Remember the post that I made some months ago where I put together an Icelandic language starter pack? I thought it a fun idea to make another starter pack for those who dream of moving, or perhaps plan already to one day move to Iceland.

Fly Away by Andrés Nieto Porras at Flickr.

What is Iceland?

Iceland compass explores different areas of Iceland and gives an idea of how the island looks, because scenery on, say, Sprengisandur is radically different from scenery on Snæfellsnes.

6 things Iceland doesn’t have – but you’d totally think it does! You might also want to take a look at the five culture shocks you’ll likely have.

Independently Icelandic was written for the national day, what makes Iceland so, well, Icelandic?

Talking about that, one thing that sure made Iceland Iceland was volcanic activity. I mean literally made the island that’s now called Iceland.

Bárðarbunga Volcano, September 4 2014 by Peter Hartree at Flickr.

How to get along with Icelanders?

5 points to reading Icelanders right is an important one to know before you come over, because not knowing the basics might cause unhappy misunderstandings. Icelanders have their own little quirks and are generally harmless, but some of their habits may still give you a jump if you’re not expecting it. 😀

You’ll mispronounce a lot in the beginning and worse, you won’t understand why the locals say words the way they do. Check Lost in Reykjavík for the most typical things that may go wrong in pronunciation.

Learn to simply accept the weirdness that is gender in Icelandic language. When women are men and men women looks into this one.

Obviously, you’ll need to check 10 steps to becoming an Icelander; þetta reddast.

Iceland: Aurora Borealis by Victor Montol at Flickr.

What should I know about Icelandic culture?

First of all, our politicians are often criticized and always for a good reason. Check f.ex. the Prime minister scandal. He’s also been the target of attempted blackmail, the story borders on tragicomedy…

Icelanders drive with more enthusiasm than skill. Other drivers is one of the four reasons I listed as the most dangerous things when driving in Iceland.

Iceland has had some pretty strange laws in the past, including a ban on dogs and beer, no tv in July and a law that allowed people to kill all Basque people they came across (the last one was in effect until 2015).

Christmas is fast approaching, and in Iceland this means you better watch out, you better not cry… because one wrong move and the Christmas Cat makes a meal out of you. But wait, there are ways of surviving the season alive: check 8 Icelandic Christmas facts and live to see 2017!

Forgotten milk; shops closing soon by Simon Matzinger at Flickr.