May 4-11

This week was an introduction to Biofuels given by three professors based at the University of Akureyri. The class provided an introduction into how we can find new sources of fuel from sustainable sources. Most interesting was the second and third generation biofuels, which do not directly conflict with corn and other food production. Inedible plants such as switchgrass, Jatropha, and miscanthus can easily be converted into ethanol or other biofuels. Other residues such as corn husks and wheat stover and bagasse are left over from crop harvest and can also be turned into a usable fuel. Even the decomposition of trash, termed municipal solid waste, releases methane which can be captured and refined into biodiesel or combusted. Iceland has its very own MSW facility at a landfill near Reykjavik, which we will be visiting on the study tour in June.

The third generation fuels seem to show the most potential. This is where algae takes in ambient sunlight and is able to release hydrogen and other synthetic gasolines. Once this chemistry is understood, people might be able to 'grow' their own fuels in their backyards. Second generation biofuels even have a high possibility in Iceland, where farming grasses and other non-edible crops is common. As seen in the picture below, the terrain is very welcoming for grasses to grow, but not much else.

Prep for our whitewater trip

With the week over, Paul (pictured above in his kayak) had set up a whitewater rafting trip for the group on the East Glacial River about an hour west of Akureyri. The recent warm snap had given a lot of extra flow to the meltwater coming off of the glaciers in the highlands.

Those with the stomach could jump off the rocks into the water. The rules were that if you climbed up, you had to jump.

One group seen entering one of the rapids.

Your's truly riding the boat through a rapid by himself (all the other paddlers and the guide fell out)

One rapid (called The Green Room) was a bit too dangerous to paddle through, so we walked around it instead. It gave us a chance to see the cool gorge that the river had cut into the landscape.

April 27 – May 3

This week’s course was yet another Icelandic specialty: hydropower. Although a somewhat contentious topic for many around the world, hydropower in Iceland is huge due to enormous amounts of water. Of note is the recently completed dam in the east of Iceland, providing over 600MW of electricity to the multinational aluminum giant Alcoa. Icelanders are deeply divided. The reservoir for the dam submerged 57 square km and there are concerns of animal populations. Others point to the jobs created and a potential to create a new “Golden Circle” for tourists.

We didn’t make it to the Alcoa smelter this week but did make it to another Hydropower plant at Laxárvirkjun. Overall, this was a very cool place. To many of our surprise, there was an Icelandic mythology theme to the plant complete with figurines next to the turbines.


That weekend was a swing dance lesson provided by our very own Steve.


An intense game of volleyball followed in the newly minted Skjaldarvik International Volleyball Stadium.


Also, it has been getting lighter and lighter each night. This picture was taken close to 11:00PM.

April 20-26

This week was a very special week during our time at RES, and as a fluke was also marked with many coincidences. Due to the financial turmoil that has hit the country over the past 6 months, elections were moved forward to elect a new government who would, presumably, fix the country’s problems. RES had the opportunity to meet with, Mr. Steingrimur Sigfusson, the Minister of Finance, who was up for reelection. He spoke about how the economy was based on a sound footing, and it was only a matter of time before there was a recovery. He added that education is still a priority in Iceland regardless of the economic climate, and the educational aspect of life in Iceland has seen very little negative affect. This makes sense, especially since Iceland has one of the highest literacy rates in the world.

This week we learned about fuel cells and their potential applications. In addition to potential use in cars, they are also well suited for many other uses, such as energy storage units, backup power for hospitals (which was a thesis topic for two of last year’s students), buses, boats, advanced military applications, and even portable electronics. It is currently possible to power cell phones, laptops, and mp3 players by a fuel cell. It might soon be possible to put a small amount of methanol into a laptop and not have to charge it for a week, similar to refilling a cigarette lighter. In addition, fuel cells can be adapted to other sustainable fuels besides Hydrogen, such as biomethanol or biobutanol.

During the weekend we had a chance to take a day trip to Siglufjordur, one of the most northernmost towns on the main island of Iceland. The group stopped in Dalvik and Olafsfjordur along the way. A tunnel is currently under construction that will connect Olafsfjordur and Siglufjordur, which is surrounded by high cliffs on all but one side. The tunnel is not scheduled to open until next year. Coincidentally, the tunnel would be open for traffic to pass through for a few hours later during the weekend for the public to see how the construction has progressed. Unfortunately, we did not have that long to wait, so we instead chose to drive the long route on a gravel road, which took us 3 times as long and cost us a flat tire from the frequent potholes. The drive was still scenic, however, and we got our first glimpses (and touches) of the open Arctic Ocean.:

The city of Siglufjordur is described (by Arthur Frommer) as impossibly picturesque, and he is definitely right. Even though, coincidentally, the clouds lifted and the snow stopped right as we pulled into town, it was impossible to really do the town justice in photographs.

