The Icelandic Language is a Terrible Thing To Waste (Especially in Iceland)

I have been reading several articles about Jonas Moody, the man who worked in Iceland for six years, got laid off, and found out he could not collect unemployment.  Of all the articles I have read, the most surprising is the one he wrote himself-(http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16571&ew_0_a_id=320153)      in which he states-

"I can decline nouns with the best of them (kýr-kú-kú-kýr… ær-á-á-ær), I make a mean plokkfiskur (fish casserole), and I’m slated to exchange rings with my favorite Icelander pretty soon."

I have spent much time reading bank contracts, labor contracts and other important documents because, for some crazy reason, I thought I would be helpful to know my legal obligations, my rights and things I may be, or not be, entitled to.  Sometimes it can take a long time thumbing through the Icelandic/English dictionary or nagging my wife or friends to explain it all to me (in my mother tongue of course) but I do try.  To be honest I still don't know everything I should about the Icelandic system and that is mainly do to the fact that I don't still (maybe never?) have a perfect understanding of Icelandic. Spoken Icelandic, not too bad, written, forget it. But I can guarantee you in these times, I know if I can be laid off and collect unemployment. (I can, and I am not an Icelandic citizen.)

Here we have someone, a fellow countryman, who can speak and presumably write Icelandic like, well, an Icelander. A stunning achievemnet in you compare that with the mangled prose of Paul Nikolov in the Althingi. (maybe he is better now, but I don't really care).  So Jonas has lived here, worked here, watched the news here, hopefully knows that the US in not part of the European Economic Area, and thinks he is entitled to unempoyment benefits because he paid taxes. That argument doesn't work for foreigners working in the US so how does he think it would work here.  He should have made better use of those Icelandic language courses and checked it out before, instead of complaining about it now.

GTB

 

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