Are we having KIDS? How long can you live on Svalbard? Answering ALL your Q's!

if hello everyone it's been a while  since we did a q a welcome to a new   q a we asked our patrons on patreon to ask us  questions to answer and we have 83 questions   so we're gonna do our best and answer as many  questions as we can and try to not repeat   questions from before but I don't think we're  going to be able to get through 83 questions   hello and welcome everyone before we get started  I thought I would do a quick introduction to who   we are and where we are if you haven't been  on my channel before hello and welcome if   you have been here before welcome back my name  is Cecilia and this is Christopher and Grimm   and we live on svalbard an island close to the  North Pole we've lived in this cabin for almost   three years now and I work full-time as a content  creator and Christopher Works full-time with me   I have lived on svalbard for almost over seven  years now and Christopher for more than 10. so   welcome to our magical world here on svalbard Andy  Corson what do you love about living in svalbard   probably everything it's super difficult to say about it you know  quiet nice nice nature is about nature in a way   we live with the nature and it's probably that's  why we live here so I think everything is a really   good answer because it's the whole point yeah  if you live here you live here because you love   everything because if you don't there's it's  too much that could make it bad you know what I   mean if you don't like the polar night it's three  months that you're gonna have to do something else   if you don't like the sunshine it's four months  you know you really have to kind of appreciate   everything about swall bar to live here and  love it I think yeah and if you don't like like   nature like if you don't like snowmobiling  or boating or whatever it is like hunting   it's difficult to find anything to do up here  I think it is that life you live here 100 Hobart and we do there are Halloween parties  some of the bars have Halloween parties uh   kids go trick-or-treating the thing is  in Scandinavia we celebrate Halloween   kind of like a light version of America  because that's probably where we got it   from so it's trick-or-treating it  is dressing up people have parties   but that's about it but you will definitely see  oh we get pumpkins at the store so yeah it's like   just like the mainland but a lighter version  but the kids go trick-or-treating Eva asks uh   are there any resources resources to make polar  night and Midnight Sun more bearable for those   who don't have the chance to leave the island for  example little kids older folks and I think this   one is you have to remember we don't live here  to leave when it gets difficult because it's not   a difficult season everybody waits for the summer  because that's when you have hiking you have Boat   summer we don't live here to leave just because  it gets dark we live here to enjoy all seasons I   don't think I know anybody who leaves during polar  nights it's not a thing we still have jobs to do   they're all around you know you have to go to  work many people take it as a like relaxing time sleep I can look TV and relax yeah and for kids  I don't think they really care about what's going   on I haven't heard that there's anything more  difficult about polar night than before and   also we don't have older folks we don't have  you know old people's homes or anything like   that you live here up until you can take care of  yourself and then when you can't you have to go   to the mainland it's a law so it's we don't think  anything is unbearable you know the darkness is a   cozy time in itself the Midnight Sun is a period  of a lot of daylight where you can do a lot of   fun stuff is it a bit difficult sometimes 100  but just it's just the way it is you know but   there are a lot of activities always in the  village there's always something you can do   to meet people and I think that's when our  village is really good is there a place on   or around svalbard that you and Christopher  would like to visit but have not yet been to many places it would be nice to go over I think  like go by boat around slow Waters probably one thing I want to do that I haven't been done  do you know where I want to go to where we almost   went last time in Calypso villain I want to go  to the airplane there's a World War II airplane   that's crashed and the airplane is there still and  it's in the middle of nowhere it's quite a trip   and it's not like you have to make your  way there through valleys and mountains   and Avalanche terrain and you know it's crazy so  no that's probably a nice trip okay jaunty bonti   if you had to choose between permanent daylight  or permanent night time which would you choose of course life is a lot easier in the  daylight yeah but for me I don't even like   when it's dark it's dark I don't I don't mind it's  kind of nice and it's nice when the light comes   and it's nice when the dark come the dark season  yeah I think some people are more like I like that   and I don't like that but I think everything is  quite all right yeah definitely I can't choose   one over the other but I I kind of enjoy the  polar night more because the darkness is I just   love the darkness but then again we do nothing  in the darkness because there's no activities   so I would never choose that over Boat summer  because Boat summer is full of Adventure no but   if I would choose one that's easier on me I kind  of usually say powder night because the daylight   is so exhausting but I kind of still would choose  daylight over it because I would never just want   to sit here in the darkness you know because we  don't have snow usually for well we don't have   enough snow to snowmobile