Postcard #10

Feb. 9,2002      

Greetings all,

Well time sure flies when you are busy, to say that I am busy is putting it mildly. I started my extra duties at the school in the beginning of January. My job at the hotel started in the New Year as well, actually I had to work New Year's day, night. It was okay, quiet actually. Rain was the norm in the beginning of January. January 2nd I was treated to a special evening. It was at the home of Sveinn Gretar Jonsson and his wife Hanna, who I was fortunate to host in Canada last summer. It was a very international night. His son is working in Moscow in a Hair Salon. There was a friend of his that works at the Icelandic Embassy in Moscow. A hairdresser, from Hanna and Sveinn's Salon, who has cut my hair that has spent time in Germany and the USA. And also there was another lady that was into marketing hair products, in Sweden, USA and Germany. It was an excellent evening and very interesting. I had to start work on the 2nd even though teaching didn't start until the 7th. I was lucky to have the time off that I did. With the start of a semester, it has been very busy photocopying.

January 5th, I attended a annual general Free Mason meeting. It was great, a crowd of over 400 in attendance. It was very interesting and I met many people from all over Iceland. As if I wasn't busy enough, I also started classes at the school. I am taking a French class and a art class, about 2 hours each per week.

Jan. 11th I was treated to lunch by a friend from along time ago, one Steinthor Gudbjartsson who is now a newspaper reporter with Morgunbladid, the morning paper, in Iceland. I moved into the hotel on the 12th and started work that night. Things are continuing to progress at the school. We are installing more TV's and videos in the classrooms and now we are looking into a satellite system. I spent almost 500,000kr, or $8,000.CAN. Well my birthday came and went on the 15th. It was nice to get the emails and the calls, except from Diane at 2:30 in the morning, but since it was her birthday also I forgive her. I even got flowers, a couple books and 2 decks of playing cards from the school. I made the student paper yet again, this time I was in a "voluspa" predictions for the future. It says that I will continue up the ladder at the school and I will become the principle one day. I don't know what my boss had to say about giving me his job.

I have had some long days at work, on the 17th I was called to the school at 4 am by the security company because the alarm had gone off. I got back to my room at 5:30 and went back to work at 7:00, I had to work until 11:00pm so that was a long day. I have been doing a few things besides working. I have had to renew my passport, I upgraded my drivers license yet again, now I can drive vehicles that take paying passengers, i.e. taxi or bus, even a transit bus. The evening of the 23rd was a very interesting evening with author Bill Holm from Minneota Minnesota. The reading was in English, and was very good. It gave an American perspective to Iceland and Icelanders'. His poems emphasize his growing up as a western Icelander and his connections to Iceland that have developed over the years. He treated us to some music on piano as well. It was an excellent evening. The 25th and 26th was another busy weekend, the Reykjavik school of music held a concert at the school, so I had to work late on Friday and all day Saturday as caretaker. The concert was excellent so that was a little pay back. Last weekend was no better, I took a first aid course, and it wasn't easy. Even many of the Icelanders' had to get some of the words and expressions explained. When I was finished with the course, I went straight to work at the hotel. I am getting to like my new residence, it is like a small family, and an Icelander and his girlfriend own the hotel. She is from Latvia and they are both very nice, there is 1 other guy that works as well, and he is Icelandic and has a girlfriend in Toronto, so he says he will be moving there soon.

Well not much more to report, during the next 2 weeks I will be a French teacher, well I am cheating, all I have to do is take roll call and show a movie. There is only 1 class each week that I have to cover, but it is a start. The French teacher is taking a course in Paris for 2 weeks.

Bless Bless, Kent Lárus Björnsson