Meet the People

	A Norwegian fishing village

Have you ever noticed how short the days get in the winter? Depending on where you live, the sun may set by the time you get home from school. For students at Vårberget Skule in Vardø, Norway, the days are even shorter. During the polar winter, which lasts for several weeks each year, they won't see the sun at all!

If a couple of months without sun sounds strange to you, what if the sun shone at midnight for weeks at a time? In Vardø and other parts of northern Norway this happens every summer, which is why Norway is known as "The Land of the Midnight Sun."

Vardø, the site of Vårberget Skule, is on an island several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, and about a mile from the mainland. It is located in the county of Finnmark. People on the island make their living by fishing and preparing fish, and through tourism. The town also has a school that teaches people how to fish. People come from all over Norway to study there. Only about 3,200 people live on the island, but the town is growing. This growth is bringing the people into conflict with the Arctic foxes that share the island with them. Some members of the town would like to see the foxes vanish, while others feel that they are an important symbol of the town.

Kids throughout Norway love skiing. There is a saying that Norwegians are born with skis on their feet, and the Norwegian ski team is always one of the favorites in Olympic events. Cross-country skiing is especially popular. There is usually plenty of snow for the sport. Snow plays a part in another of the Vårberget Skule children's favorite activities, which is like a cross between a snowball fight and Capture the Flag. The sport is called yukigassen-turnering, and it originated in Japan. It was first played in Vardø in the winter of 1997, and much of the town turned out for the battle.

One activity the kids at Vårberget Skule may never take part in is tree-climbing. Because of the Arctic climate, there is only one tree on the entire island.

Some parts of their lives might seem strange to you. But for the kids in Vardø, life on a small island north of the Arctic Circle is as familiar as life in your town is to you.