you can't see anything  so I think I'm gonna have to choose the daylight   even though it's not my favorite time of year  whereabouts does the own cat in small bird live   Kesha I'm going to tell you something Kesha died  last year but Kesha also has a lot of siblings   we found out so barnesberg not only had Kesha  they have a bunch of cats but I we were there   this summer we didn't see them so I'm wondering  if they're keeping them inside I think they are   and then they just let them out to Rome but Kesha  what you would see sitting in a corner you know   and rumor says that she was registered as a polar  Fox and as an arctic fox so she would not be taken   away because cats are banned here and they are  banned because they wreak havoc to bird life and   the natural you know as cats are insane they kill  everything so I do understand why they're banned   they would they would go they would hunt  everything there wouldn't be a bird on the island   oh love this one Andy Corton just watched your  latest video with buying new Carpets on the TV   room to Christopher do you have a saying to what  Cecilia buys for the cabin or just do you leave   it up to Cecilia like I do when my wife wants to  buy stuff for the house I just leave it up to her   yeah 99 she buys what she wants I'll ask you  first every single time oh it's only when it's   like something really ugly I just say no but but  you have a veto very important I show Christopher   and I say yes or no yeah and if he says no I don't  buy it I haven't bought anything that you don't   like no and also you went to the supermarket and  you bought the carpets I didn't even look at them   no yes the picture so I think you have a  lot you have always a say in what I buy   oh but also while I'm speaking for you now but  it's not my area it's like it's yours yeah but   if you would want you do come with like oh I want  this or if it was something specific but then it's   usually small things you like you know polar bear  thingies or whatever but I always ask you first   uh but I have an idea but he needs to not approve  it if I really wanted it I would buy it but I   would never buy something that he thinks is ugly  because it's his home too but you've given me the   go ahead too I probably buy things in the kitchen  100 that's where I I want some stuff but that's   like when we bought this stove I said I don't even  need to see it to be honest you buy whatever you   want for the stove because you're the chef  also with the refrigerator I was like you   buy exactly whatever you want like I don't care  and it's because you thought it was interesting   so it's give and take but I always run the ideas  before you first I don't just change it around I I   sell it to him first like when I wanted to change  our bedroom I'm like set him down like hear me out   I have an idea he's like no but then I wouldn't  do it without you know if he didn't want to   kids do we want to have  children we still don't know I don't know and I cannot just have a kid and  be like oops I don't know when do you ever know   but I'm 32 now you are 45. and we're just going  to wait and see I think I've told myself that   all the cut up time of deciding is 35 because I  think there's you know for myself I just need to   decide by that time but this is also new still  our work you know I don't know I wouldn't mind   at all having a kid up here that's also  a quest question we get all the time how   that would work I think it would be freaking  fun yeah most of the time I think it will be okay you can still go on snowmobile trips you just  have to do everything a lot more safer and maybe   shorter trips but that also isn't anything that I  have a problem with there are so many good places   you can go to that aren't Kelly you know those  kind of trips aren't my favorite anyways I think   it would be magic to be a child up here yeah I  think so as well probably not a teenager but uh   a child is probably fun up here I think so too  but the problem is the problem isn't like being   a kid up here I think that would be fun it's  if we want a kid in our lives also if we can   have one we don't know that you'll have to figure  out but I don't know I just don't have a strong   Future Vision of me with a kid here but that can  also change at any moment I think we just need   to we're open to it but we haven't decided if  we want to but it would change our lives a lot but we will keep you updated I also have  no problems with people asking this I have   problems when people assume that you should have  a kid because I think it's very individual and   I think you never know if we can even have kids  and ask away I never think that's a problem when   people say oh you need a child because you would  be such a good mother I think that's a bit rude   I don't know why it just feels a bit rude because  imagine if I'm here and I'm not able to have kids   you know it's just such a weird thing to insinuate  that it that a woman or a family needs to have a   child I would be happy not having one I'm just  trying to figure out if it would add to my life   because if I have one and it turns  out that it's not you know a lot   can happen a kid is freaking work  we have Grim he's a lot of work   yesterday was a lot of work you see I could also  be happy with having like three Finnish lap phones   just like one after another but I don't know we're  gonna figure that out oh Jackie Jacqueline my   husband and I are law enforcement slash fireman  in fireman in New York can you talk about the   police fire departments in longabin our local  fire departments are volunteers on Long Island   I always find this super fascinating because long  you been is a village of 2400 people but we are   so uh what's it called if something's happen if  something were to happen