After posting in the Away From Home: Living in Iceland Facebook group that I was looking to speak to expats in Iceland about a variety of topics, I received a decent amount of responses. One of those people included Sæþór Benjamín Randalsson.

Sæþór responded by writing the following comment,  “I could talk about moving here as a gay man, or living through the 2008 crash, or the foster system, or the startup culture, or baking, or real estate.” I don’t know about you but all of those topics intrigued me, so I reached out.

Honestly, I didn’t think we would actually talk about all of those things but somehow everything just flowed so nicely that we did manage to talk about all of that and more. It didn’t even feel like I was interviewing him because I was laughing, learning and being entertained by his quick wit, welcoming energy and his passion for helping people. We ended up talking for almost two hours! 

The Questions I Asked Sæþór During the Interview

1. Where are you from/grow up and why did you move to Iceland?

2. Was there anything that was strange or shocking to you when you moved here?

3. What has it been like living here as a gay man? Has it changed a lot since you moved?

4. You lived through the 2008 economic crash in Iceland, which was a really intense time.  Can you talk a bit about what it was like before the crash in Iceland? How were you feeling when it finally settled in that the economy had crashed and that the current government was not able to handle the situation?

5. What was it like learning Icelandic?

6. You have a child through the foster care system here in Iceland. What is that process like?

7. What advice do you have for people that want to move to Iceland?

8. Do you feel Icelandic? Meaning, do you identify as being an Icelander even though you grew up somewhere else?

9. How do you feel about what is currently going on in the United States in regards to politics?

10. What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of the All Things Iceland podcast. If you think someone else will find this episode interesting and/useful please share it. My newsletter is dedicated to sharing even more fascinating information about Iceland. 

For your convenience and listening pleasure, this podcast is available on many platforms. You can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and pretty much any platform that plays podcasts. 

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Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!

About the Author
Jewells is a native New Yorker that fell in love with an Icelander and now lives in one of the most fascinating countries in the world. As the host of the All Things Iceland podcast, she shares about Icelandic culture, history, language and nature. When she is not making podcast episodes or YouTube videos, you can find her attempting to speak in Icelandic, hiking up mountains, reading books and spending time with her family.

4 comments on “Sæþór Randalsson on Politics & Society in Iceland vs the U.S. – Ep. 59

  1. Justin says:

    Love your podcast! This episode especially is really good, but I enjoy listening to all your episodes. I have lived abroad in the past (I’m also American) but still love hearing about life in different countries. I have only flown through Iceland on a layover in winter, but would like to check it out someday. The language is one of the coolest out there too! Keep up the great work!

    1. Hi Justin! Thanks for the lovely comment and encouragement. I’m glad that you enjoyed this episode. I hope you do get a chance to check out Iceland in the future.

  2. Rakel says:

    This is so interesting for me to listen to as an Icelander living in the US. I remember looking at apartments and we could not understand why we would want two bathrooms (though it was really unnecessary and too much to have to clean). Now, we are really like having multiple bathrooms and it would be hard for us to go back to one!!

    1. Thanks for the comment, Rakel. LOL, it’s so hard to get used to it and not have it any longer. Maybe one day other Icelanders will understand how awesome it is to have at least two bathrooms.

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