Home away from home by Frederico Da Silva

Having visited the Faroe Islands twice before, my expectations on hospitality and local engagement were high. Needless to say, these were yet again exceeded, from the moment I got in the taxi at the airport.

It was extremely exciting and amusing to listen to the driver’s stories, from his previous life at sea as a fisherman, to local folk stories, as well as his own interpretation of many Faroese cultural aspects associated with these islands’ day to day life. The driver was also extremely keen to learn about what the Community Energy Challenge was about. Following a brief explanation and some information on my studies in Orkney, I was surprised with an extensive summary of the current, and future, renewable energy developments in the Faroe Islands.


Throughout the week, we have been submerged in the local Faroese culture, it has been very exciting to regularly socialise with other students, and the locals, who have told us many stories and explained their culture from their own experience of life in the Faroe Islands. Their views and opinions about a lot of cultural aspects vary, but they all seem to agree about one thing, dynamite is definitely the way to build subsea tunnels!

Originally from a small community located in the Portuguese west coast, and now living in Orkney, spending time in the Faroe Islands has always felt like being at home. People are friendly and smile at each other when out and about. But make no mistake, these people are tough, they carry sheep from boats, up steep cliffs, using just some ropes and ladders.

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