198 Land med Einar Tørnquist: Bonus: Livet på Jan Mayen

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Hi, Silje!

Hi, Silje!

It's me, Tönkvist, from 198 countries.

Hello!

Are you on Jan-Majen now?

Yes, I'm on Jan-Majen now, yes.

Oh, you must be incredibly relieved that there was someone who spoke to you.

Yes.

How long have you been here?

No, I've been here since March this year.

Is it the first time you've been here, or have you been here many times?

No, I've been here many times.

It's my fifth contigent for the last eight years.

How long have you been here?

A contigent is six months.

Now I'm here with my real man, Sigmund.

Are you here?

Hi, Sigmund!

Good day, good day!

Yes, you're listening to the famous real man, I think.

Yes, yes, yes.

Netop, are you also on the same contigent that you're going to go home together in October?

Yes, that's right.

So, I'm just starting to ask a little bit about Jan-Majen, if I'm allowed to.

Yes.

How is it with you now?

What is your current situation?

Just now, when we look out of the window, it's windy.

I want to look at the weather.

It's sunny, but someone is making noise.

Yes, is it normal?

You're thinking that this is a completely normal Jan-Majen.

This is almost a bit too nice to be in Jan-Majen.

How bad is that?

We've had a lot of tears in this contigent, wind and rain.

It hasn't been the best summer so far.

Have you been here in the winter before?

Yes, we've had some contigent in the winter.

Winter weather can be very different from winter to winter.

With both minus degrees and plus degrees and winter storms that suck out of the station.

Netop, is Iceland active in a way?

It never gets cold in the cold weather, but it's not cold at all.

Yes, if you want to get together now, Iceland is very easy to get together.

Netop.

Why is that?

That's the first thing I wanted to ask you.

What do you do on Jan-Majen?

When people travel to Jan-Majen, it's not a combination of event and desire.

To experience something completely unique.

To combine a unique nature with a very interesting job.

That's the reason why people travel here.

You tell me a bit about nature on Jan-Majen.

First of all, the eye is quite big, and then you have a sweaty volcano in the north.

What does that nature look like?

Is it aske and black and burnt so far?

Especially in the mainland, you can't find this type of nature in the mainland of Norway.

Here we go around the outskirts of the volcano crater.

It's a fantastic green moss.

It's lava stones.

It's the world's most northern Norway's only active volcano.

Especially with black lava streams.

There are no trees here.

No trees? Is there any bushes or bushes or something?

It's a bit of vegetation.

If you look down to the back, you'll find vegetation.

The biggest one here is a little bush that's all the way down to the back.

You don't have to take it in the direction of Syrtec when you're going to Jan-Majen.

No, don't do that.

Silje, where is Jan-Majen located?

How far below us on the mainland?

When I look out of the window, it's on all sides.

To be a bit more specific, Jan-Majen is located near the mainland and Iceland and the mainland of Norway.

If you think about it, approximately 1,000 km from the mainland of Norway,

and 500 km from Iceland and 450 km from the mainland.

We are actually much closer to our neighbour in the west and south of the mainland.

So this is the mainland after all, the closest neighbour?

The mainland is the closest neighbour, so we need a helicopter evacuation from the mainland and Iceland.

What kind of location is it? It's around 9 am now. What's your location?

Practically speaking, we also follow the pace of Norway and Tidsson there.

But what's a bit strange is that when I take pictures with my phone,

it says that the clock is an hour earlier than it actually is.

What does it say? Does it mean that it's not even in the right direction?

No, it means that we are in another Tidsson than the Tidsson we follow.

But that's just because we are so close to the west.

So we are actually in another Tidsson, even though we follow Norwegian time.

Sima, is it like that when we are still in summer and wintertime, you have to do that?

Yes, that's right. We have to follow you, too.

So you are irritated? Yes.

How do you live there? You are on a continuous trip, but are you alone?

No, I don't think so. There are quite a lot of people here who are used to this.

Okay, now you are excited, because that's the most exciting thing.

The station itself is quite big and home-cooked.

We have a large table that is served.

We have a salon that also works as a kitchen and a bar in the garden there.

Two times a week, we have a small bar where you can serve food and drink.

Two times a week, yes.

Yes, we have a heating-reservoir that holds 37-38 degrees, which is possible to bathe in today.

A heating-reservoir? What does that mean?

On the people's side, it means a small, heated bathroom.

A bath?

We would say a bathroom. It is 4 meters or 5 meters wide.

So you can sit there and take a nice glass with someone you like to drink and chill out at night?

You can sit there and watch the wind storm pass by.

Is everything gathered in one building, or are there many different buildings around it?

The train station is one building.

We have our lounges, where we work, where we have a mess and a shower and toilet.

In addition, there are some small, simple, built-in bathrooms that consist of garages and gym rooms.

But you can go out and move without a shower for several days.

