One Day : Anne Mari Norheim - Arctic Living
Location : Bleik, Andøya, Norway
Profession / passion : Renovating a house from 1923
Website : n/a
Instagram : @lyckligagatan70
One Day is an ongoing project sparked by the Covid-19. In the days of isolation we would like to focus on what we do best; bringing people together. Read more about the project here.
We will be posting one new day of someones life every day until we run out of contributors. See our instagram stories to experience these peoples One Day in action.
Bleik is a village in the Arctics of Norway, Andøya.
Its the land of northern lights, whales and midnight sun.
It is also the land where the concept of Benk + Bo was born.
If you work with a partner, when and how did you meet?
I am renovating this house with my husband. We met in Trondheim, where he grew up, and I was a student. I always visualised moving back to Bleik as a grown up, but I also considered a move to be difficult due to finding work – and a partner. Luckily my husband was up for an adventure in the north, and we both ended up in professions we love. Me as a manager for the visitor centre, Spaceship Aurora, at Andøya Space Centers and my husband as an advisor for business startups in Egga Utvikling.
What was the most defining moment in your life?
I believe I’ve got several defining moments. One of them, of course, is becoming a parent. It’s a before and after timeline. Another defining moment was deciding to leave our jobs, house and friends in the city, and move to this beautiful, deserted island in the north.
Who do you miss?
My friends in the city. But visiting a couple of times a year, and staying in touch on social media helps. If restaurants, clubs and “city life” was a person, I’d say I miss that too. Our plan was to travel to Trondheim this easter, but Covid-19 wanted it other ways. Hopefully we’ll be able to visit our friends there in the summer.
When was the last time you learned something new and what was it?
Renovating a house is a constant learning process. There are so many things you do for the first time. A lot of our solutions require total reconstruction, but we want the result to be ever-lasting and also keeping in mind the energy efficiency.
Being able to design your home from scratch is a luxury. Living in four different homes with my family the past years has made us realise exactly what we need and appreciate in a home. For example; our house has three floors. So we’ve made a shaft leading down from the bathroom upstairs, to the laundry room in the basement. I love those little life-hacks.
What does freedom mean to you?
Being able to follow your passions. I feel like I’ve gained more freedom after moving to this island. Both economic freedom (our dream house will cost a fourth compared to the city), and the freedom to control time to a bigger extent. It’s a less stressful way of living. There’s never a queue at the grocers or a traffic jam on the way home from work, which for there record takes about 10 minutes.
The original state of the house
Should calm come from within or be facilitated by the environment?
For me, nature is therapy. When I’m stressed at work, or have too many plans, I seek the beach or mountains. Living in Bleik means I can do both just stepping out the door. However, I believe it’s difficult to fully enjoy the environment if you’re not calm within yourself. When I use nature to escape from stress, I must make a deal with myself to let go during the time I’m on a hike. Or else it’s effortless.
Lastly, how do wish to see this current situation have a positive impact on our lives?
It makes me more grateful for the little things in life that I maybe take for granted. Being able to spontaneously drop by my neighbours, hugging, and dancing in a crowd. It’s also nice being able to spend more quality time with my children, although I must say I look forward being able to send them to pre-school and school again.