Iceland 2016
A Reflection on the Honors World Folklore & Traditions Seminar
Written by Karissa Schroeter,
April 19, 2016
This seminar came for me at a crucial time in my life when I was losing hope. Trapped in a major I no longer like with a course load that is almost unbearably much and a Type A personality that demands perfection, I feel like it takes all I have most days just to get through each day. Slipping further and further into an anxiety and depression I refused to accept, I found myself wondering what the point of it all was. And the focus of this seminar reminded me of something precious and dear, something that my princessing job and my love of books first showed me, something that could save me from the dark depths of my mind. And that is the value of fairytales, of stories, and of folklore.
Humans have always loved stories. Even when we go to sleep, our brains stay up all night telling us stories. Why is that? I think that is because we need stories. I think that there is an artistic, emotional, spiritual side of humans that cannot, and should not, be dampened. We need more than this world has to offer and when the harsh realities of daily life settle in, we need something to get us through, inspire us even!
The value of a person’s folklore and traditions goes far beyond simply a means to understanding them and their society. Learning about the informal culture of a person, what is meaningful to them, what they choose to pass on is looking into the very heart of a person and their society. Getting to know the details of a person’s life and piecing together the many stories that make up them as an individual is one of the most intimate experiences there is – it is what pulls at our heartstrings and what makes us fall in love.
My personal experience with the Honors World Folklore & Traditions Seminar with a Study Tour to Iceland was one of beautiful growth and exploration. Taught by Kevin Grace and Robin Selzer, professors whom I had previously grown to love with the Honors Culture of Books & Reading Seminar with a Study Tour to Scotland, the class proved to be a perfect blend of old and new, of familiarity and strangeness. And they did not let me down. Kevin and Robin brought a passion and insider knowledge on the subject of each and every lecture. Saturday morning class was always one of the highlights of my week.
In class, I enjoyed watching films that focused on different folklores, such as the animated Song of the Selkie movie and the documentary style film on Appalachian culture. I also learned a lot from our various discussions on topics about folklore, especially about women’s folklore and women’s roles in folklore. I think that our reading materials greatly enhanced our experience and though it was a tough read for me, “The Spirit Catches You & You Fall Down” inspired a good deal of reflection on the intersection of cultures and how important understanding someone’s folklore & traditions is when interacting with them.
The travel portion of the trip was particularly meaningful to me. It was a much needed break from the stress of everyday life. But more than that, it was an adventure. The week in Reykjavik felt like its own lifetime. Everything was simple – I woke up and simply explored. Iceland was a place to be discovered, a place with many new and intriguing things to offer. And traveling cures the soul in a way that is not unique to which place you go. I think traveling anywhere broadens your mind, opens your eyes, and shows your heart that there is so much more to the world than your world. Feeling small in comparison to a big, wide world is humbling and a great way to refocus on what matters most.
One of our drivers in Reykjavik said something that really stuck with me. He said that in Iceland, the key to happiness was to lower your expectations and then he laughed. At first, I was appalled by his statement. It sounded like quite the pessimistic way of looking at the world. Iceland (and maybe even life!) was supposed to be full of happiness and joy and dreams and rainbows and… Well maybe that thinking was part of what got me where I am in the first place.
Upon deeper reflection, I realized that what he said may have held a nugget of truth that our commercial, social media world doesn’t like to admit. As the week progressed, a great many things hadn’t turned out how I had expected them to – the Blue Lagoon was not the warm spa paradise shown on brochures, the Northern Lights were not always going to light up the whole sky, and the weather in Iceland was not always that of a cute winter wonderland (it is called Iceland for a reason!). And although these things weren’t what I first envisioned and in that sense would have let me down, Iceland and my experiences there were amazing in ways that I never could have imagined! Getting stuck in a blizzard and surviving, ending up on top of the Elf Palace overlooking Hafnarfjördur by happy accident, laughing under the stars squinting up at the sky looking for the elusive Northern Lights, huddling together in the surprisingly cold Blue Lagoon with scary mud masks on our faces, planking through the caves underneath a Volcano – these were the beautiful experiences Iceland gave me that I never could have imagined and some of the most fulfilling moments of the trip.
