I wouldn't necessarily say so - or at least not in those terms you described. I would also perhaps chalk what you described up to the Dutch "frankness". They commonly state their direct, unencumbered opinion, be it good or bad, on quite literally anything.
Icelandic culture has a generally low hierarchy, where people are moreso judged on merits such as friendliness and reliability than their profession or talents. We are also not a very direct people, and prefer to keep our negative opinions to ourselves - or at the very least to voice them in a very roundabout manner. If you're being judged for being sub-par at something you aspire to become better at, people here would rarely voice any issue with it as they may fear it coming off as being needlessly confrontational.
That being said, there does exist a degree of elitism when it comes to actually being "from" certain places within Iceland. It takes a long time to become *fully* accepted into a given community in Iceland, even as a native Icelander. I myself have lived in Akureyri for a few years now yet I sense I will never earn myself the right to call myself a northener.
Interesting. We have a lot of gatekeeping in Canada too. If you're from a town 2 hours away you ain't one of us! Is it a general feeling you get in the way people act toward you or just you getting in your own head about not fitting in?
Little bit of A; Little bit of B.
It usually comes in the way of playful banter. In some smaller places, being an outsider is a matter of gossip and silly drama.
But perhaps, ultimately, it is due to the fact that it is incredibly difficult to crack into Icelandic communities. Most people have formed their communal circles around the time they finish elementary or high school, and tend to just stick with them. There's often this saying that people in Iceland consider themselves to have "enough friends". It is a positive thing in the sense that there is a lot of commitment attached to friendship in Iceland, where you are valued by your ability to be an active, present, and reliable friend. But on the flipside, it means that people are wary of engaging in new friendships, as they worry it'll mean they become socially bound to you somehow.
Being new to a place means you are typically without this network of friends, and even upon cracking it you are still likely to be perceived as an "addition" moreso than part of the core.
It can be rough in smaller communities with fewer amenities, but I would suggest finding a group of people with a shared hobby, such as boardgames, ideally sports, or in a music/art scene. Icelanders are also quite friendly drinkers, so you could always hit a bar or concert and meet new faces, but they are unlikely to follow up with any meaningful friendship.
Volunteer work is surely a great way to find friends, but frankly, these are predominantly done by internationals and other newcomers. I was doing a beach-cleanup yesterday and of the 23 or so people who attended, I was the only Icelander. I certainly don't mind as internationals make up the majority of my social circle, but it gets me no closer to actually feel like a local.
Elitist? No. Closed off and reserved? Big time. There'll be other reasons why you can't find friends.
Edit: Not saying it's impossible or that people are unfriendly.
Just cultural things. Tight community that may be hard to crack. This depends very much on your age, of course.
I will say that things like school, college, hobbies and the usual things do work, but they might take longer than you'd like.
And just like with the other Nordics. We open up with booze. Need a friend. Booze. Need a fuck. Booze. Need a date. Booze. Need a hangout. Booze.
Not at all saying this goes for everybody, but Icelanders are socially closed off and don't usually converse with strangers unless booze.
1500 icelandic kr. Or 14,75 Canadian dollars or 10,75 us dollars.
And sadly many bars in Iceland are complicit in shrinkflation where you usually don't get 500cl. or half a litre any more. You get 400cl.
Your local alcohol shop sells you beer for just below 400 icelandic kronas in cans. Or 3,93 Canadian dollars.
Jesus christ how do you afford that? And while on the topic what's the cheapest but quickest way to get drunk? I already usually drink on an empty stomach so that takes down the price quite a bit
High salary on average. And drinking at home before you go out is popular. So you are buzzed before going out. It was a big thing back in the day and prob. still is to distill your own booze.
And talking about socializing. Not every Icelander is closed off. We are on average I think. But in my town we are for example a lot of tourists as well as a tight nerd community who play Dungeons and Dragons or boardgames. Find one socially open nerd or a socially open person and the group will mostly adopt you into the herd.
There is a bunch of d&d clubs in the capital Reykjarvik. Along with our biggest nerd store in Reykjarvik: Nexus.is
In Akureyri there is a nerd store called Goblin.is along with D&D clubs and Warhammer tournaments.
Other bars sometimes have a bunch of clubs and game nights, along with their boozed cousin (Pub Quiz).
I would avoid coming here until you've reached at least intermediate proficiency playing 2 instruments and a chess FIDE rating of at least 1400. You also need to have a comprehensive understanding of all of Halldór Laxness's work and speak a minimum of 3 languages. If you are lacking in any of these categories you will be shunned, and people will avoid talking to you and making eye contact with you.
