The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2000, Side 26

Vol. 56 #1
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
24
Snorri Program
by Colleen Wilson
I felt an instant connection to Iceland, hav-
ing heard about it all my life. Just over one
hundred years ago, my great-grandmother and
great-grandfather immigrated to Canada.
None of the language, and very few cultural
practices were passed on in our family, but a
pride in the fact we were Icelandic was
encouraged.
Stepping off the plane at Keflavik Airport,
I had no real knowledge of what the six week
Snorri Program would entail. I knew only the
basics, that nineteen other people ranging in
age from seventeen to twenty-eight, would
also be experiencing Iceland through the same
program. I also knew that week number one
would be spent exploring Reykjavik: the four
weeks following would be spent living and
working in the part of Iceland where our fore-
fathers originally lived. The last week would
be an adventure tour where we would experi-
ence the highlights of Iceland first hand.
The excitement of the first week lay in its
newness. We toured Reykjavik and had time
to adjust to a culture that in many ways was
different from our own. One of the main dif-
ferences was the lack of violent crime, even
on Friday and Saturday nights when the level
of alcohol consumption soared.
During the week, we attended a sort of
school where we learned more about
Snorri group with Icelandic President in August 1999.
Back row, left to right: Margaret Petursdottir (Snorri organizer), Aquila Samson, Adam
Thorsteinson, Kristian Sigurdson, Andrea Christianson, Stephen Benediktson, Steven Mills, Thor
Magnusson, Dale Bjornsson, Leah Allen, Runa Vollman, Lisa Erickson, Tanya Hiebert, Johanna
Brierley, Colleen Wilson.
Front row, left to right: Nathan Bjomson Odinn (organizer), Katherine MacFadden, Matthew
Haye, Tricia Thorson, Krista Sigurdson. Missing: Heather Roed.