we are completely on our   own so our fire department is equipped to handle  a village of I think 20 or 30 000 people they have   these machines who who normally a village or  20 000 people have yeah so our capacity is 10   times what our village is because if something is  were to happen it will all just go up and smoke   we also had a fire very recently that burned  down four apartment buildings like this and   the problem up here is that everything is built  quite cheaply because you know we are where we   are and they choose the cheaper all yeah otherwise  I don't know why it's because they have to I guess   I think what especially the old buildings I think  when they make new buildings today they're they're   the law they have to make this firewall and but  in all departments they don't have that and also   we have the warm we have heating cables absolutely  everywhere in pipes in floors in so there's always   that risk and I think that's what they think  burned this fire this started this fire right   I think the heating cables has been been a few  fires of them in the past time like 20 or 30   years yeah so when I lived in an apartment  block we always had kind of their own our   own responsibility to run on fire alarms did  you have that as well if a fire alarm started   you would have to check where it is while it's  already telling the people so it's not like get   out it's like go to where it is knock on the  door and see what's happening and usually it's   the shower so it's very very easy to set off a  fire alarm in an apartment building here you can   shower and the steam can do it because it has to  really they have to be so quick on it before it   becomes a huge problem we have a sensitive system  yeah because it when it starts burning like these   four houses they burn down so quickly and they  didn't even try to take out that fire they try   to stop the other buildings around from burning  that was the only focus you know from straight up   they're like these are gone now and the other ones  why can't I speak the buildings behind the windows   you know exploded and but they managed to save  them oh but they also said if the wind would have   been in another Direction it would have taken half  of the village out pretty much or the whole not   half of the village but the hole there then it's  the the fire goes Caroline s do you plan to visit   the United States anytime soon with or without  Christopher yeah you're going now when do you   see this yeah no wait probably not when you see  this but just after we're going in two weeks no   we're going to visit my sister she lives in Boston  Connecticut slash around there in Mass somewhere   um she's moved that's why I can never remember  where it is around there but I'm so excited   it's gonna be your first time in America yeah  what do you think you're gonna like the most   probably food yeah yeah just the options at  the supermarket like I love going to you know   Trader Joe's or Stew Leonard's oh just a lot  of food that we also don't have access to up   here but I also love the basic stuff like going  through a Dunkin Donuts drive through and get   a pumpkin spice latte and like a breakfast  roll we just want the fast we don't have any   fast food up here we don't have anything like  that so just like those very regular things   Karina Kiara did you ever have a drone scare and  if yes what happened seriously every single time   I fly my drone I fly my drone with the like the  intent of it maybe not coming back you know every   single time every time in the summer there are  birds trying to take it out everywhere and I'm   flying you know two kilometers away over a glacier  I will never get that drone back so I've just come   to terms with the fact that as soon as I get  it in the air if I get it back that's a plus   it's right though and when I fly it in -25 you  know suddenly you lose all sort of connection   and you're like hmm who's gonna come back  I don't know so yes I am fully aware that   my drone might not come back and every time  I fly it it's just a plus if it does okay Pascal are there a lot of seniors on  the island do they leave or are there   services for them there so we can just say  that one quickly no no we don't have any   service for Elder people yes they moved to the  mainland if they can't take care of themselves   but we've had some of the old sawbard people like  Tia who stayed till the very end of being able to   so they walk around here they live here but  you have to be able to take care of yourself   completely there is no Services there is no  transport for you there's absolutely no help   to get and that's just the way it is it's that's  why we pay low taxes that that's just what it is   up here and I also know some people think that's  cruel but it's not this is a company town it's a   working town you are free to stay here for as long  as you want yeah then you have to go so we do have   like our neighbors they are older live to work  here but they're still very active yeah yeah what   age are they 70 yeah and he's still an expedition  leader yeah he works in uh cruise ships yeah so we   have some pretty badass older people uh I don't  think we have anyone older than 80 to be honest   I don't know I don't know could be some but  I living with their family maybe that's not a   thing you you have to leave Alicia Francis do you  sell prints of the picture of you and Graham the   one with your red coat Owen is one eye covered  I actually haven't put that up but I might be   I could put that up for sale I don't know if I  would maybe because it's it's the photo that I   have printed on glass the one with me and Grimm  which is also my like profile in my main photo   I don't know I don't have it on my print shop yet  I'll think about it I'm gonna add a