Bernard & Iceland

What is Bernanrd's initial reaction when he finds out he is going to Iceland?
When Bernard finds out he is going to Iceland, he feels very confident. He has a sense of indivuilality and is very proud of that. Bernard likes the idea of being different and feels as if he can face the task of going to Iceland.
I guess its not such a good idea to like the idea of being different in this book. It would most likely get you many enemies. I kinda think of this Bernard as like in that one episode of the Fairly Odd Parents, when Timmy wishes everyone would be the same, so everybody on Earth changes into big gray blobs. But then Timmy puts on his pink hat and it makes him so different from everyone else that he has a lot of people angry and criticizing him. (I know, I'm comparing classical literature to a cartoon, but hey, it works..)
Bernard doesn't have many fans. Other main characters in the book make fun of him for supposedly having alcohol in his surrogate. And this has to do with the fact that he is different. This is why Bernard is proud of going to Iceland because he wants to express his individuality, and the fact that he now considers himself kind of like a 'rebel'.


But! I have a question and I was hoping someone could help me...??
It says right in the book that Bernard is proud of his individuality and he is confident in going to Iceland and all that stuff. But if Bernard loves being different and doesn't like the idea of taking soma, then why does he go to those Solidarity Sessions?
The parts about the Solidarity Sessions reallllyyy confused me..