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Similarities and differences between Greenland and Iceland
June 10, 2022
Grants, Grants, News, News
June 10, 2022
Grants, Grants, News, News
25 students and 3 teachers, from 10th grade at Atuarfik Hans Lynge school in Nuuk, traveled to Iceland in late March 2022 after two canceled trips, one due to Covid-19 and the other due to bad weather. The purpose of the trip was to strengthen the contact between Greenland and Iceland, by giving the students the opportunity to experience the cultural differences between the two countries.
The students had some very exciting days in Iceland with many good experiences and impressions. They told us that they tried FlyOver Iceland, where they were taken on an exciting journey across Iceland, while they were sitting in “cinema seats” with their feet dangling before a 20-metre spherical screen. On the “trip” there were many special effects, including wind, mist, and scents, combined with motion to get the experience of flying. The students also told us that they went swimming quite a few times, went shopping, tried out a skating rink and were out bowling.
The Icelandic Penis Museum – The Icelandic Fallological Museum, was an interesting experience to visit. The Museum has a collection consisting of more than 217 penises and penis-related objects that originate from almost all land- and sea mammals found in and around Iceland. The students explained that they saw the penises of different animals, both sea animals and land animals. There were also penises from nonexisting objects such as trolls and elves.
The North Atlantic high school class, NGK, was in Iceland while the students were there, which was fortunate for them as they got the opportunity to visit the NGK class. It was exciting for them to hear about what it was like to go to four different high schools in three years. The NGK class consists of students from Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, and Greenland who want to experience the North Atlantic while going to high school. As a student in NGK, they take the first year in Denmark, then one semester in the Faroe Islands, one semester in Iceland and the third year in Greenland.
The trip to Iceland offered several aha experiences in areas where Greenland and Iceland are similar to one another, the students came up with the following examples of similarities:
- Iceland has also been a part of Denmark before they became independent
- The weather in Greenland and Iceland are very similar – both have ice and snow
- Icelandic people are bilingual, just like most Greenlanders. Some Icelanders also know Danish
- Right outside the cities there is beautiful nature
- There are many nice Icelanders and there are many tourists in Iceland as well as in Greenland
There are not only similarities but also some differences between the two countries, where they do not resemble each other at all, which the students expressed in the following way:
- Greenland has Erik the Red and Hans Egede, while Iceland has Vikings and trolls
- Icelandic people believe in trolls and witches, while we in Greenland believe in sassuma arnaa and mountaineers (fjeldgængere)
- Iceland is one of the safest countries in the world, it is so safe, that the Police do not carry weapons when they are at work. Contrary to the officers in Greenland who almost always carry weapons when they are at work
- Many of the everyday things you buy are much cheaper in Iceland and 100 Icelandic kroner is the same as 5 Danish kroner
- Iceland sometimes smells like eggs, due to the geysers/volcanoes
- Iceland has managed to regain and maintain their culture. Greenland could learn from Iceland on how they treat tourists and their hospitality towards them. In Iceland they are very conscious of the environment, which is good
The students also found that Game of Thrones is recorded in Iceland, like many other popular series.
All in all, they had a fantastic trip, and as one of the students put it: “We had many fun experiences where we also got to know each other better as a class”. In conclusion, one of the students said that: “Iceland has no problems with mosquitoes, and that is exactly why I have decided to plan my retirement there”.
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