Northern experience

What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?

In addition to my very difficult teenage years I struggled at age eight to ten. We had just moved to new place and soon after starting new school I became a target of painful bullying. I remember once my mother had to physically drag me to school because I didn’t want to go there. I had undiagnosed Asperger and couldn’t understand why people were being cruel toward me. They took my things, made fun of my short height and chased me around the school yard. And I had nocturnal enuresis (chronic bedwetting) and other health conditions that made everyday living a major challenge.

The big thing that got me through it was my best friend. She was so important to me that I felt better about my life despite all the other stuff happening. She had a Finnish mother and I remember them speaking Finnish at home when I visited her place. We played games also.

I enjoyed nature a lot. It was all around me growing up and it was a huge part of what made life fun even in very difficult times. We went on mountain trips and visiting beaches and forests. I love my country, especially our environment and cultural features around outdoor activities.

As I mentioned on one of my other blogs I’m not straight, and I’m seriously considering to live as another gender openly. I found out recently I like men as well as women, I had thought of myself as female preferring for a long time then realise I quite often had crushes on guys growing up and currently. So yes, I identify myself as gay in several ways. There is room for everyone.

I have Norse origin female given names and I’m keeping them most likely because they mean something to me beyond gender. One of my given names is Ingvild and I’m also of Sámi and Kven ethnic background. I think reindeer are amazing animals and it’s deep tradition to our culture.

Okay, so those are some of my thoughts today.

I hope your days are good and thanks for reading my blog ❤

If you could change the ending of any book, which one would it be?

Well, some books don’t have an ending. And so in that case I would make one. But I don’t write fiction and so that’s why my answer is a bit vague right now. I’m usually of the opinion that the author is right to make their own creative decisions and we make our own fan fiction sometimes. And if we were instead talking about television series I have plenty more thoughts on that. Like the famous Game of Thrones series ending. Or even LOST. We have imagination for a reason.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

If you could instantly master any skill, what would it be and why?

Yes. I would love really being skilled in perfect timing and techniques for doing things in exactly the right order. That would make life very fun and full of exciting experiences. And people would find it very useful asking me for help and advice. So that’s what I would choose today if someone asked me what I could master instantly.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

What’s a fear you’ve overcome — and how did you do it?

Yes, I used to be fearful of writing for others to read. And I know why I felt like that because teachers always told me I had to write a certain amount of pages to achieve a better grade. But it’s so stupid really because that’s the kind of thing where the teachers push down any improvements you could make. Okay, so how did I overcome this fear? I began writing a blog. And it certainly helped me see writing in public space in a different way. Readers are looking for other things than school teachers did in 2006. So I keep writing and I don’t give up.

Thanks for reading ❤

What’s a moment in your life that felt like it was straight out of a movie?

Yes, indeed. I’m mentioning Kiruna for the third time today and I’m not sorry.

Really my main point is everything can feel like a movie in different ways, it doesn’t have to be very special. I have that immersive movie feeling very often, partly due to my dreams being like that and some conditions that make life a little bit more vivid than usual.

I really remember that trip with true joy, 20 years later it’s just as lovely. The underground mine, the huge calzone at the pizza place. The weather was great and I was still just not yet technically a teenager. I love Sweden btw, especially Norrbotten 🇸🇪

But also the other major part is my passion for genealogy and ancestry research, I began in 2007 to research our roots when I was a quite young teenager. Everything was new and I loved it, all I could think about was genealogy and names and family connections through time.

Thank you for reading my blog ❤

How do you handle fear and self-doubt?

Yeah, I dive into it. Face my fears head on. I never give up, I just keep going because that’s only the thing what actually works.

I also love this track called Hatred by Dimension, here it is ❤️‍🔥

Thanks for listening ❤

What’s a moment that made you realize you were stronger than you thought?

Oh yes, climbing. Serious 10 meter wall straight up and that takes some real resilience and physical strength. I’m petite height but surprisingly very strong physically and climbing is easier for petites. Btw I have no fear of heights.

