BLACK DAYS & WHITE NIGHTS

n northern Sweden, it means that in the 12 weeks surrounding the winter solstice, kids have only a few hours of light, or if they live above the Arctic Circle, none at all. People who live in Umeå, wake up in the dark, walk to school in the dark, and have the first few hours of class in the dark. A bit before lunch, the sun rises, and by 2 p.m., it is twilight. Parents do not say, “Come inside