Reflecting on my time in Iceland, I had an amazing experience. Studying in another country, even for a short period of time, has become such an important moment in my life. Iceland’s culture is unique to anywhere else. Since I studied in the hospitality and tourism department, I learned a lot about the tourism industry in Iceland. One important thing I learned was how much growing and developing the country had to do in relation to tourism. Iceland’s tourism industry is very new and not many areas of the country are sustainable for tourists. However, the country is working on this and is constantly improving and making their country safer and more long-term sustainable for tourists to continue to visit.

Another thing I want to reflect on is the things I was not expecting to learn. Iceland has a specific form of currency called Króna. Króna is very different from the United States Dollar because 1 USD is equivalent to 139 Króna. This small difference made a big impact on my daily life in Iceland. When buying things, oftentimes I kept my phone available in case I needed to make a calculation. Throughout the trip, I learned a quick way to convert Króna to USD. I learned 1,000 Króna was equal to about 7 USD. This conversion made it a lot easier to do the math in my head instead of relying on my phone’s calculator.

Lastly, I became really good at layering clothing while in Iceland. The weather in Iceland is extremely unpredictable and oftentimes you will go from freezing to sweating. To prepare for this, you should wear multiple layers so you can easily take things off if needed. Overall, my time in Iceland showed me many things. I learned about the tourism industry and also things about the Icelandic culture I was not expecting to learn.