There are people who share their travel experiences and write stories about anything months or even years after the events themselves. I didn’t understand this before, because you can write right away when every moment is still in your head and your memory is fresh. Now I convey my warm regards to them and join their company :)
Getting out of your comfort zone or how and where it all started:
I had never actually traveled alone before; my trips were only to Russian cities and the south, although I studied at the Institute of Foreign Philology and Regional Studies. Due to a number of circumstances, during all the years of study I was never able to go abroad. And there were 2 attempts: the first time to America, the second time to Norway. All this inspired a certain depression, and now, after graduating from university, becoming an independent working person, I began to think that the time had come to correct this. One spring evening in 2017, I was digging around on the Internet, reading various articles about how people left everything behind and went on a trip, and on a budget. Sounds at least tempting, right? After all, most people think that traveling is an expensive pleasure. I thought so too, until I found that very way to travel almost for free, that is, until I learned about volunteering. There are hundreds (or more) organizations in the world that provide the opportunity to volunteer in almost any country for a period of two weeks to a year. In many volunteer projects you just need knowledge of English or any foreign language the country you are traveling to. In addition to the huge advantage of saving money on accommodation and food, volunteering has many advantages, because of which at least once in your life you can and should decide to take this step (of course, if your heart desires it): valuable experience of working in an international team, real language practice, contribution to the development of the local community, friends from all over the world, the opportunity to see the country from the inside, self-knowledge, self-realization.
For my first trip I aimed for Scandinavian countries. I have never been interested in all-inclusive tours to all sorts of popular destinations. Faraway, seemingly fabulous and imaginary Nordic countries beckoned. And so, the choice fell on Iceland. This has always been my crazy, seemingly impossible dream. A short motivation letter, a couple of days of waiting - and I received that cherished letter with confirmation and invitation to participate in the program. I was in seventh heaven from a happy shock. I chose the project “Volunteering for international festival music by Iceland Airwaves. The choice was between journalism programs and the “hunt” for the Aurora (northern lights). But the music festival outweighed it, since I really love Icelandic music (Sigur Rós, Kaleo, Vök, Ásgeir..) and no matter how trite it may sound, I have always admired Björk. Also at the festival there were bands and artists that I listened to and didn’t think I would ever see them at a distance of a meter, or even closer. In general, I was looking for a project with maximum socialization, to practice the language and work with people. Now I am incredibly glad that I ended up in this camp.
The beginning of the adventure:
It was October, a month where I experienced all sorts of emotions like excitement, panic, tears and happiness while I was waiting for my Schengen visa. And I waited for it for almost a month (because Iceland, because not everything is so simple), I found out that my visa was approved in Moscow 1 day before departure. After this news, I was already mentally there and imagined my great adventures in the land of ice and fire, but an unexpected call brought me to reality. It was a call from S7, with the news that the German airline AirBerlin, which I was supposed to fly to Reykjavik with a transfer to Berlin, had gone bankrupt and that they were very sorry, but they did not have suitable flights for my dates that they would offer me. I was in shock and at the same time panic, I had to fly tomorrow. And air tickets, as you know, the closer the departure day, the more expensive. At that moment it seemed like the Universe was against me. Since there was little time, without thinking twice, I started looking for tickets and found a Finnair ticket with a transfer to Helsinki. This is how my first independent trip abroad began, which I will never forget. I arrived at the airport around 3-4 o'clock in the morning. It was my first restless sleep on the waiting room benches with my hand clutching my backpack, sleeping bag and small bag with documents. By the way, I flew without luggage, with one backpack, only with the most necessary things. Find out all the delights of backpacking: done! It’s such a pleasure not to wait, not to worry about losing your luggage, and of course, it’s a big time saver.
Distant and other planet:
“If you want to get to another planet, you don’t have to travel outer space, you can just fly to Iceland.”
