tromsø minus one

Scott, one of the greatest guys on the planet, is leaving Tromsø tomorrow and going to Spain. Even though I'm gonna miss him terribly, I am excited for his next adventure! And I get to see him in MN in December, so that makes me happy. Despite the fact that we went to Luther College together for three years, we didn't really become friends until we both ended up way above the Arctic Circle for two years of grad school and fun. And I'm glad it happened that way.

Have a great time on your next adventure, Scotty. You'll be missed.

murmurs in murmansk, cont.

Murmansk is a pastel city. Most of the buildings are grey, but every once and a while they are pink or light green or baby blue or maybe even pale yellow. Red or orange or any other bright colors can mostly only be found on signs or clothing. Considering that this is a city situated well above the arctic cirlce, the pale colors don't do much to warm up the place. Luckily for us, we arrived on the first day the city turned on the heat. All heating is controlled centrally, so when there have been three days in a row of 32 degrees F the city turns on the heat. The smoke stacks in town were spewing out black smoke. One of the Russian Save the Children employees assured me that the smoke was usually white (which was only mildly comforting to hear.)

Murmansk is beautiful in its paleness and I guess it makes you appreciate human warmth even more. It is a place where I feel particularily reflective and at peace. (Except when driving throught the city center, which is a chaotic experience at best.) Being in Murmansk is, in many ways, like being on a different planet.

And I revere the stoic solemnity of the place.

ok, dad, no more creepy meatball

My dad has informed me that the meatball is too creepy. I still get a kick out of it, but I understand how it might be...well, terrifying to some.

So, here is a new post!

I went to Murmansk, Russia last week. I was there about a year ago, so it was really great to go back and see some of the same kids and people. The highlight of the trip was a visit to school #16 in Abram-Mis where we are working on setting up a cooperation between the school and Save the Children. I will write some more in another post.