Magnum opus

  That's a question I get a lot. Why Iceland? Isn't it some rock in the middle of bumblefuck? Hence, I am posting here a list I made of advantages of living in Reykjavík, Iceland (and Iceland in general) compared to living in Sacramento or Roseville, CA (long story).

  So, ups for Reykjavík:

• Iceland’s students were among the top ten countries in the world in literacy; Iceland itself has a 100% literacy rate. The U.S. did not (I don’t know about California individually).
• Iceland is a welfare country. Sacramento is in the Capitalist U.S.
• No dogs are allowed into Reykjavík without a special exception. (I am strictly a cat person.)
• Snow comes early, and, being from Israel, I’ve been almost completely deprived of the ability to play in the snow as a child. I need to fix that, and I’d really love to see my future children’s excitement with the first snow of the year. Sacramento is usually too hot for snow, and it usually just hails there instead. Plus, after reading Alana Odegard’s column about the kósí kvöld, I got a very nice and fuzzy feeling in me, as if I could feel the cosiness myself.
• Icelanders are much like Israelis, in their sense of easy-going attitude (Israelis have their own version of þetta reddast: yihye beseder, ‘it’ll be fine’) and straight-forwardness, only they’re much more individualistic, not as militant, and much more liberal (remember the historic victory of Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, a.k.a. ‘Jóbama’?). California is part of the U.S., a country in which people are often confusingly polite for Israelis: if an American says ‘maybe later’ about a suggestion, s/he means ‘NO’, but an Israeli would take it literally and just ask again later.
• Also, there’s little to no homophobia in Iceland, in particular not in Reykjavík. Well, at least one can’t be discriminated or encounter gay bashing there. No-one in Iceland thought it was much of a big deal Iceland’s new PM is a lesbian, and the most famous Icelandic female singer, band leader, and arguably techno musician are ‘that way inclined’ (Björk is bisexual, Jón Þór Birgisson is gay, and so is Páll Óskar). Icelandic law allows same-sex marriage and adoption, as well as developing transgender-related laws. California passed Proposition 8.
• Iceland has a globally acclaimed theatre and orchestra, as well as a spectacular music industry, and damn, it has Iceland Airwaves. Reykjavík has its own internationally famed film festival; Gerald Peary from the Boston Phoenix called the festival ‘one of the best-programmed film festivals on earth, and with some of the most exciting guests’. Well, Sacramento has equivalent festivals of its own…
• Iceland never aired Big Brother, reading is very popular there, and Icelanders visit the theatre (with a stage and not a screen) very often.
• Iceland has its Northern Lights phenomenon. That’s just plain whopper.
• The Icelanders are very, very good looking. Even if it won’t be of, um, practical use, they can still be fun to look at.
• Minimal amount of Muslim immigrants (sources vary in numbers, but none is over 1,200. There are about 200,000 people living in the Greater Reykjavík Area. This, compared to about 25% of Oslo, for instance, is almost nothing). Let’s face it: first generation, and sometimes even second generation Muslim immigrants to European countries often cause lots of trouble and threat the local liberal culture. There are some beautiful exceptions, but all in all, that is the case.
• Reykjavík is one of the greenest cities on Earth, disregarding the massive carbon emission.
• Unlike in the U.S., democracy in Iceland is so strong, the President himself can walk around without guarding without ending up like Olof Palme.
• Iceland’s healthcare system is the third best in Europe (though it might decline due to the kreppa, or maybe the other way around―some articles online indicate there’s a growing trend of establishing medical tourism in Iceland―but who knows?). The U.S. healthcare system isn’t even free.
• Even during the crisis, Icelanders have a great sense of humour. Also, Icelandic teenagers I’ve spoken to seem very nice.
• Iceland has a vast literary repertoire, written in a language that’s been almost frozen for centuries, which can be read even today.
• Iceland has a history to be quite proud of: having created one of the first parliaments in the world, having been the second country in the world to legalise abortions (after the U.S.S.R.), and having been the true first European to step on American ground. California used to be a Spanish colony.
• Iceland has E-label, which uses no live models in its catalogues and puts a middle-aged model on the front page (unlike, say, Israeli FOX). That’s progressive. I like that.
• Iceland most likely wouldn’t have many people with a good command of various languages as I would have once I’m done with all the languages I’m trying to master, which would give me a major cut above the rest when I try applying for jobs as a translator.
• According to what an acquaintance from Iceland told me, the Icelandic system of education is extremely open-minded. They actually listened to him when he layed out all of his arguments in support of his cannabis consumption, and he could actually start an intelligent discussion in class instead of being silenced in favour of ‘continuing the lesson, because we don’t have much time till the finals...’ (as always happens in Israel). In the U.S., however, it greatly depends on the teacher.

