Here at WorldStrides Explorica, our students are at the heart of everything we do. Travelling can open a student’s eyes to the world in a way that they’d never thought possible, and when they return from their adventures, we love hearing how their trip changed their lives! We are working with teachers across Canada to offer their students the opportunity to publish their writing on our blog! As our Student of the Month, one special student will have the opportunity to share their stories, experiences, and adventures on our blog!
We are thrilled to introduce you to our first ever Student of the Month for November, Alex C. from British Columbia. Alex recently travelled to Iceland with his teachers and peers and was able to perfectly capture his journey in words! Check out Alex’s Icelandic adventure below.
Written by Alex C. from British Columbia
November 12, 2019
flakes soundlessly flying
invisible above the clouds
around huge curtains of ice:
the new world – Iceland.
Bubbles of anticipation filled my stomach as I arrived [at Vancouver International Airport], lugging behind [me] a suitcase carefully packed nights before, and a camera around my neck. 12:30 PM, the clock read – our school’s nine-day excursion to Iceland had begun. Walking on the airport’s signature purple-green carpet, I found forty of my classmates and teachers waiting by the security terminal, ready for an adventure to reveal itself. Then, a restless seven-hour plane ride followed, finally popping the city lights of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, into vision; a mix of blurry warm orange and yellow hues decorated eventually the window, with lights from scattered houses in the dawn.
Descending into Reykjavik
Our first destination was a cozy bakery en route to Reykjavik. Whipping out Iceland’s currency – the krona – for the first time ever, we ordered donuts, hot mocha, and their specialty sandwiches. The café felt different, yet comforting; aesthetic displays of plants, pillows, and books littered the shelves, while a warm fireplace provided a soft essence. It served as a perfect opening to our first day.
What followed was a string of events, fuzzy in my mind from jet lag. We checked into the hotel and met our guide, Guðbjörd Guðmundsdóttir, or Gugga G as we were told, beginning with a tour all around Reykjavik. Although the magnificent Hallgrímskirkja church, the contemporary city hall, and all the other locations we visited were eye-opening, by far the most vivid experience was our first interactions with Iceland’s weather, scenery, and urban culture. Around high noon, we made our way over to a man-made hill that looked over the sea. Shaped like a cylindrical dome of grass, a round pathway leads you up to the top of the hill; seeing that, we, like all kids, instantly took advantage of it. Climbing frantically to the top of the hill, as the wind blew behind us, we turned out to look at the sea and the hovering sun above it. Screaming at the top of our lungs into the rolling turquoise waves far off, we felt free in Iceland.
So cool to learn about the history and science behind these waterfalls!
The next day seemed clearer, after a full night’s rest in an excellent hotel. Packed with places to visit, we travelled to West Iceland, through the towns of Borgarnes and Hvammstangi. We started off with a visit to the Icelandic Settlement Center. Interactive and engaging, this exhibition told the story of the Icelandic people. We were led through Iceland’s vast history. From the Viking age to Danish rule to Icelandic independence, each station in the walk was carefully designed, equipped with interactive buttons, and beautifully made wax figures, each of which depicted a unique historical story. Next, stopped at the firwe st Icelandic waterfall of Hraunfossar. The water, glistening in stark contrast to yellow fields around it, ran magnificently undisturbed. Different from Canada’s, Mexico’s, or even China’s infamous waterfalls, Iceland’s were unique – they were made from ancient volcano eruptions. Smooth trails of silky water flowed down and into a rough river, surrounded all around by dried lava fields.
The next day was set with excitement. We embarked all the way from the west of Iceland to the north, where although a blizzard awaited us, the thought of finally seeing snow and playing in a winter wonderland outweighed any negativity. Runs of landscape and nature preceded our views, and now in Akureyri, we visited stunning ice-capped mountains by taking hikes into knee-deep snow – exploring Iceland’s wilderness. Visiting yet another waterfall, this time we were encased by snow, making the blue water truly beautiful against the pure whiteness around it; after a long day, we finally settled down, after catching a play in one the town’s oldest theatres.
A memorable moment – seeing the Northern Lights!
