#ccstaycation Kathryn from Greenland

Hello (Allu)

My name is Katy Joelsen and I've been a member of Cotton Cuts for over two years now. I wanted to participate in the #ccstaycation fun to tell you more about who I am and where I currently reside. I'm a navy brat born in Charleston, SC but raised in Florida. I love Florida and I never thought there'd be a day I would leave it. I used to say I would never move away from Florida but things change as a person ages and the things that happen in life.

I'm a mother of three beautiful children whom I love more than life. They have been a joy in my life even when we all were left with wreckage from the suicide of their father after 21 years of marriage. It was hard during that time having to pick up the pieces along with helping my children get through such a rough patch in their lives. My oldest daughter was just entering adulthood while the other two were in their last year of high school. We all have made it through for the most part but during that time I had decided that I wouldn't ever let another man treat me badly or make me feel I wasn't good enough ever again. I thought that I would be alone after that and at the time it was okay too. It was strange being responsible for just myself. My youngest daughter went into the Navy and she served four years. I think it was what she needed at the time.

In 2009 something happened I never thought would. I got a second chance to finally feel loved and to find peace and happiness. Up until then, life had always been hard and a struggle. Then the light of my heart came into my life. It was unexpected and neither of us was looking for love at the time but we had an 8 year long online friendship that ended up bringing us together. Out of the blue in 2009 he told me he was coming to Florida for vacation and wanted to know if I'd like to show him some of my state. He was going to be in Florida for two weeks and I said sure why not. So when I drove two hours south and pulled up to the hotel he came walking out at the same time. When we hugged something happened that both of us didn't expect. It was like we were meant to meet. We clicked. We sat up all night like two teenagers laughing and talking and asking questions. The two weeks we spent together was fantastic. He is an exceptional human being. Oh I forgot to mention, he is a Greenlander from the country of Greenland. When he left I felt so sad because it took a piece of me with him. Funny how life does things at the right time too.

In 2010 he came back and spent another six weeks with me and we had a great time together. During that time he asked me to marry him and I took a leap of faith and said yes! We had a great time again and then of course he had to return back to Greenland. My heart light works for a big fishing company. He works on a factory shrimp trawler that takes him to sea for weeks at a time. Later in 2010 I flew to Greenland. It was my first time flying over the ocean and going to another country. It was scary but I was just so excited that I would get to be with my heart light again. I flew into Greenland in the middle of December and stayed till mid January 2011. We did this so that we could see how my lungs (asthma) would react to winter. The strangest thing happened. My asthma hardly bothered me. It was truly amazing not having to fight to breathe like I did during the winter months in North Florida.

In January instead of waiting till later in the year we did a thing. We got married on January 2nd 2011! Of course then we had to decide on how we would accomplish getting me moved to Greenland. It made more sense for me to migrate than for him.

So I moved from Florida to Qaqortoq Greenland. I had to find homes for my four horses and one dog and I brought the other dog with me.

When I moved here it was like starting all over again from scratch. My heart light (Nikolaj) owned his own house so that made things easier. I had a lot to learn living in Greenland. Learning to read food labels that were in Danish. That was hard to start with. Now it's no big deal. :) Speaking of food. I had never eaten duck or reindeer or whale meat or salmon until I moved here. Reindeer is so tender and duck is tasty and I've grown to love salmon too.

It wasn't easy, to begin with. I was at a disadvantage relating to language. My husband speaks Greenlandic, Danish and English fluently so most of the time we didn't have as big of a language barrier struggle. The first couple of years I got beat up quite a bit with struggling to communicate but as time has gone by it has become easier and easier to talk to people here in Qaqortoq. Greenlanders are the nicest group of people you could ever meet. They love their country, they love nature, they love each other and they smile and laugh a lot and have a good sense of humor. I have learned a bit of Greenlandic and I can read quite a bit of Danish and I haven't had to sacrifice too much of my English in the process. I hope one day that I can speak more Greenlandic than I do though. I have found peace here.

This beautiful place has helped to heal my hurt heart too. I contribute the healing to nature and to my “heart light”. He is the most giving person and he shows affection without ever having to ask for it. I love him so much and the longer we are together the deeper our love gets. When we went to California in 2018 he finally got to meet my youngest daughter. He had already met the other two but Kriston was in Japan when we got married so they hadn't met until almost 8 years later.

So about me:

I have been a gardener since the age of 11 years old. My aunt from my dad's side introduced me to plants along with the skill of crocheting. I also love taking photographs of any and everything that catches my eyes. I can also sew since my teenage years and used to make my own clothes during that time. I love music from the '80s along with rock and roll, pop and some hard rock. I like most music with an exception to a couple I won't mention here. So the first couple of years I didn't know what to do with myself. I didn't have a job, and I realized that my horses took up a lot of my time. In fact, I was racing one of them along with constantly riding him on trails.

So what I decided to do was pick back up on crocheting along with finding a way to garden inside my house. My skill set for crocheting was minimal but it didn't take me long to learn new skills, become friends with others in our world who shared the love of crocheting and I truly have benefited in this skill in so many ways.

