Bookstore Owner, Journalist, Ilulissat, Greenland

Greenland is the world's largest island and an autonomous Danish-dependent territory with limited self-government and its own parliament. Denmark contributes two thirds of Greenland's budget revenue, the rest coming mainly from fishing according to the BBC.

Up until 1953 Greenland was a Danish colony, kept as a reservation with hardly any contact with the rest of the world. A move for increasing independence has gradually been taking place since then, with the Home Rule Act of 1979 as a poignant turning point. This act granted autonomy to the Greenlandic Parliament in all areas but foreign and monetary affairs, and remains the situation for roughly 56,000 Greenlanders today.

To an outsider, Ms. Nina Larsen’s recollections of growing up several hundred meters away from the nearest iceberg, rocky wilderness all around and an intricate mix of people and experiences are illuminating. Between the Danish and Greenlandic cultures there aren’t just economic interdependencies but also sharing of the resources both human and natural. Nina, who speaks three languages and grew up in a mixed house hold is an embodiment of optimism and hope of bringing people together. We caught up in the city of Ilulissat, Greenland, in her recently opened bookstore and a coffee shop, while watching icebergs pass by.

1. Name.

My name is Nina Jul Larsen. My middle name means Christmas in Danish. My father was born a day before Christmas and wanted me to carry on the tradition.

2. Where is your hometown?

My hometown is Ilulissat, Greenland. (Population of Ilulissat was 4,541 as of 2013. It is the third-largest city in Greenland, after Nuuk and Sisimiut.)

3. What is your profession/career/title/self-label/designation?

My profession is journalist. I’m a journalist, but I haven´t really worked full-time as a journalist. Currently I am a bookstore / coffee shop owner.

4. What did you study in school?

I studied journalism. 

5. What was the journey like to get where you are (in life and career-wise)? What are some accomplishments you’re most proud of, and what was the turning point to set you on a current path in life?

Well it all started when I was a kid. I used my father’s camera, and created my own news programs. I was the “anchorwoman”. I did the sports and the gossip. My sister reported on the gossip, but since she was too little to read herself, I sat under the table and read out loud, while she pretended to report. The weather report was done based off of living room’s nature paintings.

In high school I still harbored an idea of becoming a journalist, wondering how I would break into the industry. I felt like reporting news was for the “bright people”. I did not understand it when I heard it on TV. Additionally, I felt discouraged after learning that subjects in journalism school would be taught in Greenlandic. My father is Danish and we spoke Danish at home (like many Greenlanders). My communication with friends and schooling was in Danish (with some Greenlandic on the side). I only spoke Greenlandic with my mother. I realized that I wasn’t able to go to the school to study what I was passionate about, as I didn’t know Greenlandic well enough. I then had to figure out other topic of study. I enrolled at the University in Nuuk.

Studying economics was…. in one ear and out the other. It got me thinking and questioning what I was doing there so I packed my things and walked out.

On my way out I decided that if learning a new language was standing between me and my dream, I had to learn Greenlandic. I didn’t care if I cried while doing it, I had to become a journalist!

6. How is your life different from what you pictured at 20?

I thought I would grow taller!! Just kidding. No, I don’t know how I pictured my life, my only goal was not to be dependent on others. To have my own home and have a stable job. I thought I was going to live in different cities in the world, strutting everywhere in high heels. Yet I always knew that I could come back to this city when I wanted to take a deep breath and get centered. Now I’m here for good, living in my hometown of Ilulissat in Greenland.

7. Was there a time when life knocked you down or out and how did you get back up on your feet?

There was a time when life knocked me down and out. I was doing my candidate degree in Denmark, and life got very exciting. I moved from Odense, Denmark to Brussels for six months, and after to Copenhagen where I got involved in a campaign advocating for Greenlandic hunters. In Greenland the hunters actually hunt for food to feed their familieis (especially in the winter). I was very active in my student organisation, which got a lot of good attention that year. I also worked as a media assistant at Visit Greenland.

