Being Icelandic

 

1. Icelandic children firstly speak, read and write in Icelandic. At about 5 or 6 years of age, they will begin to learn their second language; English. At around 10 years of age they will start to learn Danish. At secondary school they will begin to study a 4th language, usually either French or German.
   
2. It is compulsory in Iceland to learn to swim and it is  a curriculum requirement in schools. Every village or town has at least one thermally heated swimming pool. This facility will include hot tubs, and many houses have a hot tub in their yard. Swimming for Icelandic people is a social activity. Most people will swim at least once or twice a week. People gather with friends and family at a pool or hot tub in the same way that other cultures go  to the pub or meet for a drink.
   
   
   
   
   
   3. 'Freedom to Roam', is a customary right in Iceland. This means that anybody can walk over any piece of land without needing to gain permission. The only exception is crossing cultivated land, for example across a crop or ploughed field, but you can still walk around that.