Day 5

Last night there were some Aurora Borealis! Not much but it was a little bit exciting anyway. There are supposed to be really awesome ones here, but I heard it might be a little late in the spring for really colourful ones. Which is a bit of a shame, but I have seen very nice ones in Finland too, so I can't really complain. About two years back, already early in the fall, I saw really lovely ones that were kind of the end of Aurora Borealis. After that, I didn't even feel like going to look at them if I heard there were some out, I'd already seen the best ones. But of course it's a bit different in here. Let's see if I can still catch some.

Things I've learnt in Nuuk so far:

•  Nuuk is a city of stairs. But take it as a blessing: you will get the best work-out of your life. Just take the stairs. There might be a lot, but usually not too much. I can do it and I'm not in the best shape (not in the worst either, though), so you can do it too!
• Talking about exercise, the Nuukians really seem to like crossfit for some reason. I'm almost tempted to try it now.
• It's windy. So invest in a coat that has a hood and make sure the hood stays on top of your hat even when it's really windy. If you don't want to look like a smooshed apple and tie the hood around your face, try what I do, attach your hat onto your hair with hairpins so it will stay on your head and the hood will stay on top of your hat. Presto!
• Don't dawdle in the shower. The hot water runs out pretty fast. There's enough to wash your hair with but don't stand in the shower for a long time just thinking about stuff and then start washing your hair, like some people do. Not me. Some people.
• There are dogs around, even if sled dogs can't be below the Arctic Circle. The dogs are allowed to run free in the suburbs and nature, but they are incredibly well-behaved and do not stray from their owners. Not even if you wanted them to come by and say hi to you.
• The buses run around the town in a circle so you can basically just ride around Nuuk all day looking at all the pretty mountains. The drivers won't kick you out until in the evening. Like Finns, Greenlanders don't want to sit next to a stranger, so if a seat becomes available, they'll switch seats. Don't be offended, it's a northern thing, maybe? I do it all the time.
• Despite it being cold outside, the heaters inside can run pretty hot. So don't leave your chocolate right by them or it will melt and you will be sad.
• Remember your sunglasses. When it's sunny it's superduper bright. Even when it's cloudy, the snow is still incredibly bright. If you don't have sunglasses, you will be basically blind.
• Invest in warm shoes that have spiked or textured bottoms. It's slippery here.
• There's a visual difference to hard and soft snow, when you're trekking on it. You will slowly learn to tell the difference and not fall up to your crotch into the snow. That much. You still will. So tuck your pants into your boots.
• Don't be afraid to look stupid. You're new, so people will probably see you as a bit silly anyway. When climbing up a snowy hillside, just drop on all fours if you feel like it. Your weight will be more evenly distributed and the snow will sink less under you that way. It's also easier to keep on climbing like that sometimes. Plus I think it will make you use different muscles so variety is good! So what it it looks quite stupid from a distance?