My Internship Adventure at Kelpinor
Hi, my name is Sara, and I am currently working as an intern at Kelpinor while writing my master’s thesis in collaboration with the company. The journey at Kelpinor has been quite a unique experience so I thought I would share it with you. My internship started in August and was supposed to end November 1st, but as of now, I am still here and will be for another few weeks. Hopefully, while reading this post, you might understand why.
Why Kelpinor?
I applied for an internship at Kelpinor because their business aligns perfectly with my passions. I am studying marine sustainability, and my special interests are within ocean resources and sustainable food production. Their vision and focus were a perfect fit, so I had to seize the opportunity.
During my interview for the position, they asked me if I knew where Kelpinor was located, and they did not mean only geographically. I had seen pictures from the island, Sandhornøya, and knew it had an amazing scenery with the open ocean right in front, the majestic mountains in the back, and either the midnight sun or the northern lights right above. But what they wanted to make sure was that I understood that it was quite a remote place, with no coffee shops or clothing stores right around the corner. In fact, the entire island is 103 square kilometers, about a quarter the size of Bergen municipality, the second largest city in Norway. However, it only houses around 150 permanent residents.
I enjoy my own company and love being outdoors, so I was positive it would work out fine. Worst case, I figured, I would only be a little lonely for three months. I would surely survive that. I packed plenty of books, lots of hiking gear, my hammock and camping stove, thinking I would spend a lot of time alone up in the mountains to make time pass by. Little did I know that this adventure was going to be quite the opposite of what I expected it to be. I have still spent a lot of time outside, but not only hiking and camping – and definitely not alone. In fact, I have rarely spent this little time on my own during my entire life.
More than just colleagues
Because of Sandhornøya’s remoteness, Kelpinor decided to build their own community base. This resulted in the construction of “Våg Smart City”, a building housing the entire team of Kelpinor, as well as some employees at another local company, and with available rooms for family and friends to visit. This last part has resulted in us never being left alone, with new people always dropping by for a visit and to experience the amazing surroundings out here.
Although everyone has their own private space, the shared living room “Fjellstua” is the true heart of the building. For the short time I have been here, this room has hosted tons of dinner parties, rounds of board games, and movie nights, making it rarely a lonely or boring moment.
Life in a remote paradise
Living in a remote place like this makes you connect with nature on a different level, and also with the local community. With no shopping malls, cinemas, restaurants, or sports centers around, it forces you to be creative when it comes to spending your time.
Over the past four months, I have discovered (and rediscovered) so many activities. During the last few days of summer, we enjoyed a lot of wakeboarding, beach volleyball, outdoor climbing, fishing, and hiking. With the winter approaching, there have been some rounds of board games, painting, quiz nights, and video games. Even though the polar nights are closing in, we still manage to squeeze in some outdoor activities, as we just started the ski season, and coming up next is ice climbing (which I am certainly a little nervous about).
The local community also plays a big role in making this a great place to stay. Three times a week we join the local floorball team, where players range in age from 21 to above 50. Some of Kelpinor’s team members are also involved in the local pub, helping organize events like pub quiz, Halloween party, and Christmas party.
I realized I have made this place sound like something out of an episode of the Norwegian TV show “Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu”, and that is not exactly the case. There is a one-and-a-half-hour drive to the city of Bodø, or you can take the ferry which only takes 35 minutes! (quite the luxury). There you have all the fancy facilities mentioned above, like cinemas or restaurants, which we of course also take advantage of from time to time when the island life becomes a little too isolated.
A Bittersweet Goodbye (For Now)
I was hesitant to leave this place before I had to, and was lucky to be able to extend my stay for another six weeks. This is now soon coming to an end as well, and I am so grateful for the experiences I have had and the connections I have made. As you can see, the anticipated loneliness never became a reality, quite the opposite. I will be leaving with many first-time experiences, new friends, and the wish to come back soon.
My experience is that at Kelpinor, you’re not just an intern or an employee; you’re part of a community.
