Culture Shock in Iceland

During my time in Iceland, we traveled counterclockwise around the country and did not reach the capital, Reykjavik, until the final two days of our trip. In Iceland, the population of Reykjavik and it’s surrounding area makes up over 2/3 of the country’s population. Therefore, our group was incredibly isolated for most of our trip. We went from living in Boston with a population of nearly 647,000 people to a town of only 400 people. It was insane to feel so alone with just mountains, volcanoes, and the ocean. Culture shock was felt by all of us when we finally made it to Reykjavik because it was our first city experience of the whole trip that was somewhat comparable to Boston. Fun fact: even though Reykjavik is the major city of Iceland, it has no skyscrapers and only has a population of 120,000 people!

The biggest difference that my group noticed between Iceland and the USA is that stores tend to open late and close very early. We never encountered any store that was open 24 hours, and by 7 or 8 o’clock most stores would close. In our tiny town of Skagaströnd, our only grocery store could open at 1pm and close at 6pm on some days. I have never experienced such a craving for late night snacks than when in Iceland. Culturally, the people of Iceland seem very relaxed and do not sweat the small stuff. Almost every Icelander I have met has enjoyed expressing his or herself in a creative manner, such as by writing poetry or playing an instrument. It is also incredibly common for Icelanders to have more than one speciality or job, which is not often seen in the USA. I believe a lot of these factors contribute to the overall happiness of the people in this country.