Volunteer Abroad in Iceland with Volunteers for Peace

I participated in 2 SEEDS workcamps- one in the Westfjords and the other in the Eastfjords.
I spent 2 weeks in Patreksfjordur- a town of 700 people in the southern part of the Westfjords. I was there with 8 other SEEDS volunteers who were from all parts of Europe. Our project was managed by the town’s engineer and we worked weekdays from 8-5. Our workcamp’s goal was to beautify the town and our typical tasks included cleaning up junkyards, weeding, grassing and painting. We worked hard, but we often took breaks to lie in the grass on beautiful days and admired the deep, long fjords. On our many coffee breaks we shared laughs and stories with the other locals who worked at the office. During our free time our host Michel guided us around the fjords and we went on many adventures. We went hiking, fishing, relaxed in a natural hotspring, saw whales jumping along the fjords and spotted a lone arctic fox watching over us. We drove to Selardalur to see Samuel Jonsson’s works and to Latrabjarg- the largest sea cliff in Iceland and home to millions of cliff nesting birds. We held an international evening and had the chance to try many traditional Icelandic dishes. The two weeks flew by and we had Michel and the people of Patreksfjordur to thank for making us feel at home during our stay. We were all quite sad to leave!

A week later I headed over to spend 12 days at my next workcamp in Skriduklaustur- an archaeological site in the Eastfjords. From Reykjavik we drove for 13 hours, but we got to see some of the wonders of Iceland along the way. When we got to the Eastfjords we began to see the beautifully carved fjords with many small waterfalls running down them- I began to understand why they called this the land of elves. We were working on a medieval monastic site and preparing it for its official inauguration with the Icelandic ministry of culture in August. I worked alongside 7 other SEEDS volunteers and 5 archaeologists on the site. We worked on building turf walls, creating new walking paths and helped a 70 year old Icelandic man build the stone walls of the monastery. Our work was physical demanding, but we had the honor of finishing this 10 summer archaeological excavation. When we were not working we had the chance to go on many adventures such as relaxing in a hot waterfall, looking down one of Iceland’s deepest canyon, experiencing Europe’s most powerful waterfall and horse riding along one of Iceland’s biggest lakes. Everyday we were spoiled with delicious meals at the Skriduklaustur café and on our last day we had the privilege of burning wood (it was really archaeological remains that needed to be burned) in Iceland for our farewell bonfire.

Iceland is a beautiful country well worth exploring. I had wanted to visit for a long time and VFP even helped me get there with a great scholarship. I enjoyed my time with SEEDS not only because it was a great way to connect with Icelandic life and the people, but it also gave me a chance to connect with people from all over the world. All of the friendly faces I met in Iceland made this a truly unique and an unforgettable six week journey.

My experience volunteering in Iceland was one that I will remember forever. The work was very eye-opening, as we cleaned nearly 5 miles of coastline gathering plastic waste and driftwood. We also assisted in restoring a historic herring factory that was used in the early 1900s when the herring industry was booming in Iceland. My group members were from Germany, Spain, Finland, USA, Canada, and Mexico. We exchanged stories and facts about our home countries and even made a well-known dinner from each country. Needless to say, I was exposed to several cultures and backgrounds that I would have never experienced without Volunteers for Peace. I learned so much about the world, how to interact with a very diverse group of people, and had the chance to visit one of the most beautiful places on earth. Thank you VFP so much for giving me this opportunity.

Iceland was never on my travel radar, until I volunteered to help at the Reykjavik International Film Festival in 2008. I had done 2 other volunteer programs through Volunteers for Peace and was looking for a different type of program and experience. I'm a movie buff and thought it'd be fun to be part of the film festival.

The program was different that most others in several ways. Our project consisted mostly of selling tickets at the different venues, and being ushers/cleaning up during and after shows. For this reason, we didn’t work together as a large group. Nor did we cook our meals or eat together—as is common in most other work camps. Accommodation was at the local hostel.

I thought Iceland was one of the most beautiful and geographically interesting places I've ever seen. Reykjavik is a very modern city with a small town feel. The people are very stylish and insane partiers. If you like music and the bar scene, plan on staying up all night.

For this workcamp, we got off work around midnight and I preferred to have a beer and go to bed, but I was one of the older volunteers!

While I truly enjoyed this volunteer program and the workcamp leaders, and would do another one in Iceland again given the chance, this wasn’t my favorite workcamp with Volunteers for Peace. I prefer camps where everyone works together.. In this case I didn’t get to know a lot of the other volunteers because we rarely saw each other. I also wasn’t a fan of the food provided as we had to eat at Subway and a quickie-mart 'salad bar' pretty much every day. After a few days, I started buying my own food.

I spent 2 weeks in the east Fjords of Iceland. The project was a mix between "nature works" and "visual arts works". We were 18 peoples from all around the world.

That's the best aspect of this "workcamp". Living during 15 days with 18 peoples with different culture, 24/7 , is a wonderful experience.

I was a little bit disappoint about the nature work because we were just cutting flowers in the next town. Cleaning area, beach, etc...
I expected something more close to the nature ( making path for hike, help farmers, helps fisherman,...)

The visual part was also a little bit confuse. It was difficult to start because no ideas were already propose by the lead. So we took a while to share our ideas and find a way.

We had free time ( weekend) and went in the surrounding areas. We met some Icelandic people. Icelandic are fantastic people. So kind. Only 300.000 Icelandic in a huge country as Iceland! The sharing adventure with all those 18 peoples from all around the world was the most exciting experience I had.

You learn a lot about the different culture. We make a short movie about our work camp with a time lapse technique. Nice result! One more nice thing : To get there ( our work camp), a mini bus drove on the north road and make some stop to show us some great spots in Iceland. For the return we make the same but on the south road! Great idea!

After the work camp, I spent 1 more week to see more about the country. Hope this review will help you and the next volunteers :)

Olivier ( Belgium)

I have traveled to 27 countries and made friends from all over the world. My experience in Iceland was one of the best to date. The group of friends I made was great. The people is what make the project.

All volunteers were surprised about the work we ended up doing, but our friendships is what made it worth while.

After work we would go to the town swimming pool, we walked together to and from planning dinner and laughing. On the wkends we went hiking and fishing. One night we played football with the local kids.

On the wkends we had group parties, there was always laughing and joking around. Truly one of the best experiences...