Pottery Journey




My first pottery work!

Tuesday afternoons is my best time in Solheimar. I like to try different things in various workshops. Among all the workshops, my favorite workshop is pottery. My first time in pottery workshop is in the second week. I was sad for various reasons at that time that I almost wanted to skip that afternoon. After half an hour of hesitation, I decided to go. The pottery workshop is a very quiet and relaxing place; everyone is welcoming. Kamma was excited to see me and she asked Ingibjörg, the lady in charge of the pottery workshop, to tell me that she remembered me because I served her cakes and tea in the opening house time yesterday. I was surprised that she was so happy and thankful for this tiny thing. Einar is a good painter. I noticed that most of the paintings hanging in Brekkukot are from him. By looking at the paintings he draw and the ordinary pictures he imitated from magazines, you will see how different the world is in those home people’s eyes. Ingibjörg is very encouraging and nice person. She gave me detailed instructions but did not limit my creativity. I was more and more confident when she complimented my works. I spent a whole afternoon just coloring the pottery. I felt I have never been so concentrated before, and I felt I became a home people too, only capable to do really simple things. My mind was all about pottery that I quickly forgot all my worries and sadness. I guess from that day, I fell in love with the pottery workshop.
 

Art journal--What I have seen in Iceland

     After that afternoon, I went to the pottery workshop more often. I not only learned coloring, but also learned polish and making potteries. I started to know different facilities, pigments, and ways of firing. I used potteries for my art journal. It is a very time consuming and meticulous work, you need to be one hundred percent concentrated and got down to work. You may spend four hours only on coloring the clay, or over one hour on making slender furs on sheep. Sometimes, it makes you distracted and sleepy. The difference between an attentively made pottery and a casually made pottery is very obvious. I am so proud to be able to make delicate potteries. I also feel connected to those potteries I made. I would like to know who bought it, and the name of the boy I colored (even though he does not have one). After I made them, I will keep going to check my works. Sometimes, I go to take photos. Sometimes, just to see if they were fired. Thanks to my frequent visits, I have broken the horn of my ox, the hat and neck of my angel.





Instead of stealing this wall decoration
I decided to make my own.

When I saw something beautiful in the pottery workshop, I would want to try to do them myself. I wanted to make the angel shaped wall decoration, so I made it. I saw really nicely colored cups, so I will make it. My desire to make DIY potteries grows. I would think that it would be so great if I can make self-made cups for them as a gift. I would also think that making my own chairs would be so cool. I even dreamed that maybe I can be a pottery or sculpture artist, and change my entire life path.






Beautiful cups I am going to make

You will experience a lot of things in Iceland. Amazing landscape and sustainability is one thing. Exploring different hobbies is another. Workshop is the best place for you to know people and communicate. Cherish the opportunity you have of learning at different workshops in Solheimar. You will be hungry to work at bakery, but you always got the best coffee break deserts. You will be sweating at Green house, but feel satisfied after a hard work. You may be boring at forestry, but feel peaceful when planting or transferring tender sprouts. You probably do not like the smell in soap workshop, but you will used to it. You may be eager to go to candle and wood workshop, but you never got a chance to go. Check all different workshops in Solheimar. I will wait to read another workshop journey from you.
 

@ soap workshop.

@Green house

                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                           --Chen

Things You Want to Know About CELL-Iceland

While everyone in the group was writing about our past months and being sentimental about leaving, I decide to act as the role of a nice former CELL group member, and write something practical about the program. I will be crying at the airport anyway.  

sorry Liana I got you three legs.........

      The following are things I wondered about before my departure to Iceland. They may sound silly, but I think it will be helpful to provide you more information about our program.

-      Room: We stay in the guest house Brekkukot in Solheimar. As a group of 6, we get two double rooms and two single rooms. There is a pillow, blankets, and towers in each room. We have shared bathrooms, a living room, and a full kitchen.

-      Laundry: Solheimar has a laundry room in the building where morning meeting takes place. It is about 5 minutes walk from Brekkukot. CELL provides laundry powder. You will get a tour to the laundry room on you first day in Solheimar.