Iceland met me strong wind, rain and unreal beauty views. With sleepy but happy eyes she looked around in admiration and almost cried from an incredible coma of happiness. I thought, damn, I’m in Iceland, is it really true! Most of those who come to Iceland fall in love with it once and for all. I'm not an exception. And this is not surprising, because there are the most extraordinary landscapes and landscapes: lava fields covered with soft moss; incredible mountains, northern lights, huge ancient glaciers descending from volcanoes; Something is constantly erupting here, seething, emitting steam. There is a lot to describe, but believe me, it’s worth seeing with your own eyes...
Lake Tjornin. One of my favorite places in Reykjavik.
Reykjavik from a bird's eye view.
The fishing town of Arnarstapi.
"Just Smile", farm in Hveragerdi.
Kirkjufell (Lonely Mountain). Game of Thrones fans recognize the place?
The views from the car window change every 15-30 minutes. A fascinating sight. It seems to me that only in Iceland in 1 day you can see/feel all the seasons.
Our cozy house where we lived for 2 weeks.
Aurora Borealis turned out to be a very capricious wonder of the world. From the first day I followed the forecast, but I saw her only 1 day before departure *_* happiness is full of pants!
About volunteering and the festival:
Before the start of the project, our volunteers were taken on a tour of the country’s main beauty spots (waterfalls, national park, geysers, etc.). I tried to take photos of everything to capture the beauty I saw, almost dying of delight.
The volunteers’ job itself was to help organize the music festival. Iceland Airwaves - international main festival countries where hundreds of talented artists and groups from all over the world gather. It was an incredibly fun week of lack of sleep and constant parties. It was that very moment when you seem to be working, but you also seem to be having fun. Each volunteer worked no more than 3 days, 4 hours a day. Several times I worked alone or with just one partner on one of the concert venues, where you are one of the main ones in the black T-shirt of the organization. Some volunteers were on the backstage (you need to make sure that the artists always have something to drink/eat in the dressing rooms and near the stage, at the same time you can drink and eat from there), I helped with the decorations before the upcoming gig/concert. Basically, the work consisted of communication, it was necessary to monitor whether everything was fine with everyone, people, seeing our identical black T-shirts, came up and clarified/asked about concerts/performances and so on. I like to communicate and help, so it was all a pleasure. It was definitely a great way to improve my spoken English. By the way, in Iceland everyone speaks English fluently, but they communicate with themselves in their Icelandic and in the country everything and everyone is in Icelandic (in my opinion, one of the most beautiful and complex languages). Another huge advantage of my project was that we were given tickets to concerts for free (by the way, one ticket cost 8900 ISK = 5000 rubles), we also had a magic bracelet, which gave us the opportunity to attend all events of the festival. That's how I got to the concert of one of my favorites British bands Mumford and Sons and literally squealed with happiness while standing in the front row. Also during the festival I discovered many new artists who later ended up on my playlist. The only negative was that concerts/gigs sometimes took place at the same time, and you had to choose accordingly.
"Our magic bracelets"
A crowd of people wanting to buy a ticket to a concert of the British Mumford and Sons and the Americans Fleet Foxes from concert hall Kharpa.
Mumford and Sons, 2017
So big beautiful world and the people in it:
Separately, I want to talk a little about the people with whom I lived and worked together 24/7. Our international team consisted of 12 people from Iceland, Germany, France, Estonia, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Korea and Japan. And I am one from Yakutia. Many didn’t know where it was, but when I started telling the story, everyone said: “ahh Siberia! Yes, I know how cold it is there, does it really get -50? How do you live there? Probably the weather here is like summer for you?” And everything like that. To be honest, I have never in my life loved people I knew so long ago so much. But I seemed to know many of them for a long time; such people are called soulmates (soul mates). My life has never been so filled with impressions, emotions and joy. Each person in our camp was wonderful in their own way, and all together in 2 weeks of the project we became one big family. It is an incredible feeling when all the people around you are full of joy and happiness and are ready to share it with everyone around 24 hours a day. We slept a little, ate a lot, walked a lot, explored the area, met people, hitchhiked, swam in hot springs, laughed even more, danced, hugged, and said “thank you.” There was not a single place of sadness and disappointment - everyone had all the problems in their own country, in their own city. Everyone there was ready to hug you and say “Everything is fine.” There everyone was ready to share everything they had without demanding anything in return.
