Yaroslava Kutsai moved recently to Reykjavík from Kiev to pursue her master’s at the University of Iceland. Here she contemplates Iceland's relaxed family values and the child-friendly environment where there is plenty to do and see.
Yaroslava Kutsai
“We have a lot of nothing,” says my friend Óli as we ponder on the rampant creativity of Icelandic mind inspired by the nudity of the landscape and its heavy and dense silence: the void appeals to be filled. Icelanders are very productive. Seemingly, even when it comes to reproduction, they tend to fill their lives to the brim—with children’s laughter. Although the population of the island is only about 330,000, it grows quite steadily. While in the majority of European states birth rates are tumbling, Iceland enjoys its little baby-boom. The number of newborns last year was approximately twice as big as the number of citizens who joined the majority.
It could be Iceland that has recently brought Torbjörn Tännsjö, a Swedish philosopher, to his controversial “repugnant conclusion” that procreation is a moral duty for everyone: more humans—more happiness, he asserts. Even though it might turn out not to be true for many countries, at least here it fits. Having a significant increase in the total number of its -sons and -dóttirs, Iceland is a proud #2 (after Switzerland) in the 2015 World Happiness Report.
However, contemporary marriages in this country are rarely strong and long-lasting. The word family in Icelandic (fjölskylda) can be literally translated as multi-duty, presumably suggesting: it is not an easy endeavor. If relationships become a burden, as a rule, Icelanders leave each other in peace, but kids are wallowing in care of their moms and dads as well as their mom’s and dad’s new spouses’ tenderness—as if all were common. No wonder why even elderly people from here get so much attention by behaving like imps (think of retired old comrades from Oscar-nominated Friðrik Þór Friðriksson’s movie Children of Nature or mischievous gang of grandmas and grandpas from Sigur Rós’s Hoppípolla). Apparently, being a child is the highest privilege in Iceland.
Child-friendly Ring Road
Geologically, Iceland is itself an infant that never grows up. It is always in the state of formation. Discovering this temperamental place in children's company can be a wondrous experience. Just keep your wide-eyed companions warm and don’t give up on trying to catch some bliss of vestigial Indian summer. Few tips:
1. Since the country is known worldwide as a lucky possessor of abundant geothermal energy, you will have plenty of opportunities to arrange a “splashy acquaintance” with the admired renewable resource. Every town in Iceland has a thermal swimming pool, and there are 18 of them in Reykjavík.
Before leaving the capital for a journey, make sure that you are well-prepared. It is not a big deal to get in a real trouble being dressed unsuitably. With a layer of wet-resistant and insulating lopi—woolen fabrics made of the Icelandic sheep’s fleece—you will feel more comfortable. And even a bit more local.
2. Despite its 'green halo,’ Iceland’s economy is characterized by abnormal consumption and waste—the ailment of affluent. When you are in Borgarnes, introduce your kid to the concept of frugality. Take a walk to Bjössaróló, built by a carpenter and a pioneer in recycling Björn H. Guðmundsson. It is an unpretentious but heartwarming playground by the sea where all the equipment is constructed out of the items that were thrown away.
3. When the weather gets too nasty for you to stay outdoors, check out Björk’s Biophilia, an educational online project for children, where natural elements are combined with music in a very curious way. If your child bursts with excitement hearing that the Atlantic ridge drifts as fast as our fingernails grow (from the song Mutual Core), stops worth considering are the Volcano Museum in Stykkishólmur and the Sea Ice Exhibition Centre in Blönduós—exempt yourself in advance from answering the question, why Iceland is called the Land of Fire and Ice?
4. Do not swallow the bait about the impossibility of being lost in Icelandic forest. When wandering in Kjarnaskógur, the wooded area in the south of Akureyri, watch your little prankster.
5. On your way along the Route 1, you will see a lot of truly amazing sceneries that might change dramatically by the time your kid grows up: astonishing and breathtaking glaciers melting away as a result of climate change, vast untouched moonlike valleys and magnificent waterfalls threatened by the heavy industry development. Even if the nature conservation will take over in favor of tourism, nothing will remain the same, anyway. There are about 130 active volcanoes in Iceland. And Icelanders are accustomed to expect a breakout every five years.
One of the last victims is Skógar, a picturesque tiny village with turf houses, resembling a mise en scène for a fairytale about diligent dwarfs. In 2010, it was suffocating in lavish swarms of ash, expectorated by “the volcano, whose name no one can pronounce.” Ash is one of the three powerful things, they say, in Iceland are for free. Other two are easier to enjoy: water and love—phew!
Yaroslava Kutsai is a journalist focusing on issues that have to do with identity and environmental justice and is currently writing her thesis on climate change as a media phenomenon. Back in her home country she started as a staff reporter in daily news program Time at 5 TV Channel, then contributed articles to the local edition of National Geographic and several national newspapers such as The Ukrainian Week and Mirror Weekly.
