Hildur Blog: March 2013

So the story goes…
Hi. My name is Hildur. I am an Icelando-American from Iceland. And America.

Hence the name of this blog, HildurIceland. Although some of my friends will argue that my name is Hildu from Riceland, this is not the case (aha, lame joke from good friends). This name may be a little misleading since I am no longer in Iceland. Although an Icelander, I am in Greenland. How many of you just said the Might Ducks line “Iceland is green, Greenland is ice.”? So Greenland… This is the place my little family is calling home. And we love it.

That covers some of the who. Now to cover some of the what, where, when and why. So yes, my name is Hildur and my son and I are living in Nuuk, Greenland. We moved to Greenland because since September I have been researching and writing my masters thesis in Coastal and Marine Management from the University Centre of the Westfjords in Ísafjörður, Iceland. My thesis topic is coastal nature-based tourism in Nuup Kangerlua (the Nuuk fjord system).

Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, is located in the fjord system Nuup Kangerlua. Actually, it is located on the tip of the southern-jaw of the fjord. Nuuk is Greenlandic (Kalaallisut) for “cape” (in English). The population is a little less than 16,000 people, and although it is the largest city in Greenland, it is one of the smallest capitals in the world by population. Nuuk is in Sermersooq municipality. We moved to Nuuk in September from Ísafjörður, Iceland to pursue my dream of moving to Greenland and living among Greenlanders, and honestly- to live and experience the Inuit culture. We plan to stay here until we leave. ☺

Nuuk. September 2012.

Ok, now that was who – what – where – and when, now the why? I moved and dreamt of moving to Greenland for quite some time now because I caught the Arctic bug. The Arctic bug is a phenomenon you catch and experience when studying and visiting the Arctic. To wind it up: once you get the bug, you cannot get rid of it. You just fall in love with the Arctic. The people, nature, the pros and the cons. Although a trip to Spain and South Africa are lovely, you always end up dreaming of the Arctic. It’s like the title of the movie : I dream of Africa – except instead of Africa, it´s the Arctic. The Arctic bug can take you many places and Alaska and Canada were also among my places of interest, however Greenland won me over.

Icebergs landing at the Colonial Harbor in Nuuk.

There are many reasons for this but I have think the main reason is because it is so similar to Iceland in many ways – and at the same time SO different – fulfilling my need of contrast but at the same time keeping it at a comfortable level. My hometown in Iceland (at least what I call my hometown) is Suðureyri. Suðureyri has a population of approximately 300 people and is a fishing village, and it has given me a lot of understanding of development, rural areas and the hardships that the people and the economy have to go through in such areas. Most importantly, Suðureyri has taught me the love and happiness that comes from living in such an area, and opened my eyes to the opportunities that come with hardships. This understanding that I have learned from Suðureyri plays its part in taking me to Greenland. (I hold Suðureyri dearly to my heart, and I will stop talking about it because it deserves its own post.)

Súgandafjörður - (Súganda-fjord), Iceland.

In my studies in Polar Law, from the University of Akureyri, I caught the Arctic bug and have been affected since. Thankfully. Now I look forward to letting you all experience my experience here in Greenland and follow me on this adventure.