Finding Petronella
A young woman, a 90-year-old legend, and the journey of a lifetime.
About
From June to October 2014, Jenny O’Connell embarked on a walking journey across Finland, following the footsteps of the legendary Petronella Van Der Moer into the wilderness above Finland’s Arctic Circle. This is her blog from the journey.
“Are you going to work again? I’d rather you take a sauna.” Eija Heikura is about half my height, but I know better than to argue. Inside that tiny woman’s frame is a veritable tornado of cooking, cleaning, fussing, and motherly love. The night I arrived, Eija gave me her own peach-colored bathrobe with puffy sleeves straight out of the 80s and a pair of powder blue shower shoes. I took the robe… Read More
A Difficult Beginning… said the monitor at Oslo International, and I cursed in every language I knew and wished I had read that before I missed my flight to Helsinki. My 7-hour layover had turned into a 12-hour layover and it was mostly my fault. Lost in an article about Petronella, I had been sitting at the gate with my back to the boarding desk, waiting for an announcement over the loudspeaker. I learned later… Read More
Now put my bag on the conveyor belt And drink the last cup in one go Soon from above the clouds I will remember this land I don’t have a certain course I will go wherever fortune leads me I’m carrying pictures with me But eyes aren’t meeting each other Dad I’m here on the other side of the world and I sing pappadaduda pa duda dapa Mom don’t be afraid I will take… Read More
My sister Caitlin sleeps on the couch across from me, unwilling to leave my side in favor of a more comfortable bed. I am curled into my favorite chair which has been reupholstered from scratchy gold fabric to a smooth, dull rose over the years. It has taken on some major creaks, but still holds me no matter how tall I grow. I am silent, listening to the crackling of the coals… Read More
Exactly one month from today, I land in Helsinki to begin my adventure! I cannot believe that the one month mark has arrived so soon. It feels like I have been dreaming and learning about this journey for a long time, and yet here I stand, ready or not, with a hard deadline and a date of departure. There are plenty of logistical details that haven’t fallen into place. There are connections… Read More
Tickets to Finland are booked! There are so many exclamation points in my heart right now!!!!!!!!
Camp is set, our climbing gear is ready, and we hear the roar of a bus engine. Forty-six 6th grade girls pour down the stairs, giggling, screaming, laughing. Apples roll from lunch boxes, sleeping bags are piled unceremoniously on the side of the road, and we call them into a giant circle. I scan the crowd, soaking in the advertisements. Abercrombie jacket. Heavy mascara. Authentic Ray Bans. $200 skinny jeans. Brand new Keds… Read More
Excerpt from our first visit in April 2013: “Petronella acknowledges my presence with the slightest of nods. She sits on a throne of pillows, eating applesauce out of a porcelain teacup. Her right hand grasps a tiny spoon, and a ray of sunlight catches the sapphire ring on her finger, sending shadows of blue fire dancing across the cream-colored wall of the houseboat. Slowly, she extends her hand to me, admiring the… Read More
“Escape. Walk out. Like someone suddenly born into color. Do it now.” – Rumi One month ago, I reached my funding goal on Kickstarter to walk across Finland, retracing the steps of a 90-year-old woman, and write about my trek. Shortly thereafter, I quit my job, moved out of my apartment in the Headlands and into the city, cut off and donated my hair, and tried to brace myself for the changes and challenges… Read More
Finding Petronella 