Vera Nording – Photographer & founder of Ceylon Paws.

This week, we spoke Vera Nording – friend, photographer, surfaholic and founder of Ceylon Paws. A woman who traded the Nordic climate for tropical beaches and humid temps in Sri Lanka. We've always been inspired by her way of capturing life and living freely, and yeah we felt it was about time to share a little piece of her with our community.

Vera is wearing the Minna Wool Fleece Jacket in Navy.

Hi Vera, we know you are a passionate surfer, dog lover and photographer. Are we right? And is there something you think most people don’t know about you?

Heey! Yes that is correct, hmm and what else? I love to sing! And I might also take the opportunity to humbly mention that I run a small charity project where we spay, neuter and vaccinate street dogs. Its called Ceylon Paws – check it out!

How did you end up in the fishing village of Weligama, on the South west coast of Sri Lanka? Has living in a tropical country changed your perspectives on life?

I had just left my job back in Stockholm and decided to take a break and surf for a couple of months before getting another job. I had friends living in Sri Lanka and had been there a couple times before, so it seemed like a good choice. Then I fell in love, found a dog, got a house and found more dogs and now we have lived here for almost 4 years.

Living here has definitely changed my perspective on life. We live a simple and slow paced life and it has taught me to be grateful for a lot of the things we take for granted in the "western" world. It brings you back to basics in a way and it has helped me stop worrying about stuff that doesn't really matter.

What does nature do to you, and has that relationship changed over the years?

Nature is just such a healing force, as much as that might sound like a cliche. Nature just has a way of making you be present and I think in our day and age that is unfortunately quite rare. Living here in Sri Lanka I also had to learn to live with nature in a different way as we are not as protected or separated from it and the climate can be quite extreme at times.

Do you have any daily routine that you wanna share?

I am the absolute worst with routine and I'm also not making it easier for myself by choosing a lifestyle with zero structure. But one thing that I do start every day with is snuggling with my dogs. We have 6 rescue dogs and when we wake up we usually let whoever wants to come up in the bed for a morning snuggle, it can get crowded at times. 

Do you have any life motto and how do you act on it?

I have "love is all" tattooed on my arm and I guess that is a bit of a life motto, and treating people with kindness and trying to see the good in people is how I act on it.

What’s your best smultronställe in Sri Lanka and in Sweden?

For Sweden is 100% Gotland. It's one of my favorite places in the whole world and I would recommend anyone that has the opportunity to go visit and explore the Island.

For Sri Lanka I would say Arugam Bay. Most people come to the south coast when they visit Sri Lanka, and that is also where we live. But I absolutely love Arugam Bay and the area around. The high season is during the European summer but if you want endless waves and see elephants on your way to the surf you should check it out!

How do you like your Minna fleece?

I LOVE IT! I basically lived in it during my 2 month visit to Sweden recently and was a bit sad to leave it behind as its a biiiit to warm for Sri Lanka. But I am already looking forward to coming back for a visit so I can wear it again.

Thank you so much Vera, for sharing your story with us! If you wanna read more inspiring stories from real women out there, don't forget to check out the rest of our our Wild Women blogs!