It is said that the Sami have more than 300 words for snow and ice. Heavy snow, new snow, sleet… But as a half Sami, he does not know them, not yet. He gazes out from the peak where he stands against the white mountain tops and green pine forests. He takes a deep breath and feels the cold air in his lungs. The snow falls softly and lands his shoulders. With a smile he looks up towards the sky and thanks Mother Earth for being on his side.
It has taken him a long time to get here, to finally be free. He never would have guessed the he would end up here, never. His mother’s roots were never something that interested him, even less when his family pointed out how much he looked like a real Sami. He did not want to be different, he wanted to be like everyone else: ‘normal’.
His aunt and uncle had welcomed him with open arms the day he knocked on their door. They had regular jobs like most other Sami, but always needed help with their reindeer’s.
The first night he arrived, one of the women in the village had joiked in front of a campfire. It had been a magical moment he would never forget; the moment when he finally found home.