Northern light and more

I would like to start with something surprising: last Monday I saw the northern lights and I was really overwhelmed by this appearance! During the day it was very nice weather in Bergen. The sky was clear, blue and the sun was shining. Since we thought this should be the last sunny day we decided to have a barbecue. As usual everybody took some food and this resulted in an extensive dinner from the most nasty German sausages to the best Spanish tapas. It was a wonderful evening and those are, especially at the end of October, quite rare in Bergen. After dinner, around 10 o’clock, a part of the group went home, but I decided to stay together with a Russian girl and an Austrian guy. While talking about culture differences, habits, and our experiences, we watched the stars. In the meantime, it was midnight and gradually it was getting colder. Then something weird happened. The sky became much lighter and it looked like we could see each other better. A green light appeared slowly, became stronger, and moved relatively fast. The light was mostly green, but sometimes there were also blue and red parts in it. We couldn’t believe it, but it was the northern light! The polar light, which everyone hopes to see in the northern part of Scandinavia during the winter months. It was Monday, October 24^th (actually is was Tuesday early in the morning), we were located in Bergen (in the southern part of Scandinavia) and the appearance of the northern light was a fact. It seemed like a dream, but it was real!

It is indescribable what we have seen, there are simply no words. Until 3 o’clock in the morning we sat outside to watch this beautiful appearance. To get an idea of this evening, you will find a picture and more information via the following link: http://www.bt.no/nyheter/lokalt/Kraftig-nordlys-over-Vestlandet-2598552.html. Since it became too cold outside, we continued the evening in one of our kitchens where we had the same view. Around 4 o’clock the northern light disappeared completely and it became dark again. As I was overwhelmed by this wonderful appearance I couldn’t fall asleep at first. I didn’t know this could have such an impact. It was an evening, or rather night, I will never forget.

The next day I woke up and after I turned on my laptop I only saw messages about the northern light. During the day we noticed that the three of us were the only lucky ones who saw the polar light. Now, the weather was quite similar to the day before, so there should be a big chance to see the northern light again. Everybody decided to stay awake till 3 or 4 o’clock at night, but without result. Despite of that it was really nice to be together with so many people waiting for something that didn’t come...

Furthermore, I would like to add something to my previous blog. I was writing about the sports culture in Norway and the active Norwegians who are always up for some adventure. Since Bergen is the rainiest city in Europe you would say that the people don’t like going outside on a rainy day. However, the opposite is true. They do. According to them there exist no bad weather. A known statement among the Bergen people is: Det er ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlig klær. This means: there is no bad weather, only bad clothes. I agree! Nobody complains about the weather, so that is the opposite of what we do in the Netherlands. It is very common to wear a raincoat or rain boots (they are very popular) and in this way everybody prepares for all types of weather.

To remain in the typical Norwegian sports culture, last week a student ice-skating event was organized by one of the student associations (there are different associations, so that means that there is always something happening). For a couple of hours we could skate on the ice and afterwards free pizzas were served. It was really nice, but the only thing was my feet were aching all the time because of the terrible ice skates. Except of that, it was a great event!

When I was back home, I faced my Thai flatmate and after we talked some minutes she asked me if I would like to get a massage. Obviously, I wouldn’t refuse such a great offer. A few weeks before, she already told me that her mum is masseur and she was told about the techniques. For me, after some hours of ice skating this felt really good. I was completely calm and for a moment I didn’t think about anything.

Next to this, the Thai girl is also a great cook. She invites me regularly for an extensive Thai dinner and I can’t either refuse those offers. She prepares always at least two of three dishes, completely different from what we are used to do in the Netherlands (which is very strange for her). Her dishes tastes always very good, and of course they are really spicy. She is always going to the international shop to buy curry’s, sauces and all kind of spices and every time she combines those stuff to a delicious meal. Because of her I like the Thai culture!

So far this blog. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!