Most orchids have aerial roots, reaching away from the ground, into the air. They look for a tree branch or a rock to attach to. They drink the moisture from the air and the rain. Do not cut off these wandering roots; just let them do their thing.
In my third year of living in Iceland, I got a job in an after-school program, frístund, for kids age six to eleven. Íslenskukunnátta, Icelandic language skills, was required, but I made up for it with my art teaching experience and a solemn promise that I will do my best to learn. And I did. In the beginning, I was acquiring Icelandic without a speed limit.
“Viltu pensla pylsu með eggi”, was my opening sentence. During the first day of work at frístund, the kids made Danish pølsehorn at a multicultural cooking workshop. I repeated the phrase, after one of my co-workers, over and over again. Soon, I was teaching kids how to prepare pierogi, Polish dumplings, how to bake Polish bread, and decorate hard-boiled eggs for Easter. My favourite Icelandic words became fimleikar and tyggjó…