I loved living in Copenhagen. Until the man who rented me my apartment decided that he wanted the apartment back with a very short notice. He took my deposit. And I stood with nothing. Suddenly it wasn’t fun anymore and I had to live on a couch at various friends’ houses. I thought, it wouldn’t get me anywhere to cry in the corner so I moved back to Greenland and started a new job.

Every life step means a learning process. I started over several times in life, quit jobs because of abusive coworkers, moved around and learned to adapt. What helps me when I get knocked down? Running in the mountains does. During that summer of stress I did a 120 km long run. I started running and hiking because it makes me feel connected to good and pure things in the world.

8. Advice for other women?

Never give up. It doesn’t help anyone to sit in the corner and cry. Show the world that you can! 

9. Knowing what we know now in a current political climate, can women be "all that we can be" in today's world? What is the way forward, as you see it, for "feminist values"?

“All that we can be”, hmm. I thought we could, but after having a baby I changed my view. I am trying to be what I want to be, but it is proving to be very hard.

It must be the easiest job to be a man. We have our periods every month, with pain for some of those days. We have to give birth to children, afterwards breastfeed them because “it is healthier” and who doesn’t want a healthy baby? And then after nine months, this small person is completely dependent on you, for most of its life.

It is a hard job and women all over the world do it unquestionably. They are all superwomen and that is maybe enough.

We are so tough, and we may need to share it with each other, so that we can be all that we can be, with a little support from one another.

10. Where in the world do you feel “tallest” (i.e. where is your happy place)?

To me this question breaks into two:

I feel alive when I know where I’m going. In Copenhagen, I felt freedom walking down a busy street, feeling like I am not alone in this world. I loved the feeling of a busy world around me, a world that you can feel spinning around, with people having places to be and run to. The feeling of aliveness.  

(My happy place) is the place I always feel comfort in, completely the opposite of the former. I feel happy and complete at my parents’ hut, not far from Ilulissat, in Greenland. This is where i go every time I need to get centered. This is where I find peace, where I can breathe. 

11. What extra-curricular activities/hobbies are you most proud of? Why?

One summer I spent out in nature. I ran 120 km in three days, from Nuuk to Kapisillit.

Five days later I hiked for a week from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut. Six days and 160 km in the nature, with 20 kg on my back. It was fantastic.

I think the body is incredible. I find it amazing that I can walk a whole day, sleep exhausted and then wake up and do it all over again. Walking does a lot to your brain. Every step feels like it rinses you brain of negativity, leaving a positive footprint.

12. What do you want to be when you grow up? Future goals/challenges?

Brave enough to do the things I’m afraid of. I’m learning to jump in. To say, “well I can do this!”, and not overthink things. Just do it. Like this summer, I tried diving. It was terrible, but I did it. And I was proud of myself. I want to be brave enough to go on holiday on my own. Its a goal. And I know it is possible.

13. What fears are you still hoping to overcome?

I haven’t really thought about my fears. From the top of my head there is a fear of doing something I’ve never tried before like kayaking or diving. There a fear of standing in front of the camera in a public place, and speaking directly into the camera without getting nervous. Or sitting in a restaurant all by myself. These are my small fears.

There are also big fears, like fear of ending up alone. Or fear that the big iceberg outside my parents’ house may break and their house will disappear. Small fears are okay, because I can overcome them, just by jumping in and doing it. Big fears are just thoughts that I can do nothing about.

14. Anything you'd do differently, if you had another go at life?

I’s so grateful to have the life that I have. I get to do what I set out to do, without any regrets. Sometimes I laugh about a stupid decision and make sure not to make the same mistakes again, but I don’t think that there is anything I would do differently. Every decision I ever made brought me to the person I am today.

15. What inspires you?

Braveness.

16. What are you hopeful about?

I don’t really know. At the moment I’m hopeful about cooperation among people. I am inspired by a hope that we can work together and not compete all the time. In this small town, I think it is definitely needed. We can do so much for this small city, not just for ourselves but for others as well. 

