Rocks and Reflections

Experience 19: Cooling eruptions are great for heating fries

After our highly elevated adventure on the Westman Islands, we packed our belongings and journeyed for a last day in the city. While driving to Reykjavik, I held a fixed gaze at the fluctuating landscape, trying to imprint the towering black mountains and flat green fields within my mind. When I previously imagined the Land of Ice and Fire, I pictured bubbling magma colliding with frozen glaciers - the powerful forces of nature intertwined in battle. What I did not factor in was the calmness of the landscape and its people. To say Icelanders are "chill" would not only be a bad pun but completely accurate. There is a mysterious serenity embedded within the landscape. The people of Iceland are pleasant, yet adaptable in a harsh and continually changing climate. After an academically challenging semester, I was fortunate for Iceland's remote locations, which allowed my mind time to enjoy natural peace. 

We had an amazing geologic group that flowed together like a braided streams. After attending the Rocky Mountain May Experience following my freshman year, I felt as though I had come full circle on this trip. I looked at the rising sophomores in our group and had a nostalgic feeling. Years of travel with Furman have given me a new level of independence, only found with experience. Three years seem minor on the geologic time scale, but in my life they have played an impacting role - like a volcanic eruption of adulthood. Returning from Iceland represents the true start of my senior year, and with it come decisions about postgrad moves. Iceland has taught me that major events can happen over a long period of time or simply in an eruptive moment. Most of the time they are out of one's control, like the movement of glaciers across the country. However, sometimes small people can change the course of nature, like the people of Heimaey spraying seawater on flowing magma. What do I take from this? That it is important to live in the moment - to relish senior year but also know that I am in control of what comes next (i.e don't have a freak out just yet). 

One of my favorite aspects of this trip was the flow of our days. I have occupied drastically different experiences in my travel with Furman. In England I attended Shakespearian plays but in Iceland I scaled the side of sea cliffs. I loved learning about geologic formations and then actually witnessing textbook examples. Increased classroom time had left me craving fieldwork. I was so fortunate to be out hiking in removed places, touching glaciers and sticking my hand in steam vents. These actions demonstrate that there is so much of the world and nature to experience. Even though I am a Sustainability major, I believe everything is connected and greatly value the study of geology. Multiple perspectives are immensely necessary for creating a sustainable future. It is also great to have a basic knowledge in Earth's formation. Need to know if that rock demonstrates signs of glaciation or if we can access geothermal energy?? Hit me up!!

Ultimately, I am forever honored work with my Environmental Science department family and I look forward to our future geologic adventures.