OK, so now for the last couple of days at Lagganlia: Saturday June 17th and Sunday June 18th (when we didn't really do anything except get our things together and watch Mulan in black and white. Well, cat's out of the bag!).

June 17th is not only the Independence Day of Iceland, but it also happens to be the birthday of Katy and Hannah Wr., this year their 18th. Therefore, there was much celebration. Present opening took up a while, even though they didn't receive some from everybody (I gave them each a hotel soap bar wrapped in a tenner, as I had accidentally forgotten to buy them presents). They had also bought a fair amount of party supplies, such as a load of balloons, flags, banners etc. A lot of us didn't bother to get dressed until before or even after dinner, we just stayed in our pj's. It was a cozy day in. Like every day, some of our human mermaids went swimming in the river, while the rest of us watched the Rocky Horror Picture Show - fast forwarding through most of it and only watching the songs, of course singing along. As I've only seen the film once before, I didn't know the songs and remained therefore silent. After dinner (I've forgotten what was served!), a time was set to start the birthday party. Because even though all the guests were there anyway, there has to be a specific time to start the partyin'. The birthday girls settled on half seven. Or was it eight? I forget. Anyway. We all dressed up to the nines - or sevens, perhaps, if nines would be the amount of fancyness that was worn at the Leavers' Ball (see photos here!). Before the party officially started, I and a few other girls, went for a short walk to visit the horsies that were grazing not far from Lagganlia. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera, and could therefore not take photos of the cute little filly. I, to my big surprise, found a plant which in Icelandic we call "hundasura", directly translated as "doggy sour" or sth like that; I don't know the English name of it. Anyway, this is a plant that I grew up picking and eating wherever I could find it, even just a patch of leaves in the grassy area outside my playschool, and as far as I know, all Icelanders know of it and/or have at some point had a bite. Therefore I was a bit surprised that the girls looked at me like I was a vegetating animal or something when I let out a small squeal when I spotted it, went over, picked it up and started eating the leaves. I explained about the edibleness and the tastiness, but only a few dared have a bite. Well, I certainly liked tasting some "hundasura" after 11 months of sobriety in that respect.

At the party, some pink champagne was drunk, some chocolate birthday cakes were eaten - after the candles had been blown out of course, - some music was played on Issy's speakers which were connected to sb's iPod/mp3 player, something else was drunk, conversations were had, drinking games were played; ordinary birthday party actions of course. Then there was something slightly out of the ordinary; there was a group of S6 kids from some Dundee high school who had come on Friday and observed us with curiosity - a big group of seemingly 17-19-year-old girls alone? Without teachers? Or adults? At Lagganlia? What is this? Well, somebody thought it would be funny and even interesting to invite those kids to the party. Most were timid and shy and kept to themselves, didn't say much, chuckle some, and I had a feeling they were chuckling at us. They didn't last long - I was inside so all of the "action" that I caught was that they were going in and out and in and out, saying they were going to get some other kids or something. So much for the socialising of country kids and big city gals. Their teachers, however, were not too happy that their dear precious innocent (yeah right) shepherds had been inside a lodge with 20 girls and alcohol - alone... We didn't get it. Inviting them over was just a friendly gesture. However, the next morning as a friendly gesture payback, one of the teachers threw a basket ball with all his might against the wall of our lodge, in the hopes of waking us up early. Haha? That's just too mature for teachers, isn't it? Of course, we were already up - some of us at least.

Sunday, like I already wrote, we spent packing our bags, eating as much as we could - for there was sooo much food still left over; the shoppers had hugely overestimated the combined size of our stomachs - and cleaning. When everything was ready, and the small coach had even already arrived - the driver came early so he could get some sleep before 4 PM, when he had been hired to drive us back to town - there was some board game playing and then some Mulan watching. I'd never seen that film in English before, and I thought it was - surprise surprise - way better than the dubbed Icelandic version. In the English version, Ming-Na, who played Dr Chen on ER talks for Mulan. That was really neat - just for once, a female heroine not voiced by Sigrun Edda Bjornsdottir. For years, she and Felix Bergsson always dubbed the main boy and girl in the Disney animated films, such as the Aladdin films, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King. And Thorhallur "Laddi" Sigurdsson always dubbed the funny character, like Timon in the Lion King, Mushu in Mulan, the Genie in Aladdin, either the candelabra or the clock in Beauty and the Beast. He’s got a funny voice.
Anyways. The Lagganlia people said we could just leave the food for them and the people who would use the lodge after us - they needed it! This was a relief, as we would have had to bring most of the food back with us - divide it between us - and throw away the rest. And nobody likes to throw away food.
On the way back, it seemed most of us were very tired after all the exertion of being on holiday away from home, as opposed to the chattering excitement that reigned on the bus on the way to Lagganlia. I used the three hours it took to get back to Edinburgh to finish Size 12 Is Not Fat, and empty the battery on my iPod. Just in time!
QotD: Giles: "Here. I suspect your mother will want to, er… put it on the refrigerator."
Buffy: "Yeah. She saw these scores and her head spun around and exploded."
Giles: "I've been on the Hellmouth too long… That was metaphorical, yes?"
Buffy: "Yes." - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

p.s. If you haven't seen them yet, you can find pictures from Lagganlia here.