with Jaeja to soak in the final views of Reykjavik. He was pretty excited to leave and come see Pittsburgh, but I wasn’t too sure. I still cannot put to words just how incredible Iceland is. I know I’ll be back there someday to try and make a dent in the list of things I still want to do.
Saturday afternoon we did probably the hardest thing of this trip: leave Iceland. It’s never easy to leave things, which is especially true for this trip. I’ve learned so many things, made so many memories, and really just didn’t want to leave the wonderful country of Iceland. At the same time, Jaeja is really curious about the US so I guess we had to go home.
So as I close out this blog, I reflect on how much this trip has changed me (okay yeah cliche but it’s true). Iceland is such a unique and beautiful country with so much nature and history. As the plane rolled down the runway to take me back home, I realize just how much I’ve learned and that I will take into my future. And so for now (but certainly not forever), Bless Ísland, takk fyrir allt.
Swanson School of Engineering 