My St. Patrick's day began like any day might--I had lectures for the Energy Week conference in the morning, a lecture in the afternoon at Åbo Akademi, did some work on my EPS project, cooked myself dinner. Then I put on my 3-euro thrift store green dress and rode my bike to my friend's apartment for a St. Patty's day pre-party. Little did I know that the sky would be taking part in the holiday's festivities.
A few hours into the party, my phone buzzed. The text message from my classmate read that he could see Northern Lights. Thrown into a bit of a frenzy at the prospect of seeing the elusive aurora, I interrupted the party and led everyone outside. Faint grey wisps snaked through the dark sky above, teasing us until we could get away from the city lights.
From Brändö, we followed the darkness in the distance, to the sea. We came upon an abandoned industrial area and an old dock. We jumped over a barbed wire fence--exercising everyman's right, we decided. I ripped my tights and got my gloves covered in tree sap. Chasing darkness to chase the light.
The sky teased us all the meanwhile, beckoning us into a wide-open dark space we could not seem to find. We turned back and headed to a small island reachable by foot. As we approached, the lights got brighter and brighter, this time as if inviting us to stand on perhaps the most beautiful square foot of earth and look up.
I let out a squeal. Before me was the sea and above me was pure magic. Ribbons and curtains of green and purple danced before my eyes, more graceful than anything I had ever seen. The beauty of it was hardly conceivable, and I felt my eyes fill with tears. The dance covered the expanse of the sky. I stood there for hours, surrounded by friends from all over the world. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
While I was walking to the island to get a better view, I saw so many people going about their normal evenings, seemingly oblivious to the the enigma that was taking place right there above their heads. How many times have I continued along in my normal routine, completely inattentive to something remarkable going on right in front of me? They say the earth has music for those who listen. The sky has a dance for those who watch.
A big thank you to my friend Lukas for taking the wonderful photos on the group's behalf.
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