On October 19 Jade and I decided to ride bus 420 out to the Villmark Center for an interview at the infamous dog sledding company. We had a few hours to enjoy the landscape until the interview in the afternoon so we decided to walk down the highway and make our way toward the fjord. Our adventurous spirits led us to a swamp like moss covered marsh land. Within minutes our boots started to absorb water so we decided we might as well keep trekking to keep warm. We made our way back to the highway and found a little stream among some trees to lay out a tarp and keep eachother warm. A relaxing couple of hours passed by, with sounds of tickling water and birds chirping.

We proceeded toward the dog sledding property to meet with Bente, where she asked us to wait and say hi to the dogs. We walked up just in time for the feeding frenzy. I say frenzy because these dogs were so eager and hyped up for their bowl of mush. High pitched yelps and howls echoed within the surrounding hills. Each dog was so excited to see us walking toward them. We decided we had to pet them all or else it wouldn’t be fair… These were the most loving and goofy dogs, all rushing forward to greet us at the nearest sign of an approach. They all just soaked up the love and begged for more by wimpering and staring into your soul. Out of nowhere a howl emerged from one of the canines, leading to every single dog (mind you there is nearly 100)  joining in on this choir rehearsal. The howls lasted for nearly 5 minutes as we just stared and laughed from joining in on this historical moment.

A few minutes later we met with Bente; who is one of the most quirky, upbeat, and friendly people we have ever met. She proceeded to show us around the beautiful property, walking through event spaces, lavvos for guests to stay in and the kitchen. The interview went great, what originally was an interview for me turned into one for the both of us when we found out she was looking for a cook as well. We would have been offered the job but one restriction we found was that it can be quite hard for someone from a non EU country to come to Norway for work. You must have special qualifications, and seasonal permits for work.

It was a great experience to head out to the Villmark Center for the day, we learned about the area a bit, met some very kind people and furry friends. These memories of taking a chance and jumping out of our own comfort zones  have led to good laughs and being exposed to the beauty of Norway. Bente even showed us to some new pups they have on the property, we got to play with them for a bit until we left. We hope to head back out for a dog sledding expedition of our own sometime!