Luleå Through Pictures

I bet we have many places we call ‘home’ for reasons that might be as diverse as the places themselves. And among my many homes that span different time zones and different periods in time, Luleå is a special place. It felt like a home yet I felt like a total stranger to it. The cold there was unfamiliar and so was the tranquility, the quietness, the inactivity and the overwhelming presence of nature. But at the same time, there was warmth that came from love (and central heating), and there was life that glittered and waved and sang to me even in the darkest winter days. By the time I said goodbye to Luleå, I had gotten used to breathing in the cold, fresh air, going on afternoon walks with you, taking in the peaceful landscapes that were ever-changing and never the same, before returning to a cozy little apartment that awaited us.

I remember how my mornings in Luleå often started. I would struggle to get up from bed in a pitch-dark room, which is how you like your bedroom to be. After a simple breakfast I would sit at the table in your kitchen and worked on the final paper for my course. At times, my attention would trail off from the electronic screen past your window to the lake at the back of your apartment. A thin layer of ice had already formed on its surface, and as more snow brushed off the slender trees that border it, I started to spot people walking their dogs or ice skating across the lake. I eventually got to experience it myself too, and at the time, so immersed in my own excitement, I did not notice that the thick snow was falling inside your low ankle shoes and seeping into your skin. You said it was fine but I felt bad, so I squeezed your hand a little bit tighter in hope of warming you.

We passed by your old university all the time on our walks, and when we did you would tell me about your student days there. You said that when school started again after the break, you felt as though you needed to go to class and forgot for a moment that you were already done. You took me along the catacombs underneath the university — those that linked the buildings together so people could stay warm and dry during the harsh winters. There was a library that took forever to be built, and there were old buildings that threatened to collapse. There was the cafeteria that we met for the first time, when it was also snowy and cold and somebody was playing the piano while we talked. It felt a bit surreal being there again, a year and a half later, thinking about where our choices had led us, how our feelings had changed and what adventures we had had together.

I loved that it was always so bright in Luleå. Though it is true that Swedish winter days were short and dark, it helped a lot that the sun was out and shining so generously if only for a few hours. What made it better was that the white snow was enhancing all that brightness and even brightened the nights when they came.

The sky was so breathtakingly beautiful sometimes and I loved it, but prior to coming to Luleå, I had high hopes that I would be able to see northern lights and walk the ice road from the town center to the nearby island. In the end, however, the sky was too cloudy for northern lights, and the winter was too warm for the ice to last. This unusually warm winter, being around 20 degree warmer than average, gave me mixed feelings. Since I was used to tropical climate, I was relieved to experience a rather comfortable winter in Northern Sweden — temperature wise. But when that short relief subsided, I felt a sense of worry and urgency thinking about the unusual and substantial changes in our climate. I wondered what the next winter would be like and what the future holds for us.

To end this, it would be a grave mistake not mentioning your family and the few occasions I spent at your parents’. Your mom was kind and a great cook. Your dad — well he was Santa Claus — so I needn’t say more than that. Your sister seemed to lead a happy life with her family. I had a good time with them and all the while I felt loved and cared for.

And so those were a few reasons why Luleå is home to me.