Iceland!

WELL I feel that I must gush a bit about Iceland because it's pretty much all that has been on my mind for the last few weeks, and apparently all that has been in the news. To start the whole story from the beginning, I am WAY interested in Iceland initially because of a music group called Sigur Ros (check them out if you haven't heard them!). UNCA has a study abroad program there sooo I decided I wanted to go and, like magic, a spot turned up for this spring, 2009, pretty suddenly. This is great news because it was hard before to get a spot at the university in Reykjavik, Iceland, and now it will be especially hard with their newly failing economy. Most people in Iceland seem to have lost a great deal of their assets due to some improper investing by the richest of the country and now the bottom has dropped out in the last few weeks as the world economy in general begins to take a dive. The latest financial drama concerns the suing of Iceland by Britain, and the return suing of Britain by Iceland--it's like a national/financial soap opera! ( here is a link to read more if you are interested: http://www.icelandreview.com)

The severely degraded Icelandic economy will be great for me however and all other tourists in the country--everything is cheap!
So why Iceland? I'm a big geology fan and Iceland is a great place for studying this subject--it's an island formed from the activity of a mid-oceanic ridge....
Awesome.
So there are lots of cool rocks...
Even better.
And volcanoes...
Oh my gosh I have to go.

The largest city is called Reykjavik and it seems quite lovely, full of lots of history. These are the ancestors of the vikings! Lots of great old literature and neat monuments, but also, apparently, a place with a very "colorful" nightlife.
Lots of adventures to have! I, of course, must make a trip to the north to see the Aurora Borealis which I am THRILLED about. Geothermal pools are also a must-see. Icelandic sheep and ponies should also be interesting!

ICELAND AURORA

ICELAND-BLUE LAGOON

So, the greater message here--college is for the traveler! Study abroad! It's not impossible, ridiculously expensive (through ISEP it is the same as going to UNCA for a semester plus a ticket), or as daunting as it may seem. UNCA gives you the option of going just about anywhere you could ever imagine, the farthest, most ridiculous reaches of the earth--even Iceland!
Alex