Yes, because it might be nice to go out a lot.

It is fantastic to stand up in the morning, dress up and walk in 30 seconds to get down to work.

Yes, I have a lot of home work at home in Oslo.

But how many are there?

There are 17 of them. 15 of them are responsible, and two of them work for the meteorological institute.

What do they do? Or do they just report to the world?

No, the meteorological institute is the reason why Jan Mayen is actually a Norwegian territory.

So we can thank him for that.

For what?

In 1922 and again in 1926, the meteorological institute occupied Jan Mayen.

What happened to the international law?

It was the same thing we did last time. We put up a shield here, and then the country was yours.

That was what happened to Jan Mayen.

So it was just a white brick on the map that someone could set a flag on?

Yes, so Jan Mayen has a complex history from election to election, to meteorological institute and so on.

But in 1922, the meteorological institute occupied Jan Mayen.

So we can thank him for that.

So this must be a fishing zone or something like that?

Yes, so Jan Mayen is now part of the Commonwealth of Norway.

In Norway, every law on the mainland is related to Jan Mayen.

For example, 12,000 zones, fishing zones, there is a nature reserve here, and a lot of different things.

But you don't have to follow all the rules if you are alone.

We follow all the rules to the point where we don't.

Because you don't have a single police officer around to take care of the others?

Yes, we have a police officer here.

He is a police officer with long arms.

Do you say that?

Yes, that's true.

The last one is now the police officer of the police officer.

She does this job very well.

She doesn't have to use her hands or take care of the police officer.

Do you keep a good eye on her?

We have a very good eye here on the continent.

You are a bit confused.

What is the reason why you are here on Jan Mayen?

What is your job?

First of all, I have a responsibility that is here on Jan Mayen.

Most of us here are strictly responsible for the responsibility.

So the mission to the responsibility is of course to maintain Norwegian sovereignty here on the island.

Okay, so you are the first line of responsibility against foreign forces?

Yes, here we are ready with the coast and the sea.

I hope that they are prepared for those who will come.

But what is your overall opinion?

I am responsible for the responsibility that is here on the island.

I thought that you were doing research on rocks when you analyzed the island.

Yes, it happens that there are researchers here as well.

But now it is the first of five researchers who have drifted together.

But in addition to that, we support third-party customers.

And I can be a researcher and not least a meteorological institute that is here and other people.

I have not taken into account that you are not a researcher.

Because I have been given that you are not a researcher.

Most of us think that we are researchers, but no.

Here we have cookers, mechanics, engineers, cyclists, and we have many different people here on the island.

But now I understand that this is just a bi-error, because you are with the military.

Other than that, you have the area 51 thing where you have to see aliens in the volcano.

Yes, that's right. We have a volcano that burns a little bit in the air.

Yes, I understand that.

But why is that there?

Is it to stop the virus from coming through the internet cable from the US to Norway?

No, why have the cyber researchers got the answer?

Because we have been trained by the base team.

They have taken care of all the outer stations around the world.

Maybe that's why we have been given the answer, but I will not go further into it.

No, because it's secret.

No comment.

No, it was very well answered. It was well trained.

How do you get to Jan Majen?

Yes, it is the responsibility that flies here with the aircraft.

Because we have a flight strip that is made of grass, which is open to military flying.

So it is about three hours flight from Gardemond if the plane can land.

Is there any other way? If I had decided to go there now, what kind of method did I use?

It is possible to come to the island with a sailboat, for example.

But you have to know the station manager to anchor up and go to the island.

Are there tourist boats like that?

Yes, we have all from small sailboats to large cruise boats that are inside.

But you have never been tempted to be occupied by anyone else?

Not yet.

But it is important to note that the airline can only arrive every month with food supplies.

And things like tomato, cucumber and salad, that is the thing you really need to pay for every time the airline arrives.

For you, of course, it has to be dependent on things that can be preserved in a different way,

like fresh vegetables.

We do not have what is called a taco Friday, but we have a taco flight day.

A taco flight day? And there is a taco meeting every week.

What are we going to eat today, for example? What is your daily food today?

No, today is Tuesday, and every Tuesday and Thursday there is fish on the menu.

Yes, because it is Thursday. That is the rule at least at home in my family.

Yes, we follow the rules on the mainland, and we will serve the fish twice a week.

That is where you live, and you have to buy things yourself?

No, we buy a small boutique called Kranbua, where you can buy souvenirs,

and a little ukler with Jan Mayen logo, a little solo, if it is dry Thursday, and so on.

Who is the person who operates all these small businesses?

Is it one that is both a boutique and a boutique manager and bartenders?

Yes, so it is called that we have different types of food.

Everyone has their own food and their own responsibility, and it is very important to follow their own food.

As a nurse, she is responsible for the wine cellar, the wine monopoly.

It is a kind of medicine.

In addition, she is responsible for the boutique Kranbua.

