I grew up in Northern Norway. It's pretty neat, to be honest -- it's true that the sun never rises in the winter, but it's sort of circling right underneath the

I grew up in Northern Norway. It's pretty neat, to be honest -- it's true that the sun never rises in the winter, but it's sort of circling right underneath the horizon, so it doesn't get properly dark either! (If you just look at the calendar, the period of absolute night is fairly short. But this is Norway, so even if the sun is technically above the horizon, it's probably hidden behind a mountain.) Mediterranean latitudes have far darker nights. This is especially true with snow on the ground; at that point you can easily navigate by moonlight. That being said, it is pretty dark. Norway has a particular type of seasonal affective disorder which doesn't strike anywhere further south, and which manifests as... well, difficulty sleeping, loss of energy, depression, lots of bad things. It never seems to affect anyone who grew up there, but it can be an issue even for Norwegians who move northwards. As for refugees who end up placed there ... often they decide whatever they were running from was the lesser of two evils.