-      Packing list: Besides a big back pack, you would want a day pack for short hikes. It only needs to be big enough for a water bottle and some layers you take off during the hike. Nice rain gears are important. We were in the rain for around 5 hours last Saturday, and everyone was wet. This semester, for 4 times we stayed in our sleeping bags overnight, and all of which were indoor and with heat of some level. If you have extra personal care products by the end of the program, you can leave them in the storage room in Brekkukot for the next group to use. Thank you fall group for your shampoo and conditioner!

-      Grocery shopping: We went to the grocery store in Selfoss multiple times during the first month. There is also a small grocery store Vala in Solheimar that carries both fresh and packed food, and other groceries.

For some reason, I only learned the following facts after I came to Iceland, but I feel it would be better if I knew them earlier.

-      Solheimar is an eco-village where many people with special needs live.

-      Reducing meat consumption is part of the program in order to being more sustainable.

-      It is in the CELL handbook that you cannot have visitors over nor go visiting somewhere else individually during the program.  

I write them down here because I didn’t get the above information from official sources before I came here, and I think you should have the right to know about them. However, I’m not at all critiquing the program. Instead, none of these have been obstacles for us to overcome during the program, and they shouldn’t be so for you to apply for the program either. Maybe I should let you guys to unpack the gift yourselves, so it can become a better experience.

Our fond of this group and this program has been well expressed through all of our blogs and our 20 minutes long video (yes, we’ve made a video for this semester! Keep an eye on the official website, and hopefully it will soon be available to you), but I just can't wait to let you get more excited about all the things you can expect here in CELL-Iceland!

- You get to make friends with interns from all over the world. 
- You will learn Icelandic knitting with Icelandic yarns
- Movie nights at least twice a week. 
- Trips that covers half of Iceland. We always say that a trip is not completed without waterfall and hot pool. I guess now we can add horses, sheep, border collies, glaciers and rainbows to that sentence. 
- You can walk into the kitchen and find desserts made by a random person in your group, and that makes your day! We’ve experimented on many recipes this semester, and they all turned out very nice, especially the gluten-free ones. 
- If you don’t see the above happening in your group, it proves we are the best CELL group ever HAHAHA. 

          I think the best part of our group is that everyone is so supportive at your hobbies/ideas/decisions that sometimes you feel there must be something wrong with them. Julia taught us to make bean sprouts, and we had a launch event when she finished knitting her Icelandic sweater. Chen would rush out from her room every time we had desserts, and we always saved the first spot for her. Emily gave a very impressive presentation about the Trash2Treasure project she had done in her school, and she makes really good cookies and spinach tarts. Elizabeth’s recent interest is doing hand-stands everywhere she goes, and she could always find someone to do it with her. Liana definitely has a mania for olives, and we always had good time talking about foods together. We are like a big family: Hank is the father, and we are his six daughters. We share everything in our lives during the past three months. I believe the magic of being in our group is that you only have to suffer one-sixth of your sorrows, and you get to have six times of the happiness you could ever get on your own. 

- Yilin

yyang02@email.wm.edu

The Traveling Warm and Fuzzy

These are the six members of the best CELL family from left to right: Elizabeth, Yilin, Hank, Emily, Chen and Julia. Here are my warm and fuzzies to them. 

           I have always loved the series “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” a story of four best friends who find a pair of jeans in a shop that mysteriously fits each of them. They then embark on their own journeys for their first summer apart, from Mexico to Greece, knowing that this pair of pants will rotate between all of them, keeping their friendship connected. I even watched the movies after reading the series – I’m that committed. I know you are all wondering if the pants end up keeping them together, but I won’t ruin the ending, you will have to find out for yourself. I recommend the books, they are consistently better than the movies.

          Warm and fuzzies remind me a lot of the traveling pants. If you haven’t heard of a warm and fuzzy, you are reading the right blog post! I am involved in an organization at my college called Alternative School Break, which plans service trips all over the country as well as globe to engage in a social issue through community service. My freshman year I was on a team that traveled to Washington D.C. and tutored students in math and science at charter schools in low-income areas while building teamwork through participation in various sports and games for Boys & Girl’s clubs in the area. My sophomore year I was on a team that traveled to Tennessee and was a part of outdoor service work for Once Upon a Time Wilderness Adventures while immersing in Cherokee Indian culture. Both were amazing experiences, however, an aspect of the trip each team member looked forward to was the warm and fuzzies. Throughout our experience, you can write a memory of a person on the team, how they impacted you, or what you admire most about them. It is a time to show gratitude. These are written on a sticky note and placed on a wall, to be collected at the end of the trip and distributed to their owner. We then get to read them on the drive, or plane ride home, reminiscing on the laughter, smiles, moments of growth, or silly times we shared with our new friends. These warm and fuzzies travel home with us, but the words travel with us in our hearts for the rest of our lives and on to the new opportunities that await.

