Children’s Halloween Party
Date : 31-Oct-2004
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 04:00 PM

On Sunday afternoon October 31st we will be holding our annual children’s Halloween party from 2pm until 4pm. It will be held on the top floor of the Alþjóðahús, Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavik

SONI will provide childrens snacks, sweets/candies and drinks. We will follow the Celtic style of Halloween where the children should perform for the adults a short song, dance, poem or joke then the children will receive the sweets as a reward

We also hope to have traditional Halloween games.

SONI will provide tea and coffee for the adults and we ask that each parent or guardian brings along a cake to share with the adults (and any kids who have any space left!)

We are looking for volunteers to help set up and decorate the room and/or clear up afterwards. If you are such a person please do not hesitate to call Pauline on 824-2640 or 577-2640

SWOP SHOP / Coffee trip to Perlan
Date : 16-Oct-2004
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 04:00 PM

Someone’s junk is another person’s treasure!

Saturday October 16th from 2pm til 4pm we will be holding a Swop shop on the right hand side ground floor( now called “The West Wing”) of the Alþjóðahús, Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavik

Bring all your unwanted items, household, clothes, books, games etc. We will lay them out in categories and then you can search through the piles to find some treasures.
All items left over will be donated to the Red Cross.

We will be supplying plastic bags for 100kr to take your treasures home with you. This event has always been successful in the past. To ensure this again, if you have a large amount of items please bring them at 1.30pm to give us a chance to arrange them.

If you have items to get rid off but you cannot attend please call Pauline on 824-2640 and we can arrange to collect.

After the swop shop is finished we will all be needing a well deserved coffee/tea break.
We will meet on the 4th floor of Perlan from 4.30pm. See you there!

AUTUMN FEAST
Date : 11-Sep-2004
Time From : 07:30 PM         Time Until : 10:00 PM

After a long hot summer we look forward to seeing and hearing you all again!!

On Saturday 11th September we will be holding an AUTUMN FEAST on the top floor of the Alþjóðahús, Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavik from 7.30pm til 10pm.

SONI will provide soft drinks, tea, coffee and DESSERT!!!! Everyone should bring a main course dish of food to share.
It can be a speciality from your country, something you have learned to cook here in Iceland or even ready made bought from the shop!

Please let us know by Friday night if you are intending to come and how many are in your group so that we know how much DESSERT to make (please don’t bring cake or dessert we will provide that!!)

To let us know if you are coming or if you are not sure what to bring
Please call Elaine on 866-8474.

We will also be having some card/board games to play after the meal. If you a favourite game please bring it along and teach us how to play it.

Children's Workshop
Date : 08-Aug-2004
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 05:00 PM

Global Understanding

Thinking about people who live in the other parts of the world

 

Date: August 8th, 2004

Time: 14:00-17:00

Place: Félagsmiðstöðin Garðalundur at Garðaskóli in Garðabær

Participants: children between the ages of 10 and 15 years of age (negotiable) Parents are welcome to join the group.

 

Instructors: Graves-Highsmith (Principal at the Gardner School ), Bill Scott (Positive Discipline), Hanna Ragnarsdóttir (KHÍ Lector), Sunita Gandhi (ÍMS)

 

Teaching Style: Integrating Multiple Intelligences theory

 

Registration: To register your child or to receive more information call 544-2120, or e-mail at ims@ims.is .

                                                   

Fee:  FREE

 

Program

 

Part 1. Common Grounds

Participants introduced, rules discussed, and icebreaking games

 

Part 2. Shared Principles

The children play a game called "Go Fish", which shows the importance of communication and cooperation for the sustainable use of renewable resources.

 

Break: Munching food from all over the world.

 

Part 3. Building the Future

Group project.  Think big! Making your Perfect World! The children work in groups to build a perfect world.  They will address and discuss the elements that are needed to make a perfect world and answer these 5 questions:

1. Is it going to last for a long time?
2. Is it good for the environment?
3. Does it make you happy?
4. Does it make others happy?
5. Will it make your children and grandchildren happy?

