All Things Iceland17 Apr 2024

Laura Alice Watt: An American Relocates to Iceland’s Remote Westfjords

Interviews are one of my favorite things to do for the podcast, so I was delighted when Laura was available to come on and share about her experience moving from the San Francisco Bay area to one of the most remote parts of the Westfjords in Iceland.

Background About Laura Alice Watt

Laura Alice Watt is a professor emerita of environmental history and policy at Sonoma State University in Northern California. She arrived in the Westfjords in July 2020 with a Fulbright-NSF Arctic Scholar grant to conduct historical research in Iceland, and decided to stay long-term. She teaches occasional courses at the University Centre of the Westfjords, where she also provides writing support for graduate students with their thesis projects.

Before taking early retirement from Sonoma State, she spent fifteen years as professor in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Planning, and also Graduate Coordinator for SSU’s Cultural Resource Management masters program. She now lives on the northern shore of Dýrafjörður with her two cats, and is an avid photographer and knitter.

Questions I Asked Laura During the Interview

Where did you grow up in the US?
What was your profession while living in the US?
What inspired you to come to Iceland?
When did you know you wanted to stay here?
Why did you choose the Westfjords to live in Iceland?
What do you like about living in Iceland?
What do you dislike about living in Iceland?
What do you miss from the US (if anything at all)?
Do you ever see yourself moving back to the US?
How has your Icelandic learning journey been since moving here?
What advice do you have for people who want to move to Iceland?
What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

Icelandic Phrase of the Episode

Glöggt er gests augað – Keen is the eye of the guest

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