Yaroslava Kutsai moved recently to Reykjavík from Kiev to pursue her master’s at the University of Iceland. Here she contemplates Iceland's relaxed family values and the child-friendly environment where there is plenty to do and see.
Yaroslava Kutsai
“We have a lot of nothing,” says my friend Óli as we ponder on the rampant creativity of Icelandic mind inspired by the nudity of the landscape and its heavy and dense silence: the void appeals to be filled. Icelanders are very productive. Seemingly, even when it comes to reproduction, they tend to fill their lives to the brim—with children’s laughter. Although the population of the island is only about 330,000, it grows quite steadily. While in the majority of European states birth rates are tumbling, Iceland enjoys its little baby-boom. The number of newborns last year was approximately twice as big as the number of citizens who joined the majority.
It could be Iceland that has recently brought Torbjörn Tännsjö, a Swedish philosopher, to his controversial “repugnant conclusion” that procreation is a moral duty for everyone: more humans—more happiness, he asserts. Even though it might turn out not to be true for many countries, at least here it fits. Having a significant increase in the total number of its -sons and -dóttirs, Iceland is a proud #2 (after Switzerland) in the 2015 World Happiness Report.
However, contemporary marriages in this country are rarely strong and long-lasting. The word family in Icelandic (fjölskylda) can be literally translated as multi-duty, presumably suggesting: it is not an easy endeavor. If relationships become a burden, as a rule, Icelanders leave each other in peace, but kids are wallowing in care of their moms and dads as well as their mom’s and dad’s new spouses’ tenderness—as if all were common. No wonder why even elderly people from here get so much attention by behaving like imps (think of retired old comrades from Oscar-nominated Friðrik Þór Friðriksson’s movie Children of Nature or mischievous gang of grandmas and grandpas from Sigur Rós’s Hoppípolla). Apparently, being a child is the highest privilege in Iceland.
Child-friendly Ring Road
Geologically, Iceland is itself an infant that never grows up. It is always in the state of formation. Discovering this temperamental place in children's company can be a wondrous experience. Just keep your wide-eyed companions warm and don’t give up on trying to catch some bliss of vestigial Indian summer. Few tips:
1. Since the country is known worldwide as a lucky possessor of abundant geothermal energy, you will have plenty of opportunities to arrange a “splashy acquaintance” with the admired renewable resource. Every town in Iceland has a thermal swimming pool, and there are 18 of them in Reykjavík.
Before leaving the capital for a journey, make sure that you are well-prepared. It is not a big deal to get in a real trouble being dressed unsuitably. With a layer of wet-resistant and insulating lopi—woolen fabrics made of the Icelandic sheep’s fleece—you will feel more comfortable. And even a bit more local.
2. Despite its 'green halo,’ Iceland’s economy is characterized by abnormal consumption and waste—the ailment of affluent. When you are in Borgarnes, introduce your kid to the concept of frugality. Take a walk to Bjössaróló, built by a carpenter and a pioneer in recycling Björn H. Guðmundsson. It is an unpretentious but heartwarming playground by the sea where all the equipment is constructed out of the items that were thrown away.
3. When the weather gets too nasty for you to stay outdoors, check out Björk’s Biophilia, an educational online project for children, where natural elements are combined with music in a very curious way. If your child bursts with excitement hearing that the Atlantic ridge drifts as fast as our fingernails grow (from the song Mutual Core), stops worth considering are the Volcano Museum in Stykkishólmur and the Sea Ice Exhibition Centre in Blönduós—exempt yourself in advance from answering the question, why Iceland is called the Land of Fire and Ice?
4. Do not swallow the bait about the impossibility of being lost in Icelandic forest. When wandering in Kjarnaskógur, the wooded area in the south of Akureyri, watch your little prankster.
5. On your way along the Route 1, you will see a lot of truly amazing sceneries that might change dramatically by the time your kid grows up: astonishing and breathtaking glaciers melting away as a result of climate change, vast untouched moonlike valleys and magnificent waterfalls threatened by the heavy industry development. Even if the nature conservation will take over in favor of tourism, nothing will remain the same, anyway. There are about 130 active volcanoes in Iceland. And Icelanders are accustomed to expect a breakout every five years.
One of the last victims is Skógar, a picturesque tiny village with turf houses, resembling a mise en scène for a fairytale about diligent dwarfs. In 2010, it was suffocating in lavish swarms of ash, expectorated by “the volcano, whose name no one can pronounce.” Ash is one of the three powerful things, they say, in Iceland are for free. Other two are easier to enjoy: water and love—phew!
Yaroslava Kutsai is a journalist focusing on issues that have to do with identity and environmental justice and is currently writing her thesis on climate change as a media phenomenon. Back in her home country she started as a staff reporter in daily news program Time at 5 TV Channel, then contributed articles to the local edition of National Geographic and several national newspapers such as The Ukrainian Week and Mirror Weekly.