lot of photos   to the print shops uh as every season goes now  it's summer season on there and then it's going   to be polar night and a lot more Northern Lights  and you can check it out in the description box   Hannah what is the coldest temperature you  have experienced since living on svalbard   you've been here for 10 years almost let us know   what could it be like 35 40 35  Maybe though last year was 35. it's probably something like that not more  than 40. no I've never experienced more than   40. I think 35 probably do you know what was  to call this day when I did my uterbai hike   it was 39 degrees Yeah it's that day I've never  had a colder day and the funny thing is I did I   filmed a commercial kind of segment for everybody   and I had to hike in Autumn gear and  it was 39 degrees minus Celsius and I   was up there in a pair of hiking pants with  one pair of thermals underneath and a parka   it was absolutely insane we were the two we were  four people going up in the mountain and we were   hiking in the village Christopher wasn't with us  so I had the cameraman and me and two more people   those two people dropped off the first 50 meters  because he got frostbite on his face I looked at   him after the first 50 meters and I'm like you  have to turn back because you're you're getting   frostbite you see frostbite because it just goes  completely white like a little spot just whoop   and then he's and then after that it will become  warm and then red and then it will be puss so he   had to turn back 50 meters and then she the other  girl she also had to turn back at the same time so   it was me and the cameraman and he was invincible  he wanted to shoot because he had a job to do and   he's like you know and I was up there in 39 minus  degrees in aparca the dogs were crying because   their pulse were so cold it was it was terrible  but we hiked the mountain we got it all filmed   my I'll show a photo because my hair was frozen  frozen too here it was crazy so 39 is the coldest   I've had okay Emma what did you think about living  in Ireland it can be brutally honest Ireland is my   favorite place in the entire world as well after  small bird well it's like joint I love Ireland so   much and my whole like when I grew up there for  I think was around three years I went to school   it's my strongest and most happiest memories  in my entire life so I'm not even kidding we   loved our life in Ireland so insanely much when  they moved us from there we all cried my mom was   depressed we my mom also says that it was the  best time in her life and I think we all we all   feel like it was some of our absolutely best  years we're gonna have to go to Ireland by the   way so I can show you everything it is the best  people the best culture and it's just so amazing   so yes that's what I feel about Ireland oh  I love this one Emma favorite smells smell   is so connected to emotion and memory I know  straight away what is your favorite smell this   dog for me it's it's Arctic air  and Swedish crispy winter air   because we my mom always aired our sheets  that's why I love to do it also she puts the   sheets outside in the winter and everything and  then we take it in there's a very specific spell   why are you laughing it's nice yeah so  that's Mount 100 and then I think people   would think I would say coffee not really I  don't even really like coffee for the smell   of it to be honest I do love coffee but I  think more cinnamon buns and cinnamon and   cardamom those kind of smells for me are very  sweet Swedish very homely and I don't know   but Arctic air and fresh air in sheets is one  thousand percent one of my most emotional memories   or smells but diesel for you yeah sticking with  that one I don't know you don't know like when   you're burning butter in the pan not burning but  you know when it's starting to be a little bit   see that's one is it because it's  from your like childhood or no it's   because it's amazing yeah  because you like butter yeah Robert Kalani curious to know if there have ever  been any earthquakes tsunamis in svalbard uh tons   of earthquakes never a tsunami I have been through  I think three earthquakes that I've actually felt   uh but nothing has ever it's always been quite  far out in the ocean so we've only gotten the   aftershocks and there hasn't been any like  earthquakes that has affected us do you have   you ever felt the earthquake earthquakes yeah I  think offended one felt it one time I was sitting   on the snowmobile on my way home from Eastfield  Rodeo and when I was close to bowensberry I felt something and I was  but I thought it was the   sled the snowmobile who was like but  it actually was is this seven years ago   yeah yeah that's probably because that's when we  had a big earthquake I was sitting in my apartment   in blomera and it was in the sofa I straight away  I was like oh I had Grim at the time for some   reason I was watching him so I just threw myself  to the door put a leash on him and then went   outside to just you know see because you never  know if the buildings are gonna hold up because   it was very very noticeable and the building's  there on stilts blow metal ones but yeah otherwise   we haven't had any like natural catastrophe  Styles more than Avalanches killing people   and ruining houses mudslides destroying things  we have a lot of snow and mud related issues   not so much tsunamis Jeffrey s do you own the  land under your house or just the structure itself   no we rent it it's a 40-year contract before  it was a hundred year contract yeah 99 99 yeah   but I think it's 40 years and you rent it you  pay some money every year 4 119 kroners every   year so if you read up on the sovere treaty it  makes a little bit more sense um there's never   going to be any issues it's