Since the town is surrounded by cliffs, avalanches and rockslides are a constant danger. To lessen this risk, the town built avalanche berms to deflect any danger to the town’s residents. We hiked up a few berms to get a good view of the area.

One of the town's main claim's to fame is the herring museum, that celebrates the town's rich history as the herring capital of the fishing world:

While the museum was technically closed until summertime, a call to the caretaker allowed our group special entry into the facility. Coincidentally, even before we called him to say we had arrived in town, we met him in the center of town right as we pulled in. The museum was surprisingly entertaining and very informative. The facility was awarded the best museum in Europe a few years ago, and even has two old fishing boats housed in it, which we were only too happy to climb aboard

Hundreds of these types of ships would bring back millions of tons of fish, which would be salted, iced, or canned and shipped all over the world.

By coincidence, our roadtrip took place on election day, and the only two restaurants in Siglufjordur were both rented out to host different political parties. Apparently it is common for the different parties to hold a potluck event organized local party members, and everyone brings an elaborate dish or dessert. We were told by one restaurant manager that he ‘Didn’t want to cook for us’, but by coincidence, we ran into the organizer of one potluck (organized by the Independent Party I think), who invited a few of us in. This is what we stumbled upon:

The food was amazing! If only democracy was this tasty in the US, it might be a little more exciting and encourage more people to vote. I’m sure people would definitely be more likely to vote if there were cake involved. Our group compared the various parties (and their parties) later on. Ironically, even though the Independent Party had the best food, they ended up not doing so well in the polls. Just goes to show that even though good food can’t fix everything, it certainly helps.

Week 11: April 13-19

For those of us who were in Akureyri for Easter, brunch was held in Skjaldarvik complete with some great dishes, vodka, and egg dying. This was a great way to finish off the break.

Notice the pink egg has a wind turbine on it.




Geothermal energy, a technology that has almost become synonymous with Iceland, was the subject of this week’s course. The significant usage of underground thermal energy to heat homes and provide electricity, combined with large hydropower projects, gives Iceland the distinction of having one of the highest percentages of renewable energy in the world (I think there is a small island somewhere in the tropics that burns a lot of biomass that just beats Iceland to number one).

It is easy to get the impression that one of the reasons for this is that the people here are just more eco-conscious than most of the rest of the world. Although this may have something to do with it, the fact is that Iceland just chose what was cheapest and it happens that this was geothermal energy. In fact, Iceland is terribly inefficient in terms of usage in most cases and even has an affinity for monster 4WD vehicles like this one here:


My point is not to take anything away from Iceland, but rather to point out that they, like the rest of the world, do what costs less. My hope is that the rest of the world will eventually realize that the cost of coal and gas is much higher than what is paid to the utilities and at the pump. The problem is we just don’t know how to quantify the external costs and long term impacts and we have problems charging for things that we can’t count. But as renewables continue to develop, they will become more cost effective and will eventually compete with fossil fuels, hopefully sooner than later.

In any case, this week’s course was great at showing how Iceland developed one of its most abundant natural resources and became a leader in the field. We even were able to take a trip to the geothermal wells providing the hot water and electricity for Akureyri.

Of course, it wasn't entirely business:


This week also had some interesting non-school developments. One of which was some homemade fireworks. Nothing too fancy, but enough to keep us entertained.


As you can see from the picture, the weather was less than perfect. Of course, this was a week when a couple from Spain came to visit and this type of weather has been typical when anyone travels to see us here!

The residents of Skjaldarvik were lucky to have some great Hungarian cake on Sunday while studying for the exam on Monday.

Delicious.

Mitch's Easter Break

Spending time in a different country affords us students an important lesson in cultural and social open-mindedness. Since RES is affiliated with the University of Akureyri, just next to our classroom, we had a chance to meet with the university guidance counselor. She explained to us a little bit about the 'Culture Shock' that usually accompanies extended living abroad, just as every American university student who decides to spend a semester abroad learns before they leave. The concept is split into 4 phases which students are likely to experience while living in a new place. The first is the 'Honeymoon' phase, where everything is new, novel and exciting. Our Ikea furnished apartments, 2 for 1 movie nights, student union parties, even the addition of a microwave in the classroom were all greeted with a sense of excitement and exhilaration. Stage 2 is usually marked by 'Irritation and Hostility', where little things seem like a major ordeal. Simple things such as deciphering the bus schedule (actually quite difficult at the beginning), trying to buy the right kind of dairy products, and attempting to cope with the abundant snowy weather can manifest itself into homesickness and frustration. It is important to know that this is natural, and it will eventually pass. The 3rd stage is the 'Adjustment' phase, where gradual familiarity and adjustment takes place. Thoughts of 'Well, I'm here, might as well make the most of it' are common, and deeper learning is possible. The 4th and final stage is 'Adaptation and Biculturalism', where the new environment seems less foreign and more like another home. New capabilities and cultural understanding is possible based on comparison of cultures. Thoughts of 'That's weird' are replaced with 'That's different'. One can learn to appreciate their surroundings and can live to a fuller potential. This allows an open minded and educated comparison between the many different cultures with which one might interact. It is this last phase that will probably make us not want to leave Iceland in February (and most likely some won't).

