Mørketiden

Such an innocuous name for an aspect of your life that affects you more than you realize.  On Svalbard after the fall equinox, everyone quickly notices that darkness is constantly encroaching on all aspects of daily life.  It become more difficult to get up in the morning and it is easy to lose track of daily routines.  If you approach this period with a positive attitude these are the worst of the experiences you will have due to constant darkness.  This and the fact that all outdoor activities become somewhat limited.  There are also positive sides: excellent views of the northern lights in multiple colors in the night and that day, spending more time with friends as there is not much to do outside, and although not necessarily positive time to study since there is little left to distract you.  At the end of the day constant darkness is an interesting experience, but not one that I’d like to have permanently. 

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Longyearbyen during mørketiden.