Halló friends!
I am just back from Germany—specifically the Ruhrgebiet, where I spent six days visiting old friends and places where I used to live, and also taking the opportunity to see the Eras Tour. (Or, in reverse order: seeing the Eras Tour and taking the opportunity to see old friends and places—equally applicable 😁)
I wrote a bit about the upcoming trip here before I left.
Those six days were very valuable for me for a number of reasons, one being that it gave me a chance to reflect on my decision to move from Germany and back to Iceland 30 years ago. It was a big decision at the time, I had not lived in Iceland for any length of time since childhood, so it did not feel like my home. Canada, where I had (mostly) grown up, felt like home, but my landed immigrant status had been revoked because I had been away too long, so it was either stay in Germany and raise my daughter there, or move to Iceland (more or less as a foreigner) and raise her there.
Being back in Germany now I felt overwhelmingly grateful for having made the decision to move back. I have received so many opportunities here in Iceland that I never would have in Germany. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that I am so, so appreciative of the Icelandic propensity for saying YES (or, well, JÁ) instead of NO. Of saying “hell yes, let’s do this” rather than, “I can’t”.
There is an energy here of just going for it, launching your ideas into action, and seeing what happens. Yes, it can definitely backfire, and the stories of Icelanders who rush into something headlong without really thinking things through are countless. In fact, they’ve become almost cliché.
Still, it’s a kind of energy I relish.
This is how I described it in The Little Book of the Icelanders:
One of the great things about living in Iceland is that it is so easy to make things happen.
The Icelanders tend to have enthusiasm in spades and are usually really keen to participate in fun projects. They’re super motivated. I don’t know what it is that makes them so receptive to that sort of thing, but suspect it’s a combination of factors – not the least of which is that it’s so easy to make connections and get things launched.
Let’s say you have an idea for something – a band, an arts project, a small business or whatever – someone you know will almost certainly know a bass player, or have a rehearsal space, or know how to get funding. Or they’ll know someone who knows someone. And if they don’t, you can always just pick up the phone and call someone you think might be able to help. Most people in Iceland are really receptive to that sort of thing, and no one thinks you’re weird for doing it.
Bands, theatre ensembles, dance troupes, publishing collectives, think tanks … ventures like those thrive in Iceland. And none of it would be possible without a healthy dose of what the Icelanders call kæruleysi, definitely one of the operating words when describing the Icelandic national character. It’s a hard concept to translate literally … I suspect the word is derived from the English “careless”, but whereas the English word has a slightly negative connotation when describing a person, in Icelandic it is used for someone who is spontaneous, who just goes for things without thinking too much about the consequences. As such has a definite positive slant. Bara að slá þessu upp í kæruleysi, the Icelanders say, meaning “I’m not going to be held back by worry – I’m going for it.”
Obviously there are two sides to the kæruleysi coin – there’s the side that throws caution to the wind, and there’s the side that throws caution to the wind without thinking too much about the consequences for other people. (See also section on Icelanders’ driving habits, and everything that has ever been written about the Icelandic economic meltdown.)
So, yes. Germany was good to me during a time on my life when I needed it, and I will forever be grateful for that, too. But Iceland … Iceland is the place where my dreams came true.
Have you experienced the Icelandic “going for it” or, alternatively, the Icelandic kæruleysi? Let me know in the comments. ✌️
Interested in knowing more about the Icelandic national character? You might want to check out ..
This post may contain affiliate links
I only know Iceland from 2 visits and what I read on RUV (being native German). I love the Icelandic forward looking spirit. And yes, this is something I miss most here in Germany. German "Angst" is still a reality, people think of what can go wrong...really sad, I think, you miss all your opportunities.
I love your letter! ❤️
having lived both in Iceland and Germany (in Iceland unfortunately only very briefly), I can't agree more with this post. In Germany, people are always dubious about a plan and start by thinking of 10 reasons why it won't work. The weather might be bad, there will be traffic...by the time you set out, you feel negative about it already. Germans think of this habit as "being well prepared," and don't seem to see that it comes across as negative or burdensome to others. Also, if anything goes wrong, it is your fault for not being well prepared.
Icelanders, on the other hand: always up for an adventure, spontaneous, wanting to try something new. This brings energy and optimism to new projects, which often then succeed because of this energy and optimism. The only problem is, the energy can be short lived, and if you are away for a bit, by the time you come back, everyone is already doing a different project. It is really hard to Icelanders to keep their attention focused on a single project to completion, because there are so many exciting other things to do. It is like an entire nation of people with ADHD ;)