Host Family Joy and Fall Out Boy

8/1/14

It's a new month, and with it has come a new family.

That's right; ladies, gents, and non-binary readers, I have received word on my host family with just over two weeks to spare. Hurray! Let's get right down to it, as I would like to email these lovely folks ASAP (oh man, my Icelandic is beyond shabby, so that should be fun). I'll be living in Reykjavík, or--to be more specific--near Seltjarnarnes in an area of Reykjavík called Vesterbærinn, or "the west end". To be completely honest, I had been leaning towards more of a rural lifestyle than an urban one since it would give me more of a chance to experience the nature there, but it's just about impossible to escape nature in Iceland, so it shouldn't be an issue. Besides, there's so much to do in cities! Even if I wasn't placed there, I would definitely want to go to Reykjavík at some point during my stay, and this way I'll get to see even more of it.

As for my actual family, I'll have a host mother and an older brother and sister, though I think the sister lives somewhere else. We seem to have a lot of similar interests from what I've read so far, which is great. That'll definitely make getting them a gift easier. 

So, to sum up: they seem super nice, the location is great, and I'M REALLY EXCITED, OKAY?

Okay, now for the explanation of the latter part of this entry title. In short, I went to a Fall Out Boy/Paramore concert with my family as an early birthday present for my sister. In length, I went to a Fall Out Boy/Paramore concert (though I don't really listen to either group's music, but I have nothing against them) with my family and met up with a friend and some friends of hers and we sat on a blanket all the way in the back on a hill and could see everything and even though I only had my crappy iPhone camera since my Canon is still being borrowed it was magical. Here's what I managed to capture, but again, I apologize for the quality:

Over on the far left of the stage where we were seated, nature was already hard at work reclaiming the venue even as the concert went on.

         

Paramore!

As Paramore wrapped up their half of the concert, I texted my friend to ask where she was and began the perilous journey through the crowd to find her.

This was, without a doubt...

...the biggest concert...

...I have ever attended.

Shortly after finding my friend, Fall Out Boy started. I was a bit more familiar with their music, but the real reason I enjoyed the duration of their performance more was definitely the view.

Seriously, we were almost dead center. Hilltop is just unbeatable.

Oh yeah, did I mention the live fire?

As the night wore on, the lights on stage went from brighter than the sun...

...to a hypnotizing glow...

 ...to a dim spark. And as the concert came to a close, it seemed the venue was lit only by cell phones and moonlight.

I, like I imagine most attendees did, came home completely exhausted, remaining that way even into the following day, but the experience was most certainly worth it.