17. What are some ingredients to a good life?

After my daughter was born, the ingredients to a good life became sleep and food!

It is so needed! Lack of sleep does something to your mood; it feels just really bad, all the time. Everything gets harder and crankiness gets turned up. So its sleep and food for me right now!

18. What are (at least) three qualities you most love about yourself and why?

WOW, that is a hard question. Is being a good mother a quality?

I like that I’m a doer. If I want to achieve something, I will find a way. And nothing can stop me. If something doesn’t work and I have to fix it, I won’t stop until its done. Sometimes it gets tiring, but for some strange reason I have to do it. 

I am a lover of order and neatness. But then again I can have a mess too.

Finally, I like to make things comfortable for my self (mentally, emotionally and physically). My theory is if I am set and at an equilibrium, I will have more to give to my child and family. If things are nice and neat in the house, I can relax, play, smile and laugh. I don’t know, are those qualities?

19. What advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

It’s okay to state your opinion. You have a right to be heard.

I think I “hit a lot of walls” doing that period of my life. I often got into trouble by stating my opinion in class. I remember that my teacher had her daughter in my class, and she never had to read out loud. I remember voicing my opinion about this unfairness and suddenly everything was turned upside down. My parent were called in and I was labelled a “troublemaker”. No one ever told me that it was okay to make my voice heard. 

I remember another time I was kicked off the sports team for voicing my opinion about the unfair way some players were treated and got special privileges.

At the time I was very unsure of myself, because I thought that I was somehow misbehaving, when in reality I was just speaking up.  

20. What are you reading now? (what books do you gift most and what are your favourite reads?)

I’m reading a book in Danish called: “Folkets skønhed” by Merete Pryds Helle. Its a book about a family’s history.

I love biographies. They are a wonderful way to learn about how people got to be who they are. It’s a good way to pick up clues and ideas and learn from others’ mistakes.

I love history books. Danish historian Tom Buk-Swienty’s books for example are some of my favourites. In particular his writing about the Second Schleswig War in Denmark (the war of 1864) is outstanding.

I can go on!

My favorite book is a book called “Det lykkelige Arabien” its about a Danish expedition to the Middle East in 1761. It is so well detailed that it makes you feel like you are on that ship, on camels, exploring with the adventurers. 

21. Who is a WOW Woman in your world who inspires you and why? Can you nominate three (or more) women you know who perfectly fit WOW WOMAN description? What would you tell them, if you had an opportunity, why you admire them?

I really admire a woman from Nuuk. I don’t know if she knows me but I sure think she is incredible. Her name is Mira Kleist and she has done a lot of wow things in my opinion. She speak Greenlandic fluently. She translated the Little Prince into Greenlandic, such a wonderful achievement. She created a workshop at the United Nations highlighting Greenlandic indigenous issues in New York! That is really WOW! She is a role model in Greenland. She is an example that you can get anywhere you want if you want it bad enough. 

The next woman lives in Nuuk but originally is from Ilulissat. Her name is Heidi Skov and she is a pilot. She is the bravest woman I know. She has done so many things that I find inspiring. She hiked from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut (160 km) followed by a kayak to Ilulissat from Sisimiut. She completed an Arctic Circle Race. She is a MOTHER! The connection between her and her son is amazing, the way they talk to each other, their mutual understanding. I hope I will get the same connection to my own daughter one day. 

The third woman is Avaruna Mathæussen. She is from a small village here in Greenland, but lives in Denmark now. She is maybe 10 years younger than me. She studies medicine and just finished her masters degree in medicine. She is an inspiration for many Greenlandic women. It is hard work that matters at the end and not where you are from. She is proof that no matter how hard your life has been you can still reach your goals.

22. Where can others find you/your work (links to websites, blogs, etc.)?

I don’t have a website yet. I do have a Facebook page and you can find me @booksandcoffee_ilulissat on Instagram. My personal page is my name on both Facebook and Instagram.

Photos by Olga Shmaidenko