Ksenia Korzh, graduate of the Russian State University oil and gas named after. I.M. Gubkina told how to get to a volunteer project in the “land of ice,” see the northern lights with your own eyes and help restore the farm.
1. How did you come up with the idea of applying for a foreign program? Why this particular program?
The idea to go on a volunteer project came to me after I, as a student, read about the volunteer organization World4U. The idea of spending a vacation “differently” and with benefit seemed very attractive and unusual. From the many options of countries and projects, I chose a project dedicated to the reconstruction of a farm near Reykjavik. By that time, Iceland had already attracted my attention for quite a long time, so the question of which country to go to this time was not raised at all, but the opportunity to work for fresh air finally confirmed me in my decision. In addition, the project did not require any preparation or special equipment.
2. What was the application process like?
The application process is extremely simple, because the vast majority of volunteers go to the camp with the help of a Russian partner organization. All that was required on my part was to select one or several projects in which I would like to take part, pay the membership fee and, upon receipt of approval of the application and confirmation letter, issue a visa. There were no difficulties when submitting documents; confirmation of the project came within a few working days. Mainly because I went to the project at the end of September, when the main flow of applicants had already dried up and, therefore, there was a much higher probability that there would be a vacancy in the project you were interested in.
3. Describe your typical day at camp.
We usually started working after breakfast, worked 2-3 hours before lunch and about the same after. Our project was dedicated to the restoration of an abandoned farm, leased by WorldWide Friends (the host, a volunteer organization) from the Government of Iceland for the purpose of its subsequent use. During the project, we built and painted the poultry house, made minor cosmetic repairs to the farm itself - partially painted it on the outside, tidied it up inside. All work was carried out under the guidance of an experienced builder, and at the same time a driver and “driver” for us around Iceland. The work was not hard or exhausting - everyone worked quickly and harmoniously. I think the secret of this is each volunteer’s understanding of why and why he decided to participate in the project.
The composition of the project was diverse - 2 Belgians, a Japanese, a South Korean, camp leaders (counselors) were from Spain and Germany. We prepared lunches and dinners in shifts; dinner was traditionally dedicated to the culinary traditions of a particular country. The only difficulty with such projects is that not everyone speaks English. However, we found a way out of this problem, and by the end of the project, even those who did not speak the language very well spoke much more confidently. The main thing is the desire to explain, and it doesn’t matter what will be used. Representatives of the receiving party always tried to come to the rescue and resolve all the emerging but few contradictions.
4. What interesting things happened during non-working hours?
Our project turned out to be a little relaxed - out of the entire two weeks allotted to us in the camp, we only worked for a few days. We were able to go on several excursions. The first of them was, no less, a trip around the whole of Iceland along the ring road. We visited the most famous places - Selenafoss and Skogafoss waterfalls, the village of Vik with its famous cliffs, visited the shores of the Jökulsárlón Iceberg Lagoon and amazing towns in the east of Iceland. The trip was two days - on the way back we picked up volunteers from the east of Iceland, who had completed a project, looked into the second largest city in Iceland, Akureyri, where there is a house where every day is Christmas, and visited the Godafoss waterfall.
The next excursion was an excursion to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, main goal which was to see fur seals. And we met them - two, “basking” in the rays of the sun near the shore.
And the third excursion was traditional sightseeing tour with a visit national reserve Thingvellir, where parliament met in ancient times, valleys with geysers, and the largest waterfall in Iceland - Gullfoss.
In our free time from work and excursions, we went hiking in the nearby fjords and lakes and enjoyed the vibrant nature of this amazing country. And in the evening we were treated to the most amazing sight that can be seen in Iceland - the Northern Lights!
One very good man once told me that nice trip can not only change you, but also heal your soul. Last year I was lucky enough to go on just such a trip. I went as a volunteer to magical Iceland.
