She is the first woman in a series of articles about unusual people, and she is amazing. She lives with the slogan: "50 years old is the age of happiness", and keeps on to collect and preserve traditions of the small nation. She is teaching us that we can find our destination in any age, for that enough to be a free from material stuff, believe in your strength and don't be afraid of tomorrow.
Galya Morrell – the author of social projects, the organizer and the participant of polar expeditions, photographer, artist, journalist, traveler. She dances on the ice, works in the jungles of India, floats in an open boat in the ocean among the icebergs and polar bears, helping the orphans.
Galina was born in USSR in a wealthy family in 1961. Since 17 years worked as a correspondent in the newspaper "Pravda". Worked there for 13 years, wrote about polar life. First husband (a famous scientist) went to France in the 90s. Galina decided to stay at home with two children. A few years later she met an American fighter pilot, and left Russia to America. Her new husband already had four children from his first marriage, Galina became the mother of 6 kids. She lived 25 years in New-York, but traveled the world with her husband (in his work), plunged into mother role, was happy to "attend" school with the kids, doing together homework, opening a new world for herself and the children. She thought that the main in the upbringing of children - to teach them to live.
When she went with her husband to India, Galina left children in a boarding school, located in the jungle. Boarding was organized by her friend for children whose parents will never get out of prison – it was the children of most notorious criminals.
“My children, who had all played various musical instruments by that time, were thinking that they will arrive in such a place where children are sad and bad, who had a miserable childhood, and will arrange various activities for them, will teach them to play the piano, flute, cello, etc. But happened the opposite. These wise children-orphans with the insanely terrible fate had taught my children”
When Galina brought her kids to a boarding school in the yard lay a huge cobra. Her children were frightened and began asking to go back at home. So the first lesson that children of the orphanage gave to her kids, was pushing them to the Cobra. They said that Cobra will not do anything if not to touch her and not be afraid. She lives here and doesn't want to hurt anybody, you just need to love her. Another lesson is related with the food. There was very scarce selection of the products. They collected every crumb from the table. Of course, they learned to appreciate the food. And these lessons were many.
Over time, the relationship with her husband began to fade, they saw each other very rarely, because he went into business, the children grew up and left home, she was left alone in her apartment in New York. She divorced. In 50 years, Galya has decided to return to Arctic, a few years later she met OLE.
Eskimo Ole Jorgen Hammeken- the lawyer, Greenlandic explorer and adventurer. With Ole in a small open boat, they crossed 4000 km through Arctic ocean. The boat was tiny, no toilet, no heating system. Galya and Ole slept on the bottom of the boat with the gas cans, bathed in the icy seawater. They lived together for two months.
Their goal was to reach the most remote settlements of the Eskimos, who were almost inaccessible, and because of this, they have kept unchanged the old ways and traditions of life. it was only the one way to get to these settlements completely detached from the modern world, on a small boat and only during certain times of the year. After this trip they realized that were made for each other.
Oli and Galya live like eskimo hunters. The first gift that Ole made for her was round knife "Ulu" with bone handle. With this knife eskimo’s wife builds solid snow house. Also she carves the seal with this knife. It is a woman's employment. Galina entered in a period of extreme Arctic expeditions. Here is a small excerpts of her impressions.
"We walk around in animal skins and hunt with spears. We drink hot blood, and sometimes not washed for months. A third of the year we have night, in the other third- day, and all the rest – twilight."
One of the first projects Galina's is the "dancing on ice". She's dancing in a dress, barefoot in -35°C. Sometimes she stumbles and falls into the icy water...
"If you have survived in the first 7 minutes when you feel a horrible pain, you will feel the heavenly bliss."
Galina visited Chukotka, Alaska, Yakutia. She finds a dying Inuit villages, collects their stories and legends, arranges musical performances, circus performances, she uses drifting ice as scenes and involving local residents in these views. With Ole they founded the "Cultural Expedition Avannaa". The goal of the expedition — is help to creative people living in isolated settlements, and combat with the epidemic of suicides among teenagers in Northern settlements.
Galina Morrell like the North and she is grateful for all changes in her life. She learned to appreciate every moment and be very patient.
"Greenland learned me to everything. To go on thin ice and not fall through. To live long without food. Not to freeze, not to complain. Not to look at the world through the glasses of stereotypes"
She photographs dances on a little camera that mounts on a small tripod. Returning from another trip, she arranges exhibitions of her photos, and thus attracts sponsors for future trips.
My purpose as an artist is working with children who live in isolation from the world and forget about how they are rich in fact, to show them their inner world, and help them to know themselves and love.
I enter into the each new stage of life without tragedies and try to live it as best as i can. I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow. I never plan, I just try to do my job honestly, good and invest all of myself without reserve.
Follow People
People #1: Anthony Ervin.
People #2: James Hunt.
People #3: Kevin Carter.