The luggage has been dropped off, the last hugs have been exchanged, I’ve made my way through the security control, got onto the plane, fastened my seatbelt and am on my way back to southern Norway where I have to catch the next flight to Germany.
A month full of wonderful experiences, new memories and new friendships lies behind me and I’m very thankful for all the adventures and moments of joy I had - although I actually had to work primarily in my student job as a tourist guide but still had the opportunity to enjoy my free time alone or with friends and create unforgettable memories. Enjoying the nature, going out with friends and feeling endlessly free gave me the best feeling, even if I only think about it afterwards.
Being in northern Norway itself wasn’t new for me and neither was going there on my own or living there. But showing this place as a guide to other people, to tourists who come there was completely new. And when I got the call and was asked if I could imagine working as guide and accompany groups of German and English speaking tourists to activities and excursions in the arctic winter, my first thought was, without a doubt, NO! I’m used to presenting my architecture models and projects to professors and teachers at university but taking on so much responsibility for a group of people and the quality of their tour seemed a bit much for me.
Looking back, I'm very glad that nobody was interested in that and that I more or less let myself be persuaded to take on this job for a month. And what can I say, it was the best decision I've made so far and I've enjoyed every single minute of it. Even when I had to work late into the night on northern lights tours or had to be at the pier at half past six in the morning to welcome the groups from the cruise ships. What might have seemed negative at first made the whole great experience what it is for me now - a huge gain in confidence, memories and encounters.
But what did I actually do? Well, in my words I got money for doing what I do here right now: telling people about the place where I feel home, how living there feels, what typical for the region in northern Norway is and what they can see and find in the city we were driving through. And I did that for several hours a day on tours across the countryside to husky farms, the igloo hotel, northern lights camps or sights in the city itself.
Through that work but also the hikes and tours through the nature I made on my own, I experienced the arctic winter in all its details which is the complete opposite of the winter I know from my home in Germany and I fell in love with the breathtaking beauty of it. Riding a dogsled on my own, being a passenger on a reindeer sled, seeing animals like a moose and snow hare in their natural environment, celebrating the finish of the winner of Europe’s longest dogsledding race (Finnmarksløpet) and craving an ice sculpture gave me the insight into a world I can call a part of my life and my heart which makes me more than happy!
The way back home from a place I also call my home is hard every time and something I never think about until that day has come because that would make it even more difficult. It’s the way of living, my family there, the people and the feeling that make me feel so comfortable and home and it’s what I miss a lot each time I arrive after my journey to my Scandinavian safe place.
Culinary souvenirs are a little help here, as they allow me to take this feeling of home with me into my apartment and make it easier to bridge the time until my next visit with the taste of my Norwegian life.
But sometimes I’m not sure if it helps or makes me even more homesick, because that feeling is something I fight with a lot even though I know, that I can always go back and spend my time there. And what makes me happy is that a return in the summer is already planned and my anticipation of it has made the return journey and the farewell a little easier.
But what if that will change one day? Leaving this special place always makes me scared of not being able to return, for which there is actually no reason. But isn't it true that you always worry most about the things that are closest to your heart? And that is exactly what my home and my family in the arctic Norway is <3
I wish everyone could have a spot like this, where they can feel as comfortable as I do in my safe place!
Indulge in your thoughts about yours and have a good time,
Mia <3
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Comments
this blog entry is absolutely stunning :))
the way of you conveying your feelings of this place really makes a special, personal impact which is lovely to read!
can‘t wait to read more of your blogs! <3