What are you responsible for, Sigmund?

I am responsible for the parts of the world this time.

I am only mechanics and smoke lovers.

Is there a lot of smoke and smoke in Jan Mayen, or is it only on Velenberg?

It is not so hot on the station, but we have an exercise once a week.

If there is a fire, are you responsible for the fire in the island?

Yes, but in general, we have a different role in the whole business.

Did the company come to Jan Mayen during Covid-19?

He was so white inside, and then he went very fast again.

When the building was built, it was pretty rad.

In general, Jan Mayen has been relatively scared of it,

and the people who have been under the Covid-19 pandemic have lived quite normally.

There are a lot of others.

It is a bit of a micro-continent to be on your own plate between the Eurasia and North America plate.

Is there a lot of earth on your plate?

Yes.

We have a lot of different seismic sensors around the Eurasia

that catch up all activities here in the Eurasia, but also out in the sea.

We follow the city and can sometimes actually feel that it is earth.

We see it on the building, and we feel it if we are lying in bed or in the floor at night.

What is the size of the Eurasia?

Last time we were there in winter, we had what was called a record,

and then it was 6.8 on the Eurasia scale.

6.8 is a huge amount of earth?

Yes, but the Eurasia was pretty far out in the sea.

Almost no huge damage to the building or the nature here.

But the earth itself, which has had a lower level of earth in the Eurasia scale,

has felt stronger due to the fact that the epicenter has been closer to where it could begin.

I will jump back a bit, but this name Jan Mayen is a bit clumsy.

Is that a story?

Yes, Jan Mayen in general has a very long and big story.

But even Jan Mayen, which was named after the Dutch captain.

Now we will try to explain this.

In Jakobs, May, there was a boat.

In the 16th century, both the Dutch and English men were active with fishing around Jan Mayen.

Both the English men had given Jan Mayen a name and different Dutchmen.

Jan Mayen was named after the Dutch captain.

That's what's on the agenda today.

That's a good thing.

The Dutch captain was a bit clumsy.

That's right.

But in the folk language, you can say Øyja in the sea of ice.

Or, for example, Dievel Øyja in the sea of ice.

Or Jan Mayen.

What do you say?

A bit of humor.

I can see that.

That was a new thing, just a few days ago.

About Jan Mayen, in fact, in VEG, which is called Vasco from Norway's last outpost.

I'm sure you've heard of it.

Yes, we have. And it's true.

So it took a lot to buy.

So it's down to buying and such.

Can you tell us a little bit about what the thing took for you?

When we talk about the climate and the purchase of the seas and the islands around the country.

We see, especially on Jan Mayen, that there are a lot of lakes that are sinking into the sea,

at least with storms that are coming.

And now we have the last eight years started to pick up marine lakes here on the beach,

which makes us send a lot of marine lakes in the end with the distribution boat every year.

And even if we pick up marine lakes and do the nearest streams again,

we see after a year that it's filling up again.

So it's difficult, so there are a lot of marine lakes out in the sea.

This is something that has come out of the sea in the past two years.

But here, ordinary marine lakes, like Giffen, Versaiflaskir and Tomgotsåskrot,

there's a lot of garn and such.

There's a lot of garn and...

Blåsur.

There's a round that's in the water.

That's right.

And for one reason, we always find such sinkholes and sinkholes.

Do you think so?

They're sinking into the water.

I would say that the one-legged skoops throw the other one in the water all the time.

That's a terrible problem.

Do you have any favorite freedom activities to do?

Do you fish?

It's possible to fish here.

And you get pretty big fish from this country.

So that's good opportunity for that, if you want to.

That's good.

Or is it tourism, which is perhaps our big hobby?

Tourism, that's a good one.

How long?

It's pretty high up at the top of the volcano.

It's over 1000 meters, right?

2200 or something?

2272 or something.

It's pretty strenuous.

Yes, it's a little bit of an experiment to get there.

It requires a bit of planning and the people.

And that there are more people.

Are you going to go back to Jan Majen in October?

Or is it the last time now?

We'll see what the future brings with us.

Jan Majen means a lot to us.

We met here, we got married here, and we're here now.

So we'll see.

I'm not ready to go back to the mainland after seeing so many other exciting skis.

It was a bad idea to ask each other.

No, but it's a bit like that.

After you've been isolated for six months with only 17 others,

it's a little bit of an acclimatization or an additional period

that we have to go into the food store and handle our own food.

And that the food is not ready at 16.00.

It's remarkable.

Where do you live?

When I went to Jan Majen.

When we went to Jan Majen, of course we lived in Svalbard.

And I remember that.

You remember the whole metropolis, right?

That was cool.

If you have any questions about summer weather,

just ask me.

I can answer all of that.

Fantastic, thank you so much for being here

and for the last few weeks before you go home to Svalbard.

Thank you very much.

Take care.

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Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.