They are both 22 years old and live in a house on Fiskarvägen in Arjeplog. Here they have 135 square metres of space, over two stories. There are two cars in the driveway. Their plot faces a wooded area with a shed and a doghouse. However, the couple’s papillion, named Illu , which means joy in Sami, has not moved in. The doghouse is probably better suited to a hunting dog, and maybe they will have one soon.
“It is fantastic that you can buy a house here!” say Hampus Omma and Nova Pilto Sundstén, who had been looking for a good place to live for some time. They both have permanent jobs and once they found the right house, they got a loan from the bank. The house cost just over a million SEK.
“A smaller house in Piteå would have cost twice as much”, says Hampus Omma.
“It’s a dream come true”, says Nova Pilto Sundstén, who now spends a lot of time decorating the home.
She works with childcare at the preschool in Arjeplog, where she has, among other things, found use for her second language, which is Northern Sami.
“But soon I will start a job at Hornavan Hotell.”
Hampus Omma is trained in construction and works at A-Trä, a construction company, in Arjeplog.
It’s something he enjoys.
“There is lots of work in that industry” he says.
Anyone who has tried to find people for a construction project in Arjeplog municipality knows that this is the case. You have to book contractors well in advance. Geographically, the municipality is Sweden’s fourth largest, and it has 2,700 residents. There’s obviously plenty of room, both for residents and contractors.
What is the most alluring thing about Arjeplog?
“For me, this is home, even if I’ve lived elsewhere. Here I have my father, grandmother, and other relatives. I have many friends who live here”, says Nova Pilto Sundstén.
“I appreciate the closeness to the outdoors. It’s safe and tranquil. Whenever we want to, we can visit the mountains.”
The family has a cabin in Gávas, in roadless country in the middle of Sweden’s largest bird protection area, where you either walk, go by snowmobile, ski, or fly in by helicopter. It is part of the Svaipa Sámi community.
They also visit Ringselet by the southeastern tip of Sädvvájávrre, where Hampus Omma has his family.
“This is where we go snowmobiling, and I sometimes go hunting with dad.”
He will soon receive his hunting license.
“And then I will probably get a hunting dog.”
The seasons change and when the car testing season begins at the turn of the year, the quiet is broken. All restaurants and bars are open.
“In the winter, Arjeplog is bustling, that’s when it all happens”, he says with a smile.
What do you think visitors should experience in Arjeplog?
“The first thing that comes to my mind is nature, yes, the great outdoors found here.” “If you visit the town itself, you should of course go to the Silver Museum”, says Nova Pilto Sundstén.
“The whole mountain world is beautiful”, Hampus Omma continues.
“The fishing is good. And I think Arjeplog is nice, with the church by the water, the new terrace by the town square and the things set up by the local council at Skeppsviken.”
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Text & Picture: Maria Söderberg