Having settled in at the campsite and bravely dumped our stuff, we headed downtown on our bikes.
We were strolling unhurriedly through the center and noticed some graffiti — it turned out to be a little square, a gathering spot for alternative youth. To be fair, the capital of Iceland is so permeated with the spirit of hipsterism, partying, and drinking that you can't really tell where the formal youth ends and the informal begins. It's unlikely anyone there worries about this question as much as I do. I occasionally feel like I don't fit in anywhere: I'm a bookworm and a geek, yet I hang out at the gym all evening; I'm a bicycle tourist and a general advocate of a healthy lifestyle who's never touched a drop, yet I go to smoke-filled raves to dance until morning. I'm a materialist and an atheist to the core, yet I do yoga, and the Buddhist worldview and philosophy make total sense to me. I believe I have strong moral principles, but they're so broad that for most people they are far too liberal, and voicing my tolerance for minorities in a circle of conservative regular folks means asking for trouble.
A man with a thousand faces, and where the real one is, who knows. It would be nice to feel like an insider in all these crowds, but it often turns out that you feel like a stranger everywhere. You shouldn't overthink it, of course, but nevertheless, people judge by social codes: looks and behavior. If they see you're not part of the scene, it'll be harder to win their trust.