  Now, to its downsides:

• Iceland is a very tightly knit community. This makes Iceland some sort of a huge kibbutz, in a sense.
• That might make me meet my ex much more often than I would like.
• Icelanders might not be homophobic, but they have a serious xenophobia problem to cover for it. One of the best examples of this is how immigrants are required to re-attend university in Iceland.
• Also, Iceland doesn’t handle immigration very well, resulting in said xenophobia, alongside many Polish immigrants who stay in Iceland for ages without speaking any Icelandic. Teenagers I’ve spoken to, however, don’t appear racist: many of my Facebook friends and I have a mutual black friend—named Unnur.
• I’ve heard from Icelanders—on blogs, on MSNM, &c. that many people have become much meaner because of the kreppa.
• Iceland has the second highest number of rapes per 100,000 people in Scandinavia, after Greenland. I can never, ever endure belittling rape. Sacramento has similar stats (it has app. 500,000 people living in it; do the math), but it has harsher punishments.
• Iceland’s universities are not even among the top 500 of the world, while the University of Sacramento was one of the top 100 universities for an M.A. in the West in 2007. And the University College of Los Angeles, which is among the top 50 universities of the world, is several hours of driving away.
• Roseville, California, which is about half an hour away by car from Sacramento, is the skinniest city in the U.S. Iceland, on the other hand, is developing an increasing obesity problem (and damn I wish I could re-find that article I read about it…).
• Iceland’s in an endless fight over its whaling industry.
• Iceland's weather can be horrible. Even when it’s not, it’s pretty cold, and I’m sensitive to cold…
• Living in Iceland is quite expensive, at least so I’ve heard.
• They eat svið. Jesus, how the devil can you eat something that’s looking at you? And looking at you cutely?
• Iceland emits preposterous amounts of carbon.
• Aside of Iceland having created one the world’s first parliaments, Iceland also has some darker sides to its history, such as trying to ban black soldiers from serving in the American base in Keflavík.
• Iceland’s in a bloody economic crisis! (Well, actually, so is California… And it was said on the Iceland Review that the Icelandic Minister of Finance, Steingrímur J. Sigfússon, said that the restoration of the three banks that collapsed a year ago―Glítnir, Landsbanki, and Kaupþing―are to be restored by November 1st.)

  This, I suppose, sums it up. I tried making this list to choose between being with Felicia and going to Iceland after uni, or go to Sacramento with the person I was referring to a few posts ago (‘True Poverts’ Joy’). Just when I was coming to the conclusion that Felicia and Iceland probably better, she got back with her ex. Sigh...

  And while we’re at it, here’s a great site by an acquaintance who writes for Iceland Review: Iceland.co.il. Any Israeli who’s into Iceland should go read there.

  And last but not least, here’s a poem I wrote as a gesture to Sigur Rós:

TJÚ!

Teach me to sing in Hopelandic, Jón,

  And set my dumb tongues on fire!

Teach me to sit at the Gates of Dawn

  And scream from the top of my lungs: ‘Í gær!’

Teach me to dance with the little Starelf

  To a musical box in the shire!

It's a good start to put the book back on the shelf;

  Now it’s time to relinquish this lyre!

Oh give me the wind and the haystack, it’s time to be true:

Í’m riding a river of silver, becoming just T-J-Ú!!

Tjú! Æásjatjú! Nýafuatjú! Kjæjáæaaa!!!

An Cat Dubh, 14.10.09

  Jón Þór Birgisson isn't nearly acknowledged enough as a true genius. I’ll dedicate a post to analyse his work some other time.

  Unum diem...