My Experience in Iceland
Hi! My name is Annie, I’m originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. I’ve been a solo traveler for a number of years. Last year I met a volunteer at a hostel, he told me amazing stories about volunteering around Europe… and now, it’s my turn to tell you all about it!
To begin with, I can guarantee is a life changing experience, I learned (and maybe unlearned as well) So many things!
I arrive in Iceland by the end of May, when the wild flowers are already blooming, the mountains are green, the weather was sunnier that usual (according with the locals), and is already the high season for tourism in the area.
I got to stay at “the Farm” the closest location WF (WF will be the abbreviation for WorldWideFriends from now on) has to the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik. It’s a cozy little cabin, fully equipped kitchen, two restrooms, living area, one main room, and two smaller ones. Its use as a “ WF volunteers hostel”.
I got to stay there since my main role was helping out with Logistics, meaning picking up new volunteers at the bus station, or driving the ones who where leaving to the bus station, getting groceries for some projects, cleaning and keeping the farm organizes, making sure they will have everything they need for their time with the NGO… you might be thinking that it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun… but I also went on some tours to see the beauty of the Icelandic nature, I helped at some greenhouses… I was even a security member at the biggest music festival in Iceland!
Also I get to meet volunteers from all around the world. Hence the name of the organization. Imagine this: Italians cooking Mexican dinners in Iceland. Or French cooking Italian meals, or Greeks sharing cookies and candy from their hometowns, or hiking with Britsh and Brazilians along stunning waterfalls… everything in just one week!
I used to be that person that will always have a routine, there is always a plan, you know what will happen and when and why. But Iceland decided to change that. Why? Or how? It was quite simple. The weather.
At first it was a little challenging, but soon I realized that once you are in Iceland you have to be ready for any weather, at all times. Rain coat, sunglasses, warm sweater, hiking boots, water and snacks, that what I always had with me.
One of the biggest highlights for me, was working in the greenhouses. I stayed for about 5 days at the project in Hveragerdi, also known as “the flower town”. The green houses have tomatoes, arugula, kale, lettuce, cucumbers and some herbs. It was very nice to know we were eating the food we were helping to grow. Also I learned how they use the geothermal energy to keep the greenhouses running. And there are some amazing hikes to go around the area, so much fun at work, and at our time off!
Also another highlight was being one of the leaders for the Chinese volunteers. They were a little shy, but they helped us at beach clean ups, and even got to be quite creative with the fishing nets!
Iceland is an amazing place to visit, but the longer you stay, the more you can be captivated by the wild nature it holds. The words “fire and ice” are taken to another level. Getting to meet so many people definitely open my eyes in so many ways. Between the volunteers, local Icelanders, real vikings, scouts… I will forever be so grateful for everything we share, for everything I learned this summer.
Special thanks to Toti and Victoria. I understand that it isn’t too easy to keep up so much work with so many people, but in the end, we are all trying to make this world a better place, and we need more NGO’s, more fully committed humans to create awareness about our current global situation, and to take action!
If you ever have the chance to go on any volunteer programs I highly suggest you do so. But if you get the chance to take action in Iceland please go ahead and do it, there is so much to do, so much to learn… and Iceland has so much to show us! I’m already planning when to head back, hope to see you there!
Annie Cardoso, Mexico
