Back to the Faroes

I should really be packing right now. I set the evening aside to pack, and have done nothing. D’oh. This weekend I’m flying back to the Faroes. The beginning of April has come around very quickly...

I absolutely love the Faroe Islands. It’s a beautiful place – wherever you are, you can almost always see stunning views of the sea or mountains. I love the laid-back life style, the people, the language. I love the capital, Tórshavn. But, if I’m really honest, I don’t quite feel like going back just yet.

Those of you that read this blog regularly, of have at least read some of my more recent posts, will know that I recently got a gospel choir going at my church, and it’s been going really well. At the first rehearsal I was hoping we’d get 15 singers, and now, just three months later, we’re almost up to 40. We did our first concert the other week, and there were nearly 180 people there, which was fantastic and much more than I could ever have hoped for. Things are taking off, and I don’t really want to leave it just now (although it will be carrying on, which is a GREAT relief – and I’m very grateful to those who are helping me!).

But there are some good sides too – the last few months have been majorly busy, and it will be good to get away for a little bit and concentrate on my work. I’m also going to use my time away as an opportunity to get fit – when I was last there, I was doing sixty press-ups a morning. Sixty?! Can you believe it? I did one the other day and nearly flatlined. Since coming home I’ve put on a whopping stone and a half or something like that, so it’ll be good to get that sorted out – it’s a great place to go walking, or maybe even running... we’ll see how that goes.

Me eating my last pain au chocolat from Whistlestop. Seriously, you have to try one of those – the chocolate is proper hard :) None of this soft chocolate rubbish...

It’ll also be very cool to catch up with my Faroese friends again – so many people were really good to me when I was there before, so it’ll be great to see them. I’m interested to know how I’ll get on with the language once more. Plus it’s always fun to be the weird outsider who doesn’t really get the jokes and says stupid things. Maybe other people who have lived abroad will confirm that for me: sometimes you just say really ridiculous things, because they’re things you CAN say, and then you think ‘Man, these people must think I’m an absolute moron.’

For example, I once had this conversation while walking along:

Man: Do you have pavements as wide as this at home in London?
Me: I love Tórshavn.

And at least going back to the Faroes means that Liz won’t have to change my name on her list of friends who blog (‘Faroe John’).

And I left my favourite jumper there.

So keep checking back for the updates, videos, etc. And feel free to drop me a line and let me know how life’s going for YOU!

All the best,

John

PS. Sometimes I like to write blogposts a bit like letters... This was one of those times.