So I finally get around to blogging this week. It’s Wednesday and I’m sorry but it’s the first chance I’ve had to really do this thing. And my last blog received no comments so if this one suffers the same fate, I will start blogging once monthly. Or 3-monthly.

So yeah, what’s happened since I last blogged?
Well, in the Heystferia or Autumn holiday, we went to Skælingur, a tiny, tiny little village about 45 minutes drive away. It had about 9 houses, I think, and a slaughterhouse. We stayed in a house belonging to the host parents of a girl who was staying in Klaksvík, which was beautiful, and set right beside a huge waterfall. Skælingur itself was beautiful too, set between the mountains and the sea, and the entire village was built on the cliffs as there are really very few beaches here. The landscape was truly epic. Except for the sheep – there were lots of those, and they just roamed free. But there were less as we left because it was sheep killing season and though we were offered the chance to ‘fara á fjall’ or go up the mountain (it’s their way of saying mustering), we declined. Though Lisa from Austria went to her host family’s little sheep killing ceremony and killed AND flayed a couple of sheep. Very brave, I thought.

We were in Skælingur for 3 days and then came home, and on my first night home my host family called (they’d been in Klaksvík) and said I was being picked up in 45 minutes to go to my aunt Ása’s for dinner. I learnt a while ago that Ása makes fantastic soup but doesn’t speak much English. But she’s lovely and so are her family. And on this particular occasion, we ate ræstjøt for dinner. Now, I believe I’ve mentioned ræstan fisk before, and ræstjøt is the same, but with lamb. It’s made through a rotting process, literally, and it smells dreadful. Even worse, the smell is on your clothes for days – you cannot get it out. But ræstjøt, like ræstan fisk, is very delicious once you get over the smell – it just tastes like very strong lamb (it is boiled before you eat it). And it’s fantastic with lots of salt, as my host cousin Bjarni helpfully pointed out. They eat it with soup. Which is also really good.
Oh, and my host parents brought my host grandad back from Klaksvík with them. He speaks no English so we have some very amusing Faroese conversations. And very simple Faroese conversations. But it’s nice.
And on Saturday, Magnus and I went table shopping, and now I have a large, glass, round table in my room which is extremely handy. I really must put up some photos of the house somewhen. It’s a lovely house, really it is.

Hmm, so that was my Heystferia (only lasts a week). Now I’m back at school which is rather fun – I won at bingo in French yesterday – I’m quite good at French, funnily enough. And my class are organising more class parties and outings and alsorts so this term looks to be good fun. One thing which is making me feel a little odd, though, is the fact that for the last 3 days, I’ve walked to school in the dark. It’s VERY dark here, and for longer and longer. By Christmas, it won’t get light. So that’s very interesting. The sun rises at about 9AM at the moment. But the days are getting shorter very quickly, and it presents a stark contrast to the 5 hours of darkness a day when I arrived!
But no snow in Tórshavn yet. Infact, it’s about 10 degrees, which is considered very warm for October (nearly November. Eek!). But I still live in hope of a white Christmas.

Another important development is that I have acquired a Faroese troyggjar, or jumper. It’s very warm, pure wool and handmade, and they have special silver buttons that are very Faroese, that go down the shoulder. It’s beautiful and VERY traditional. I shall put up photos somewhen.
Oh, and I’ve started Faroese lessons at evening school but they’re very basic and so a little boring. But yeah, that’s about it so I’ll head to dinner now as we are having ræstan fisk! (yum. Believe it or not).
Kelsy