Svalbard

Longyearbyen at mid-night

Svalbard is an archipelago located between 76 and 80.5 degrees North, half way from the North Pole to mainland Norway. There is an university there. UNIS is an institute, which tends to change lives. It gives young people reason to live in and like cold places. It is the place where I learned great deal of skills I need in my work today. If you have been studying at UNIS for longer time, you'll get stamped as an "old UNIS student". That stamp follows you the rest of your life.
Odd in it's own way, gray, cloudy, cold, snowy and sometimes slightly windy, but still warmer than any place in world. The arrival to Svalbard is like so many times before. Strangely it feels like I never left. That's how the old UNIS students do. Wander around, but always end up to the island time after time. Svalbard has it's own rules, but it's like cycling: once you have learnt it, it just feels natural.
This time, to my surprise, two of my good friends, Allison and Daniel, were waiting at the airport. I guess I happened to mention that I am coming, but didn't ask anyone to pick me up. We were supposed to have an own transport organised by the Polar Institute. A gesture is highly appreciated, though. It makes the feeling of coming back home.
When we drive towards Forskningsparken, where UNIS and Norwegian Polar Institute are located, I watch the snow covered mountains. There are still quite many snow patches around the town, which is normal for early June. Eiders are floating around in the bay. The geese are grazing on moss. I see some kittiwakes flying by. There is also one huge glaucous gull, which seems to be very focused on pecking a junk of garbage, which it probably has taken from a rubbish bin. At the evening the sky opens. Sun shines to the town without changing colour even at mid-night. There is no place like Svalbard. It feels like home.