not like they're  gonna be like we're gonna build a Motorway   right through your home so we're gonna need the  land so I really don't really care you know it   is what it is I think what's so important when  living up here is you just have to take it for   what it is you can't start becoming mad that  the government owns the land because you're here   and that's just the way it is it is the way it  is yeah I think that's anyway my way of living   I can't be mad at stuff that is just the way it  is as long as it does you know it isn't hurting   anybody Cameron does the shoreline erode  near your home what about a storm surge   it's close to the water I would be concerned  about the longevity of the structured hair   we are very lucky because our neighbor she is  a what's it called she studies biology and no   it's not biology uh she studies about rocks and  Glaciers and everything so before she expert of   uh searching glaciers yeah that's what she's  expert over before she bought her cabin she   did an evaluation of where it was on because a lot  of the other cabins along the shore here they've   had to take them and move them because they've  literally been falling into the ocean so before   she bought this she did a complete evaluation  what ground is it on so she figured out that it   is on Solid Rock so it's not sand like the other  ones over there or you know sediment Solid Rock so   she estimated that it would take over what like  300 years for this part or something to go into   the ocean so she that was very good for us to  have because we were wondering the same thing   before we bought it like is this going to end up  in the ocean like everything else so apparently   this part is completely fine it's on Solid  Rock so we know that okay 3M meters down it's   permafrost and it's permafrost for three meters  and then after three meters it is solid rock   so anything that would happen we're still in  the solid rock but no it would take many years   thank you Monica Kristen Youngman Christopher do  you do meal planning as the cook in the household   how often do you grocery shop what do you both  enjoy doing in the evenings nah we don't do like no I think I should try to go to the grocery store  like once a week to do the big stuff and maybe   some more just for some herbs or some refresh yeah  some some fresh stuff but uh we have like once a   week that we are shopping big time yeah and for  that shop we make a plan we don't say are we gonna   cook exactly this but we check okay I'm how much  protein do we need would we need to make something   with this the thing is we could meal plan but  we're both way too much we change our minds the   same day don't we we we're very specific about  like oh we don't want to eat that today you know   but I think we have like the protein that we  mostly buy is like chicken or turkey or a duck   and then we have of course cold in the freezer  that we can eat so and minced beef pork chicken   we work around with the beef that we have and then  we have a lot of stuff we can make with it yeah   so but I've also been cooking a lot more like even  though I can't cook I do cook in like sometimes   some meals like now I'm trying to get better so  I'm doing a lot of like fish curries and they've   been so good like I'm okay with cooking as long  as it turns out fine but when it doesn't I get   discouraged and also what do we like to do in  the evenings we always almost I I don't for some   reason I really like to eat watching something  because I hate eating fast so we often eat   like here watching something together um that's  usually we watch something we during the summer   we're always out on the boat so we will be in the  boat doing something but during the Potter night   and now when you don't really have an activity  I often work out to like eight in the evening   uh usually or I come home at seven and then we  would eat and watch TV together or something yeah   and then it's probably some green light  in the sky so she goes out and take photos   yeah but our evenings are chill time 100 yeah it's  always been that I really really enjoy a slow and   chill evening yeah I love Day activities  and I'm not a night activity person at all   like if we were go if we were to go in to  eat in the village I would push for going   at four or five or like an early lunch and  like hang out for the rest of the day and   then be home in the evening it's just the  way I work do you feel the same or yeah   but I think that was all of the questions  we answered so many I think we even ended   up answering I think at least half it's  gonna be lovely for me to edit this   but thank you so much for being here and then in  November I'm gonna try to do two videos a week   and in December I think we're gonna try to do  like one Vlog week I don't know I'm gonna I'm   going crazy this year Christopher's gonna have  to do so many activities and so much baking baking is stressful what did you bake the  most when you were young like yeah your family   everything that's very proud did you do  a panettone an Italian little fruitcake thank you so much yeah anything  you want to say have a good day bye

Channel: Cecilia Blomdahl

Views: 611,334

Keywords: spitsbergen, remote, island, weather, spitzbergen, longyearbyen, north, arctic, northern, swedish, norway, norwegian, winter, snow, polar bear, glacier, adventure, extreme, polar, explore, polar night, hygge, cabin, hytte, darkness, aurora, northern lights, fire, real talk, deep talk, decor, snow storm, snowing, dark, struggles, everyday, life, lifestyle, motivation, cabin build, renovation, house tour, house build, house, cabin life, polar bears, apartment tour, tour, apartment, flat

Id: RduZdic7bbk

Length: 31min 38sec (1898 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 30 2022