Siggi’s world

Frederick Carnet



Siqurður Magnús Matthíasson aka Siggi. Siggi is a strange person who cant let you staying stoical. The day after my arrival in Iceland, at Grindavik campsite, I meet Jeff, a Quebecer. We end up in a huge 4x4 to make a trip around the town with Kristinn, boss of the Bryggjan Kaffihus, the den of the fishermen of Grindavik. On our way back, at the end of the day, we go to have a coffee at Kristinn's. Arrives a big fellow.

He is with a friend. They both sit at a table to sip a hot drink. This big fellow with his hazardous gait looks like a reqular and is completely at ease with everyone. He comes to greet us, Jeff and me. He speaks English perfectly. I listen to him. He tells me a lot of wacky stories. I wonder who he is. A young alcoholic, a drug addict? I don't really know where he is bringing me with all those crazy stories. He proposes me to watch him playing characters: an old man, a pregnant man, an alien etc. I look at him. But who is he? Then, he tells me his story. Seven years ago, when he was 18 years old, Siggi had a serious car accident, after which he spent two and a half months in a coma. He miraculously got out but his life will not be the same. Promised for a great future, Siggi can not do much anymore because he has problems of balance, quickly forget what he is told or what he did the day before. In less than 15 minutes, he managed to break my prejudices, make me laugh and touch me so much that emotion and tears rise without restraint. I will stay for 10 days in Grindavik to hang out with Siggi, find out more. We play cards, we drink many cups of cold coffee, we smoke quite a lot of Camel, we laugh a lot together and we take pictures. I really admire him. For me, he is an indestructible Viking that nothing stops.



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