Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.06.2008, Qupperneq 8

08 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 07 2008 | Opinion
Working for no money sucks. Gaining experi-
ence and insight into things you didn’t know you
could do and learning more about yourself and
the world in which you live in is priceless. When
you decide to be a volunteer you tend to forget the
first observation and concentrate on the latter. Un-
fortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much of the
spirit of volunteering in Iceland. In a land where
people start working as teenagers to earn their
cold harsh cash so they can fulfil their consumer-
driven dreams, working for free doesn’t seem like
a desirable summer job.
I was talking to a friend of mine who helped
fund an organisation whose main purpose is to set
up young people with different towns in Iceland
and give them a helping hand in anything imagin-
able, from managing pony rides at a fish festival
in Dalvík, to marking the Landmannalaugar to
Þórsmörk trail, to growing organically delicious
tomatoes in Sólheimar. He told me the biggest
challenge for him so far has been convincing Ice-
landers to volunteer, even if for just two weeks.
Most volunteer groups are actually made up of
foreigners.
In my country there is a long history of vol-
unteering. We aren’t in the best socio-economic
position so we are used to helping each other out.
I find it curious that such a wealthy and well-edu-
cated country as this proud hákarl-loving nation
isn’t more inclined to enrich their lives through
volunteer work. Maybe when things are so good
it is hard to understand the plight of others. Either
way, let me tell you, you are missing out.
The experiences I am most proud of and that
have further developed my character as a global
human being are related to my volunteer work.
Whether making a terminally ill child smile or him
(at the sophisticated age of eight) teaching me the
value of life, to going to a small town in my native
Puerto Rico with heaps of food, water, and cloth-
ing after a hurricane and seeing people fighting
over a can of beans only to resolve the problem by
cooking it together to working along people with
learning difficulties in an eco-community and
seeing the resilient fire that burns within a person
who sees no limits to their abilities. This is the stuff
that I will think about when I become a wrinkled
reflection of myself. Being a coffee barista and
eavesdropping on your customers’ conversations
is enjoyable but lending a helping hand gives a
much better high.
Cash can get you that state of the art foot
massager but volunteering can open your eyes. I
write this the day after feeling the trembling be-
low my feet. Can’t help to think how lucky the
people of Selfoss were. And how devastatingly
catastrophic Mother Nature can be. If you have
never volunteered make this your summer to take
the plunge. All one has to do is put on the news to
see the devastation in Myanmar and China to put
things into perspective. Regardless of my opinion
about the brutalities of their governments, these
are people whose survival right now is based on
aid and volunteers.
If you are interested in volunteering for the
first time, the world is yours. Every country has
some type of program that facilitates your help
going to where it is needed, from Namibia to Por-
tugal. You can even think about it as a working
vacation. It is a great way to immerse yourself in
a country and create bonds with people who you
might have otherwise never met. I think its time
for the Icelandic youth to get out of their comfort
zone and Kringlan-obsessed mentality to prove
what I know to be true: that their generation really
does give a shit.
We know that Iceland has one of the highest fertil-
ity rates in the European Union, one of the highest
divorce rates, and the highest percentage of wom-
en working outside the home. So when you add
those factors together, it equals lots of children,
broken homes and absent parents. And if you
add the cold and dark winters into the mix, and
the cost of living, one would imagine this to be
a cocktail for misery and suffering. Yet according
to the United Nations Development Programme’s
(UNDP) Human Development Index rankings,
Iceland is the best country to live in. Icelanders
are also ranked among the happiest people in the
world. So how do these things go together?
Well I’m not really sure to be honest, but I do
know this: Levels of social capital and community
networks in Iceland are extremely strong, and this
is one of the most powerful drivers of life satisfac-
tion in wealthy countries. Families and communi-
ties seem to support each other, regardless of fam-
ily structure.
According to the Legatum Prosperity In-
dex (2007), tests on data from the world’s rich-
est countries (those with an average income per
person greater than US $15,000) found that the
relationship between life satisfaction and factors
such as strength of social communities, unem-
ployment, and leisure time, were much stronger
than the relationship between life satisfaction and
income. And when one considers that Iceland has
such strong community networks, one of the low-
est unemployment rates, and that Icelanders see
outdoor recreation as an important part of their
lives, it is no wonder then that they are quite con-
tent overall.
Another important factor in determining
how satisfied people are with their lives is their
sense of freedom of choice. Iceland possesses
one of the most politically free societies in the
world. Iceland grants its citizens an exceptionally
high level of political rights and civil liberties. Op-
portunities for political and social mobility are
also significant, with women being particular ben-
eficiaries – as discussed in more detail below.
Iceland has come a long way from being one
of the poorest nations in Europe 100 years ago. To-
day, Iceland has one of the highest GDP per capita
in the world; they have the highest life expectancy
for men in the world, and are not far behind for
women; they are the only country in NATO with
no armed forces; they have the highest literacy
rate in the world; they have one of the highest
employment rates; they have the highest ratio of
mobile telephones to population; one of the high-
est rates of connectivity to the internet; the fastest-
expanding banking system in the world; booming
export business; clean unpolluted air; and they
are the leaders in the sustainable power move-
ment.
Not bad for a small country of about 310,000
people. As a foreigner, I am in awe that such a
small country is so successful and at the forefront
in so many areas. But it’s the social phenomena
that are most impressive – peace, democracy, re-
newable energy, equality, women’s rights and gay
rights.
Iceland has become the leader in new fuel
technologies and geothermal energy. With 70 per-
cent of its energy renewable, derived mostly from
geothermal sources, Iceland is at the forefront of
the sustainable power movement. The country
aims to be a predominantly hydrogen-powered
economy by 2050 and many world leaders are
watching with intense curiosity.
Another notable social phenomenon,
as highlighted above, is gender equality and
women’s rights in Iceland. Compared to a lot of
countries, Iceland is really spearheading women’s
rights, with the world’s first elected female head
of state (Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, elected in 1980
and retiring in 1996), and with about one third
of parliamentary seats held by women. Equally
significant too, is the fact that women in sport get
just as much media coverage as men in sport. As
a foreigner coming from Australia, where hardly
anyone even knows that the world champions in
women’s cricket and netball are the Aussies, or
that the Australian women’s hockey and basket-
ball teams are ranked within the top five countries
in the world, it has been refreshing to see Iceland
recognize and respect women for their sporting
talents.
And whilst women’s rights are recognized
and upheld, so too are gay rights. Iceland is a very
liberal country when it comes to gay rights and
the majority of the public are supportive of homo-
sexuality. Homosexuals have many more rights in
Iceland than they do in many other western coun-
tries such as Australia and America. Homosexual
couples in Iceland are on equal footing with het-
erosexual couples – they are allowed to register
their partnership, and have the same rights as
anybody else when it comes to adoption and ar-
tificial reproduction procedures. This eliminates
almost all discrimination against homosexuals in
the system (with the exception of being allowed to
register as a couple in religious organizations).
So if you can overlook the weather aspect
and the cost of living here, Iceland really is a
remarkable place. Icelanders are determined,
industrious and resilient people. They work and
play hard. Because of the harsh environment and
isolated location, I guess it’s a case of “survival
of the fittest” and maybe that’s why they are suc-
cessful. I thought that Iceland being such a small
place would equal a “small mentality” but Iceland
proves me wrong here. Hmmmm, I’m liking this
place more and more… and I think I might stay
here a little longer…
Forget the Foot Massager
The Little Country Leading the Way
Iris Goemans recently moved from Australia to
Iceland. She found love.
Marie-Alexandra Hertell hails from Puerto Rico. She
sometimes volunteers.