It was about 2 PM. Me and the rest of the group of hopeful travellers had just arrived at the place where we would spend the next four days in the Arctic.
The sun was at its highest point — it ever so slightly sneak-peaked over the horizon and coloured the sky the softest shade of peach-blue. Me and the other travellers got out of the mini-van and the sharp cold air instantly entered our lungs. In a way, it was a very unique experience. I don’t think I’ve ever had such clean and fresh cold air fill my lungs, so they were definitely pleasantly surprised — almost like they woke up from a long slumber, (city pollution will do that to you…)
Once we unloaded the car and got our luggage, we entered the Arc. That was the name of the place where we were supposed to be staying. Very fitting, considering its purpose was to shelter its visitors from the harsh conditions of the outside world and keep them warm and safe. It was also uniquely shaped as an arc too, so that worked perfectly.
The Arc was owned by a young family of four: a married couple, their toddler and tiny senior king charles spaniel. Not only did they host the visitors, but also guided them around Teriberka, showing the best things that place could offer — the husband was local to the area, he was born and raised in that village, worked as a sailor and at one point decided that he wants to show others what Teriberka has to offer. And that it can also be a beautiful and fun traveling experience compared to more southern destinations.
He told me that getting even a five year permit to build on that land is very difficult due to some industrial plans the city government has for that region unfortunately.
Teriberka might be completely different in five years, who knows. So the built the Arc on wheels, like the one in the stories, and the situation requires, it might have to find a new place to call home.
But it hasn’t happened yet. And we tried to enjoy it. Given that it was already 2 PM we knew we had about one-two hours at best before it got dark again. We ate the welcomed dinner that the family made for us and ate together, sharing stories, learning about each other. A young girl, who just turned 20, who saved up all her money she made working a part-time job at a store to get on a train and go on a two-day journey to get to Teriberka. Young newlyweds, who couldn’t go on a honeymoon due to a family tragedy, hoping to create new memories. An old couple, who both have suffered major health problems because of the pandemic few years ago, finally recovered and were ready for their next adventure. “Probably our last”, — they joked. But in a way it was inspiring, they cherished each moment and opportunity. And it was beautiful. So many different people who just met, from different backgrounds, with different stories, united with one small dream that lead them here.
After we ate dinner, we quickly got ready to move out on our first short adventure. Wearing multiple layers of clothes, socks, gloves and face cream (so our faces didn’t peal off), we headed to the beach where the giant skeleton of a whale still lays. If you’ve ever seen the film Leviathan, that’s where it’s been shot. It was already pitch black at that point, so we could really see much without torchlights. But it was truly magnificent. I couldn’t take any pictures there, because my hands were too cold to figure out the best settings for that kind of light on my camera.
I started to feel my feet freezing too. Luckily our next stop was an old abandoned school. The population of Teriberka has decreased dramatically over the years, so there was only one functioning school for all ages, that also serves as a local community centre where the local celebrities — a band of babushkas (grandmas) — has concerts every Sunday, where they sing traditional Sami songs. The rest of the schools have been abandoned as the one we visited. It turned into an art object in a way, with people leaving their artworks on the wall, sometimes — political statements of disagreement and disapproval. It is possibly the safest place to show frustration and anger to be honest.
As we were done walking around the school ruins, we were ready to head back. And on our way we suddenly got by very unusual bodyguards — the local huskies, the friendliest and cutest fluff-balls decided they would lead us to our home, insuring our safety. They were extremely social and very used to humans, so I even got to cuddle one! As we were walking, they would go in front of us, always stopping and looking back to make sure we were following.
We entered the Arc, greeted with warmth. After such an eventful day me and the other travelers decided to sit in the main room, have tea and relax a bit.
Soon people started going each into their own rooms and getting ready to sleep. So did I. We didn’t know then what was going to happen just in a few hours.