I came, I saw, I moved in
By Enid Chen
Photos by Yao Fan



旅厦三周的冰岛音乐家Runar在厦期间爱上了这个音乐之岛, 于是变卖了所有的家产举家移居鼓浪屿, 在一个陌生的城市开始了新生活. 在这里, 他觉得自己就像一个新生儿, 周围的一切都让他产生好奇并激发了他更大的求知欲. 他希望能够把在厦的生活融入他的音乐之中.

Runar Sigurbjornsson, a music lover from faraway Iceland who has just released his first solo album, came to Xiamen for a three-week visit last summer. This visit changed his life, which he had not expected. After he went back to his home in Iceland, he sold everything except his favorite guitar that he treasures more than anything else. Together with his wife, two children, father-in-law and his wife's two sisters, Runar moved to Xiamen, where they embarked on a whole new life.



Like an infant again

Before settling down in Xiamen, Runar had been running his own company building and repairing houses. His wife Elin was a fashion designer. They both gave up their businesses after their first visit to Xiamen and decided to move to the city.

"It wasn't a hard decision, though," Runar reveals. "We didn't have any fears about the new life at all. You can't enjoy new journeys and adventures if you are always worrying.

"What's more, when you have been in one place for so long a time, you are likely to feel stuck and demotivated sometimes. After thirty years of life in Iceland, we were hoping to move to a new place and start again from the very beginning. We were looking forward to changes and finding new horizons. But opportunities don't just come knocking on your door. On our first visit here, we found this amazing city full of very friendly people, which appealed to us. In addition, the mild climate here is so different from that in Iceland, where we have long freezing winters with short hours of daylight. We will get used to the weather here very quickly. These factors led to our sudden decision to move to Xiamen. We are here to escape the long hours of darkness," he adds with a smile.

In Xiamen, where so many things are new to him, Runar says he was like a baby born naked into the world. "China is such a big country, I've got so much to see and so much to learn. In the future, we will try to see as much as we can of this new culture.

"Language does seem to be a barrier at first, but now we are making every effort to pick up more Chinese. I learn at least two new words every day," Runar grins.



A new pursuit in a new place

Runar put an advertisement looking for an apartment in Xiamen Daily and he finally found a three-storey villa on Gulangyu, widely known as a cradle of musicians. There is a brand-new piano on the first floor, which came with the villa when he rented it. Runar has his own well-equipped recording studio in the house, with a good view of the sea. Runar and his wife take pleasure in sitting on a comfortable couch on the balcony facing the sea during the daytime. In the evening, the balcony is lit up by candles which add to the romantic ambience. "This has been very inspirational for my music. I enjoy sitting here and making my own music."

Before moving to Xiamen, Runar released his first solo album, entitled "Solitude", with 11 tracks. It was a reflection of his life during the past two years.

Unlike in Iceland, where Runar has been a chef and a manager of his own house-repairing company, Runar is now able to throw himself body and soul into his music. "I don't make music to live, rather I live to make music. Since I have been here, I have found many traditional Chinese musical instruments which have beautiful and unique sounds. I hope I can learn to play some of them. The piano museum is quite impressive and licensed street artists can be found here and there. I will seek out the best of these experiences to make good stories for my music. Hopefully my next album will come out next year with all these new musical elements. It will definitely be a reflection of our new life in Xiamen." It is this confident attitude that keeps Runar moving forward towards his goals.

Vocabulary
horizon 视野
mild 温和的
naked 裸体的
grin 露齿而笑
cradle 摇篮
balcony 阳台
ambience 氛围
release 发行
album 专集
reflection 折射

My Xiamen


Ashley Huffman, a senior at Messiah College, USA, majoring in Communication, is currently on a three-month exchange program at Xiamen University.

1. How long have you been in Xiamen?
I have been here for two and a half months.

2. What do you like best about life here?
I love being with new friends, learning about China from them and getting to know them. Xiamen is a beautiful city with kind people.

3. What's your job here? How do you like it?
I'm a student at Xiamen University and I enjoy learning Chinese history, philosophy and art.

4. How do you spend your time in Xiamen?
Going out to shops or restaurant with friends. Sometimes we walk around the city, sit by the ocean, or visit Gulangyu.

5. If there was one thing that you could change about Xiamen, what would that be?
Hard question. Because I enjoy water sports - skiing, sailing, etc. - it would be nice to have more accessible ways to enjoy the ocean here.

6. What's your favorite restaurant?
"Fat Little Sheep" by the harbor - a hot-pot restaurant.

7. What do you like best about Xiamen?
The enviroment is beautiful and the people in Xiamen are so relaxed about life.

8. What are the differences between Xiamen and other big cities in China?
I have been to Beijing, Xi'an and Shanghai. Xiamen is much cleaner and people seem friendlier here, although I enjoyed the history, culture and food of Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai very much.

9. What's the last great book you read?
Anny Tan, The Hundred Secret Senses.

10. What's your favorite quotation or piece of advice?
"Perhaps the chief business of life is to learn how to love."-Marsha Sinetar