I have now been at the Seal Centre for a whole year (March 1st). The first time was rather tough: new situations, new country, new most everything. But as time goes by, things settled and my firm decision to quit after half a year changed to a firm decision to quit after one year. Now it has changed to a firm decision to quit after three years.

My first acquaintance with Iceland was three horrible winter storms in March last year. I got stuck with my car twice when I tried to go to Akureyri. That was a real experience since I have never got stuck in Sweden due to snow even if I have grown up in the north of Sweden with lots of snow and degrees up to minus 40.  This January has also been an experience since it has been the „hottest“ January in my entire life. It has been great, actually. And in Sweden, they have a couple of meters with snow. And when I talked to my former colleagues on Bornholm in Denmark, they tell me that they have been isolated for a week due to snow and storm. My old working place consists of two buildings but they can now use just one since the other one is covered by snow and they cannot find the door. They tell me that they will compete for next Winter Olympics.

NORA has said yes to an application by me for a project called „Tillbakaflyttare“ or back movers. I will check the motives for people moving back to their native settlements. Hopefully, some of the motives are positive and useful for the politicians when promoting the municipality to the rest of the world, hoping for more in movers. The localities I will investigate are Patreksfjörður, Húnaþing vestra, Siglufjörður and Vopnafjörður. None of these municipalities have been known for great increase in population but those who, despite that, anyway move back may have interesting motives.

The Wild North project is moving forward and I try to present the project at as many places as possible. Together with Sandra and Hrafnhildur we try to explain the project and  give the Seal Centre the reputation it certainly is worthy of.

My wife Lena is going to Sweden now and she will dig out the car from the snow so I can use when I come to Sweden in the middle of March. And with the first Norröna arrival after Easter, I will bring the car to Iceland again.

I will of course give a detailed description of that journey later on.

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