On October 5th, the University of Iceland launched its seventh iteration of Equality Days, a two-week-long festival put on by a collaborative team of students, staff and faculty to highlight equality in its many forms. The focus is on intersectionality, the connections between different subjects, and in their description of this year’s programme, the organisers, Arnar and Ugla, enthusiastically illuminated the immense teamwork and creativity that has gone into putting these together.
Read MoreWhat I am going to say to you now you may find too heavy for a student's magazine - maybe. It may be early morning and you may still be in your pajamas waiting for the last drop of coffee to drop down in your cup that has “keep calm and carry on” printed over. Or it may be late night and you are at the library, taking a break from reading that kill-me-now kind of boring article for one of your classes. You may also ask yourself why you would want to hear my opinion at all.
Read MoreSónar festival is originally from Barcelona, the city where I was born. I used to go there to listen to good music: Björk, Air, and Massive Attack were on the charts. As a writer, I also went to see another show: the freaky audience that showed up just for the occasion. In those days, people exhibited their most eccentric and bizarre haircuts, clothes, and tattoos, to the extent that some seemed to be disguised. Of course, they were the focus of coolhunters, who came from all over the world. But life twists around unexpectedly, and just as I had never pictured myself biking in the dark mornings in Reykjavík, heading to the University, neither had I dreamt that the same festival would be placed in this city.
Read MoreWhen Margrét Jónsdóttir Njarðvík lost her job as a professor in 2011 due to cutbacks and a change in university leadership, she found her life and career at a crossroads. After spending years pursuing her passion for Spanish language and literature at the University of Iceland, UNAM in Mexico City, and Princeton, she struggled to find ideal employment that would utilize her education, passion, and diverse skill set.
Read MoreThis year Iceland will participate for the third time in the Guinness World Record of changing cloth diapers. The Great Cloth Diaper Change started in 2011 when Judy Aagard, the owner of a cloth diaper washing service in the United States, wanted to celebrate and promote the use of reusable diapers.
Read MoreFirst elected to parliament in 2007, Katrín Jakobsdóttir currently stands as one of Icelandʼs most passionate advocates for education. A graduate of the University of Iceland, Katrín served as Icelandʼs Minister of Education from 2009-2013, successfully leading the nation’s education sector through the worst economic collapse in Iceland’s history.
Read MoreThe academic year is well underway and if you are an exchange student at Háskóli Íslands, then you are probably starting to notice the subtle ways in which Icelanders do life (and school) differently. With help from students who hail from countries far and wide, I have compiled a list of tips to help you cope with the inevitable culture shock of being an exchange student at Háskóli Íslands.
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