 

Annual General Meeting (AGM) / Pizza Night
Aðaðfundur / Pizza Kvöld
Date : 24-Apr-2004     Time : 07:00 PM

AGM Saturday 24th April at 7pm at the Intercultural house (Alþjóðahus) Hverfisgata 18.
It is that time of the year again for us to meet up and discuss and report about the last year and look forward to the next year. Some of our current board members will be stepping down and therefore we are looking for new board members. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Pauline on soni@strik.is or 824-2640

We will also be having a pizza dinner. It will cost 500kr each. Please contact us if you intend to come so that we know how many pizza to order. Also please let us know if you are vegetarian or if there are any toppings that you cannot eat for religious, health or other reasons.


Aðaðfundur / Pizza Kvöld
Aðalfundur laugardaginn 24. april 2004 kl. 19.00 í Alþjóðahúsi, Hverfisgötu 18. á þessum tímamótum er gott að koma saman & fara yfir stöðu mála ræða hvernig gékk á liðnu ári & skipuleggja það næsta. Somir í stjórninni géfa ekki kost á sér aftur & þar af leiðir að að nýja stjórnendur vantar. Ef þú hefur áhuga á að komast í stjórn SONI hafðu samband við Pauline á soni@strik.is eða í síma 824-2640

Auk þess viljum við vekja athigli á því að við verðum með Pizza máltíð. Það mun kosta 500kr á mann. Vinsamlega látið vita ef þið hafið áhuga svo hægt verði að panta hæfilegt magn af Pizzum. Látið einnig vita ef þið viljið sérstakt álegg á Pizzurnar af einhverjum ástæðum.

Easter Egg Hunt / Páska Eggja Leit
Date : 12-Apr-2004     Time : 12:00 PM

SONI will be holding an Easter Egg hunt at the greenhouse in the Botanic garderns in Laugardal on Easter Monday 12th April at 12 noon. This event is for the children of soni members but adults are invited to come along and enjoy some tea, coffee, cake and chat together.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Pauline at 824-2640 or soni@strik.is so that we know approximately how many easter eggs we need to bring.


Páska Eggja Leit
Félag nýrra Íslendinga mun halda páskaeggja leit í Grasagarðinum í Laugardal annan í páskum 12 april kl. 12.00 á hádegi. Þessi uppá koma er ætlið börnum soni meðlima en fullornir eru kvattir til að koma í kaffi/te kökur & spjall.

Ef þú hefur áhuga vinsamlega hafðu samband við Pauline í síma 8242640 eða soni@strik.is svo við vitum hvað mörg páskaegg við þurfum.

First Annual Auction Notice
Date : 04-Apr-2004     Time : 05:00 PM

First Annual Auction Notice
Due to unforseen circumstances, we will have to postpone the auction intended for Sunday April 4th.

We will post notice as soon as possible the new date for the auction.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Bowling trip to Keiluhöllin
Fara í keilu í Keiluhöllinni
Date : 13-Mar-2004     Time : 04:00 PM

On Saturday 13th March at 4pm we will be going on a bowling trip to Keiluhöllin the bowling ally at Öskjuhlíð (on the road to Hotel flugleiður behind Perlan).

It costs 500kr for one game which will take about 50 minutes. There is also the opportunity to book as a party and pay 990kr and with that you get one game, a glass of soda and 3 slices of pizza. We need to know before March 6th how many want to come and if you want to just play one game or shall we all go for the party price and make a meal of it :)

Please contact Pauline at 824-2640 or soni@strik.is as soon as possible if you intend to come and how many will be in your group.


fara í keilu í Keiluhöllinni
Laugardaginn 13. mars kl.16.00 munum við fara í keilu í Keiluhöllinni í Öskjuhlíð (fyrir þá sem ekki vita þá er Perlan á Öskjuhlíð)

Hver leikur kostar 500kr sem tekur um 50 mínótur. Það er líka möguleikt að panta veislu (party) það kostar 990kr fyrir einn leik, gos & 3 sneiðar af pizza.

En það þurfum við að panta fyrir 6. mars hve margir vilja vera með, en ef þú hefur áhuga á að koma í keilu hafðu samband við Pauline í 824-2640 eða soni@strik.is við fyrstu hentugleika svo hægt sé að géra viðeigandi ráðstafanir & fjöldi þeirra sem koma sé þekktur.