Mandala Madness was a year-long endeavor in a group with people from all over the world. I stalled out about mid-summer because I was outside growing my first ever garden in South Greenland. Because of that, I didn't spend much time crocheting during that time frame. I did take time to take more sunset photographs which contributed to my using more colors especially the warmer colors in my mandala.

It has kept my busy during the times my heart light was at sea. I began to accumulate plants over the years too. Gardening is part of me. It comes from deep inside me I think and I couldn't imagine not ever having green things in my life. It brings me such peace and harmony.

The next thing I spent a lot of time doing was taking photographs of this beautiful magical place. I can't even begin to put into words what it's like seeing nature in all it's perfect beautiful glory. I can only document it through the lens of a camera. My husband and I have gone to the ice cap many times but the thing I love taking photo's of the most is icebergs.

Icebergs come in every shape imaginable along with the purest of whites, blues and even some will have black bands in between the white and blue. That is caused by forest fires which give off soot that is carried by trade winds from other places on our planet.

In the spring/summer months we also get lots of color too. Icebergs begin floating between May to June down the fjords. I call it the iceberg parade because every day there is always something different. Here are some examples of color!

I'm so in love with color. It comes in so many shades and hues and colors. It truly amazes me how nature can produce such beautiful things in so many colors. Pure perfection at it's best. Every time I think I've seen all the colors there is, I come across yet another color like this salmon colored Arctic Poppy.

Because of all the colors here, my crocheting and learning to make quilt tops have been created because of color and how I see them in my eyes. Most of the time I use what I feel to use at that moment in time.

Here's one example:

Last but not least, our two four-legged kids. I have had dogs most of my life and I'm glad I can have them even here. Keeps me company while my “heart light” is at sea. :)

This past August 2020 was my 9 year of residency anniversary here in Greenland. I do not regret the choice to make such a life here with Nikolaj. It has been worth it all the way around. My life is far richer and more meaningful because of it. It has been a healing place too. My husband is so good and as I said above he's an outstanding human being. I'm so lucky to be in his life. On another note: My children have been busy having families of there own. We now have three granddaughters and one grandson. They are so beautiful. I can't wait to meet the newest one (number 4 grandchild (number three granddaughter) who was born this past June) but because of the pandemic, I can't travel until it's completely eradicated. It hurts my heart not being able to go and see them but in time this will pass so that I can go and be with all of them again. We both are looking forward to seeing our growing family again.

About Qaqortoq, Greenland

This town is 60 Degrees North. That means we are south of the Arctic Circle. Out weather conditions here are considered to be subarctic in nature. During the height of the winter months, we get about 2-3 hours of daylight while the rest of the hours are in darkness. During the height of summer, we get 22 hours of daylight. Another thing you might not know is how the sun moves here in the Arctic. When I lived in Florida, the sun would rise in the east and set in the west and most of the time I could tell you what time it was based on where the sun was. Here the sun moves more in a circle at a 45 degree angle more or less best guessing on that. So it teases me because I can never tell you what time of the day or night it is. During the summer months, because I didn't know what time it was, it wouldn't be unheard of to find me down at the harbor taking photographs at 12:30am.

The population is around 3800. There are no roads or trains that connect towns, villages or city to each other. In order for me to leave Qaqortoq, it requires a helicopter ride to a small airport. There a person would board a prop passenger plane to take the next leg of the flight to a bigger airport. Then a person would get on a huge passenger jet to fly to Denmark. Most of the indigenous seem to use the passenger ship that is in operation during the months starting in March to December. Mostly it depends on if there is ice blocking entrances into fjords where those of us who live in smaller towns or villages.

The mother language is Greenlandic, the Second language is Danish and English is introduced in fifth grade although many don't bother to learn it. I think over time that may change to where English could possibly become a second language due to the fact this country wants to open up more to the world relating to tourism.

Best place to eat out here currently: Hotel cafe

Best place to eat food is actually in nature if you have a chance to go out on a boat.

Indigenous foods: Reindeer, Cod, Salmon, Monkfish, Redfish, Tiger fish, Halibut, shrimp, Whale meat, Seal, Mountain bird (grouse) Agba (another type of bird) Duck, Lamb, and a variety of other assorted seafood caught while out fishing.

Best Places to visit in Greenland: Everywhere but I'll mention a few.

Ilulissat – During the months of July and August – the best place to see skyscraper-sized icebergs and whales

Disco Bay – Same as above

South Greenland which covers Qaqortoq, Uunartoq (hot springs) Viking Ruins and Icecap at different locations.

Prince William Sound – You will not be disappointed if you sail through this area. It's gorgeous!

Interesting Facts:

Qaqortoq – Open-Air Art Museum (Stone and Man)

The USA had Greenland in its protection during WWII due to Nazi occupation of Denmark

Vikings lived in South Greenland for about five hundred Years

Greenland is the worlds largest Island. Greenland is also home to the largest nature preserve.

Icecap that covers Greenland is over two miles thick and covers about 80% of the Island

Come back next week for another #ccstaycation feature!