ICE-2 2022 Session 2 by STOSKIENE RITA

Rita

rita100 — 2019-04-06 13:48:43 UTC

It is the environment that shapes our belief system. No wonder our folklore spirits and other creatures do not exist any more in our lives. They are natural beings and they did not travel with us to live in the cities. On the other hand the Enlightenment played an important role too - everything had to be explained with the reason and proof of existence....
So often we forget that we ARE part of a nature, just one of many other species sharing the same planet. I often hear people, who live in a city, say "Let's go to nature" (meaning: go to a lake or the forest, go out of the city). Building walls of cement, we barricaded ourselves cutting vital ties from our mother nature. We observe the consequences such as pollution, global warming, rising levels of depression in young people... We predict that this leads to the extinction of our species.
However new trends start becoming more and more popular - mindfulness, well-being, slow movement, organic farming, outdoor classrooms and even schools!
In the end it is up to every single one of us what side we take - passive or active. I believe that every person is responsible for changing the world. My personal goal is to become a better person today than I was yesterday. As I change - the world around me changes. Because I am part of the world.

Satu: Hidden beings among us

2022-04-19 20:36:12 UTC

Elves, dwarfs and gnomes are very much a living part of nature here in Iceland. They live in harmony with the local inhabitants which is incredible, and maybe it is hard to foreigners to understand that. Locals here do believe in their existence, and why should't they? They feel their magical spirits. To be one with nature could be the slogan for the locals. We all should treat our own country with respect, and preserve all the natural enviroments for the generations coming after we have passed away. Silja told us many fascinating stories about the locals meeting the hidden beings. That made me contemplate the real value of nature. I am certainly going to try to respect my home country and its unique nature more.

Paula: An amazing day!

2022-04-19 21:02:43 UTC

Today it was very interesting to here in the morning icelandic folkstories about elves and hidden people. Actually in Finland old people have told many stories about elves and hidden treasures also. For example there are places in Kainuu (I live there) where folkstories have told that there is hidden treasure and if you are lucky enough, you might find it. So I think folkstories are very interesting and I think it is nesessary to know old stories from that place where you live.
In the afternoon I went to see the whales. And the weather was amazing! And we saw many delfins and few humpback whales. I got many videos and lots of photos. What a day!

Rubina

rubinamota1 — 2022-04-19 21:08:13 UTC

Today we talked and listen to stories about special hidden creatures like trolls, gnomes or elfs. Most of the time they are hidden but when there's a need of some help they appear to help people. I consider that I have some special living creatures on my life, maybe not elfs, gnomes or trolls but my friends & family.
There are amazing creatures in the world who surprised us such the one we saw today - whale.

Johanna, day 2

2022-04-19 21:12:11 UTC

After this day I believe in hidden people thanks to Silja's fascinating stories and the places she showed to us. I also saw today how the Icelandic people heat the water in the sea. In a way impossible becomes possible in both cases. We are the ones who decide what to leave for the next generations. I wish the hidden beings will help us to make wise decisions.

Ana Vieira

2022-04-19 21:31:34 UTC

Today was a magical day because I had the opportunity to visit the magical city of hidden creatures, where everything in nature comes together! Here I learned how important it is to value this cultural heritage and how Icelanders do it so well! The magic of the stories we heard will always stay with me and I hope I can take it to my students!
The magic of the day also extended to the fact of seeing whales, wonderful beings that Nature gave us and that provided us an unforgettable show! 
Once again I learned that Nature can always surprise us!

António Pimenta

pimentamen80 — 2022-04-19 21:47:07 UTC

Today I learned...
Today, through the magical stories told by Silja, I had an introduction to the Icelandic cultural heritage, which reflects the way these people live connected with nature and respect it in the most varied ways.
The set of beliefs and the magical world of the stories of the Hidden Beens are a manifestation of the culture of this people that I will definitely take back to my country and apply in my work with students in exploring the stories.
I loved visiting the small town of Hafnarfjordur, in which this whole system of beliefs and the culture of the stories of invisible beings is rooted and lives in communion with the inhabitants and nature, integrating and being part of the culture of the city.
It was a magical day of getting closer to the mythical Icelandic world.

Patrícia Castanheira - day 2

2022-04-19 21:47:41 UTC

I was truly happy to hear all the stories about the elfs, trols, small people today.
It’s beautiful the way the Icelandic culture protects the nature trough these beings.
I’ve always tried to live in balance with the other elements of nature, trying not to exploit, to waste, to polute, to consume… It was not often that these efforts were recognized in my country but mentalities are changing, slowly but they are changing.
Back to Portugal it will be interesting to do some research with my students about the magical creatures living there, envolving the elder as they are the ones who haven’t forgotten them.
Thank you all for this wonderful day! Thank you to the cute cat too. Maybe it’s a friend of the little people 😊

Gabriela

2022-04-19 22:07:02 UTC

After today's activity there are three words that I highlight: respect, culture identity and prosperity. Iceland is a very organized and prosperous country. After the collapse of the economy in 2008, Iceland was a country that quickly got back on its feet economically, thanks to assertive government decisions. Yesterday, when I understood the respect with which the government takes care of the island's natural heritage and today, when I heard about the legends (are they legends?) about the mystical figures that make up the country's intangible cultural heritage, I reflected that, part of the education of the people and the prosperity of the country, are not just the result of governmental decisions with merely economistic objectives, they are also the result of knowing how to respect and listen to the sounds that resonate from these two heritages, the natural and the mystical, without needing to see to believe.

Tuesday (Christiane)

2022-04-19 22:11:41 UTC

This is not a stone, but a troll turned into stone and now guarding the elves park. If we look at the sky we sometimes do not see clouds but dragons, faces or other shapes. We shape the things we want to see, the hidden ones maybe shape us?
Anyway, not seeing sth., doesn’t mean it is not there.
I want to be more careful with other people’s beliefs.

Sónia Ferreira

soniaferreirardd — 2022-04-19 22:29:41 UTC

Today I visited a magical community where people's lives manifest and interact with nature and invisible beings.
Believing in the world and in its invisible beings transforms the life, values and beliefs of each person, each family, and extends to the community.

Fátima

2022-04-19 22:51:32 UTC

Today in Hafnarfjour I had the opportunity to get to know this special place, which relates to the beliefs of the Icelandic people. For me, nowadays, the human being is more a believer than a religious one. This place reflects this opinion of mine. A spiritual place, where stories are told of people who believe that nature transmits energy and that it protects them in their daily lives _ the Elvis are characteristic elements of these beliefs, beings chosen by the Icelanders as their protectors _ a culture of belief and belonging.

Hervé : hidden and beeing...

2022-04-20 00:13:26 UTC

A very powerful day today with a question we don't need to answer. Is it true or false ? Elfs, gnomes, beeing and law of nature? Industrial and capitalist culture commands an answer. It don't like every uncertain expressions, relative, dynamic and fluid. This way of thinking need to measure, to weigh, to calculate, to evaluate, to profit ! It needs an answer ! If we say yes of course, it will call us crazy. If we say no of course, it will continu to destroy with useless projects. We don't have to answer... we just have to feel, to tell, to perpetuate, to resist, to create, to share together... this is the way . This is one of the conditions to preserve the folk-lor and so, the good relationship with every forms of beeing who live in our earth. "Mitakuye Oyasin"