There is inner strength and resilience as well, never underestimate your secret powers.

Thank you for reading my blog ❤

What’s a mystery from your own life that you’ve never solved?

I have a biological grandfather I’ve never met. I don’t know him, but I know his name. I don’t know how his youth was or how his personality is. My father know him a little bit from youth and he is his biological son. I will never know him and that is unfortunate but real.

So that’s my story tonight, I’m sorry I’m not here so often now. Thank you so much for reading my blog ❤

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

It’s the weeks before the all-day light arrives here, sun is up at midnight for over a month (entire June, and most of July as well) so it’s normal to us but exotic to nearly everyone else.

I love drinking cold beverages at midnight out in our garden area, it could be a Bacardi Breezer or even a Battery Peachberry at night.

I like it when it’s not too warm outside but still sunshine. It’s great to be out during summer time, our local environment is truly beautiful.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

What is your favorite restaurant?

I really like Uno Café and House of Burgers as well as Wok Inn. I like using Foodora to order to home. I live in the North part of my country in a relatively large town for our scale.

I like eating at home, it feels like I get to enjoy the food without the strangers and general noise. But sometimes it’s genuinely good eating at an actual restaurant. It depends on the situation.

Those are some thoughts this night, from a slightly hungry state of being.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?

1 Tea. Absolutely, I love tea. Any type both herbal and true teas like oolong or English Breakfast tea. I enjoy combining teas to create the best flavours and feeling of it.

2 Family. I enjoy spending time with family, we make each other laugh and having interesting conversations and shared moments.

3 Wool blankets. In particular Nordic type wool, though I also enjoy merino wool blankets. It keeps me warm and comfortable. We all should have at least one blanket, that’s my belief in practical living.

4 Music. This one is major to me, I need it to function as well as possible. I think in lyrics and there is constantly a feeling of music playing somewhere. I enjoy different genres of music, everything from metal to drum&bass music.

5 Nature. I love my environment and the view from our house and walking through the forests is truly special. I grew up spending a lot of time outside and it really is important, especially in my Northern culture.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

What’s the most fun way to exercise?

I love walking. And I don’t drive due to my health conditions, how close it is to my home and climate considered perspective. I also cannot afford having a car on my economic situation.

So walking isn’t just exercise, it’s part of normal life for me as a Northerner and my deep family connection with nature and history.

I also like mountain hiking and climbing, both rock climbing and indoor climbing.

These are some good ways to keep health good both physical and emotional levels. It would not be the same without it.

Thanks for visiting ❤

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

Note; darkness unfolds, prematurely

Yes, I would be Benoni from Knut Hamsun work. It’s deeply connected with my fathers history also, the darkness of the mid 1970s in Northern Norwegian society. There was a television series called ‘Benoni og Rosa’ from 1975 and my father knew the dark side of being different in a closed environment.

I watch the series online a few years ago, and it really affected me deep. I thought it would be painful but it was also very interesting seeing 70s actors being in a fictional 1800s Northern Norwegian community. Benoni was a fisherman visiting Lofoten region and his love interest Rosa being central to the story. If you live in Norway I believe you can watch the whole series on NRK nett-tv (online television) and I can recommend doing that.

I’m as some already know a Sámi woman and there were some Sámi persons in the series and books. That one character became my fathers cruel nickname from his Norwegian classmates, I don’t understand why the society was so closed off from other Northern towns with slightly different way of speaking. Maybe it’s Norwegianization related, forced assimilation policies toward Sámi and Kven cultures in Norwegian society.

Sometimes I just need to talk about dark topics, and this time it’s about 1970s television series being used to harm an innocent boy doing his best to blend in with the other children while being hurt deep.

Those are some thoughts today, I don’t know what more to write.

Thank you for reading my blog ❤

What animals make the best/worst pets?

Note; wide variety of topics related to animals

I cannot say any common house pet is the worst pet, so I describe from the good side.

