In a true story-telling fashion I left this story on a cliffhanger and disappeared for several days, even if not intentionally. Writing still is a struggle to me, mostly trying to find the balance between wanting to make it perfect and still having fun. Not to say it is perfect, nowhere near, but I think to those who also think of themselves as perfectionists this is a very familiar feeling. I might dwell into this topic some other time however, I feel bad leaving the story where I did last time, so here it is.
After the evening get-together we had with the other visitors of the Arc, everyone slowly one after another disappeared into their rooms. Me and my roommate did the same — after all, it was a very long and exhausting day, the next day required an early awakening and a good night sleep was a necessity. I usually struggle with falling asleep very early, sometimes not even bothering with trying to go to sleep before 1 AM. But here it was different. The darkness covered the small village at around 4 or 5 PM, so the rest of the evening felt more like a very-very long night. I tucked myself in, slowly feeling the warmth reaching my freezing body. Both tired, me and my roommate, who was occupying the bunk-bed above me, still managed to have a conversation, sharing our first impressions, sometimes going into deeper topics that both of us for some unknown reason felt comfortable talking about with someone who we don’t know that well.
The conversation lasted about an hour, when suddenly we started hearing sounds of chaotic steps and voices. There was something happening outside of our room, people clearly rushing back and forth here and there. Someone knocked on the door. I got out of my bed and went to open it. One of the other guests, wearing their winter coat and boots over pyjamas, while trying to put on a hat with one hand and wrap a scarf around their neck with the other, exclaimed: “You’ve got to go outside!”
Me and my roommate confused looked through the door and saw everyone rapidly getting dressed to go out as fast as they can. We immediately started doing the same, putting our padded trousers and jumpers over our pyjamas, trying to be as fast as possible. As I was doing that I caught a small glimpse at what was going on outside of our window.
I’ve tried to tell this story to my friends several times, struggling to find words to describe how I felt in that moment. I still think my vocabulary isn’t enough to do that. The most beautiful and mysterious view appeared in front of me and had me frozen for a moment. The Northern Lights! When I was planning my trip to Teriberka I definitely hoped to see that, but as the dates of my trip approached, the forecast of seeing the Aurora seemed less and less possible. And I was okay with it, after all, you can’t really predict nature. But here it was in all of its vibrant colours. It’s definitely more colourful in photographs thanks to technology, but nevertheless, seeing that in person is definitely one-of-a-kind experience.
Now I understood the rush. You never know how long it would last. Could be several hours, could be mere seconds. Even the owner of the Arc said that what we were extremely lucky to see the Northern Lights that night. All forecasts showed the opposite, yet we still got to see it and so close to where we stayed too! Usually, to have the perfect chance of seeing the Aurora people drive a bit further away from the settlements, away from lights, so they don’t pollute the sky. But that night it was right outside the Arc, above our heads.
I put my boots on, quickly grabbed my camera and ran outside. My camera was definitely having a battle against the freezing temperatures, but managed to capture these images. No words can describe the beauty of nature, especially when it presents itself in such ways.
We saw the Northern Lights several times during our 4-day stay in Teriberka. All of those times being a breathtaking experience. But nothing can compare with the emotions you get the first time you see it with your own eyes.
If you ever have a chance to visit the North, don’t be scared of harsh weather conditions — multiple layers of wooden jumpers, thermo-socks and leggings and you’re good to go. Trust me, those experiences will change your life.