I had the opportunity to fly back to Massachusetts for Easter break to spend some time with my family. My newly developed biculturalism allowed many new comparisons between my home country and my guest country.
Pictured is the day of my departure from Akureyri, with Gaby, Zsusanna, and Julia who happened to be on my same flight. The runway is, predictably, lined up with the fjord since otherwise the plane's approach and takeoff would be into mountains. This affords an awesome view of the city as we took off.

One huge difference between the air travel on domestic flights in Iceland is that it is much more relaxed than in the US. I can appear at the gate (of which there is only 1) a few minutes before the flight, hand them my bag, ask for a window seat, and then promptly walk out onto the tarmac. The lack of security screening was boggling to me; it reminded me of getting on a city bus. This relaxing atmosphere is a particular contrast for me, who has spent the last 4 years traveling through O'hare airport (arguably the world's most heinous) in Chicago on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th busiest travel days of the year.

I was struck with the difference in landscape between the two regions. The tall trees that dotted my backyard were in sharp contrast to the grassy mountains that enclosed Akureyri. While I did enjoy hearing native english again (albeit heavily Boston accented), I did appreciate the degree to which those in Iceland were able to accommodate my lack of knowledge of Icelandic.

Massachusetts backyard (so many trees!):

Akureyri backyard (the free public bus goes right by my window):


One last interesting point about my trip back was how grateful I am that the US is a capitalist country. The supermarket in Stow, a town of 5500, is at least twice as big as the two in Akureyri, a town of 17,000, put together. Yet bigger is not always better. For example, the 5 different types of strawberries available in Massachusetts are much more energy intensive to transport than the 1 kind of sweet pepper that is grown in an Icelandic greenhouse a few miles away. That still didn't stop me from bringing back a few unique American made goods for some needy europeans. Apparently Ranch dressing, non-taxed electronics, and Victoria's Secret Bras are some of the things that America does best.

I did have an awkward Culture Shock moment while out with some friends at a local bar. I ordered 3 beers from the bartender, who simply said, "that's $6.75". Being used to paying between $4-6 for a beer in Iceland, I automatically remarked that that was obscenely expensive. Her quizzical look made it clear to me that $6.75 was for all three beers, not just for 1.
On a side note, even though both authors were away from Iceland for Easter break, some stayed and traveled around the island. Why not make this post a little longer and describe what they did. A group of students took a road trip around the Ring Road, stopping in Reykjavik for a few days. The group was doing what they call in english "Couch Surfing", staying with friends, or friends of friends, or whoever would host them. Thus, the back of the van was reminiscent of a group of gypsies traveling between homes:

I'm told that the weather on the whole was pretty rainy, which is a good reminder that Eyjafjordur and its surrounding mountains do a decent job of shielding Akureyri from the perpetual rain that sometimes plagues the south. Despite all this rain, dense fog, and a brief stint with the van stuck in the snow, the group managed an extensive trip circumnavigating the island. They also did the Golden Circle tour, which is apparently three of the 'must see' attractions that everyone (especially tourists) sees when they come to Iceland, including the waterfall Gullfoss, Þingvellir, the site of the first Icelandic parliament in 870, and Geysir, where all geysers worldwide get their name.

Look a bird!

Kamil is acting like the stud that he is, a girl on each arm:

Geysir:

Groups in RES often find themselves jumping for no particular reason other than to be photographed. Perhaps this is to show that we are capable of catching a moment in time instead of just a generic snapshot. Either way, someome has good enough camera skills to catch it every time:

All in all, the break was a relaxing time to catch up on sleep and spend some time away from the classroom. With our batteries recharged, we were ready to take on the next part of the semester.

Michael's Easter Break

Although my dad came to visit me in Iceland, I wanted to take advantage of the only real week off we have all year to do some travel. We drove to Reykjavik where we caught a flight to London. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say overwhelming. It is an absolutely enormous city with a ton of things to see. We only had a little time so we did the most touristy thing possible...double decker tour of the city. Here we got to see the most important sites all in style.
We also got to go on a boat tour of the Thames which took us past many bridges and eventually to Greenwich, where the time is supposedly set for the rest of the world at 0 degrees longitude.

We got back though and couldn't finish our bus tour because of protesters:

Westminster Abbey by night:

As a surprise for my dad, I booked a flight to Dublin for the next day where we would meet my brother. Overall, Dublin is a pretty awesome city and nicest for me were the pubs, Guinness, and green grass that I haven't seen in months.



On the way back, we had a long layover so we decided to take a side trip to see Cambridge.

We explored the city and went "punting" which means boating on the canal through the university propelled by a stick.
Although I definitely tried to squeeze a bit too much in my week off and almost killed my father, we had a good time!