My grandparents had a farm and they had plenty of animals there, including many collies and several cats. I loved being there in my childhood years, it’s a whole different world and it’s remote location so often quite peaceful environment. My grandmother told me stories about my father from when he was little and that really matter to my understanding of my family origins.

I love dogs, we have one in our home. It’s my mothers dog but they are fully a part of our family, an elderly small dog with black colour fur and grey tones.

My cousin has Bengal cats, they are so beautiful and fascinating beings. At one point she had four cats, she is part of Dyrebeskyttelsen in Norway.

We used to have degu in our house when I was an older child, they are funny animals. I just liked watching them be cute and we had two. They got offspring even though we thought they were the same type so we had the little ones to help take care of.

So those are some good pets according to my experiences with animals, they all belong on this Earth.

Thanks for reading ❤

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Note; Off-topic.. maybe?

I seriously was Sleeping Beauty in a school play, and I’m good at acting. I put myself in the positions of my role, I liked being male characters from Harry Potter series books. I have a vivid imagination and movie-like dreams, they are honestly immersive and I feel like it’s an adventure I’m allowed to experience from my own nighttime cinema.

Okay so I wanted to be an actress, because I already played my part.

And my boy classmate called me “Tornerose” (Sleeping Beauty in Norwegian) because I overslept and came late to school.

Yes, that’s my experiences today. Acting and dreams go well together. I also dream that I’m a deejay, I enjoy music in waking reality so it isn’t surprising I live it during the night

Thank you for visiting my blogs ❤

How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?

I don’t say something I don’t really mean, so I also prioritize my goals in everyday life. This does sometimes makes it necessary to say no to things.

But I still try to say yes when something could be very beneficial to my goals, even if they can seem difficult or confusing at first.

So it really depends on the situation, it’s nuanced significantly. And life is worth it.

Thanks for reading ❤

What is your favorite type of weather?

I enjoy it most when it’s around 14° celsius and some sunshine with small/medium clouds.

I like when it’s real winter temperatures like -15° celsius and the sunshine still is somewhat gently warming my dark colour hair.

The weather changes a lot from day to day and our winters are long here in my region. I enjoy being outside in different environments and temperatures.

Thanks for reading my blog ❤

Which animal would you compare yourself to and why?

I would compare myself to this animal (the marten/mår) because we both love climbing and appreciate being alone sometimes, especially in forests. I kind of look a bit slightly alike in appearance too especially when I had very long hair.

I also love reindeer and ravens. They are local animals like the marten is as well. The reindeer are both cute, funny and very important to our Northern culture. The raven is the symbol of intelligent and curious birds, a bit mystical.

I see reindeer in urban settings when I lived somewhere else and the little ones are very cute and funny. Reindeer are herd animals and sometimes people kind of act like herds. It’s also a part of my Sámi heritage, I value reindeer in cultural ways as well as just reindeer being awesome in themselves.

The raven is not only extremely intelligent, it’s also playfull at times. That is a part of my approach to life as a human being.

So that is my answer today, the animal kingdom is vast and diverse. Sometimes we learn a lot just looking out the window and observe nature as it is.

Thanks for reading ❤

Where would you go on a shopping spree?

I love going to the health food, supplements and tea shop we have in our town. It’s a chain store but the experience is everything, buying new teas and finding the favourites as well.

They have different supplements, I enjoy New Nordic supplements like for example Hair Volume and Melissa Dream.

So that’s my shopping spree store. I hope your days are good and thanks for reading ❤

What is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?

Yes, my “middle name” is Ingvild. It means something in Norse that has to do with ancestors and battles. The struggle of my foremothers, protected by Yngvi-Freyr, the fertility god.

More than that it’s a part of my everyday life, I like names. I have several. More. My mother nearly named me something different and I changed it. Not telling a word about my former name, what would the point be to that? Sorry, I’m not in my right mind at the moment. And I’m not telling you.

And yes, I’m not drunk. I’m overtired and I want a couple cans of cider with Battery Peachberry along them.

Thank you for reading and stay well, as good as it gets in this profoundly scary madness world.