The day has finally arrived.
I have survived my first two years in Iceland!
This picture sums up my life in Iceland. The wind blowing my hair everywhere, me with a case of the giggles, and some crazy beautiful scenery surrounding me. Life in Iceland, it is good.
I have been thinking of this day ever since I heard the advice, “it takes two years” from a fellow expat my first week in Iceland! At the time I couldn’t imagine what my life would look like in two years, and to be honest I don’t know if I really thought that Iceland would still be in my life at that time. I mean two years, that was far too long for me to imagine living in Iceland, I didn’t even know how to imagine what that would look like.
Any yet here I am, two years later, and I couldn’t imagine these past two years not having Iceland in it.
These past two years have been the most challenging and rewarding years of my life.
Some days have been hard, like really hard, and I know there will still be hard days to come. There have been days where I am so homesick I can hardly talk about my family back home without tearing up. Days when I just don’t think I can handle another day of the Icelandic weather and times when I have thought it is time to pack up and head back to my comfort zone.
But then there are the other days…
The days when I discover some new gem in Iceland and think to myself, “I can’t believe this is my life!” Days spent laughing with my amazing friends, people I would have never met if I hadn’t moved to Iceland. And, let me tell you, when the sun shines in Iceland there is no place I would rather be.
For all of those bad days, the good ones, they far outweigh them and make life in Iceland so totally worth the challenges it may bring.
As this day approached I thought to myself, “is it silly for me to celebrate this day?” I mean, the first year abroad, that is a milestone, but the second year, that is like celebrating your 19th birthday after the big 18, maybe it isn’t that special?
But then I thought even if this is my second year I am celebrating and congratulating myself because I deserve it! Even though year two was easier than my first it has still be a year of ups and downs. But now that I have made it through those first two years I really do feel like I can handle anything that comes my way.
Okay, that is a lie. I may not be prepared to handle everything that comes my way, but after these two years I now know that all the hard times, they will pass and somehow I will make it through it. And if all else fails humor is the best answer, because all those not so fun times, they usually turn into some hilarious stories.
I have had many bad hair days since moving to Iceland!
Aside from me being totally amazing for making it through these first two years in Iceland (smashingly well if I do say so myself:) I am not the only one that deserves to celebrate. I also have to give props to my Viking. If it wasn’t for him these past two years would have been so much more difficult. His continued patience and support, and ridiculously positive attitude, has been just what I needed these past two years. So thanks to my handsome Viking, you are a champ:)
Now that I have hit my two year mark, the time I told myself I had to make it to before I could make any decisions, I can’t help but think…
Now what???
I have no idea, but whatever these next two years bring I hope it is full of lots of adventures!
“These past two years have been full of amazing adventures, exactly the kind of life I want to live!”
This statement perfectly sums up how I feel about these past two years!
Thanks to you all for joining me this past two years and supporting me through this crazy journey of expat life! Some days your comments were what really got me through so thank you!
If you have any questions for me about life in Iceland, expat life, tips for expat life, how I survive the winters, whatever dying questions you have been wanting to ask me I want to know! Submit your answers here and I will do a post later with a round up of all the questions and my answers. I am really curious to see what you guys want to know so ask away!
With that here is to another year together Iceland, maybe we could make this one a tad bit warmer and less stormy, just an idea.
Question of the Day?
Do you celebrate life milestones? Have any questions for me about life in Iceland?
