The Days are Getting Longer

I've been in an Alaskan summer, where the sun never dips fully below the horizon, settling instead on a dusky midnight-Ancorage-or not settling at all-Barrow. I've been in an Norwegian Arctic winter, where twilight marks noon and drinking all day becomes the winter way of dealing with perpetual night.

What amazes me about being here in Scotland is that the transition between the two seems to happen overnight. Just last week I swear I never managed to leave the flat during daylight hours, always managing instead to meander out in mid-afternoon for class. Back when it got dark at 4. Yesterday, though, the orangey borders of cloud and sky still lacerated on the horizon at 9pm. Days seem to get longer in half-hour increments around here, daring you stay awake longer in the face of waning daylight. It tricks you, too, into thinking that you've been up for days by the time you flop into bed.

I would also like to say with feeling: I miss proper seasons.