            My time here in Iceland fills me with gratitude and I would have to go through a lot of sticky notes in order to fill all of my thoughts. Since a common theme to CELL is sustainability, I figured that wouldn’t fit the criterion. I want to use this final blog post as a means to electronically show my appreciation. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately and gratitude certainly is an emotion you can never wear out. It is an emotion that is very fitting for where I am in life’s current journey. Here are my warm and fuzzies, my traveling pants that will keep me connected to those that have made an impact on me, those that have helped me choose the right path when I arrived in Iceland at a fork in the road, those that have brought laughter, compassion, community and love into my life.

             “Write something nice about anyone you please, write it anytime, so they will have something sweet to read.” I actually really like writing these blog posts. I started out in Iceland having a separate blog of my own but left it for a journal; I always did like the way pages in a book smell. I am grateful for these blog posts! They are a great way to sum up your experiences and to come to realizations about an adventure that you may have missed.

            The community of Sólheimar has profoundly impacted me. I remember arriving in Iceland on Tuesday morning, February 5, tired and dazed in an unfamiliar place. As we were introduced to this woman and that man, I thought I would never become a part of the community, I mean, I couldn’t even pronounce most of their names! However, over time, with a little Icelandic under our belts and many smiles from the people of Sólheimar, we began to feel more comfortable and reach out to get to know everyone even more. Interacting with the home people has definitely been extremely rewarding. They give you a warm and fuzzy every day without even trying. Each time they greet you, it is as if they are meeting you for the first time. It is so genuine and pure. I have much to learn from them, especially about gratitude. I have realized the importance of not taking your loved ones or friends for granted, for that is easy to do when you see them frequently. Furthermore, I have been taught the importance of community where each individual is treated with respect just by living here. Community is an aspect that I will continue to seek for the future. I want to write a warm and fuzzy thanking the community of Sólheimar for their open arms, teachings, and opportunity to spend an entire semester amongst them.

CELL Group with Rosy at the recycling event!

            I would have to set aside too many sticky notes for my smaller community: my instructor and peers. They have impacted me more than they know. We came to Iceland, the seven of us, not sure what was in store for this semester, but I can say it was just what I needed and more than I could ever want. The silly times, the serious times, the sad times, the happy times, I wouldn’t want to have spent them with anyone other than my CELL family. They are a group that is honest, genuine, compassionate, listens, offers feedback and is enthusiastic about learning. This program is not just any study abroad experience, where you are a college student in a foreign country, going to class from 9-4 and maybe meeting some people outside of your program. CELL is where you completely immerse yourself in your peers, the Sólheimar community, the country, learning, and then the magic happens. You realize how much you have grown, you have a different outlook on the world, you realize the importance of community, strengthen your values, make lifelong friendships and end the semester feeling like you can do anything. You want to bring back what you have learned to your own community. You learn how to live life outside of being a college student, one that is balanced and fulfilling. This is the difference. Here’s a warm and fuzzy to a special group of people who helped me choose the right path when I hit the fork in the road and some dead ends along the way.

One of my favorite moments on our South Iceland trip to Vatnajökull!

            It seems like we just arrived in Iceland yesterday, but at the same time that first night we all put our luggage in the car, slipping and sliding in the darkness seems like it occurred years ago. Maybe that is because we have all gone through so many positive changes and so much has happened in these short three months. I would not have it any other way though. As a freshman, I looked forward to studying abroad, but thought it would not be here for quite some time because it was over two years away! Now it is here, coming to an end in just five days. Despite all that the future has in store for me and where I travel, these warm and fuzzies will keep me connected to the community of Sólheimar, my peers, and myself now that I have chosen the right path. These warm and fuzzies are my gratitude, my appreciation for all that have been a part of my experience and now my life. The great thing about warm and fuzzies is that they can travel in us, just like a pair of pants travels in your suitcase. 