And I think that’s what he was getting at. It’s important not to let our expectations for what will make us happy blind us to what could really make us happy. The Law of Entropy states that the world is headed towards disorder and chaos and more often than not, things may not go as planned. But that doesn’t mean that there is no happiness to be found. Learning to let go of what could or should have been and living in the moment is a key to experiencing the joy and beauty that life has to offer.
Finally, I really enjoyed the UC Folklore Project at the end of the semester. I interviewed Ahmed Fahad, a UC PhD student from Iraq. His story and his folklore intrigued me for more than I had first thought it would. I found myself in the interview asking questions I hadn’t even written down. I realized how little that I, and probably most Westerners, know about countries in the Middle East and their culture and traditions. One of the most interesting things I learned from him was his perspective on folklore. While most American, myself included, think of stories as a bigger part of our folklore, Ahmed, and maybe others from the Middle East, thought of art and music as the bigger part of their folklore. Not only was that interesting to me, but it really helped to broaden my perspective on folklores, of both my own and others. Before this class, I had no idea that street art or hymns could be considered folklore.
So in conclusion, my journey with the Saturday class into the world of folklore & traditions has been very meaningful. Maybe life, especially this semester, and even this seminar, haven’t been what I expected. And that’s ok. Some of the most beautiful moments and key learnings from the class came when I was least expecting them. Sometimes we need our folklore to remind us of what’s really important to us and what we value most. Since folklore is shared by informal means such as word of mouth or tradition, what is passed down is what is most meaningful to a society, or on a smaller level, an individual. Studying folklore & traditions has made me more aware of what it is that I and those around me are informally sharing with one another. And more than that, it has given me a sense of connection to others and a hope for the future. I’m not alone in my struggles and there is beauty in what we share with one another. Mitch Albom, one of my favorite authors, said it best when he wrote, “The world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.”
Written by Karissa Schroeter,
April 19, 2016
This seminar came for me at a crucial time in my life when I was losing hope. Trapped in a major I no longer like with a course load that is almost unbearably much and a Type A personality that demands perfection, I feel like it takes all I have most days just to get through each day. Slipping further and further into an anxiety and depression I refused to accept, I found myself wondering what the point of it all was. And the focus of this seminar reminded me of something precious and dear, something that my princessing job and my love of books first showed me, something that could save me from the dark depths of my mind. And that is the value of fairytales, of stories, and of folklore.
Humans have always loved stories. Even when we go to sleep, our brains stay up all night telling us stories. Why is that? I think that is because we need stories. I think that there is an artistic, emotional, spiritual side of humans that cannot, and should not, be dampened. We need more than this world has to offer and when the harsh realities of daily life settle in, we need something to get us through, inspire us even!
The value of a person’s folklore and traditions goes far beyond simply a means to understanding them and their society. Learning about the informal culture of a person, what is meaningful to them, what they choose to pass on is looking into the very heart of a person and their society. Getting to know the details of a person’s life and piecing together the many stories that make up them as an individual is one of the most intimate experiences there is – it is what pulls at our heartstrings and what makes us fall in love.
My personal experience with the Honors World Folklore & Traditions Seminar with a Study Tour to Iceland was one of beautiful growth and exploration. Taught by Kevin Grace and Robin Selzer, professors whom I had previously grown to love with the Honors Culture of Books & Reading Seminar with a Study Tour to Scotland, the class proved to be a perfect blend of old and new, of familiarity and strangeness. And they did not let me down. Kevin and Robin brought a passion and insider knowledge on the subject of each and every lecture. Saturday morning class was always one of the highlights of my week.
