North Nord
Look more often to the North. Se oftere mot nord.
Go into the wind. Your cheeks will get red. Gå mot vinden, du får rødere kinn.
Find the unbeaten path. Take it. It's shorter. Finn den ulendte stien. Hold den. Den er kortere.
The North is the best. Nord er best.
The flaming sky in winter, Vinterens flammevirvel,
The Sun's miracle of the summer night. sommernattens mirakel.
Go into the wind. Climb the mountain. Gå mot vinden. Klyv berg.
Look North. More often. Se mot nord. Oftere.
This is a long land. Most of it is North. Det er langt dette landet. Det meste er nord.
- Rolf Jacobsen, 1907-1994
Velkommen til Marla Goes North.
In the middle of a pandemic and period of upheaval in the U.S., in March 2021 I made the decision to leave full-time stateside life. Almost 7 months later, with my big red suitcase, yoga mat, guitar and bike in tow, I stepped onto a one-way flight to Norway.
Since then, I’ve worked high in the mountains, hit lows I never saw coming, and embraced everything in between. In the process, I rediscovered the joy of slowing down, the power of community, and a new way of seeing both the world and myself.
These days, you’ll find me on the western coast of Norway in a small village called Skånevik, tucked between Bergen and Stavanger—honing the art of work-life integration, hiking in the mountains, and grabbing the occasional kaffe og skolebolle at the local bakery while I wait for an answer on my application for residency (8 months and counting).
Thank you for stopping by.
— Marla