This is my small community, my warm and fuzzies.

                                                                                                  -Liana M. Agrios

Pizza Lentils

            Here in Iceland, we have eaten skyr (Icelandic yogurt), moss soup, peanut butter and of course, pizza lentils. All of those foods are not too out of place to be eating in Iceland, but one might sound especially odd. What are pizza lentils you ask? Well, they are delicious. The recipe came to me one day when I made lentils for lunch. I was inspired to add canned tomatoes, cheese, basil and oregano and a dash of salt. And all of a sudden I had a dish that tastes like pizza. I was pleased with it but the real test came when I served it up to the CELL group for dinner. It was approved by the group and now pizza lentils have become a popular dinner meal. But this dish has gone beyond just a meal we eat. Pizza lentils are a state of mind.

 Wet boots on wet moss. Pizza lentils fuel us for the unpredictable Icelandic weather.

            Pizza lentils represent simplicity. All you need are six basic ingredients. The lentils boil in water and are transformed to pizza with added tomatoes and spices. The cheese is the finishing touch. But one missing ingredient out of the six would change the dish beyond recognition. The CELL group is made up of six students. There is Emily, Yilin, Liana, Chen, Elizabeth and me. And then there is Hank, our instructor and fearless leader. He is like the broccoli or other veggies you use to top your pizza lentils. Seven seems like a small group, but we have created a wonderful recipe for community. We started with a common interest in Iceland and environmentalism. Into the pot went new knowledge about sustainability and community. We added some seasoning of knitting, hiking and singing. Then a love of Icelandic animals was stirred in. To top it off, we added northern lights for color. We cooked it in the hot springs and cooled it off by a glacier. The recipe used just what we had in Iceland that was local and seasonal. It turned out wonderfully and has left me feeling full with delight and friendship and knowledge.

Glacial ice.

            Happy are those who eat pizza lentils. Iceland is unpredictable. The weather always surprises us, our plans change and experiences are not always what we expect. But our happiness comes from being present in the moment together. We can find joy in anything. I admit that pizza lentils are not the same thing as pizza, but it is a satisfying meal and tastes enough like pizza to get us excited.

            Pizza lentils celebrate weirdness. We are all quirky in different ways. Some of us CELL students make silly faces or say certain phrases a lot or get very excited about our hobbies and interests. And we are charmed by the quirkiness of the Icelanders. Their overuse of “okay” or “oh-KAY” as they say it, their laid-back attitude about everything and their colorful sweaters have really grown on us. I admit that pizza lentils sound weird. If I invited someone to dinner and served them pizza lentils when they expected normal pizza, they might be taken aback. To enjoy pizza lentils, one has to embrace the weirdness and suspend disbelief. We do that in CELL when we are being silly by pretending to have seen polar bears on icebergs and also when we are struggling to understand the Icelandic Sagas or the meaning of sustainability. I strive for an open mind in play and in reality and pizza lentils remind me of that.

            Pizza lentils dinner. Pizza lentils for life. 

The CELL group conquers mountains.

-Julia

All Good Things Must Come to an End

As our days here dwindle down, the idea of having to leave this wonderful community is starting to hit me. Like most things in life, this experience must end. I knew coming into this semester that my time was limited, what I didn't realize is how attached I would become and how quickly time goes passes. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was preparing for departure, and now the time has come to emotionally prepare to head home. It is amazing how quickly three months can go by, I remember one of our first days here. Liana, Emily, Julia and I went for a walk down the road; the area was still foreign to us. We took pictures of the landscape and of course pictures of us jumping in the road, then I fell in the mud (not surprised at all!). Looking back on our first week or so here, I remember how new and intimidating everything was. With many unknown territories to explore, like meeting the homes people, going into Vala, going to the gym, doing laundry, and getting to know the interns. All these things are part of my daily life now, thinking about how timid I was toward them seems humorous. The fact that all of these things I have adapted to doing will disappear from my life within a matter of days, scares me even more than coming to Iceland in the first place. I have grown to love and care about the community that surrounds me, by leaving Iceland I am leaving more than just memories behind. I am leaving my family and a chapter of my life behind. I know that I will always carry Solheimar with me, it has forever changed me, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity that I have been given.