Cost of education: From 390 rubles/lesson
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Initially, I really wanted to save whales. I was very attracted by the description of one of the projects, which said that you need to wear a whale costume and conduct propaganda. This was the project “Meet us- Don’t Eat us” with the support International Fund for animal protection. But this is one of the most popular volunteer programs, so I was not able to join it.
I was offered three other projects to choose from. I stopped at the Viking Festival in Northern Iceland and didn’t regret it at all.
As soon as we arrived, I immediately started looking for big pot-bellied guys in hats with horns, but there were none. The only one I found explained to me that the Vikings did not wear such headdresses at all. So now believe all the cartoons from your childhood.
The Viking Festival turned out to be an event consisting entirely of songs, dances and other fun. We are volunteers, we did everything: we painted flags on stones, played with local children, painted faces, placed candles in a fortress in the mountains and just walked in national costumes. It was great to feel part of this fabulous holiday.
Escc.ru
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Excursions in Iceland cost from 100 euros, but if you are a volunteer, and also with good organizers (and in this country it’s hard to imagine bad ones), then they will show you a lot. The entertainment here is quite unusual. You can go on a boat to count seals or catch the spray of waterfalls, or you can swim in hot springs somewhere in the mountains. If you are a foodie, then this another story. To paraphrase a phrase from the film: “If you want sharks, eat seals.” Here you can try all the diversity of the underwater world.
It seems to me that all Icelanders are very smart, if you have ever heard a word in their language, you will understand why. Learning even a few phrases in it seems impossible. If you try, learning English will no longer seem so difficult. Just the name of the volcano, which caused a lot of problems for air traffic several years ago, is worth it. I never learned it, so I won’t write its name, so as not to embarrass myself. By the way, they make him say “cheese” instead of the word when they take your photo. :)
In general, Icelanders are just the nicest people. I arrived in Reykjavik at one in the morning, and for the first time in my life I was not afraid in unfamiliar city. There are few people, but everyone who met me on the way was so happy to help that we even managed to become friends.
Usually people think that to practice English you need to go to America or England, but this is not entirely true. There are many volunteers wonderful people from all parts of the world. And in Iceland everyone speaks excellent English, everyone will be happy to talk with you on any topic. These are cheerful and open people. It’s not so easy to meet a compatriot here, but it’s easy to find a simple local resident, who will be happy to tell you everything about this amazing country. The main thing is not to be afraid and not to be shy. Yes, I don’t want to be with them, to be honest. Everything seems easy and simple, and it really is.
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Interesting fact: in our huge world There is a country in which the main attraction is not the abundance of cultural and architectural monuments, but... nature! I think you've already guessed that we'll be talking about Iceland - perhaps the most amazing point on the map, whose extraordinary beauty of landscapes can captivate anyone!
Brief information about the country
Enchanting Iceland can surprise even the most inveterate skeptics. They say that this is the same country where you have to take out a loan to pay for dinner (Iceland is a very expensive country)! Accommodation and food costs are much higher here than in any other country. But, believe me, a trip to Iceland is worth any money, because the landscapes here are so far from what you are accustomed to that they are worthy of becoming the backdrop for the most fantastic films. And this is far from the only reason to see this country. Climb a higher hill and completely relax your body and mind, immerse yourself in the Blue Lagoon, try local herring, rightly called “Icelandic gold”, enjoy the power of the Strokkur geyser, which shoots directly from the bowels of the Earth several times an hour, submit to the majesty of the Bjargtangar lighthouse... The list is endless! Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, Kopavogur and Akureyri will gladly welcome you into their hospitable arms
The climate in Iceland is subarctic maritime, but very mild and comfortable even for residents of mid-latitudes. However, you will have to get used to strong gusty winds. In mountainous areas, the temperature is lower than in flatter landscapes. During the summer months, Iceland experiences “white nights”; in December, the duration daylight hours does not exceed 5 hours.
