Aldís Amah Hamilton, who is half African American and half Icelandic, shares what it is like living in Iceland as a person of color. Aldís and her friend were the first people of color in the country to be admitted to and graduate from the country’s National Academy of Theater. She is a working actor and flight attendant in Iceland.  It was fascinating to chat with her about her experience growing up with physical features that are different than what you typically associate with being Icelandic.

Aldís was so pleasant to chat with. Even though this was my first time meeting her, the conversation flowed like two friends just chatting about life. At the end, she shares a few funny Icelandic idioms, so stay tuned to hear them.

Here is the winter episode that I mentioned in the introduction of the podcast.

The Questions I Asked Aldís

* You are half African American and half Icelandic, what has it been like growing up as a person of mixed race in Iceland?

* Have you ever encountered racism in Iceland or someone treating you differently because of your skin color?

* As a flight attendant for an Icelandic airline, you encounter a lot of people. Are people surprised to hear that you are Icelandic?

* Do you feel like Icelandic society accepts people of mixed race who have grown up in the country as Icelanders or are they still considered as “other”?

* What do you feel is the biggest challenge for a mixed race child growing up in Iceland?

* What has your experience been like as an actor in Iceland?

* What is your favorite Icelandic word or phrase?

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I hope you enjoyed listening to this interview. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.

Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega

Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!