In our blog series “Making Lapland My Home” we share stories from people who have found their homes in Lapland.
Moving to Lapland
Although Lapland is known as a popular tourist destination in Finland, locally migration from Lapland has diverted already for decades. Nonetheless, in recent years the pattern has taken a turn for the better as the municipalities of Lapland have been pleasantly surprised by the slightly positive increase in new residents. To many, Lapland as a place of residence is an attractive yet a complicated alternative. Untouched nature, tranquility and freedom to roam are the absolute selling points for the northern gem. However, moving to Lapland is still mostly avoided due to limited job opportunities. In the small municipalities of Lapland, it is often important to be prepared to do flexible work that does not necessarily correspond to either one’s education or wage claim. This is one of the reasons why seasonal work is especially popular in Lapland.
Forever homes in Muonio
Moving to a new city or an unknown area can be quite overwhelming as such but moving beyond the Arctic Circle all by yourself is definitely something else. Deciding on where you want to live is one of the biggest decisions in life. Especially if you’re planning on relocating hundreds of kilometres north where the sun doesn’t rise for almost a month during the winter. Sanna and Marika decided to defy the prospects of the cold and remote North and eventually found their forever homes in Muonio, in Fell Lapland.
Why Lapland and Muonio?
15 years ago in 2005, already knowing something about Lapland, but nothing about Muonio, Sanna received a job offer from a local tourism company Harriniva in Muonio to work in their sales team. Originally from Eastern-Finland, Sanna was in for a big life change. However, Lapland was not completely unknown to her, as she had worked as a seasonal worker in Levi, Finland’s largest winter sports center, for three previous winter seasons. Before the pandemic, the growth of tourism in Lapland was very strong. Employment opportunities in the tourism sector during the high (winter) season were very good and local companies even suffered from a shortage of capable employees. It was the prospect of potential employment that also brought Marika to Muonio. In 2012, Marika, originally from South of Finland, arrived to complete her internship also with the local company Harriniva. She ended up finding love and never left.
“If you are dreaming of moving to Lapland, what are you waiting for?”
Although work was perhaps their first reason and motivator to move to Lapland, it wasn’t the only reason for these women to stay. When asked about the reasons for staying in Lapland, they refer to it as love at first sight. They feel that Lapland provides them with all the necessary facilities to do what they love to do. Sanna and Marika, who both work in the tourism industry, are avid outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy both short and long outdoor adventures in the nature. They praise Muonio for its nature trails which are numerous in quantity and suitable for all levels of hikers and wanderers. The women’s tourism industry experience is also reflected in their free time as they often end up sharing their tips on outdoor adventure possibilities with their friends as well. In the fall of 2020, Sanna and Marika found that their experience gained from exploring the arctic nature would be helpful to share with a larger audience as well. A blog Tyväret tunturissa was born. In their blog the women share their adventures in the local outdoors and entertain their readers with beautiful photos and stories from their Lappish explorations.
Connected to the Lappish wilderness
For Marika, exploring the wild outdoors and nature has always been a big part of her life. Whether hiking with a dog, adventures on horseback, berry picking in the woods, fishing or just wandering outdoors, she has always enjoyed the beauty of nature. The professional wilderness guide points out that in Lapland you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to experience the wonders of nature. You can often witness the dance of the northern lights from your home terrace. With also professional background as a wilderness guide, Sanna too enjoys discovering the old and new spectacles of the arctic outdoors and feels that there is always something new to learn about camping and nature. She especially enjoys skiing in the winter. In a study about migration in Lapland published in 2017 by Regional Council of Lapland, it was identified that barriers to moving in Lapland included beliefs related to the living environment, such as poor access to services, long distances and challenging natural conditions. Sanna and Marika certainly do not agree with these beliefs.
“We feel like this is our home”
Although Muonio is a really small municipality with only about 3,000 inhabitants, Marika and Sanna feel that they have everything they need. They don’t miss the hustle and bustle of bigger cities: “We feel like this is our home”. According to the ladies, the main challenges about living in Lapland relate to the current pandemic. The past six months have been very difficult for the local companies and the current unpredictable atmosphere has also put Sanna and Marika’s field of work at high risk. The pandemic has posed a real threat to tourism in Lapland. Both women acknowledge that the most challenging part at the moment is to keep Lapland alive so that they (and many others) can continue living in a place they love so dearly. Despite the challenges, Marika and Sanna both encourage people to be bold and take the leap of moving to Lapland. The women assure that the surrounding arctic, fragile nature and the people of Lapland are something that everyone should experience first hand. After close to a decade of living in Lapland, they are convinced that they will live in Lapland for a long time to come.
~ Go follow Sanna and Marika from Tyväret Tunturissa on instagram ~