Day five and six ended with swims in geothermal baths. All of us were most excited for these pools; splashing and relaxing here was definitely a highlight. Once refreshed [by] the [warm waters…], we scoured the night skies for signs of northern lights. At 9 PM, traces of solar activity appeared; as a school, all forty of us climbed onto the frozen pseudocrater cliffs of Mývatn in pitch black, where nothing but darkness and stars blanketed around us. Each one of us cozied into the negative ten [degree] Celsius weather, lying down on the peak of one mountain crater, resting on thick snow. Only a few minutes later, would our perception of the galaxies above change forever. Quickly, auroras of green pranced across the skies above; transforming into vast arrays of dotted pink, the northern lights created a rainbow of colours. The black [palette] erupted with stars in every direction: the [Milky Way] un-hid itself, creating a flickering stage of dotted lights above, with the hills around acting as silhouettes in the background. No words can describe the beauty of those evenings. Just like that, we fell asleep, hands numb and feet bare, but mesmerized by Iceland’s night.
Humpback spotting and making new friends in Iceland!
Iceland, so far, was about an admiration of nature, but that was to change in the upcoming day. Streaks of luck followed us through the trip so far – if two nights in a row of northern lights weren’t enough, even more, signs showed themselves soon. First, whale watching off an infamous Iceland fjord began with no signs of life; peering incessantly off the boat’s damp surface, we thought we’d never see anything pop from the ocean beneath. Yet soon, as the boat was nearing the end of the tour, a humpback whale’s [spout] came to greet us, and soon we came to a standstill. Untouched by man, the humpback enjoyed itself, playing in the soft waves around it; I still recall the ooh’s and the aah’s of our entire school. We then visited one of the oldest fish factories of Iceland; after being introduced to the history and culture of fishing, each of us tried three-hundred-year-old fermented shark, an Icelandic delicacy, to end off the day.
Time zoomed past through the last two days. Climbing a giant volcano crater overlooking a frozen scene, visiting the great geysers of Iceland, observing the lake of Þingvellir – where Icelandic Chieftains hundreds of years ago met in a parliamentary-style gathering called the Alþingi – and learning of a tomato eco-farm that found sustainability means for plant growth, these few days were jam-packed with wondrous activity. Each night was just as beautiful as well; travelling back down south to Reykjavik, we saw the seasons change before our eyes. From autumn to winter and back, Reykjavik showed us stunning differences from the rest of Iceland.
Bittersweet is the word to end off our tour. Day nine began with a surprise visit from Valur Gunnarson, a prominent Icelandic author and one of the founders of the Reykjavik Grapevine,
Just ‘chilling’ – get it?
a popular newspaper in Iceland. Learning the intricacies of literary culture and the hardships of becoming an author was a great experience for us, especially those with an aptitude and interest for writing. An inspirational and informative talk, it was a perfect segue into our plane ride back, and after a week and a half of Iceland, all was coming to an end. With a new perception of Iceland all together, by sharing this experience with all of my peers, this trip is definitely something to remember. Before, I had only interacted in a school setting with everyone else – through travel, however, whether in the hotels or while touring the breathtaking nature, we had all gotten closer together. As our plane touched down once again in Vancouver’s familiar setting, finally the fantasy of travel came to a close, resuming our everyday lives once again.
But, as we return to our daily schedule, and are now thousands of miles away, the countless takeaways we uncovered still stay with us as we enter back into normal school culture. Icelanders are fiercely protective of their natural environment and aren’t afraid to tell a tourist to stick their trash where it belongs. Those are some lessons we brought back, taking care of the things that mean the most to us. Going with the community, we learned of not only a new culture, but strengthened bonds between one another through a once in a lifetime opportunity. This trip to Iceland will forever stay in my, and all of my friends’ [memories], as travel gems to our life collections.
Teachers, do you have an exceptional student who has a way with words? Or an articulate student with an interest in writing? Maybe a reflective student who was bitten by the travel bug and has plenty of amazing adventures to share? Reach out to your travel consultant or to Rachel Baitz, Marketing Coordinator at Rachel.Baitz@explorica.com for more info on how they can be our next Student of the Month!
Be sure to check back here for another student’s amazing adventure!