SEC-S14W1 | If you win $10K: Where'd you plan to travel? | Lapland

Hello dear friends of the community. I am delighted to participate in this contest and share my dreams with you.

A dream that has accompanied me for many years, and that I would immediately fulfill if I won ten thousand dollars, is to visit Lapland, the geographical region with vast expanses and majestic, untouched nature, the homeland of the Sámi people and their herds of reindeer. Since I was a child, I have always been fascinated by Nordic landscapes, with snow so crystalline it looks like sugar and towering spruces resembling giants of the forest, ready to come to life at any moment to reveal the countless secrets they guard.

Immagine di Freepik

Who knows how many conversations they have overheard and how many stories they have witnessed in their imperturbable majesty, both from humans and animals moving through these boundless spaces interrupted only by lakes and mountains that seem to have stepped out of a fantasy book. I have always wanted to experience a place where for miles and miles, there is no sign of human life, where I could feel how small I am in the face of the grandeur of our planet, hearing only the sounds of nature and not even the noise of a car or human activity: to experience an untouched natural space and understand what the Earth might have been like before the appearance of humans. For me, Lapland is the realm of fairy tales, populated by magnificent animals and perhaps enchanted creatures like fairies, gnomes, elves, dragons, and where even the sky is enchanted: in summer, the sun never sets, offering colors ranging from intense blue to pink, while in winter, it is always night, and only the light of the moon and stars illuminates the long Arctic nights. My journey to Lapland must absolutely include getting to know the Sámi people and their culture. I would like to discover all their survival techniques in this desolate and cold land; I want to learn to build a tent like they do, understand the materials and elements that make up their traditional costumes and why it is so functional in that climate. I want to know how they raise reindeer and taste the meat of these animals, so essential to the lives of the Sámi, as well as the lichens and other plants they consume.

Immagine di rawpixel.com su Freepik

Then I would like to learn a few words of their language and learn from them how to live in symbiosis with the land and the natural resources it offers. I would also like to participate in an Arctic safari and experience ice fishing, then sit around the fire to cook and eat the caught fish while admiring the stars. Another experience I would like to have is a dogsled excursion. I can't imagine how fast they can go and how much they can endure, but I can imagine the exhilaration and freedom one can feel while running in the untouched nature and feeling their vital strength under my feet, a wild but wise and reliable force, as only a dog can be with us humans. At the end of the day, I would sleep in a wooden cottage, perceiving the scent of spruces and the smell of moss, feeling the crackling and warmth of the fires contrasting with the biting and invigorating cold. The only person I would want to accompany me on this adventure is my husband because he could appreciate direct contact with nature, without any pretense about food or the comforts that a luxury hotel might offer, but giving value to these beautiful human experiences. This journey would be an opportunity for me to test my resilience and adaptability to low temperatures, to live in close contact with nature without all the comforts we are accustomed to; it would be an opportunity to build a closer relationship with animals and to learn about Sámi culture, which fascinates me for its ancient origins and how these people have managed to survive in these remote places. I would return home without my ten thousand dollars but immensely richer and happier in my soul than when I left, full of memories, photographs, stories to tell, and perhaps with a hint of nostalgia and the desire to live forever among the Sámi.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to describe a dream and for reading my post. I hope that everyone who participated can realize the journey of their dreams and share it with the real and virtual world! See you soon!