Living in dark

Yet another year next to the arctic circle. Its months until sun comes back. Black and greyness is all there is every day. White cold winterland is a place of greyness. The little light day brings is wasted working inside office for every month until spring. You go work in darkness, get out in darkness. For all those who live in dark remember you are not alone!

Strictly for those who understand Norwegian:

De mørkeste dage (The darkest days)
"Så nådde vi bunnen, igjen går det oppad,
Igjen går det fremad mot lys og mot sol.
I tåkegrå dager og regntunge netter
Skred mørket imot sin ytterste pol.

Og har vi enn knugende trengsler tilbake,
Isnen fra stormenes rungende røst,
Frysende dager da alt er et øde,
Så føler vi dog som en lidende trøst:

At dagene lenges, at rommet får farge,
At alt som nu sover i skogenes skjød
Kun venter på timen da fritt det skal spire
Og blusse med livets og skjønnhetens glød!"

And here's the youtube link to the song: De mørkeste dage

For those of you not familiar with the Heroe's tongue: It's about the polar night, and about taking comfort that lighter days are approaching. I may translate it later.

Says Pibbur who for a couple of years worked in Kvænangen community at 70' north.

Just another reason I choose to live in Oz!!

Originally Posted by Corwin
Just another reason I choose to live in Oz!!

But you don't get the midnight sun, either.

Which reminds me: One year in Kvænangen snow came around the beginning of October, and didn't disappear until middle of May at higher altidudes (200 m above sea level). So I found myself driving at midnight with the sun up and deep snow on the sides of the road. Was a bit weird.

While I never lived that far north but I did live in Canada where the sun was up until 11 at night during the summer. I so loved living there for so many reasons. Anyway yes it might be dark now but it will come back. (Heck I hardly get to see the sun these days anyway due to work but I know it not really the same).

There's something to be said for looking forward to the light, rather than the dark - though

OK, but you get to see Northern Lights goddamit :)

And it sounds like an excellent excuse to stay inside with some good CRPG's…

Originally Posted by pibbur
But you don't get the midnight sun, either.

Yeah my firm is based in Oslo. Had to go there for work in June. I am notoriously hard to get out of bed in the morning. First night there, I woke up and saw it was bright daylight. I had only been with the firm 3 weeks. I freaked out thinking I had over slept, jumped in the shower, multi-tasking like a madman. Then I saw the clock in the bathroom: 3 AM!

Originally Posted by blatantninja
Yeah my firm is based in Oslo. Had to go there for work in June. I am notoriously hard to get out of bed in the morning. First night there, I woke up and saw it was bright daylight. I had only been with the firm 3 weeks. I freaked out thinking I had over slept, jumped in the shower, multi-tasking like a madman. Then I saw the clock in the bathroom: 3 AM!

Then imagine how it is if you go 800 km further north, where the sun doesn't set at all in mid-summer. I remember my first time in Tromsø, the "capital" of northern Norway, visiting my upcoming in-laws. My GF and I came back from a walk at 0100 am, and found people working in their garden, sitting on the porch drinking coffee.

Originally Posted by pibbur
Strictly for those who understand Norwegian:

Ooooh, practice! Unfortunately, I stopped learning Norwegian again weeks ago, but I will start again!

By the way, even though it's light here during the day, even we go to work in the dark and go home in the dark. But not for 6 months, of course.

This is why I live in south part of sweden

Besides we get lovely summers….. it can be sunny and nice until 11 in summer… a fair trade-off in my humble opinion… besides the snow makes it not so dark outside.. a lovely winter so far

BTW the sun is shining on me right now through the window

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Ooooh, practice! Unfortunately, I stopped learning Norwegian again weeks ago, but I will start again!

By the way, even though it's light here during the day, even we go to work in the dark and go home in the dark. But not for 6 months, of course.

Here is a rough translation, unfortunately without the poetry:

So we reached the bottom and it goes upward again
Going forward towards light and the sun
In misty days and nights heavy with rain
The darkness reached it ultimate peak

And if we still suffer from hardships,
The cold from the thundering voice of the storms
Icy days when everything is barren
Still we take painful comfort in..

That the days grow longer and colours come back
That everything that now sleeps in the forest
Only waits for the hour when it can sprout freely
And blossom with the glow of life and beauty

BTW, When I lived in Northern Norway I didn't mind the winter darkness. As Gothic mentioned, snow brings some light, while the clouds and rain here where I live now makes it dark, even if the sun is up. But I missed the spring. It was like: 6 months of winter, then 14 days of transition before summer. Living in Bergen I'm used to a looong period of things coming slooowly back to life. I missed that. No big deal, however. Wouldn't mind going back.

There is of course also the problem with vampires.

Says Pibbur who just have watched "30 days of night". On my *looks at GG* ergometer bike.

Originally Posted by pibbur
Here is a rough translation, unfortunately without the poetry:

Thanks, even with Google Translate or a dictionary, it's sometimes hard to get to the correct translation. And when I look at my language, Dutch, there are so many strange things that I use automatically and are correct Dutch. Norwegian must have those, too, and it will take YEARS before anyone could get a feel for them. :/

Originally Posted by Matthewop
ARE YOU vampires??

As far as I know, I'm not. :-)

actually i love vampire series!

I'm not particularly interested in those. Horror light IMO, and I do get tired of the young and sexy vampiress concept. Much better those of the above mentioned film, which are bloody, ugly and could use a dentist job.

Isn't this like living in a fracking mine ?

Living in the north? No.

Originally Posted by Tragos
Isn't this like living in a fracking mine ?

Its more like this most of the 24 hours:


The 4-5 hours per day you get little light that is like this (but if you work indoors you wont see even that):


The pics are just next to where I live. The two bridges that go over the lake.

But in away its kind of living like in a mine since you are not afraid of falling up since the sky always has a thick ceiling.

I find this depressing , no mean to offend but i am getting a very heavy mood every non sunny day.

I guess it is okay if you like it .