I've always liked the word almanac, but I've never really read one. So let's use this nice word as a compilation of the best texts on the site in its first year. The selection was made considering August 2019 to August 2020, those texts that I ,personally, liked so much, and as I know (thanks to Google Analytics) those that are the most read by you. I chose the best twelve and so, here they are, breathing for the second time, the pure and fresh air of the internet. And in order to give you something extra, besides the compilation, we will mention something further of the making of each text.
1. Yes in Icelandic
Nowadays I've gotten used to the Yes in Icelandic , but before it was really strange for me. The funniest thing was that when I have mentioned it to some of the Icelanders I know, it's not something that they have very present, therefore it is very funny to them, to the point that they start sounding as a Koblenz vacuum cleaner, saying já, já, já.
2. The Mmmmm
Probably one of my favourite texts on the entire site. The Mmmm is a text that reflects the beginning of my encounter with the Nordic world in general, and Icelandic in particular. One detail that I would like to highlight is that to make the images of the text, we cut out m's from the newspapers, an activity that, unlike what one would suppose, is quite pleasant.
3. Why don't you jump, Geysir?
Many yesterdays ago, when I was studying at the university in Mexico, I took a seminar on "Science Journalism" at the Universum of UNAM. One of those classes that I fell into by pure chance, since I didn't know what other subject to choose. And it has really been one of the subjects that I remember fondly. Why don't you jump, Geysir? is a text in which I wanted to re-explore what I learned in this course. I also learned that titles matter a lot when it comes to writing for the internet (once again, thanks Google).
4. In September
I don't like to write literal things, even though the site is full of texts where I describe things that happen as they are. Throughout this year, I wrote several texts in a much freer format, trying to play with the words, the sentences, almost as if they were verses, on a subject that was interesting at the time (curiously, almost all related to some meteorological phenomenon). In September is perhaps the best attempt.
5. About tuberculosis
The first thing I have to tell you is that this text arose from a conversation with H., who, laughing out loud, told me "you need to write about that, because those are things that you don't think could happen". The second is about the image of the text. About tuberculosis, it is illustrated with one of the buildings that caught my attention, because in my opinion, it seems to be superimposed, considering the landscape that surrounds it.
6. Christmas with Grýla
The illustration for this text is the illustration that I have liked the most from this year. I'll explain: from making this site, I have been kind of learning to illustrate with Illustrator. Seeing that it was a bit difficult for me to do it digitally, I decided to go back to pencil and paper, and here we are, drawing and drawing, to be able to make my doodles about two pesos (meaning a tiny bit, for those of you at the back) more decent. But Christmas with Grýla taught me a maxim about all this: sometimes the simplest is the best.
7. New Year's lights
About New Year's Lights I would like to comment that, this is a text that I remember with sadness. By then I had planned to go to Mexico in December (that is, right now). Things changed, two days later ...
8. Icelandic Architecture (Part 1): Corrugated iron
Things at the time of publishing this text had already changed. But in particular, on the site, it occurred to me to make series. I wanted to write about houses, because it is something that, to this day, fascinates me. The main image of the text, turns out to be the ex-house of the singer Björk, which I found out from newspaper gossip. Icelandic Architecture (Part 1): Corrugated iron is the beginning of many of the new changes we have been implementing on the site. In addition, it was one of the perfect excuses to go out and see the streets of Reykjavík.
9. Icelandic Architecture (Part 2): Functionalism
Of course if I chose the first part, I have to choose the second: Icelandic Architecture (Part 2): Functionalism. About this text I have to tell you that we have had many visits from different parts of the world, which I have found very strange but interesting. It is from this text that we better understood Google Analytics, since we saw a rare interest in this topic, and that for the first time we had few, but significant, recurring visits.
10. En los baños de Polakas (In the toilets of Polakas)
There are times when to write about Iceland, it is better when I do not start from the country itself. At the same time that when talking about one, sometimes, it is much more interesting when you do it according to how others understand or perceive you. En los baños de Polakas is one of the texts that I call untranslatable. It doesn't exist in the English version of the site. I started translating it at the time, but I realised that it didn't make sense. I would have to explain so many things that it would lose the message. For instance, the title, I have to explain that Polakas is the nickname of my faculty because it is making a word game with políticas which maybe makes zero sense. And not only that, the anecdote in itself is not relevant for someone that has never been there, so I find it hard to clarify why it is funny. Perhaps it was also my own laziness. Anyhow, you are missing out an anecdote of when A. went to my University for the first time, and his truthful impressions of it. Not much. I dare to say that most of the texts in English are not faithful to the original text, although I try to do it, but there are things that I write (and that I think) in which Spanish is the only medium. And at times Spanish will be the only way to get through my real self. If you want to know things further, learn Spanish. Ni modo.
11. Lycanthropy
I think that since this time, my sleep hours are messed up. Between the pandemic, school, the midnight sun, the darkness that followed ... it all affected my sleep cycles. But I have seen the moon many times. Lycanthropy is a text that was more of a pretext after taking a photo on a sleepless night.
12. Icelandic architecture (Part 3): Breiðholt
The third part of this series, Icelandic Architecture (Part 3): Breiðholt, was the beginning for me to understand other dynamics of what is happening in the country. This text has a bit more research work, the photos were much more difficult to take because of the weather. I hope to continue this series soon, from which I still have a lot to say.
