Sheep and Waterfalls

Saturday, the CELL group drove from Sólheimar to take part in a strange and spectacular, annual community event. Bordered by a stunning waterfall, an area of grassland was sectioned off into several pens circling a round central area. Thousands of sheep had just returned from spending their summer in the Icelandic highlands, where they graze and give the local vegetation a chance to regrow and replenish. Hundreds of these skittish, poofy, stick-legged animals were herded into the circle between the pens at a time, where men, women, and children of all ages sporting stylish wool sweaters, hats, and mittens, would grab the sheep by their horns, mount them, and pull them over to their correct pen, identified with ear-tag numbers that represent ownership. Iceland is famous for its wool, and lamb meat is a staple of Icelandic cuisine, making this event the place to be for all nearby community members. Everyone socializes and helps out with this process until all the sheep are sorted. Then, the older men drink and drink and sing cheerful songs. Some CELL students helped with the sorting process, but mostly watched in amazement at this wonderfully unfamiliar cultural spectacle.