Iceland Week 1

So for those of you who may not know me, my name is Zach Wiegert. I am a photographer, filmmaker, outdoorsman, adventurer, parkour athlete, Jesus lover, etc from Denver, Colorado. I graduated from high school last May without much of a plan, other than a burning desire to see cool places and make cool art with my camera. So, as the majority of my friends headed to college, I got on helpx.com, a website where people from all over the world post volunteer opportunities. Basically, you work for them, they give you food and a bed. I found a host in Iceland, on the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, and hopped on a plane to Reykjavik, Iceland. Iceland has been high on my list of places to go for quite some time, so I figured it was a great place to start my journey.

Just to let you know, this blog will consist of recaps of each week's events, photos from the experiences, followed by a section about insights I've had, or things I feel the Lord is teaching me. Enjoy :)

Anyways, I got off the plane and was met by one of the workers, who drove me from the airport to Tradir Guest House, where I planned to spend this whole month. The guest house is owned by an Icelandic woman and her husband from New York. There were four other workers, from Romania, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. It was such a diverse group of people. The first night, we went to a local hot spring and enjoyed soaking as the last light of day disappeared behind the mountains. Talk about a surreal experience.

The next day, I started work. Fixing breakfast, cleaning bathrooms, changing sheets, etc. It was nothing too difficult. Then, that afternoon, I got to go on my first Icelandic horseback ride. I hadn't been on a horse for years, and this was a hell of a reintroduction. Within the first five minutes, we were crossing a river, and in another five, we were on the beach. Now THAT felt like a dream. If you told me a year ago that I'd be riding horses on the beach in Iceland the fall after high school, I would have had my doubts. But alas, there I was.

The next day, I worked again, and then went to "get groceries" with Julien and V. We did get groceries, but made several sightseeing stops on the way there and the way back. This was the first time I really got stuck into what Iceland has to offer. And wow. Mind. Blown...

The next few days were a bit rough. As beautiful as Tradir was, without consistent access to a car, there is hardly anything to do. So once my work was done, I ended up feeling very stuck. I did get one more horseback ride in, which was amazing, of course. I experienced one of the craziest rainstorms of my life. The water was legitimately blowing sideways. It was insane! That day I was really not in a good mood. The combo of the weather and the boredom was just KILLING me. But that afternoon, several girls came to stay at the guest house, and after talking for a bit, we realized we're all from Denver! Ended up talking and playing cards with them all afternoon and evening. Around dinner time, a large group of retired Icelandic natives came in for a college reunion. We shared lots of good conversation, and lots of laughter.

By this time though, I realized that Tradir, though it is a nice place, was not the Icelandic experience I wanted to have. I wanted something more real and authentic to Icelandic culture. So I found several hosts in the south of the country who were willing to take me, and began to make plans to get there. But before I left, I had one day where I was able to use the spare car to explore, and I spent the whole day cruising around the Peninsula. I saw so much beauty, and made some great friends along the way.

The next morning, it was time to leave. I took the bus to the town of Selfoss, where I met my new host. They have a big family on a beautiful farm, and there are lots of turnips to be harvested. It's gonna be an interesting week!

That's the week one summary. Now let's talk about the the lessons.

This whole week, I've been trying to find balance. I'm 18 years old, and I threw myself across the Atlantic, to experience culture, create art, and explore nature. Along with that have been a TON of emotions. I miss home. I've been stressed about what's next. I'm incredibly stoked to be in freaking Iceland. I've been frustrated with boredom. I'm happy to have been fortunate enough to meet so many cool people. It's been a roller coaster of emotion. Constantly shifting from positive to negative, from happy to sad, stoked to stressed, etc.

What I've realized is that ups and downs are inevitable, right now they're just gonna be more extreme for me. And that's okay. I'm sure things will smooth out as I gain experience and confidence.

I'm doing my best to stay focused on living very presently, enjoying each individual moment for what it is. And in the frustration, I'm focusing on staying calm, and trusting that things will go exactly how they're supposed to. If that means I have to suffer a little bit, well, such is life. I'll survive.

I've truly jumped off the deep end when it comes to going to the Far Side of Discomfort (I made a video about this, you should watch it #shamelessplug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk7-FDig4F0 ). It's gonna be quite the journey. As hard as some days will be, I'm stoked to be here. I'm stoked to create, to explore, to learn, and to grow.

That's a wrap on week one! Thanks for reading!