Karaoke & Quiz Night / Spurtninga Leikur
Date : 21-Feb-2004     Time : 08:00 PM

On Saturday 21st February from 8pm we will be holding a karaoke evening and quiz night at the Intercultural Centre (Alþjóðahús) Hverfisgata 18, 101 Rvk. On the top floor (3rd). (The stairs to the top floor are at the back of the second floor.)

If you have your own karaoke discs please bring them along. Everyone can sing solo or in groups or just listen to the more adverturous ones.

There will also be a quiz in both English and Icelandic. For more information please contact Elaine at elainmcrorrie@simnet..is or 866-8474 or Pauline at soni@strik.is or 824-2640.

Also if you play any instrument you are invited to bring it along and play for us. We look forward to a wonderful evening together.


Spurtninga Leikur
Á Laugurdaginn þann 21 februar kl. 20.00 höldum við karaoke og spurninga leikja kvöld í Alþjóðahúsi, Hverfisgötu 18, 101 Rvk uppi á þriðju hæð. (stiginn uppi þriðju hæð er baka til á annari hæð).

Ef þú þarft þína eigin karaoke diska vinsamlegast komdun með þá. Allir geta sungið einir í hóp eða hlustað á þau sem eru ævinteralegust.

Það mun einnig vera spurninga leikur bæði á ensku og íslensku. Fyrirr meirai upplysingar vinsamlegast hafið samband við Elaine í síma 866-8474 eða elainmcrorrie@simnet.is eða Pauline í 824-2640 eða soni@strik.is

Ef þú leikur á einhver hjóðfæri er þeir velkomið að koma með það og spilla fyrir okkar. Okkar hlakkar til að eiða ydislegu kvöldi saman.

International festival / Þjóðhátið
Date From : 21-Feb-2004     Date Until : 22-Feb-2004
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 05:00 PM

The weekend of 21-22 of February, there will be an international festival in the Reykjavik City hall from 2pm until 5pm. The festival is held to celebrate the positive influence which increasing diversity has had on Icelandic society. Increasing immigration to Iceland has had such a positive effect on Iceland and we wish to promote this fact.

For this reason we are looking for your participation and ideas in order to make this festival as successful and as fun as possible. In particular we are looking for participation in two areas.

1) Promotion of countries and cultures On Saturday 21st. and Sunday 22nd. of February the representatives of various societies will have stalls promoting their own countries (or regions) and cultures. On display will be different works of art, posters, photos, books... It is also possible connect cimputers to the internet for display. Finally we wish for some kind of food to be provided for the guests to try. time - but it will be lots of fun.

2) Performances While the national/cultural promotions in the stalls is going on, there will be various other artistic performances taking place. If you are interested in taking part in some kind of performance or know somebody who could take part, then please contact us at the Intercultural Centre. All ideas will be appreciated.

SONI will have an exhibit there and intend to distribute candies from various countries. If you are interested to help out, please contact any of our board members.


Þjóðahátíð
Helgina 21-22. febrúar verður haldin Þjóðahátíð í Ráðhúsi Reykjavíkur frá kl 14.00 - 17.00. Tilgangurinn með hátíðinni er að sýna Íslendingum hversu jákvæð áhrif innflytjendur hafa á íslenskt samfélag og hve auðugt samfélag okkar allra hefur orðið með auknum fjölda fólks af erlendum uppruna hér.

Við hér í Alþjóðahúsi erum að leita eftir samstarfi og hugmyndum þínum til að gera þessa hátíð sem glæsilegasta og skemmtilegasta. Við erum fyrst og fremst að oska eftir tvenns konar þáttöku:

1) Landa- og menningarkynningu. Laugardaginn 21 og sunnudaginn 22 febrúar verða fulltrúar hinna ýmsu félaga (eða áhugasamir einstaklingar) með kynningu á eigin löndum (eða heimshluta) og menningu. Settir verða upp básar þar sem ýmsir munir og listaverk (plakötk bækur, myndir...) verða til sýnis. Einnig kemur til greina að vera með nettengdar tölvur. Þá óskum við eftir því að hafa einhvers konar mat fyrir gesti að prufa.

