A silent anchor beside power: Blood in the heart, strong in the will

She is moving up the mountains. No one expects anything from her here. The phone loses its signal and silence takes over.

It is freedom. A way to find herself back in Nuuk's sometimes chaotic everyday life. The breathtaking mountains and the scent of heather let the pressure of everyday life go away with every breath and remind her that everything does not last forever. This is how she gains strength.

Here, Anika feels that she is returning home to herself. Like a familiar breath from her childhood, where summers were almost always spent in nature with her family. When she wrote a diary in the tent as a little girl. She remembers the feeling of freedom. This is where she feels safe. In nature. This is where she has her base.

Perhaps this is also why she has been eating exclusively meat from Greenland for nine years - caught and prepared by herself and her family. It gives her peace. It is not a diet or a trend, but a way of life.

She knows where the meat comes from. Who shot it. Who butchered it. It doesn't get any closer - and more organic - than that.

Anika Brandt Sørensen became a mother at the age of 21 - and four days later she got her university cap on. At the age of 36, she stepped into the role of the country's first lady when her boyfriend, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, was elected as Prime Minister last year.

The responsibility is not new to her. It has followed her through the years, and she takes it as it comes. Gentle in heart. Strong in will.

Anika Brandt Sørensen was born on March 18 – 37 years ago – in 1989 in Nuuk. Her parents are Sofus and Lise.

- I grew up in a home where my parents were self-employed, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Her mother is a hairdresser and has run her own salon, and her father is a self-employed taxi driver. Anika is the oldest of three siblings.

- I have two younger brothers, she says.

As the oldest, she has always carried responsibility – not because she had to, but because it was in her.

The first memories

Being outside. Anika remembers it as if there was more freedom back then - the city was smaller, and it perhaps felt safer because of that.

- We spent many weekends in the ski lift. I remember that when I was eight years old I got cross-country skis as a Christmas present, and that's when my outdoor life really started, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Anika and her family spent their summers in nature, where they have always had a boat.

- We didn't go on summer holidays abroad. We spent holidays in nature. As a child, I envied those who traveled south to warm countries, but today as an adult I am deeply grateful for the summers in nature, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Elementary school began in Kangillinnguit Atuarfiat, and Anika and her new classmates were the very first year at the then brand new school.

Inside she was reserved, but outside she revealed strength and self-confidence. Although she often felt that the others were smarter and faster, her self-confidence remained firm.

In her grade books it was stated that she was clean, someone who always tidied up a bit.

- I also thought it was important to be able to speak and write well in Greenlandic. That was something I really worked on, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Learned her aataa through books

Her great interest in the Greenlandic language stems from her grandfather, the late Ole Brandt. He was a poet and author, known for, among other things, the book “Qooqa”, the first volume in a family novel tetralogy.

- I have never met him. But I got to know him through his books and that is where my interest in Greenlandic books began to grow, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

As a child, she wrote diaries in the tent, amidst the tranquility of nature. She wrote about everything and nothing – and also stories inspired by old Greenlandic books.

- What an interest I have had, she smiles, while memories are glimpsed in her eyes.

Anika wrote books in which she translated from the old Greenlandic orthography to the new orthography.

- It was also probably because I was quite bad at Danish. Greenlandic was my strong point, and I also respect our language very much, she says.

In the 10th grade, Anika traveled to Torquay in England on a language trip. Anika now had the opportunity to develop her language skills in the English city, which is known for its beautiful coastal beaches and stunning landscapes.

- Wow! It was a fantastic time, she exclaims.

After finishing elementary school, Anika started a post-secondary school in Aarhus, where she studied design and fashion.

- I have always been creative. My mother did everything creative with us. For example, my little brother can make pearl necklaces, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

With a better grasp of Danish, she traveled back to Nuuk to attend high school.

Unexpected turn

High school in Nuuk was filled with long school days, friendships and a sense of the good life.

- French was my favorite subject. It led me to Grenoble as an exchange student, and I also chose to write my third-year thesis on France, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Now Anika had a plan. When she got her graduation cap, she would travel to France - close to the country, the culture and the language. Close to the world-famous museums and the exclusive haute couture.

- I didn really care whether it was a course at the university that I took or whether I worked in a flower shop, as long as I was in France, she says.

The plan was made, but life took a different turn. In the third year, Anika became pregnant. She was 20 years old.

- It was shocking. It wasn't planned, but she became a wish child, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Four days after the birth, Anika received her student certificate and cap. Shortly after, she went back to the hospital and continued learning how to breastfeed.

- Life took a different turn, but that's also where my life began, she says.

At 21, Anika became a mother to Alaya. She was with her, and got to know life with her. She was calm, ajunngilaq, she would figure out what she was going to do. The focus was on Alaya.

It ended with Anika starting to study at business school, as she loved her job in a clothing store.

- When I finished business school, I became a store manager in a then-new clothing store, Inuit Quality Clothes of Greenland, and I was there for 11 years, she says.

Good at adapting

Anika met Jens-Frederik in 2012 through some mutual friends.

- We are different as people, but our values ​​are close to each other. I see that as a strength. We are also both sports people, I think that is also a huge advantage for us, says Anika Brandt Sørensen.

Cross-country skiing has always been a part of her life, and she has competed in the Greenland Championships, the Danish Championships, the Arctic Winter Games and the Arctic Circle Race.

The hustle and bustle follows a government leader constantly, and she clearly feels that in her everyday life.

- I am good at adapting, that is a huge strength. It is also society's choice that he is where he is, but he was the type who already traveled a lot because of sports. I am so grateful for our parents and friends - they have been a huge support, she says.

The couple has been together for 14 years, and have three children together. Two girls and a boy.

- It has not always been easy, on the contrary. But I have learned that if you want to achieve something, it will never come by itself, she says.

In addition to being a mother, Anika Brandt Sørensen has become self-employed, something she has dreamed of for a long time.

She works with social media, branding of companies and products.

- I find it exciting. I love meeting and working with new people through my work. It is still new, and I learn something every day. But I love it, and I'm excited about what the future will bring, she says.

There she is. The woman behind the chairman of Naalakkersuisut. The country's first lady. Yet she consciously takes a step back - for the sake of the children. The quiet type who avoids the limelight, someone who doesn't shout about her achievements, but whose presence is still felt.

Aficionado for sports and health. Finds peace in nature and lives according to Greenlandic values ​​and food traditions. But most importantly: mother of three beautiful children, the center of her world and her greatest joy.