Looking for Greeks in the most remote corners of the planet, we found on Instagram the account of a Greek woman in Greenland. Snow, glaciers and vivid photos of frozen landscapes fill the wall of the page that has travelled us, even mentally, to one of the planet's most fascinating and remote corners.
Wasting no time, Travel immediately contacted Ioanna Mavrokefalidou, who is now in Denmark and happily agreed to describe her life in Greenland.
Ioanna moved to Greenland, one of the coldest corners of the planet, to live and work. The island is remote and semi-autonomous, and has been officially Danish territory since 1814.
Starting the conversation with Ioanna, we initially asked her the obvious why she was in Greenland. Ioanna, said: "I decided to move to the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, to work as a social worker. There, I worked with abused children aged 0-8."
But then the question arises in our mind and we ask Joanna what was the moment when she heard that she will have to move to Greenland.
“It was my decision to move to Greenland and, to be honest, my decision was completely spontaneous. I wanted to live in a completely different country, meet new people, a new culture and Greenland was the perfect choice for me.
"When I passed the interview and was told that I could move to Greenland, I was really excited and couldn't wait to see the Northern Lights that I had always dreamed of. I lived in Greenland for a total of 2 and a half years," answered Ioanna.
We ask what she thought of the country before moving, and Ioanna answers: "In general, I imagined Greenland to be a more isolated country. Which is not the case. I imagined that I would feel trapped and alone in a remote country, but on the contrary. There was not a single moment when I felt alone."
"So when you arrive in Greenland, what's the first thing you see when you set foot there?", we ask Ioanna.
"When I arrived in Greenland, the first place I saw was the country's main airport, Kangerlussuaq, just 35 kilometres from the glaciers. When I got off the plane, I felt like it was the first time in my life that I was breathing fresh air and, of course, I felt the cold air on my face!”, said Ioanna, among other things.
Regarding life in Greenland and the differences from the European way of life, Ioanna emphasises that: "Life in Greenland is simpler and the citizens of the country are very social and pure. I met pleasant and warm people who are always ready to help anyone who needs help."
"Although Greenland is a cold and remote country, you will not feel alone, unlike in Denmark, where life is more lonely and people are more isolated."
Towards the end, we ask Ioanna what was the most exciting place she saw in Greenland and, of course, she answers that: "The most exciting landscape I saw in Greenland was the glaciers in Ilulissat."
While as for what she would say to someone who wanted to experience Greenland, Joanna says: "Greenland is an experience of a lifetime and if anyone is thinking of living there, I highly recommend it, especially if you love nature!"
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