2) Listviðburðir Til viðbótar við menningarkynninguna í básunum stendur til að hafa ýmsa viðburði yfir daginn á meðan hátíðin stendur yfir. Ef þú hefur áhuga, eða þekkir einhvern sem hefur áhuga á að koma fram, þá skaltu hafa samband við okkur í Alþjóðahúsi. Allar hugmyndir eru vel þegnar.

SONI mun hafa kynningu þar & boðið verður uppá sætindi frá ýmsum löndum. Ef þú hefur áhuga á að aðstoða vinsamlega hafðu samband við einhvern í stjórninni.

Family Christmas Party
Date : 12-Dec-2003
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 04:00 PM

Sunday December 7th Christmas Party

We will hold our family Christmas Party on Sunday 7th December in the Intercultural Centre (Alþjóðahus) from 2pm until 4pm. We will have a pot luck dinner and ask everyone to bring along a dish to share together. After the dinner there will be Christmas songs around the Christmas tree and Santa will give out presents. If you are coming along with children please bring a small inexpensive wrapped gift with their names clearly marked on it.

CHRISTMAS TREE TRADITION HAS ANCIENT ORIGINS
King Tut never saw a Christmas tree, but he would have understood the tradition which traces back long before the first Christmas, says David Robson, Extension Educator, Horticulture with the Springfield Extension Center.

The Egyptians were part of a long line of cultures that treasured and worshipped evergreens. When the winter solstice arrive, they brought green date palm leaves into their homes to symbolize life's triumph over death.

The Romans celebrated the winter solstice with a fest called Saturnalia in honor of Saturnus, the god of agriculture. They decorated their houses with greens and lights and exchanged gifts. They gave coins for prosperity, pastries for happiness, and lamps to light one's journey through life.

Centuries ago in Great Britain, woods priests called Druids used evergreens during mysterious winter solstice rituals. The Druids used holly and mistletoe as symbols of eternal life, and place evergreen branches over doors to keep away evil spirits.

Late in the Middle Ages, Germans and Scandinavians placed evergreen trees inside their homes or just outside their doors to show their hope in the forthcoming spring. Our modern Christmas tree evolved from these early traditions.

Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas. One crisp Christmas Eve, about the year 1500, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. Their branches, dusted with snow, shimmered in the moonlight. When he got home, he set up a little fir tree indoors so he could share this story with his children. He decorated it with candles, which he lighted in honor of Christ's birth. V The Christmas tree tradition most likely came to the United States with Hessian troops during the American Revolution, or with German immigrants to Pennsylvania and Ohio, adds Robson.

Thanksgiving Dinner
Date : 23-Nov-2003
Time From : 05:00 PM         Time Until : 07:00 PM

Sunday November 23rd Thanksgiving Dinner

We will hold this year's American Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday November 23rd from 5pm until 7pm on the top floor of the Intercultural Centre (Alþjóðahus) Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavik. As usual SONI will provide the Turkeys and we ask members to bring along one side dish of one of the following: potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn bread, salad, pecan pie or whatever else you would like to bring.

THE PLYMOUTH THANKSGIVING STORY
When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round- roofed houses called wigwams.

The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.

We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving on their shores. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy. It was mainly because of their kindness that the Pilgrims survived at all. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil.

The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight. Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses. He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.

By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune. They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as religious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.

For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be. More English people came to America, and they were not in need of help from the Indians as were the original Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed toward the less popular religions in Europe

It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts.

Children's Halloween Party
Date : 02-Nov-2003
Time From : 02:00 PM         Time Until : 04:00 PM

Sunday November 2nd Children's Halloween Party

On Sunday 2nd November we will hold a children's Halloween Party, in the Intercultural Centre (Alþjóðahús), Hverfisgata 18, 101 Reykjavik from 2pm until 4pm. SONI will provide sweets and candies for the children as well as games and soft drinks. We ask parents and guardians to bring along a cake each, SONI will provide coffee and tea.