Iceland review - 2019, Page 10

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Iceland Review
ASK
ICELAND
REVIEW
Words by
Jóhann Páll Ástvaldsson
Photography by
Golli
HIGH QUALITY HOUSES IN
THE NORTH OF ICELAND
LEIFSSTADIR AKUREYRI
Exclusive villa in the
vicinity of Akureyri.
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 8
Details and booking www.nollur.is
NOLLUR
Húsavík
AKUREYRI
Vík
Höfn
Eskifjörður
REYKJAVÍK
FNJÓSKÁ NOLLUR
A loft apartment with incredible
views of the fjord.
1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, sleeps 2 (4)
VALLHOLT GRENIVIK
A spacious, luxurious
house at the shore.
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sleeps 6
KRÝSUVÍK
A convenient loft apartment
on the Nollur farm in Eyjafjörður.
2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, sleeps 4
P
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RZ1_Nollur_Inserat_Iceland-Review_Nr_4_19_210x270_4f-EN.indd 1 09.07.19 14:01
Is the NBA very
popular in Iceland?
How do Icelanders take to first contact
with people from other countries? Are
they easy to relate to initially?
It’s difficult to give a true yes or no on this
question. It was huge in the 90s during the
height of Jordan mania, with lots of people
collecting NBA cards. Nowadays, basketball
is one of the biggest sports in the country
along with football and handball, with 7,142
practitioners. The Icelandic basketball
team is improving, having qualified for the
European championships EuroBasket for
the first time in 2015, and again 2017.
That being said, it’s difficult to watch
US games due to the time difference. Many
NBA fans watch East Coast games, or
games on Sunday which are often played
earlier than regularly scheduled games.
Some also watch condensed versions of
the games the day after, or the daily Top
10 plays. News outlet Vísir covers the NBA
very well, with news semi-daily, even in the
off-season. NBA highlights are often shown
as part of the daily evening news in the two
TV news outlets in the country. So, avid
sports fans in Iceland will recognise the top
players in the NBA. It’s nowhere close to
the popularity of English Premier League
football, but it definitely piques the interest
of Icelandic sports fans in ever growing
numbers.
To be completely honest, Icelanders aren’t
known for their cosy interactions with
strangers. This might lead many to consider
Icelanders’ behaviour as rude, but we like to
think of it as a direct and honest attitude,
free of affectation. People generally steer
away from contact with other folks in
public. Small talk is very stiff, and the stop-
and-chat is something which many try to
avoid. The ‘nod’ is a much-used social tool
to avoid these types of confrontations. On
the other hand, if someone does stop to ask
you how you are, it’s because they genuinely
want to know.
There is a running theory that
Icelanders avoid small chat in order to limit
the number of social acquaintances. In a
small society, it can be tedious to not be
able to leave the house without bumping
into someone you know. The fewer people
you speak to, the fewer social interactions
in daily life.
It can be isolating for expats from more
social countries to live in Iceland. It’s often
said, however, that foreigners need only
breach the protective layer many Icelanders
put up in the beginning: once you’re in,
you’re in. Even though Icelanders are bad
at small talk, talking about the weather is
always a safe bet. Chat at your own risk.