In class, I enjoyed watching films that focused on different folklores, such as the animated Song of the Selkie movie and the documentary style film on Appalachian culture. I also learned a lot from our various discussions on topics about folklore, especially about women’s folklore and women’s roles in folklore. I think that our reading materials greatly enhanced our experience and though it was a tough read for me, “The Spirit Catches You & You Fall Down” inspired a good deal of reflection on the intersection of cultures and how important understanding someone’s folklore & traditions is when interacting with them.
The travel portion of the trip was particularly meaningful to me. It was a much needed break from the stress of everyday life. But more than that, it was an adventure. The week in Reykjavik felt like its own lifetime. Everything was simple – I woke up and simply explored. Iceland was a place to be discovered, a place with many new and intriguing things to offer. And traveling cures the soul in a way that is not unique to which place you go. I think traveling anywhere broadens your mind, opens your eyes, and shows your heart that there is so much more to the world than your world. Feeling small in comparison to a big, wide world is humbling and a great way to refocus on what matters most.
One of our drivers in Reykjavik said something that really stuck with me. He said that in Iceland, the key to happiness was to lower your expectations and then he laughed. At first, I was appalled by his statement. It sounded like quite the pessimistic way of looking at the world. Iceland (and maybe even life!) was supposed to be full of happiness and joy and dreams and rainbows and… Well maybe that thinking was part of what got me where I am in the first place.
Upon deeper reflection, I realized that what he said may have held a nugget of truth that our commercial, social media world doesn’t like to admit. As the week progressed, a great many things hadn’t turned out how I had expected them to – the Blue Lagoon was not the warm spa paradise shown on brochures, the Northern Lights were not always going to light up the whole sky, and the weather in Iceland was not always that of a cute winter wonderland (it is called Iceland for a reason!). And although these things weren’t what I first envisioned and in that sense would have let me down, Iceland and my experiences there were amazing in ways that I never could have imagined! Getting stuck in a blizzard and surviving, ending up on top of the Elf Palace overlooking Hafnarfjördur by happy accident, laughing under the stars squinting up at the sky looking for the elusive Northern Lights, huddling together in the surprisingly cold Blue Lagoon with scary mud masks on our faces, planking through the caves underneath a Volcano – these were the beautiful experiences Iceland gave me that I never could have imagined and some of the most fulfilling moments of the trip.
And I think that’s what he was getting at. It’s important not to let our expectations for what will make us happy blind us to what could really make us happy. The Law of Entropy states that the world is headed towards disorder and chaos and more often than not, things may not go as planned. But that doesn’t mean that there is no happiness to be found. Learning to let go of what could or should have been and living in the moment is a key to experiencing the joy and beauty that life has to offer.
Finally, I really enjoyed the UC Folklore Project at the end of the semester. I interviewed Ahmed Fahad, a UC PhD student from Iraq. His story and his folklore intrigued me for more than I had first thought it would. I found myself in the interview asking questions I hadn’t even written down. I realized how little that I, and probably most Westerners, know about countries in the Middle East and their culture and traditions. One of the most interesting things I learned from him was his perspective on folklore. While most American, myself included, think of stories as a bigger part of our folklore, Ahmed, and maybe others from the Middle East, thought of art and music as the bigger part of their folklore. Not only was that interesting to me, but it really helped to broaden my perspective on folklores, of both my own and others. Before this class, I had no idea that street art or hymns could be considered folklore.
So in conclusion, my journey with the Saturday class into the world of folklore & traditions has been very meaningful. Maybe life, especially this semester, and even this seminar, haven’t been what I expected. And that’s ok. Some of the most beautiful moments and key learnings from the class came when I was least expecting them. Sometimes we need our folklore to remind us of what’s really important to us and what we value most. Since folklore is shared by informal means such as word of mouth or tradition, what is passed down is what is most meaningful to a society, or on a smaller level, an individual. Studying folklore & traditions has made me more aware of what it is that I and those around me are informally sharing with one another. And more than that, it has given me a sense of connection to others and a hope for the future. I’m not alone in my struggles and there is beauty in what we share with one another. Mitch Albom, one of my favorite authors, said it best when he wrote, “The world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.”