An interesting fact: Iceland becomes the most hospitable in the summer, but in winter nature itself is a little reluctant to welcome guests to this marvelous land of untouched nature. Since September, hotels have been closing here, the number of flights has been reduced, which, however, does not at all prevent hundreds of volunteers from all over the world from coming here, for example, for the New Year holidays.
The local currency here, just like the country itself, is distinctive: here it is not the usual euro, but the Icelandic krona (1 krona is equal to 100 aurars, Icelandic “kopecks”). Approximately 135 ISK is equal to 1 euro. What is noteworthy is that there are ATMs here on every corner, in large hotels, shops, on the streets, and they work with all types of cards! Traveler's checks are also accepted everywhere.
The population of Iceland is only about 350 thousand people, and in 2017 the birth rate here fell to its historical minimum! Nevertheless, the Icelanders managed to maintain the optimal ratio of birth rate to death rate: the typical 30-40% plus goes in favor of the birth rate. In many ways, this increase is ensured by the influx of migrants, and although the Icelandic authorities claim that they did not artificially stimulate the increase in the birth rate, nevertheless, about 3 years ago in global network a rumor has leaked about the state's promised substantial financial payments to male migrants who will create a full-fledged family with Icelandic citizens! Whether this is true or not, one can only guess. But even with such a humorous fact, this country once again confirmed that it clearly knows how to surprise!
Volunteer projects in Iceland
Volunteering in Iceland has very non-trivial features. Here, the main mission of volunteer projects is to make the world a better place through strengthening communications between the peoples of the world. Therefore, projects for volunteers from all over the world here have not practical, but more, so to speak, spiritual value. Photo marathons and mini photo schools are popular here, in which participants can not only try themselves as photojournalists, but also learn all the tricks of this art! Projects dedicated to the New Year and Christmas festivities invite participants to feel the special spirit of these days and spend them in complete harmony between representatives different cultures, putting together a real international buffet with dishes from different cuisines different countries peace! In short, a volunteer project in Iceland is a direct impact on the world through the minds and hearts of its inhabitants.
As for living conditions and leisure time for volunteers, the Icelandic host will win you over with their hospitality, desire to serve you and make your stay in this country as comfortable as possible. Comfortable sleeping rooms, provided food, bathrooms and showers with hot water, Internet - agree, a real fairy tale, especially within the framework of a volunteer project!
She shared her experience of volunteering in Iceland: how she found a program, saved on registration, photographed beauty, communicated with residents of the country and struggled with the language barrier. We publish its text in full.
I quit my job. And, for obvious reasons (sometimes I want to eat), I began to look for a new one, hanging out on various sites with vacancies. On one such site I saw a banner about volunteer programs. I had little idea what it was at the time, but it was a wonderful excuse to take my mind off the job search, and I, of course, clicked on it. And there I saw something after which I decided not to look for a job (okay, just kidding, stop looking for a while).
It turned out that there are hundreds of volunteer organizations all over the world that gather dudes for different types works: Agriculture, teaching children English, helping in hospitals and nursing homes - and for completely fun programs, where they do journalism or paint graffiti, help at rock festivals or exhibitions. And a lot of people travel this way, saving on accommodation and food, and sometimes on tickets, that is, almost free! Apparently, some evil people hid this from me, because I lived to be 22 years old without having the slightest idea about it.
I immediately noticed the programs in Iceland. This has always been my dream country, but I never managed to go there because it is an incredibly expensive destination. I found a journalism program that required me to make a magazine in English language about tourism in Iceland, and clicked on the “Register” button.
Preparation
After this, some kind of bacchanalia began. People started calling me and saying that in order to register for this program, you need to pay 20 thousand rubles to a Moscow organization for mediation. I was upset and ready to get depressed (and look for work again), but I decided to first go to the Icelandic website of the volunteer organization and check everything. It turned out that the program still exists, and the very company that called me is not an official intermediary in Russia. I found the official one - it was not in Moscow, but in Cheboksary - and they did everything for me for 3 thousand rubles. So don’t believe the stories about Moscow prices.