The group visiting the forestry department

The group in Reykjavik

Before coming to Solheimar I knew little to nothing about mentally disabled people. I had no idea that these would be the people to leave the greatest impact on my life. Being able to from bonds, and get to know the different homes people is one of the most rewarding part of this journey. In the beginning I was very timid, unsure of which homes people could 1. understand me 2. be capable of understanding me and 3. could communicate back was the hardest part. I figured out pretty quickly that if you simply smile and say "Góðan daginn" the chances of you getting a response is high. Even if you cannot understand anything they say back, or if they do not respond back to you, you still brighten their day. I found the people in this community are just happy to have you around, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like; most of the time they are just looking for a hug!

11, that is the number of countries that CELL students, interns and EVS come from. These countries include; The U.S.(Liana, Emily, Julia, Elizabeth), China (Yilin, Chen), Canada (Anneliese), France (Matti), Germany (Susi, Franz, Robyn), Belgium (Goedele), Finland(Silja), Turkey(Dogukan), Portugal(Pami and Poulo), Cape Verde (Angela), and Spain (Yolanda and Veronica). Once at a party I looked around the room, I took note of these people coming from all around the world, bringing their own unique cultures and languages (not to mention delicious food). I thought about how we have come together in this special community, and how we have bonded over sharing this experience. Then it hit me, just how small the world truly is. I am so grateful for the chance to meet each person here, they have individually changed my life, and left a mark on me that they may never see. I am honored to say I have friends from all over the world, and I know when we say our good byes it won't be goodby forever, but as the Icelanders say it "sjáumst" or see you later. I think leaving these amazing people behind will be one of the hardest things I have to go through. Again coming here I never expected to become so attached to this group of people, I have adapted and become use to being around them. When there is no longer accents from 11 different countries and no more miscommunication in my daily life, I am not sure what I will do. Throughout this experience I have been able to see what it is like to be the minority, the one who is not from Iceland, the one who does not know the language, and the new kid. That in itself has been a humbling experience, although I must say I quite enjoyed it! Solheimar is like a huge mixing pot of culture, making the world that much smaller, and bringing wonderful people into our lives.   

Playing games with some of the interns!

Coming up with one word that describes my CELL family is simply not possible. This group of young women (and Hank) has influenced me in ways that I never imagined. For as long as I can remember it has been difficult for me to express my emotions, I have always struggled with being "deep". Opening up to these girls was easy from the beginning. They are all so open and excepting, I immediately felt I could be myself in front of them. I was not afraid to show them every side of me, whether that be my goofy side, happy side, loud side, outgoing side, or emotional side; they were there for me no matter what.While here I had the opportunity to take a step away from my daily life, and the intensity of school. I discovered even more of what makes me happy, I was exposed to people of different backgrounds, and I helped to feed my curiosity of the world.

Group shot on the Westman Islands

Emily, Julia, Liana, Yilin, Chen and Hank: Thank you so much for sharing this experience with me. You helped make this semester one to never forget, and I will always look back on this as one of the best times of my life. You really have impacted me, and I will always remember our corkyness and jokes :)

Now as one journey comes to end, it is time to take what I have learned and look forward to the next adventure. Where that will be? Who knows... until then sjáumst!!
- Elizabeth

West Iceland trip

Goofing around on the Westman Islands!

What's an end when we're all connected?

    For my final blog post I wanted to say goodbye to my CELL family members, specifically through poetry. I simply cannot put into words how thankful I am to have met each and every one of the people at Solheimar this semester.  To all the CELL students, interns/volunteers, staff members, and home people, thank you. 

You have changed my life for the better.

    To all of you prospective CELL students reading this blog – I encourage you to just go for it. If you have a passion for the environment, enjoy the outdoors, find joy in creating lasting and meaningful relationships, would like to learn how to knit, etc. then there’s really no need to hesitate. Spending a semester with CELL was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I promise you won’t regret it!

Hank

He who knows no bounds

Through the mind he sparks spirit

Reflection of calm

Jin Chen!