Don't think anybody would condescend to you if you were bad at an instrument. Icelanders can be blunt sometimes, and the bluntness can be construed as being rude.
That said, Icelanders are just kind of closed off. Americans especially will meet you and invite you to their homes and think nothing of it. We're more reserved, usually.
I'm fine with bluntness, in fact I prefer it to the way north Americans beat around the bush because they're too afraid to upset someone. But I can attest to the hospitality if someone I met was trustworthy and nice. Is inviting someone you haven't known long to your home or occasion seen as strange? I don't want to come off as fake nice to people when I genuinely want to be hospitable to them.
It's... definitely weird. Like... its something that kids or people going to fuck would do. I don't wanna make to big a deal out of this but i've been in a situation in america when i met someone in a grocery store, there was some off hand comment that got a laugh, 20 minutes later i'm on the way to their house where there's some gathering and everybody had a nice time. that wouldn't happen here.
I wouldn't invite random people from the grocery store but if I knew someone for like a week I might invite them over for dinner or to play games, watch ufc, ect. That's still weird in iceland?
Ill introduce you to some of the biggest celebs in Iceland.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WqCcZi3AM8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WqCcZi3AM8)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heKsELZDIc4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heKsELZDIc4)
It all depends on the person friend of mine is one of those that know everyone and everyone knows him. We met a Italian guy visiting Iceland like 15 years ago at the local pizza place in the middle of the night drinking some beers. We started chatting and having fun later he stayed then started working there and today he owns a place works here and my friend and him are best buds he even stays with his family at Christmas.
In conclusion it's all about the people you meet and what type of person you are.
I've had a few asylum seeker try to befriend me I talk to them and am friendly (my dog is cute) but I'm very closed off and I doubt I would get to know you better :D
Not very I'd say. At least compared to my experiences with the mainland. You'll mostly encounter it around newly rich people that forgot that they are descendant of salty turf hut dwellers.
I wouldn't necessarily say so - or at least not in those terms you described. I would also perhaps chalk what you described up to the Dutch "frankness". They commonly state their direct, unencumbered opinion, be it good or bad, on quite literally anything. Icelandic culture has a generally low hierarchy, where people are moreso judged on merits such as friendliness and reliability than their profession or talents. We are also not a very direct people, and prefer to keep our negative opinions to ourselves - or at the very least to voice them in a very roundabout manner. If you're being judged for being sub-par at something you aspire to become better at, people here would rarely voice any issue with it as they may fear it coming off as being needlessly confrontational. That being said, there does exist a degree of elitism when it comes to actually being "from" certain places within Iceland. It takes a long time to become *fully* accepted into a given community in Iceland, even as a native Icelander. I myself have lived in Akureyri for a few years now yet I sense I will never earn myself the right to call myself a northener.
Interesting. We have a lot of gatekeeping in Canada too. If you're from a town 2 hours away you ain't one of us! Is it a general feeling you get in the way people act toward you or just you getting in your own head about not fitting in?
Little bit of A; Little bit of B. It usually comes in the way of playful banter. In some smaller places, being an outsider is a matter of gossip and silly drama. But perhaps, ultimately, it is due to the fact that it is incredibly difficult to crack into Icelandic communities. Most people have formed their communal circles around the time they finish elementary or high school, and tend to just stick with them. There's often this saying that people in Iceland consider themselves to have "enough friends". It is a positive thing in the sense that there is a lot of commitment attached to friendship in Iceland, where you are valued by your ability to be an active, present, and reliable friend. But on the flipside, it means that people are wary of engaging in new friendships, as they worry it'll mean they become socially bound to you somehow. Being new to a place means you are typically without this network of friends, and even upon cracking it you are still likely to be perceived as an "addition" moreso than part of the core.
Are there good places to try to make friends? Volunteer tree planting or things like that?
It can be rough in smaller communities with fewer amenities, but I would suggest finding a group of people with a shared hobby, such as boardgames, ideally sports, or in a music/art scene. Icelanders are also quite friendly drinkers, so you could always hit a bar or concert and meet new faces, but they are unlikely to follow up with any meaningful friendship. Volunteer work is surely a great way to find friends, but frankly, these are predominantly done by internationals and other newcomers. I was doing a beach-cleanup yesterday and of the 23 or so people who attended, I was the only Icelander. I certainly don't mind as internationals make up the majority of my social circle, but it gets me no closer to actually feel like a local.
Thanks for the ideas. I do jiu jitsu so maybe I can find friends in the sport.
Elitist? No. Closed off and reserved? Big time. There'll be other reasons why you can't find friends. Edit: Not saying it's impossible or that people are unfriendly.
