Put Me Back on the Plane
The Land of Fire and Ice is beckoning my return.
I never thought that one year after graduating high school, I would be married and leave the United States. With $302 in my bank account, clothes on my back, and all of my most prized possessions stuffed into two suitcases and a carry-on bag, I was on an overseas flight to be with my husband.
My husband was not much older than me and was assigned to his first duty station at NAS Keflavik, Iceland. I knew ahead of my arrival that I had a steep learning curve ahead of me. Not only was I a young newlywed midwest country bride, but I was still learning how to be an adult. Pay taxes, shop with coupons and learn how to cook. So far, my Hamburger Helper skills were solid. Although I was confident knowing that it would take some time to adjust, nothing prepared me to live in Iceland.
When I heard the pilot announce to the cabin to prepare for the descent, I lifted the plastic shade of my widow to peer below. My eyes widened at the sight, and I muttered under my breath, “I can officially say I am not in Kansas anymore.”
Watching the landscape roll by, I could not help but believe that I just landed on an alien planet. The black ground swooped past us was as dark as coal, with the only spark of color being the green moss blanketing the boulders.
