Where is it you are going again? Greenland . . . I am going to Greenland.
When inquiring about my upcoming trip, friends and family would consistently blunder asking:
“When do you leave for Iceland . . . Actually, I will be visiting Greenland.”
“Are you excited about going to Finland . . . Umm I am going to Greenland.”
“Wow Ireland is going to be great . . .Yes it would be nice, but so will GREENLAND!”
Why is it so hard to recall Greenland? Why are other countries’ names unknowingly substituted by my American cohorts? Why is this large island just to our north so easily overlooked? I think it is because this unassuming nation, with its naturally spectacular landscape and colorful coastal communities, remains inevitably isolated by its geography and sparse population. (With less than 57,000 people, all of Greenland has a smaller population than Burlington and Rutland combined.) With so few people able to easily advocate and brag about their homeland, Greenland slips under the radar even by its nearest neighbors. Glossy brochures marketing Greenlandic tour packages or top 10 must sees do not fill travel agency file cabinets (if they even exist at all). So, who goes to Greenland? Well, this group for one goes to Greenland – and we could not be more excited.
Converging on Stratton Airbase outside of Albany NY, the JSEP American participants arrive from all four corners of the United States (Hawaii, Oregon, Florida, Vermont) and some from in between (Washington D.C. and Georgia), we prepared for our 6 hour flight aboard an LC-130. The 109th Airlift Wing’s hospitality surpassed any commercial airline carrier with warm breakfast burritos, jovial security guards, chatty airmen, ice-cream sandwiches during the refueling layover, and a self-serve water cooler on board. Strapped into our red webbing seats, five students, three teachers, a dozen or so scientists, and our air force crew headed north to our final destination of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
On our final descent, we dropped below the cloud cover, revealing our first view of this Arctic gem. The long narrow fjord was bound by steep cliffs of patterned gneiss. The runway, ringed by a smattering of vibrant homes and buildings, seemed insignificant within the tundra’s endless backdrop. And in the distance the ever present ice sheet – bejeweled with turquoise lakes – peaked over the smooth, rounded hills.
Exiting onto the tarmac, I squint in the bright evening sun that will not set, straighten my stiff joints, and smile . . . it was as all had speculated, both exciting and great. I had finally arrived in Greenland.
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