Spirits Dancing Through the Sky

Sitting next to the water on the cold, smooth rocks, I looked up as spirits danced across the night sky. Their bodies morphing and swirling, changing from a deep green to a bright, vivid shade of purple. It's no wonder old legends described the northern lights as living beings. I had never seen anything so magical, so mesmerizing, in my entire life and I can't help but feel so incredibly thankful for how lucky my class was to be able to see the northern lights on one of the best nights of the year. Not only was the sky clear, but the lights were the strongest they had seen on the island of Tromsø in months.

This past week, my core course, Polar Biology, traveled to Tromsø, a small, beautiful island off the coast of Norway in the arctic circle. Snow covered mountains and beautiful, turquoise ocean waters dominate the landscape. The first time I stepped onto the island, I instantly fell in love with its allure. I had never seen a place so beautiful before. For the next week, my class and I had the opportunity to explore the land, water, and culture and to say it was incredible is an understatement.

Sunday

Sunday afternoon, my class arrived by plane onto the island. Tired from the early morning flight, we made our way to check into the hotel. Still, being here in a new country felt so unreal. After checking in, we had the opportunity to explore the island on our own for a few hours before our next activity.

My first impression? Absolutely magical.

The landscape was like something out of a fairy tale. Tall mountains stood proudly all around, their snow covered peaks invisible behind the clouds in the sky as the smell of the ocean permeated through the cold, dry air. The town surrounding was adorable too, a mixture of modern, glass buildings, and old, colorful wooden buildings. Birch trees, painted with their yellow, fall leaves, lined the narrow streets.

After some time to explore on our own, we all headed back to the hotel to meet for a walking tour of the town and a trip to the polar museum. Not only did the tour give me a good idea of the history of the town, which is fairly modern compared to other parts of Europe, but it also helped me to appreciate the culture here even more. Who would have known that this small island housed the world's smallest bar...

and Europe's oldest, still running, movie theater?

Later at the Polar Museum we learned all about the history of the island in the race to discover the north pole, the people of Svalbard, and the hunters and trappers from the early days of the island. It is crazy to think that at one point, people used to walk around Tromsø with polar bears on leashes! (I think this gives you a hint of just how rugged the people here are)

After the tour of the town and the visit to the Polar Museum, our day ended with a journey to a cable car on the mainland of Norway that overlooked the island of Tromsø. At the top of the car was a small cafe where we were able to eat some more traditional food options, such as reindeer stew and reindeer burgers. Not only were the cable car ride and cafe food amazing, but the view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking. From the top of the mountain, you could see the entire island, the lights from the buildings twinkling like small stars in the sky.

Monday

The next day, my class woke up bright and early to head for a hike with a local plant specialist on Kvaløya, another nearby island that is dominated by nature. During the hike up the mountain, we not only saw some beautiful scenery, but we also had the chance to look at the different types of arctic plants that are adapted to the harsh conditions. It is incredible how plants and animals are able to adapt to their environment in such effective ways, growing low to the ground to avoid wind, focusing all of their chlorophyll on the front sides of their leaves to absorb the most sunlight, and even creating a waxy barrier on their leaves to help them maintain high levels of moisture.

Here are just a few pictures from the hike that show just how beautiful the landscape is:

Later, after a long hike, two lectures by locals, and some delicious dinner at a local restaurant, my class decided to take a spontaneous trip to try to hunt down the northern lights, and how grateful I am for our drive for adventure. After a short bus ride and a walk in the dark to a small, rocky bank on the water, we were positioned in a dark location, where the lights shone bright in the sky. This was the night where we saw some of the brightest lights that the island had seen in months. It was so great to experience this moment with such an amazing group of people. Everyone was filled with overwhelming emotions of excitement and love. I really feel like this was a pivotal moment in all of our friendships, as it brought everyone together in the most amazing way possible, and bonded us in our experience.

Here are a few pictures from that night:

I went to sleep that night with a greater understanding of my place in the universe and the feeling that I was exactly where I am meant to be in life: surrounded by nature, loving friends, and filled with a drive to protect the beautiful world that we live in. I cannot sit idle and watch as some of the most incredible species of plants and animals die out because of our greed. We need to protect the arctic, because when the arctic falls, everything will fall with it.

Tuesday

Each day here continues to amaze me, and this Tuesday was no exception. After a later breakfast, my class split up into two groups to carry out the activities for the day.

First, we went to the Polaria museum: a museum that educates people on the arctic animals in the area and the effects that climate change is having on the ecosystems. The exhibits were fun and educational, and we even got to see the museum staff train some of their seals!

After the Polaria museum, my group ventured onto a small fishing boat, where we met with a biologist named Carl. Carl took us far out into the sea, where we had the opportunity to catch fish in the ocean. At first, my friends Karen, Hans, and I had a hard time catching any fish, while the people at the other end of the boat were reeling them in by the minute. After some patience, however, we finally got lucky. One after another, we reeled in some of the largest fish I had ever seen. The biggest one that I got was a 5 kg (11 lb) cod! He was as big as my legs are tall! (I will add the picture of me and my fish when my teacher sends it to me)

After a few hours of fishing, we dissected and learned about the anatomy of the fish. It was incredible to see the different organs inside that help them survive under water. After dissecting, Carl filleted the fish we caught and cooked us a nice meal on the boat.

Wednesday

This Wednesday was probably one of my favorite days of the entire trip. My class got up bright and early to meet Carl at the boat docks. Here we suited up in safety suites and got on board two, small navy boats. I was in the smaller boat with 5 other classmates and Carl, and the rest went on a slightly larger boat with one of his colleagues. Carl took us around the sea, pointing out some of the wildlife, showing us how to sample organisms in the sediment, and even had us stop on a floating dock in the middle of the water. The mountains towered all around us as the wind blew in our faces. Beautiful birds floated by and flew above us. My friends Kathryn, Karen, Sharmi, and I huddled close to keep warm, laughing and smiling all along the way. There is nobody I would've wanted to experience this with than them. It is so special to have a group of like-minded people who all love the environment just as much as you and who get emotional at the sheer beauty.

Here are some pictures from that day:

Thursday

Today was the last full day that we had on the island and it was just as amazing as the past 4 days. First, we started the day with two lectures where we learned about different arctic plants, climate change, and different methods of combating the changing climate.

Later, we ventured to visit a local Saami family. The Saamis are the indigenous people of Norway who make a living by herding reindeer all year long. Not only was it incredibly interesting to hear all about their culture, but it was also so much fun because they were so warm and welcoming. Here we learned about the culture, ate traditional food, and got to talk with them about the ways climate change is affecting their way of life. Because of the warming climate, more freeze-thaw cycles are happening, causing starvation among the reindeer due to the difficulties in finding food. Government regulations are also making it hard for the Saamis to continue their way of life. For example, the government put a law in place protecting the lynx, and with this law, nobody is allowed to shoot them. Even though this is great for population control of the lynx, the Saamis are now suffering because they aren't able to protect their herds. In a single season, they told us that they lose around 600-700 reindeer out of the 2500 they own due to predation.

After the visit with the Saami family, my class went northern lights hunting again! Even though they may not have been as strong as they were on Monday, we still got to see them one more time before leaving.

Friday

Sadly, today was our last day in Tromsø. Me and my friends made the most of it by walking to the Arctic cathedral and spending more time exploring the town.

Overall, this past week has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I couldn't imagine it being any better. Not only did I learn so much on this trip, but my passion for the environment was reaffirmed. I can't imagine a life where I am not fighting for the Earth and all the animals and plants on it. I hope that one day in the future I can return to this mesmerizing place and see that we have not failed them.