Today I was invited for lunch on the Adrian Mearsk, a container ship which carries the Danish flag. The Mearsk Line ( Denmark ) is the largest shipping company in the world. The crew's nationality was Danish, Indian and Philippino. Since I came a bit too early, I waited in the dining room with a young cadet who introduced himself as Miki. As he looked Asian, I asked him if he was from the Philippines, Thailand or perhaps mainland China. Apparently he is a Danish citizen, but his father is a native of Greenland. "You probably see a similarity between me and the Inuvik/Inuit people of Canada," he said. Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark and with a population of 56000 people is the least densily populated country in the world. What's interesting is that Greenland has been inhabited for more than 4000 years, though not continuously, by Arctic, Inuit people, from Canada.
He told me that people like his father move to Denmark for a better life, but that many of them land up in poverty, alcohol and drug abuse which was also the case with his father. Miki commented that the change from hunting in Greenland to a fast paced 'rat race' in western Europe's Denmark is too much of a change.
Since his father went back to Greenland, Miki was raised by his mother. Though he calls his father regularly, he hasn't been able to visit him as yet, as travel there is extremely expensive.
By now it was twelve o'clock and the captain was waiting. Of the many nationalities, this one was unique, I thought. I hope to meet him again to continue the conversation! P.S. He told me that his name Miki means small in 'Kalaallisut', the official language of Greenland.
