Alexis and Kai both have decided to write their own book since our arrival here, I'm not sure what stimulated the idea but they are enjoying writing and reading a lot. At school, the Icelandic as a Second Language classes for all of the children seem to be going well. Alexis & Kai have learned the days of the wk, months, fruits & vegetables and body parts in Icelandic language. Niall seems to like the language classes, too. Yesterday, when I asked Niall how school was he said "Awesome!". Today, he answered "More awesome than yesterday!" He's had his first birthday invite & party to a friends house, Ari, who invited all the boys in his class. Ari had previously come up to me in front of the whole class at the beginning of school and made a motion with his hand to his ear, he couldn't speak english so I understood he wanted Niall's tel# to invite him to play at his house. I was touched, as it was so cute. Without understanding each other verbally, Niall, Ari and other of his new friends very much enjoy each other. I gave Ari our new local tel# after school today and they were happier than ever. Last week, when I arrived to pick Niall up from school, he was outside playing soccer (it's football here..) just as he made an awesome goal! Soccer is everywhere. His teacher got me in touch with a soccer coach that has practices all year long here, it's the highest level soccer for boys Niall's age & some of his friends enjoy it so that's pretty cool. Alexis is loving drama class, which I guess decided to have their drama play partly in English, part in Icelandic because Alexis is part of the event.
On Sunday,the children and I had a bible study in I Cor. together, and enjoyed discussing, in one verse it says that we have a physical body and celestial body. It was nice to hear the children's thoughts. We sang two hymns. Kai wanted to sing more so we actually sang 4 hymns trying to harmonize like in mtg. I went running for the first time along the Atlantic Ocean beside our apt and was so thankful for a most beautiful bike/running path that follows the ocean shore & came upon a geothermal hot pot on a beach not far away where two boys were swimming. Next time, I'll wear my bathing suit under running clothes! :) Later we all went to the beach & Niall found a....jelly fish (that's what he said...I never did see it!! He keeps asking to go back to see it again & take pics.
Today, I had to go to an Immigration office way outside Reykjavik by bus for my student visa stuff and asked the bus driver where IKEA was, by chance it was only a short bus ride away. It's exactly like home in Vancouver, got a soup pot and laddle among a few other things I forgot like a can opener and pillows. Tonight we had homeade curry lamb stew in that pot and boy it was awesome. The lamb and salmon are available most here! The other day a native woman was sitting with a baby at a table selling dried Isi fish, caught by her husband in the Atlantic. It doesn't look appetizing but I went out on a limb and bought a bag for 2000kr (approx $15 cdn). Icelanders eat it with butter, it stinks something crazy strong fish smell but wow I love it and pure protein :-) Every day, there are ups and downs with the language, trying to get around, settle into new surroundings but mostly, my heart is full of gratitude for the simple things like our home, good food, the salty smell of the Atlantic, the expandedness we feel inside to stretch even if our couch at first is a therma-rest mattress...but most of all we are thankful for each other and for all of you that are with us in spirit.
Will try to keep in touch more that by tomorrow we'll have internet in our apt...yeah! and hopefully get a pic of Niall's jellyfish on the beach lol.