Many Smithies have had to grapple with a feeling of uncertainty about the future throughout the course of the pandemic. But how many of us considered a trip to the “Land of Ice and Fire” as one of the options?
Despite the great challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic imposes on international traveling, three Smithies have made it to Iceland, where they will spend their spring semester. I was able to catch up with them within their first few days abroad.
Molly Swope ‘22, Frances Li ‘23J and Harriet Wright ‘22 arrived on the island on Feb. 23rd. Once their five day quarantine is over, which is required by the Icelandic government for anyone who enters the country, they will travel to the town of Ísafjörður. After three weeks of staying with host families on the Westfjords peninsula, they will explore the country with their group of 19 students and take different classes on ‘Climate Change and the Arctic.’
Are you wondering how one even gets to Iceland in times like these? It clearly takes a lot of determination and flexibility. The three Smithies faced challenges and uncertainty throughout their preparation and travels before they finally arrived in Reykjavik where they are spending their quarantine. Li, who is originally from Beijing, China, said that she was not even sure she would get to Iceland at all until she was on the last of three consecutive flights. “At least I am here,” she said, while describing the trouble she had finding flights that went from China to Europe.
Traveling was not easy from the United States either. According to Swope, only two flights a week depart from Boston to Iceland. The two Smithies and their fellow U.S. travelers were also surprised by a new testing policy, introduced by the Icelandic government only a couple of days before their departure. It required them to show the negative result of a PCR test taken no longer than 72 hours before entering the aircraft.
However, with the support of the ISSO and the School for International Training (SIT), which coordinates the program in Iceland, they made it safely to their destination. It seems to have been worth it. Only a few days into their stay the students were rewarded with seeing the Northern Lights, something that does not happen to every traveler, since this stunning natural phenomenon is very unpredictable and usually not detectable from a city like Reykjavik.
After their quarantine the study abroad group will be able to travel without having to worry about COVID-19 too much, as Iceland has no community transmission. This is especially exciting since a part of this program includes an independent study project, during which the students are able to choose a location within Iceland and design their own research project. Swope, Li and Wright are planning on making the most out of this opportunity.
While Li was always planning on going to Iceland this spring, Swope had to reschedule her semester abroad since the program was not running last fall. Wright was not sure if she really wanted to go abroad, but when she realized that COVID-19 would make a return to normal campus life unlikely, she became excited about the prospect of traveling to Iceland to learn about the Arctic and climate change.
When asked about the advice she would give to students who might be planning to study abroad with the pandemic still going on, Wright recommended to always be flexible. “Make a plan B for everything,” Li said, who had even thought about a plan B for her luggage.
Although all three of them mentioned that they miss Smith and their friends there, they all felt like they made the right decision. Full of anticipation about things to come, and ready to get started with their trip, COVID-19 and the problems it has caused seemed almost forgotten when the Smithies spoke with me from their hotel rooms or lobbies. Now, nothing stands in the way of an exciting semester for them.