Three days later I received the cherished letter that they were ready to accept me into the program in a month. The trip itself was supposed to last three weeks. I still didn’t really know what I would do there, but I quickly bought tickets and got a visa. And she began to wait.
How it was
Iceland greeted me with strong winds and unrealistically beautiful views.
I cannot express in words all my admiration: I was dying from this beauty (and a little from the cold) all the way to the volunteer gathering place. I was also wildly worried about the level of my English, which was supposed to become the main method of communication here. I was the second to arrive at the meeting place: a girl from Germany (later I found out that her name was Hannah) was already standing there with a huge backpack. She was only 18, but she had already traveled all over Europe and amazed me with her cheerful disposition and fiery red hair.
Hannah through the Zenit lens
Then other participants began to approach: the shy and terribly cold Japanese Shun (his name is impossible to pronounce normally - it’s something between Sean and Shun), the Italian Julia, Lisa from Estonia, the German Alex and the rest.
And then the main fun began. We boarded the bus and were told that it was low season (the main flow of volunteers falls in the summer, but it was already October) and there were very few volunteers. And since there are few of us and we are all from different projects(some signed up for a volunteer project on a farm; some, like me, for journalism; and some even for cleaning up garbage on the coast), we are asked to unite. We nodded in confusion and went somewhere.
Then I found out that I had problems and there was some kind of language barrier. I understood what the guys were saying, but when it was my turn, there was nothing left in my head except “Zis from the Capital of Great Britain” (that is, the words most firmly drilled into my head back in school). But at the very least, I got to know everyone and began to enjoy the views.
And there was something! It turned out that before the start of the project, all volunteers are taken on an excursion to the most beautiful places in the country (waterfalls, national park, and so on). I snapped off as many as two films and almost died of delight.
After the excursion, we were brought to some settlement and dropped off at a house. With the words “Well, this is where you want to go,” the driver took our things out of the trunk and drove off. We were left standing outside the house in confusion.
Since initially we were all from different volunteer programs (which, according to the plan, were supposed to take place in different places), then at first we couldn’t even understand what city we were in. We entered the house in fear and realized that... there was no one there. No, seriously, like in some creepy horror movies. We spent half an hour talking loudly and exploring the space (we found a cat!), after which the door opened and a girl entered. She was very surprised, began to lament that we were brought earlier, apologize and introduce ourselves. It turned out that this was Min, one of our camp leaders.
We learned a lot of new things. That we are on a farm in the town of Hvaregardi. That since we were united, in the morning we will help in the greenhouses (picking tomatoes and cucumbers and watering them, and also feeding the chickens), and in the evening we will make our magazine. That we have six camp leaders who will help us adapt and work with us (in general, these dudes are something like counselors in children's camps). That we have a swimming pool. That we will do national nights and play games. As for Reykjavik with its cool bars, you can get there by bus in an hour.
View from the window of the house
Well, then it started. We met, became friends and made these three weeks unforgettable. We went hiking after work (there was a hot river four hours away from us - geysers flowed into it and the temperature in it was almost 40 degrees), watched the northern lights, hitchhiked (there is no work on weekends, which means forward to adventure) and talked a lot. By the end of the trip, even my terrible English stopped bothering me.
Icelandic horses on the farm
Greenhouses
Let's go to the Valley of Geysers
Ice lagoon (blocks of ice drifting in the ocean)
Reykjavik
Since I just couldn’t stop taking photographs, I decided to prepare a photo project for the magazine. Its meaning was that I approached people on the street, photographed them with an old Soviet film “Amateur” and asked them to say what they thought about Iceland in one sentence. Since I spoke mainly with Icelanders, it turned out cool.
My favorite Icelander ever photographed
To sum it up, I want to say that it was really worth it. If you are not afraid of surprises (and also people, mice and language barriers), then volunteering will be for you the perfect way knowledge of the world.
All photos in this post were taken using Soviet Zenit and Lyubitel cameras. You can see more of my strange film pictures (including those from Iceland) on Instagram