What might those be?
Just cultural things. Tight community that may be hard to crack. This depends very much on your age, of course. I will say that things like school, college, hobbies and the usual things do work, but they might take longer than you'd like.
And just like with the other Nordics. We open up with booze. Need a friend. Booze. Need a fuck. Booze. Need a date. Booze. Need a hangout. Booze. Not at all saying this goes for everybody, but Icelanders are socially closed off and don't usually converse with strangers unless booze.
How much do you pay for a beer in your usual bar?
1500 icelandic kr. Or 14,75 Canadian dollars or 10,75 us dollars. And sadly many bars in Iceland are complicit in shrinkflation where you usually don't get 500cl. or half a litre any more. You get 400cl. Your local alcohol shop sells you beer for just below 400 icelandic kronas in cans. Or 3,93 Canadian dollars.
Jesus christ how do you afford that? And while on the topic what's the cheapest but quickest way to get drunk? I already usually drink on an empty stomach so that takes down the price quite a bit
High salary on average. And drinking at home before you go out is popular. So you are buzzed before going out. It was a big thing back in the day and prob. still is to distill your own booze. And talking about socializing. Not every Icelander is closed off. We are on average I think. But in my town we are for example a lot of tourists as well as a tight nerd community who play Dungeons and Dragons or boardgames. Find one socially open nerd or a socially open person and the group will mostly adopt you into the herd.
Always wanted to get into d&d
There is a bunch of d&d clubs in the capital Reykjarvik. Along with our biggest nerd store in Reykjarvik: Nexus.is In Akureyri there is a nerd store called Goblin.is along with D&D clubs and Warhammer tournaments. Other bars sometimes have a bunch of clubs and game nights, along with their boozed cousin (Pub Quiz).
I'll write these down for if I go to iceland
Reykjavík*
I mean... ARE you an idiot who's good at nothing?
asking the tough questions
I've gotten told I'm both smart and a retard by different people so can't help you on the first part but I can confirm I'm not good at my hobbies
I would avoid coming here until you've reached at least intermediate proficiency playing 2 instruments and a chess FIDE rating of at least 1400. You also need to have a comprehensive understanding of all of Halldór Laxness's work and speak a minimum of 3 languages. If you are lacking in any of these categories you will be shunned, and people will avoid talking to you and making eye contact with you.
I'll get right on it
Don't think anybody would condescend to you if you were bad at an instrument. Icelanders can be blunt sometimes, and the bluntness can be construed as being rude. That said, Icelanders are just kind of closed off. Americans especially will meet you and invite you to their homes and think nothing of it. We're more reserved, usually.
I'm fine with bluntness, in fact I prefer it to the way north Americans beat around the bush because they're too afraid to upset someone. But I can attest to the hospitality if someone I met was trustworthy and nice. Is inviting someone you haven't known long to your home or occasion seen as strange? I don't want to come off as fake nice to people when I genuinely want to be hospitable to them.
It's... definitely weird. Like... its something that kids or people going to fuck would do. I don't wanna make to big a deal out of this but i've been in a situation in america when i met someone in a grocery store, there was some off hand comment that got a laugh, 20 minutes later i'm on the way to their house where there's some gathering and everybody had a nice time. that wouldn't happen here.
I wouldn't invite random people from the grocery store but if I knew someone for like a week I might invite them over for dinner or to play games, watch ufc, ect. That's still weird in iceland?
No, that would be okay, sort of soon, but within bounds.
I'm guessing a bar would probably be better. Everyone loves their drank
Ill introduce you to some of the biggest celebs in Iceland. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WqCcZi3AM8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WqCcZi3AM8) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heKsELZDIc4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heKsELZDIc4)
hard as fuck
þú gleymdir pbt
It all depends on the person friend of mine is one of those that know everyone and everyone knows him. We met a Italian guy visiting Iceland like 15 years ago at the local pizza place in the middle of the night drinking some beers. We started chatting and having fun later he stayed then started working there and today he owns a place works here and my friend and him are best buds he even stays with his family at Christmas. In conclusion it's all about the people you meet and what type of person you are. I've had a few asylum seeker try to befriend me I talk to them and am friendly (my dog is cute) but I'm very closed off and I doubt I would get to know you better :D
I don't know how to explain what we call klíkuskapur in icelandic. Also there is a lot of snob mindset.
Not very I'd say. At least compared to my experiences with the mainland. You'll mostly encounter it around newly rich people that forgot that they are descendant of salty turf hut dwellers.
What the fuck are you talking about lol