Differences: America vs Iceland

I have been here for about a month now and I am, all the time, logging in my mind the differences that I notice between America and Iceland. The culture here in Iceland is obvisouly very different from what I am so use to growing up in Alabama. I wanted to share some of the things that I have noticed so far with you...I am sure that this will be "Part 1" of this blog entry because I think that as I spend more time here that more and more things will become apparent.
Well, mine and Sy's life has changed so much since our move here, especially for me. I went from being and full-time working wife in America to a "stay-at-home-soon-to-be-mom" in Iceland. One of duties as a stay at home mom is, of course, grocery shopping. Upon going to the grocery store, I noticed right away how small all of the portion sizes were. All juices and milks, for the most part, come in 1 liter containers...I am use to buying gallon size containers in America! I noticed that about so many of their products...especially meat, juice, and milk...Also, all of the refrigerators in most of the peoples homes, including my own, that I have seen are a lot smaller than fridges in America...I would say about half the size, which probably explains why the food portions are smaller... Some people here use their baloncies as fridges of freezers, if you will...In the winter its cold enough to keep drinks in a cooler on the balcony, which is what some do, who don't have enough space in the fridge...
The discipline of children here is different than what I am accustomed to. I have noticed that no one spanks their children. I heard rumors when I got here that it was against the law to spank your child!!! My first thought after hearing that was that the Sigurmundsson's may be back in Alabama sooner that we thought!!! That is yet to be confirmed though...I asked Sy about it and he said that he does not think that it's a law, but that it's more of a cultural thing. I feel that parents here try to reason with their children more than they discipline them. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out when a child is using a disrespectful tone, no matter what language is being spoken. All I can say is that the Sigurmundsson's will not be sparing the rod, nor will we tolerate disrespectful children.
I have noticed that Iceland has probably some of the best dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc) and the best water in the world. No one in Iceland buys bottled water...their water is great!!! It get's really HOT and really COLD. I have had to be very careful washing dishes bc I have most gotten 2nd degree burns!...I love taking long hot showers and I love it here bc the hot water NEVER runs out!!!
The gas here is RIDICULOUS!!! $8 per gallon!!! Yep that's right $8!....I here that gas in America is 2.00+ right now...Count your blessing! It costs us approx $95 to fill up our little VW passat wagon...I asked Sy why the drop in oil prices (currently ~$60+ per barrel) didn't affect Iceland like it did America...He said that its bc Iceland buys the oil in dollars and the dollar is VERY low here right now so the drop in oil prices doesn't do anything for Iceland. Gas, unfortunately, isn't the only thing that's expensive right now...Since the economic crisis hit over here everything has gone up really, including food.
Although Iceland has a state religion, which is Lutheran, most Icelanders only go to church for the christening of a child, Christmas, Ester, a wedding, or a funeral. If you ask, most Icelanders will say that they believe in God, but very few are living for God.
One of the most fascinating things that I have noticed about the Icleandic culture is how they "put their babies out" to nap. It is VERY common that mothers here wrap up their infants, they put them in these carraiges (it looks kinda like a bassinet with wheels...it zips all the way up so that nothing can get into the carraige with the child), and they put them outside on their balconies or right outside their back door, and they let the babies nap. The wind gently rocks them to sleep and everyone I have talked to here says that the babies LOVE it...They say that babies will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours...I can't tell you how many Icelanders have asked me if I am going to "put our baby out"...I know that so many Americans are against it and I wouldn't dream of doing something like that in America, BUT if I can get my baby to take a 3-5 hour nap each day I am DEFINITELY going to consider it!!! I spoke with my mom about it and she thinks that it good for the baby and she a nurse so I trust her...
I have learned that most girls here start getting into boys and having sex at around age 14. Upon talking to some of Sy's teammates I learned that the girls are very "forward", if you will, about having "relations". That breaks my heart- they are obliviously searching for something...I also learned, from talking with the boys, that most parents don't talk to their kids about sex or the dangers of pre-marital sex. Also, most couples here live together and have a child together long before they get married, IF they even get married. I guess this one really isn't a difference between Iceland and America, it's probably more of a similarity. The shocking thing is that, according to my hubby, only about 20-40 people in Iceland have HIV, out of 300,000! I did some research and actually there about 220 people in Iceland living with the HIV virus.
Ok that's all for now...Stay tuned for Part 2...