Words by

Josie Gaitens

Photo by

Art Bicnick

Lenya Rún is a Pirate Party politician. In September 2021 it was announced that she was to become the youngest ever member of Alþingi. However, due to the election miscount chaos, she lost her seat in the subsequent reshuffle. Lenya instead entered parliament as a deputy MP in December. In addition to her parliamentary duties, she is also in her final year of law school. Rather than take even an imaginary break, Lenya’s perfect day embraces her various commitments.

Mornings with… Thanos?

Thanos is my cat! I normally wake to him purring in my face. I like to wake up early, around 7:45 a.m.. I take a shower and have breakfast before heading off to class. To be honest, breakfast is just a white Monster and a protein pancake. I like to keep it simple.

I’m at this point in my life where I want to learn as much as I can about law and then just graduate and use my degree as a lawyer or even as a lawmaker, so I’m really really eager to learn. I finish my classes at noon and head to Deig for lunch. I’d get their ‘Poor Man’s Offer’ – my go-to order is a cream cheese bagel with extra cheese, a cinnamon cruller and coffee.

Lunch & Library

After lunch I’d stop by the library. There’s something really chill about going there on a perfect day because I used to do it as a kid. My mom took us every week as a Friday ritual. She would have us pick out as many books as we’d want and then take us to the bakery afterwards. That’s how I really got into reading. It’s a really fond childhood memory.

Photo by Art Bicnick

In the afternoon I would have a meeting, getting ready for my next sitting in Parliament. Then I would go for a run to Nauthólsvík. It’s important for me to be in nature, away from all the cars. On my perfect day, the weather would be sunny, with no wind at all.

After Chill

That night I would meet my friends for a beer in a bar downtown. I like a low key place like Íslenski Barinn. After the bars close, we’d all go back to my house for… not an after party, but more like an after chill. I live with two of my best friends and the vibe in our apartment is usually really good. To be honest, the last few times where we’ve had a get together after the bars close, after a while I just go into my room while everyone’s still here and fall asleep. I am usually a fan of a really big night out, but it’s just been a few busy months.