Boasting a small population of only 300,000, Iceland is famous for its weird people and anecdotes. Even now, I cannot pronounce the name of its capital city properly. Toponyms here are often comprised of a group of alphabetical letters that seem random and unpronounceable. The volcano–Eyjafjallajökull–whose volcanic explosion in 2010 shut down the entire European aviation network, often takes up newspaper front pages. Perhaps only Icelanders can pronounce its name with accuracy. There is even a Facebook page dedicated to collecting Icelandic anecdotes. Due to the geographical environment shaped by the two natural matters from two opposite extremes–ice and fire–this combination has endowed Iceland with the natural landscape in a state of flux. The natural wonders in Iceland constantly remind Icelanders of how the universe works: there is no fixed pattern and law in the universe and that staying unique is the only proper course to take.

The small but delicate Reykjavik is where dreamers and poets live. I know a designer who has been writing a poetry anthology as if writing poetry is just easy as doing daily routines such as washing your face, brushing your teeth, and having your meals. Reykjavik is densely populated by writers as one out of every ten persons has published a book. There is a proverb in Iceland: “everyone has a book in their stomach.” No wonder that the UNESCO has recognised Reykjavik as a City of Literature. In traditional Icelandic literature, inconceivable plots such as evil spirits and myths are commonly seen. Icelanders believe that there are countless elves living among them. This is how they explain the magnificent geological wonders, seeing them as the works of magical creatures.

Reykjavik seems to be a city for young people. Every Friday evening, energised club music will hit the city. In a city like Reykjavik, what else can you do except for getting wasted? The famous nightclub Nasa plays crazy music, just like a volcano erupting violently, showing the world its incredible energy. Icelanders have been great contributors of anecdotes in the international music circle. Music artist Björk’s works seem unconstrained in style since she uses some self-invented instruments to create edgy music that sounds a lot like “noise” to many people. At a concert in Beijing, she even showed a flag that read “liberating Tibet” after singing her song Declare Independence. Björk has the courage to challenge the Chinese government by crossing the bottom line and ignoring the so-called biggest music market in the world. What really fosters such independent characters in a city this bright and unique? Perhaps, your normality does not make the grade of Icelanders. This nation is also pretty weird when it comes to food culture. One example that we can find in their traditional cuisine is the rotten shark meat that smells like ammonium hydroxide.

The most tedious place in the world is where staying normal is a virtue, leaving no room for exploration. When people sharing similar quirky ideas and creativity, their so-called weird behaviours become normal. Having such a community empowers them to stay weird and unique. In the busiest district downtown, there is the Icelandic Phallological Museum. The museum’s owner Sigurður Hjartarson was a middle school teacher whose predilection was collecting the penises of mammalian animals. It took him over 40 years to collect more than 300 phalluses to get the museum ready for public visit. “Collecting phalluses, just like collecting any other item, you will always find something new, something better and something bigger,” Hjartarson said. In this witty museum, you can discover one-meter-long penises of all kinds of whales. Hjartarson passed away some time ago and donated his own genital for public appreciation. The museum’s collection was finally completed. If asked why he had this predilection, he would probably say: “someone has to do it.” It seems he had considered providing a phallological museum for the world as one of his life missions. At one time, someone tried to buy the museum at a very high price and moved the museum to the UK. He rejected the offer since he believed that this museum could only be in Iceland.

“Why not?” This is the best defence for Icelanders to explain their quirky and unique creations. It is only people having the spirit of “why not” can make the world more interesting.