Woman moves to Iceland to follow her heart

By George Mathias via SWNS

A US woman who moved 2,600 miles to Iceland for love says she has no regrets - even though her marriage ended.

Jewells Chambers, 37, upped sticks to Reykjavík after forging a relationship with an Icelandic man.

They had met while Jewells was studying at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and, after meeting up in New York, decided to get married in Iceland.

Jewells and the man, who is not being named, tied the knot in 2015 - in her mother-in-law's living room.

Eight years on and the relationship is over, after the pair divorced last year.

However, Jewells says she is still happy with her decision to move - and has settled in Iceland.

She said: "My love for what brought me here transferred over to the love for the country.

“I adore Iceland, the people have been so welcoming.

“I feel safe here and was welcomed, and I can’t imagine ever going back to the US.”

Jewells, who used to work in marketing and now runs a podcast and social media based on her experience as an adopted Icelander, met her ex-husband in 2006.

They became friends on Facebook and, after staying in touch for five years, met up again - and sparks flew.

They then tied the knot and settled in Iceland.

But, after seven years of marriage, they drifted apart and decided to split.

Jewells, originally from Brooklyn, decided to stay in Iceland as she had grown fond of its people.

And she has shed light on some of the differences between New York and Reykjavík.

Jewells said: “If you walk around in New York, you see all types of people, pretty much every type of culture is represented there.

"That is not the case in Iceland.

“When you go to the grocery store, there is a small variety of fresh fruits and veg and everything is much more monocultural.

“Then there’s the cute Icelandic traditions, like around at Christmas, everyone in the country sits down at 6pm on Christmas eve.

“Also, in summer children are out playing until 10pm at night because it’s still light out and it’s so safe.”

Jewells, like many first-time visitors to Nordic countries, was also struck by the common practice of babies being left unattended to in their prams out in public – a common sight.

She said: “That was a big shock for me when I first saw it, but now I think nothing of it, it’s just a sign of how safe Iceland is.”

Jewells said she misses the US and her family, and the access to so many different cultures, but Iceland “feels very safe” and she can’t see herself moving back to the US any time soon.

And she also said that, despite being fearful of how she would be treated being black in Iceland, her experience has been “really positive.”

Jewells said: “I wasn’t treated as a token black woman in the office, I was just Jewells from New York.

"It was more noteworthy that I was from New York than it was that I was a black.

“The identity around color felt like it fell off for me in ways whereas back in the US the racism I’ve experienced has definitely been more overt."

Jewells also explained how her family were skeptical when she first told them she would be emigrating.

But when she held a second wedding celebration in Iceland in 2017, her grandmother made the trip out, aged 87, and was “blown away” by her first ever trip to Europe.

Jewells said: "When they visited, they loved it, they got on so well with everyone, and their perspective totally flipped.

“I am excited to continue my journey here in Iceland and discover even more of this beautiful country.”