How did the two of you meet?
Linnea: “We met six years ago in Norrköping where Gunnar played football. I was back in Sweden to update my US visa, I was only going to stay in town for three weeks and then move back to New York, where I was living at the time. A friend invited me to go to the local football team’s end-of-season party, on a Wednesday in late November. Gunnar was there and offered me a shot of Ópal (an Icelandic liquorice snaps), and we ended up talking and dancing the whole night. We dated those three weeks while I was waiting for mye visa and then I ended up moving in with Gunnar instead of moving back to New York.”
Why did you chose to settle down in Iceland rather than Sweden?
Linnea: “When Gunnar’s contract with IFK Norrköping ended, he wanted to move back to Iceland and continue his psychology studies at the National University. At the same time, a local Reykjavík club, KR, offered him a contract, and he saw this as a great opportunity to carry on playing while completing his studies.
„We had visited Iceland many times before during holidays, and I was not a big fan of the country back then. I found it to be too windy, too cold and too grey – the fact that I first visited shortly after the economic crash in 2008 only made it that much more gloomy in my mind.
“Gunnar eventually moved back to Iceland in 2011, and the plan was that I would follow soon after. However, I got cold feet and never moved. We broke up some months later. There we were,; separated for almost eight months and broken up, all because I didn’t want to move to Iceland. We still loved each other very much and ultimately we concluded that we couldn’t let the geography prevent us from being together. I then quit my job and moved to live with Gunnar in 101 Reykjavík (the postal code for central Reykjavík).
Was there anything about Iceland or Icelanders that you found surprising?
Linnea: “I was very surprised to see how easy-going Icelanders are; they never stress and they are hardly ever on time. Many seem to be very creative, and even after the economic crash they kept a very positive view on life and the future. When I tell people back home about Icelanders, I say they live their life with one motto: Hakuna matata, no worries. They seem to be very carefree and sometimes, as a Swede, I have a hard time coping with the fact that things don’t seem to have any specific order. Icelanders don’t know how to queue or how to recycle their trash— small things that we Swedes are very anal about.”
“I was very surprised to see how easy-going Icelanders are; they never stress and they are hardly ever on time.”
What is the best thing about living in Iceland?
Linnea: “It took me some time to find the Iceland that I now love. For me, the best thing about living in Iceland is the beautiful landscape, the coffee shops, and the fact that you are surrounded by creativity.”
And the worst?
Linnea: “The northern winds! I am still not a fan.”
Gunnar, do you feel there is much cultural difference between Sweden and Iceland?
“I don’t believe there is a lot of cultural difference between the countries. But sometimes I get the feeling that most Swedes look the same, I think it might be because they don’t like to stand out from the crowd, whereas in Iceland people like to be different from each other.”
What about similarities?
Gunnar: “I think the similarities are that we have the same background as Scandinavians. Our morals and laws are the same.”
What language do you speak at home?
Linnea: “We speak Swedish at home.”
Are there any pros/cons being in a “multi-national” relationship?
Linnea: “We now have a daughter together, Tora Lóa, and because of her we have noticed some differences when it comes to name-giving and schooling. In Sweden we don’t namechildren after their grandparents, but it’s a tradition here in Iceland. This wasn’t a problem for us, but I can imagine it could be for some.”
Linnea Ahle and Gunnar Þór Gunnarsson met six years ago in east Sweden, where Gunnar played football for the local team, IFK Norrköping. Their romance was a whirlwind one, and the pair had moved in together three weeks after they first met.
When Gunnar moved back to Iceland to complete his studies, Linnea was to follow but got cold feet, and the couple eventually broke up. Eight months later, Linnea decided to take the plunge, leave her home country and start a new life with Gunnar Þór on this barren island in the North Atlantic. A couple of years later she says she is happy and settled in her new home.
How did the two of you meet?
Linnea: “We met six years ago in Norrköping where Gunnar played football. I was back in Sweden to update my US visa, I was only going to stay in town for three weeks and then move back to New York, where I was living at the time. A friend invited me to go to the local football team’s end-of-season party, on a Wednesday in late November. Gunnar was there and offered me a shot of Ópal (an Icelandic liquorice snaps), and we ended up talking and dancing the whole night. We dated those three weeks while I was waiting for mye visa and then I ended up moving in with Gunnar instead of moving back to New York.”
Why did you chose to settle down in Iceland rather than Sweden?
Linnea: “When Gunnar’s contract with IFK Norrköping ended, he wanted to move back to Iceland and continue his psychology studies at the National University. At the same time, a local Reykjavík club, KR, offered him a contract, and he saw this as a great opportunity to carry on playing while completing his studies.
„We had visited Iceland many times before during holidays, and I was not a big fan of the country back then. I found it to be too windy, too cold and too grey – the fact that I first visited shortly after the economic crash in 2008 only made it that much more gloomy in my mind.
“Gunnar eventually moved back to Iceland in 2011, and the plan was that I would follow soon after. However, I got cold feet and never moved. We broke up some months later. There we were,; separated for almost eight months and broken up, all because I didn’t want to move to Iceland. We still loved each other very much and ultimately we concluded that we couldn’t let the geography prevent us from being together. I then quit my job and moved to live with Gunnar in 101 Reykjavík (the postal code for central Reykjavík).
Was there anything about Iceland or Icelanders that you found surprising?
Linnea: “I was very surprised to see how easy-going Icelanders are; they never stress and they are hardly ever on time. Many seem to be very creative, and even after the economic crash they kept a very positive view on life and the future. When I tell people back home about Icelanders, I say they live their life with one motto: Hakuna matata, no worries. They seem to be very carefree and sometimes, as a Swede, I have a hard time coping with the fact that things don’t seem to have any specific order. Icelanders don’t know how to queue or how to recycle their trash— small things that we Swedes are very anal about.”
“I was very surprised to see how easy-going Icelanders are; they never stress and they are hardly ever on time.”
What is the best thing about living in Iceland?
Linnea: “It took me some time to find the Iceland that I now love. For me, the best thing about living in Iceland is the beautiful landscape, the coffee shops, and the fact that you are surrounded by creativity.”
And the worst?
Linnea: “The northern winds! I am still not a fan.”
Gunnar, do you feel there is much cultural difference between Sweden and Iceland?
“I don’t believe there is a lot of cultural difference between the countries. But sometimes I get the feeling that most Swedes look the same, I think it might be because they don’t like to stand out from the crowd, whereas in Iceland people like to be different from each other.”
What about similarities?
Gunnar: “I think the similarities are that we have the same background as Scandinavians. Our morals and laws are the same.”
What language do you speak at home?
Linnea: “We speak Swedish at home.”
Are there any pros/cons being in a “multi-national” relationship?
Linnea: “We now have a daughter together, Tora Lóa, and because of her we have noticed some differences when it comes to name-giving and schooling. In Sweden we don’t namechildren after their grandparents, but it’s a tradition here in Iceland. This wasn’t a problem for us, but I can imagine it could be for some.”
