The Basics, and an Upadate, One Week In

Finally, I'm back.  It's been quite busy for me lately.  Getting used to new things, starting my job for real, and starting an intensive language class.  Things have been especially busy since the grandmother of the family I'm working for was in the hospital, so things weren't happening like they normally would.

I realize that I maybe didn't explain what I'm doing in Iceland, and that everyone who sees this may not have talked to me or my parents recently.  I've come here for 6 months to work as an au pair, which is a parents helper.  It's sort of like a nanny, but it's a specific cultural exchange visa set up, to provide a way for young people to travel cheaply and learn a new language.  Basically, I get my room and board, and a small allowance, and one of my flights paid for in exchange for 30 hours of week of childcare and light housekeeping.  The family I'm working for has three kids, one 6 year old, one 4, and a baby who will turn 1 later this month.

I'm living and working in a suburb of Reykjavik called Hafnarfjöður.  It's about a 20 minute drive from downtown Reykjavik or a 40 minute bus ride, which is not too bad.  I felt like I was so far away from everything when I arrived, now it doesn't seem bad at all.

Here is what my street looks like.

Mountains!  Crazy!  Not much snow here either.  The weather is very strange.  It snows on day, is gone the next, and then it is raining.

This is a very common sight around here.  I live in an area that was just being developed when the economic crash hit.  As a result, there are a lot of buildings around here that were either not finished, or are just sitting empty.  There is an area that I'm very excited to photograph that has paved roads, street lights, but no houses.  Eerie.

Please let me know how the photos are looking, I'm using a new camera, and an uncalibrated screen, so things might be a bit all over the place.