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‘Last paradise on earth’: From Asia to the Faroes

A growing number of Southeast Asian women are moving to the remote islands after marrying Faroese men.

Nestled between Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands are home to 50,000 people and 80,000 sheep. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Nestled between Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean, the Faroe Islands are home to 50,000 people and 80,000 sheep. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
By 
Aela Callan
27 Sep 2017
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Nestled between Norway and Iceland in the North Atlantic, the animal residents of the remote Faroe Islands outnumber its human inhabitants, with 80,000 sheep to its 50,000 people.

WATCH: Looking for Love in the Faroes (25:00)

Due to limited opportunities and a limited gene pool, many local young women have chosen to move abroad over the past two decades, leading to a shortage of women in the Faroes.

So it is no wonder that women from the Philippines and Thailand face no objections when moving to the islands looking for a new life and the prospect of love.

With hundreds of women from Southeast Asia married to local men, the face of the traditional Faroe Islands is transforming into a more inclusive and multicultural one.

These Asian women rely on each other for moral support, friendship and help navigating their new lives. It’s not always easy, but most of them are happy in the Faroes and feel it’s a good place to raise their children.

“Here we are more safe, the Philippines is more dangerous, especially at night time…. I think Faroe Islands is the last paradise on earth,” says Grace, who came to the Faroes six years ago.

For some, the cold, windswept Faroes is a paradise, for others, marriage may not have been written in the stars, but a welcoming new home is. 

ALSO READ: More than a mail-order bride – The Asian women choosing life in the Faroes

Hosvik, a picturesque village in the remote Faroe Islands. An influx of Asian women is helping boost the population of these remote islands. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Hosvik, a picturesque village in the remote Faroe Islands. An influx of Asian women is helping boost the population of these remote islands. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
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"Friends are what get us through." A growing number of Filipinas are moving to the Faroes after marrying local men. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
"Friends are what get us through." A growing number of Filipinas are moving to the Faroes after marrying local men. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
"You have to be a strong woman." Namfon Sawasdee moved from Thailand to the Faroe Islands after marrying a Faroese man. The marriage did not work out, but she decided to stay. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
"You have to be a strong woman." Namfon Sawasdee moved from Thailand to the Faroe Islands after marrying a Faroese man. The marriage did not work out, but she decided to stay. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Tradition is important to the Faroese, but foreigners are welcome on this island where resistance to the migrant trend is absent. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Tradition is important to the Faroese, but foreigners are welcome on this island where resistance to the migrant trend is absent. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
A mixed Faroese and Filipino family enjoying St Olaf''s Day celebrations. [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]
A mixed Faroese and Filipino family enjoying St Olaf''s Day celebrations. [Screengrab/Al Jazeera]
Asian women often work in the Faroese fish factories. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Asian women often work in the Faroese fish factories. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
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Mary Joy and Dan Thomsen at their home in the Faroe Islands. Mary Joy was one of the first Filipinas to move to the islands when they married 15 years ago. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
Mary Joy and Dan Thomsen at their home in the Faroe Islands. Mary Joy was one of the first Filipinas to move to the islands when they married 15 years ago. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
The Thomsen children belong to a growing number of families on the Faroe Islands with a Filipino mother and Faroese father. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
The Thomsen children belong to a growing number of families on the Faroe Islands with a Filipino mother and Faroese father. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
The spectacular scenery of the Faroe Islands is cloaked in darkness for half the year during the long, icy winters. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]
The spectacular scenery of the Faroe Islands is cloaked in darkness for half the year during the long, icy winters. [Aela Callan/Al Jazeera]

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