View of a Local in Iceland

Icelander Maria Roff was born and raised in California, but has now settled in Iceland. In this View of a Local interview she talks about life in general on the island and shares valuable tips, you would not want to miss, if you’re planning to visit Iceland.

Briefly, please could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am an Icelander born and raised in Northern California. Both of my parents were raised in Reykjavik, but when the opportunity arose to try their hand at the American Dream, they took it.

Though our home life was very traditionally Icelandic, my sister and I both led stereotypical suburban American lives, including cheerleading, running for student council and shopping for prom dresses. We both went to good universities in California and both chose to try out living in Iceland as young adults. We both met Icelandic men with whom we have daughters, but there the similarity ends: Iceland was ultimately too small for my sister, who is now married to an American and is well established at a major Silicon Valley software firm, while I decided to make Reykjavik my home.

I have a very multi-talented husband, Thorgeir, and two children: Valentina, 9, and Óðinn, 1.

How long have you been living in Iceland?

I’ve been here for eight years now, though I waffled back and forth between the US and Iceland for a good ten years before that.

What do you like most about living in Iceland?

After giving the U.S. (San Francisco specifically) one last shot in the late ’90s at making me feel as involved, inspired and safe as Reykjavik did, I packed up my family and belongings in 1999 and moved here permanently.

In the past eight years I’ve worked as a horse-tour guide, a bookseller, a jewelry designer, a barista, a caterer, a set designer, a translator, an actor, a film critic and a teacher at both the college English level and elementary homeroom. I’ve added to my B.A. in Theater Arts from UCSC a Masters in Comparative Literature and a M.Pæd. from the University of Iceland and managed to have a son during the whole process.

There’s so much going on here and a person really can be whatever they want to be. There’s nothing that says a person can’t start out at the very top. There’s really no need to ladder-climb here; everyone can be a little king or queen if they really want to. The concentration of talent here in all arenas is amazing, and most people I know have a number of well-developed abilities. In the downtown area where I live, at least, it’s virtually impossible to get bored by the locals and their daily lives.

People very often ask me how I could even consider moving from California to Reykjavik, and my answer has been refined to this: my head may be American but my heart is very Icelandic. I miss the Pacific Ocean, the magnificent trees and all the amazing natural beauty of California, but here I have fresh air, crystal clear water from the tap and the ability to offer my children the freedom to roam without fear. I’m sure we’ll spend time on other lands in the future, but Reykjavik is our home.

Is there anything you do not like about living in Iceland ?

Can I say the weather? It’s really important to get off this island at least once a year mostly due to the weather. It honestly does not get that cold here (it hovers around 0°C during winter and near 10°C in summer), but the drab, grey, snowless, wet days of winter drag on and on, well into what other lands call Springtime. Icelanders only really acknowledge two seasons: winter and summer. While mealy snowflakes whirl around in a freezing mid-April wind, it’s hard to remember that summertime will come back someday. A quick trip to the Azores is always a good idea around this time of year.

On a more serious note, Iceland is experiencing some radical growing pains as we emerge from a democratic-socialist, self-sustaining economy into a global capitalist consumer society. The overwhelming increase in imports has set off a chain reaction that smacks of classic greed on all levels of society and that has created marked divisions between income groups. Immigrant labor is welcomed by most as an invisible substructure, but for some, admitting immigrants into Icelandic society proper is harder to swallow. I think, we have very common modern-day issues here, but I just think that a country of 300,000, where nearly everyone is related to one another, should be able to solve its problems more easily than most other emerging nations.

Why should travellers visit Iceland?

I think, any visitor to Iceland gains from understanding that the current population are the survivors of a thousand years of terrible hardship, and are strong, proud people who have found ingenious ways to live with the very volatile nature that surrounds them. It’s easy to see only the fashionable, the modern, the convenient in daily Reykjavik life, but the middle-aged woman you see emerging from her Porsche Cayenne in her Prada boots is very likely the granddaughter of someone who lived in a turf house, heated in winter by the sheep housed in the basement, burning tallow candles and fetching water from a nearby icy stream. The isolation of this island, the freezing seas, the long winters, the lack of forestation, the frequent volcanic and seismic activity and the unpredictable weather have taken their toll on the Icelandic people, but we have always survived and have built up an amazingly enlightened and advanced society despite it all.

