Personally, I’ve never seen the Northern Lights. It’s definitely on my life-long bucket list, and hopefully something I’ll accomplish sooner rather than later. But for now, I can live vicariously through Van from On the Road Again. Van is well traveled and I enjoy reading about her icy adventures, and she has incredibly fabulous hair. If you don’t believe me, take a look at it’s latest colour!
Q&A with Van
Tromso seen from above.
1. What motivated you to start blogging?
I started blogging on Facebook as a way to keep my family and friends updated about my work and travel stay in Norway. However a few months later, when I traveled to Scotland, I found that a Facebook page is not good enough to share the pictures I took. I got a new camera before the journey and was really glad with how the pictures turned out. So I wanted to have a proper platform to share my travel experiences and photos and then started a “real” blog with the help of Blogger.
2. What inspires you personally?
Foreign cultures! I’ve always been fascinated by other countries and cultures and I love to find out what it’s like to live in a certain place. I want to know how everyday life there differs from what I’m used to, so instead of traveling from one place to the other every day, I rather spent a couple of weeks in one place to get an insight of the culture and the mentality of the people. I love to compare cultures and I believe that intercultural competence makes you more open and tolerant.
The lovely Van at her Uni graduation.
3. What’s your favorite song at the moment?
I don’t really have just one favorite song right now nor do I listen to the radio or the charts. But I’m a huge fan of The Joy Formidable and could listen to their album The Big Roar over and over again (which I do) and also love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Swedish singer Amanda Jenssen. Just search for her songs Amarula Tree or Borderline on YouTube and I’m pretty sure, you’ll like her too!
4. What’s your favorite place you’ve ever traveled to?
I have to admit, my favorite place I’ve ever traveled to is the same place I’m moving to in autumn: Northern Norway and Tromso in particular. Maybe it’s because it was my first ever solo trip and everything was way more exciting, but somehow I felt completely at ease up north. Tromso especially is a cozy little city and already after 2 days I walked through town with a certain naturalness, as if it was my home. I have no idea if this makes any sense but as I’m moving to Tromso soon, I’m going to find out eventually if it can really become my home.
Tromso in the evening.
5. What draws you to the Arctic?
I’ve always been fascinated by Scandinavia and with the years, I also developed an interest in the Arctic. I remember writing my Bachelor’s thesis in the middle of Germany, wishing I could do some hiking or dog-sledding in Alaska instead. I was dissatisfied with my studies and my life in Germany and decided that it was the perfect time for a change. So after my graduation I started a distance program in Northern Studies which has taught me a lot about indigenous peoples and life up north and I also traveled to Northern Norway. As I felt so comfortable in the Arctic, I knew I wanted to live there but how could I possibly find a job there with a BA in English Literature? So when I discovered the MA program in Indigenous Studies at the University of Tromso, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. It would not only teach me even more about indigenous peoples in the North but would also enable me to find a job there. Luckily I got accepted! So basically, the stunning nature and my grad studies draw me to the North.
6. What destination is at the top of your travel bucket list?
This is probably no surprise by now but Alaska is definitely on top of my bucket list! But Canada, Greenland and Australia are close to the top too (no, I’m not always traveling to cold climates) and I still haven’t visited London yet.
7. What’s the one thing that really surprised you about blogging?
The amount of time I now put into my blog is something that I didn’t expect when I started. At first it was just a plain blog without even an About Me page. Now I’m constantly trying to improve it and working on html-coding, templates and pages. I didn’t know that there’s so much work behind a blog. Besides I didn’t expect to find such a lovely blogging community. I love talking to fellow bloggers from all over the world and it’s so great to get an insight into the life of people you’ve never even met in real life but whom you feel related to nonetheless. There are so many great travel bloggers out there and it’s so nice to follow them along their journeys and moves abroad.
8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I have graduated and found a job. I mean I have to! I’ve no idea of what sort of job I might have though. I’m open to everything from working for an NGO, for a museum, in journalism or whatever else there is available in the field of indigenous issues. As long as I have a job that I like and that does something useful I don’t care what it is and where it is. I don’t think I will be living in the Arctic forever and I guess after years of living in the cold, I would be open for working with indigenous peoples in warmer climates too. So maybe I end up in Australia after all?
9. What’s the biggest adjustment you’ll have to make with your upcoming move?
As Norway is quite expensive I really need to cut back on my living expenses. I won’t be able to travel so much anymore but as Norway offers an incredible nature, I will be fine exploring my new home. Apart from that the polar night and the midnight sun are two things I’ll have to get used to. Having no daylight for two months in winter and constant daylight for 2 months in summer is probably difficult to adjust to but I’m looking forward to experiencing what it’s like nonetheless.
The Northern Lights in Tromso.
10. What’s your favorite form of social media (instagram, twitter, pinterest, etc)?
Definitely Instagram! I love photography and Instagram is just so convenient while I’m on the road. The only thing I need is wifi, not even a camera. I can just take pictures with my phone and thanks to all those filters Instagram offers, the pictures still look great! Also there are so many great photographers out there who share their work through Instagram and of course fellow bloggers. As most people, including me, share their journeys on their blogs only weeks later, you can stay up to date with their travels on Instagram.
Sunrise in Northern Norway.
