Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.03.2008, Blaðsíða 4

04 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 03 2008 | Letters
Dear Madam/Sir,
I am a 49-year-old Sri Lankan bank employee interested
in exchanging ideas through correspondence with a like-
minded Icelander. With a view to having my pen pal request
published I visited the websites of several leading Icelandic
newspapers, but unfortunately, most of them are in Icelan-
dic. I am sending this email to give your newspaper a try.
So, if you possibly could publish my request in your newspa-
per, my details are as follows:
Name: Bandula Idamegama
Age: 49
Marital Status: Single
Sex and sexual orientation: Male, straight
Interests: Intercultural - learning, foreign languages, reading,
correspondence, global governance and environmental is-
sues, trade union education, civil society activism etc, etc.
Postal Address:
Bandula Idamegama
National Savings Bank
Meegoda
Sri Lanka
E-mail : manager.meegoda@nsb.lk
It would be gratefully appreciated, if this request of mine is
published in your newspaper. Thank you in advance for your
kindness in this regard.
Yours sincerely,
Bandula Idamegama
Dear Bandula,
May your mailbox be flooded with letters from like minded
Icelanders of straight sexual orientation.
Editor
Dear Sir.

I just read the letter from one of your readers in the current
issue, i think here name was Jessica but i am not quite sure
about it. I got very sad reading it as she, when she finally
decided to move here, had no good experiences here at all.
I moved myself more than 5 years ago and though my re-
lationship with Iceland and the Icelanders has had its ups
and downs i am still in love with the country and with an
Icelander (who does great making up for some other sheep-
heads, i admit it).
Well, maybe because i got in touch with the language
at the age of 18 and as my mother tongue is German, at least
the language part was never a big issue for me, at least not in
a humiliating way. As i have to admit being very lucky being
it this certainly advanced position, i can only offer my help.
Currently i am taking a teachers degree for German and (if
the ministry of education co-operates) Icelandic for foreign-
ers at the university of Iceland. It would be a pleasure for me
trying to find some time to meet and i will do my best to fulfill
request regarding the system of this hidden language as well
as trying to figure out job ads. If you think i might save a re-
lationship here you could kindly forward this letter or print it
in you next issue, thank you.
Kveðjur, best regards, Schöne Grüsse & hej då!
Korinna
Dear Korinna,
That was kind of you. Now If you have a moment to spare, I’d
like to tell you all about my own problems.
Hello,
My Name is Arne Jantos, I am from Germany.
I just read about the plannend or even startet demolition of
old houses and big aereas of rekjavik, and I am really ap-
paled about this really bad news.
Just after the flooding of the Karahnjukar, what was
also a badbad news for me and the reputation as a country
of pure nature (what makes thousands of people come every
year to visit island), the council of reykajvik starts to destroy
old houses, the history of a capital, the culturall live, which
is really unique.
I’ve been twice in iceland, as a visitor, cause of the
two really unique things there is in this land: the absolute
fantastic natur, wich will be slowly destoyed by the flooding
plans for the whole country, and because of the culturall live
in reykjavik, the absolutly great music scene their, .... and I
really love the bar: the sircus at the klappastigur 30. It’s a
shame that this all will be destroyed soon to bild some big
shopping malls and so on.
I would have written much more an d more detailled,
but my english isn’t goog enough to express my really really
big anger about that all.
It seems to me the two visits were mayby my last ones.
sincerely, Arne Jantos
Dear Arne,
I am grateful for your letter, and while your English may suck,
you speak the international language anger just fine. Your
feelings are shared by many others, but unfortunately, few of
them are in a position to anything about it.
Editor
Dear Editor,
I am looking for people with special talents. Some of them
might be really sick and urgently need my blood transfusion.
Said talents may include: telepathy, flying, extraordinary
strength and the ability to travel through time or physical
objects. If you, or readers of your magazine know of people
with similar talents, please contact me at mohinder@primat-
echpaper.com
Dr. Mohinder Suresh
Dear Dr. Suresh,
Surely, you must be joking.
Editor
Sour Grapes
Say your piece, voice your opinion, send your letters to letters@grapevine.is.