In short, travellers to Iceland should open their eyes to the contrasts and complements between the land and the society that Icelanders have built upon it. Go to the countryside and enjoy a quiet sit by a stream or on a rock, in any weather, eat a hot dog at a roadside gas station, then come to town, order a world-class cappuccino and watch the locals stroll by.

What do you wish travellers would stop doing when they visit Iceland ?

I honestly think that the majority of our visitors are a pleasure to have. They add a decidedly cosmopolitan element that Reykjavik lacked fifteen or twenty years ago and are a welcome boon to our economy. Going to Reykjavik for stag parties and to “do the locals” is very out, though. Come to party, but leave your assumptions at the gate, please.

Everyone, especially visitors, needs to respect our manic weather, though, and never underestimate how aggressive and volatile Icelandic nature can be. Every year tourists die here, because they wrongly assume, they’ll be able to take on the highland backroads or navigate their kayaks in the coastal seas, or even just get away with dressing lightly, when they leave their car for a little walk. The motto here is Be Prepared for Any Weather, Any Time!

If a visitor had time to do or see only one thing in Iceland, what should it be?

I’d have to say that the Blue Lagoon would be a great one-stop for most everyone. For those that don’t enjoy getting into bathing clothes, though, just coming into Reykjavik and taking photos of Hallgrimskirkja is a great way to meet urban Iceland after experiencing the barren lava fields on the way into town from the airport.

Otherwise, taking the Golden Circle bus tour (here are some nice photos found online) is a really nice day trip for visitors who have the time to do it.

If a visitor had time for only one meal in Iceland , which dish would you recommend?

As far as food goes, I think everyone should try lamb while in Iceland. It’s always super fresh and comes from free-range, happy sheep. Lamb shank, if you can find it, is excellent, but the real local dish is hangikjöt or hanged meat. It’s a smoked dried and cured roll of lamb that has a super rich and unique tang.

Make sure you try skyr as well. Its like thick yogurt, and comes in all sorts of fun flavors. It’s super high in protein and fat free. You can often find skyr dessert, which is like cheesecake, at better restaurants.

If you don’t eat meat you can go to one of a few nice vegetarian restaurants here in midtown (here’s a review of one) and there’s even a vegan cafe, Hljómalind, on the main shopping street, Laugavegur.

Of course fish is always fresh here too, though I’m personally against the kind of factory fishing that is taking place on a global level, which Iceland is definitely involved in. I say, stick to the lamb and fresh new potatoes. Whatever you do, don’t go for the beef. I can promise you, it won’t be as good as wherever you come from (our cattle are very “tough” customers!)

Do you have any other insider tips for visitors to Iceland?

While you’re here, drink as much cold water as you want straight out of the tap! It’s a luxury you can’t find in almost any other country in the world. Just be careful with the hot tap. The water heats to scalding and does contain sulpher, so don’t drink it and be sure to take your silver jewellery off, before you use it. Take long super-hot showers and go to a swimming pool at least once. After tapping into our geothermal capacities, Iceland has become like a full time day spa. There’s always enough hot water to go around and the very lightly chlorinated pools are a part of daily life here. Everyone goes.

One last note: While here, try to stop yourself from converting currency in your mind. Know that it is expensive here, but try not to let it freak you out. We’re just a little island nation trying to get by, and hopefully (most probably!) you’ll get your money’s worth and more.

Visit Maria’s blog

Anni Poulsen: For more tips and cool photos from Iceland, make sure you pay Maria’s blog, Iceland Eyes a visit.

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2 Responses to “View of a Local in Iceland”

1. julia:

   My husband and I are thinking of relocating to Iceland from San Francisco as well! Would it be possible to contact Maria directly to ask her a few specific questions?

   Thanks,

   Julia

   28 June, 2007 at 17:14
2. Anni Poulsen:

   How exciting Julia!
   I’m sure if you leave a comment on Maria’s blog, Iceland Eyes, she’ll get back to you. I can of course not publish her email address here, but she has it posted on her blog.
   Best of luck with your move!

   28 June, 2007 at 17:34

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