Polk-a-dot PJs

Finds joy in the little things

Wait. Stand there. Aaaand, click!

Gerrit’s Carrots

There’s this girl I know

who can put on a show

I’m sure you’ve met her,

I mean who could forget her?

She’s blonde and tall

and a friend to all

She’ll always catch you

 during a trust fall

Her voice is as loud

as a thunder cloud

Bring her home to your parents,

she'll make your mom proud

She loves to dance

and even prance

There’s not a single experience

 she won’t enhance

She’ll show you compassion

while remaining in fashion

you can even trust her

with your peanut butter rations

She makes everyone laugh,

cutting tension in half

She is the star

 of the Tuscarora staff

I’m reluctant to give away her name just yet

But I can’t resist,

She’s the one, the only

Elizabet!

For all those who will ever know Julia

Joke around with her, she is not afraid to be wacky

Understand her, she is always worth listening to

Learn from her, she is a wealth of knowledge and wise beyond her years

Invite her, she won’t pass up on adventure

Allow her, to be exactly the person she is

Olives

What I like about olives

Is that you can see into their centers

Deep to their cores

Each one unique with character

What I like about Liana Agrios

Is that she lets people in

Deep to her core

So unique with character

Cooking Up Smiles

Dash of salt,

Cup of sugar,

Add vanilla,

Stir.

Left foot,

Right foot,

Hold hands,

Summit.

Dash of salt,

Cup of sugar,

Mash bananas,

Bake.

Left foot,

Right foot,

Find your balance,

Base.

Moving mountains,

Cooking up smiles,

A day in the life,

Of Yilin Yang.

Good bye Iceland, it’s been quite the ride!

By: Emily Spognardi 

New lessons to me

March 23^rd is a special day. At 10 o’clock, I heard one of the most inspiring stories from Emily. At 8:30 pm, earth hour began.

From my environmental philosophy, I value the role of government more than other factors. I think government regulation is the most direct and effective way to change the society; I think it is too hard for an individual to make a difference especially under the government’s obstacle. However, I was totally shocked when I saw how much impact Emily has made on her campus. When Emily and her friends gathered together, they did not even know what they were going to with the trash, but they made everything happen. They prevent tons of objects from landfill; they make thousands of dollars from selling “trash”. I also saw that as long as the first person stands out and guide people, they are more than willing to participate in environmental protection projects. I have been overlooked the role of the public for so long that I underrated their how many powerful effects they could bring. I start to understand Emily’s bottom to top environmental philosophy. Then I questioned myself what I can do but have not done in environmental protection. I noticed that my actual actions have fallen far behind my environmental ideas. I felt exhausted after Emily’s presentation due to the huge shock it brought to my current philosophy. On the other hand, I also felt energetic, because her story made me confident about what I can do and made me notice that I need to start now.

I also gradually notice that I am more activism during these two months. I become more open-minded to hear voices expressing different approaches in environmental conservation. Simultaneously, I become less tolerant to hear opinions which are lack of environmental consciousness. At 8:30pm, our CELL group turned off our lights and went out to remind people of earth hour. I am glad to see people are willing to cooperate when we remind them. However, I saw many people on the internet arguing that households lighting does not consume much energy, but using candles do cause carbon dioxide emissions. They said turning of lights is not an earth hour, but an hour makes people feel good about themselves. One Chinese actor was even criticized for his photo with candles. I was shocked, second time in one day. I believe the initiator of the earth hour does not count on it to save energy, but to spread environmental consciousness to everybody that everyone can participate and every tiny thing can help change the world. I did hear that due to the setup of the turbine cannot easily change, the energy saved by turning off lights will lose anyway, but I am surprised that people are using this science to taunt those who want to contribute their effort to make a difference. As a result, I spent a night arguing with that random people over the internet about how to protect the environment. However, I quickly noticed that we were unable to convince each other, we both had firmly believed theory. This is another lesson to me.

Environmental conservation is a long way to go. Thank you for CELL program and my classmates for teaching me so much about everything so that I can develop my own understandings and philosophy so quickly. I hope one day I can be somebody who made a difference and made a impact on the society, on the environment, and maybe on you.

 

Chen