July 18: Longyearbyen, Day 2!

Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 64

July 18

Today we spent the morning in class at UNIS. Ole Humlum, a UNIS professor from Denmark who is an expert in many areas regarding high latitude geology and meteorology, made a very interesting presentation on the meteorology, geology, and geomorphology of Svalbard.

We spent some of the afternoon purchasing groceries for our trip to Isfjord Radio, researching on the Internet, checking e-mails and studying.

Al and Steve accompanied the students to dinner, where they sampled whale meat amongst other delicacies. They then went to see the movie Day after Tomorrow! The movie provided a sensationalized glimpse of extreme weather conditions which prompted some interesting conversations about the topic. The movie theater is actually an auditorium with folding chairs and a big screen, but it gets the job done for this small and remote town.

I opted out of dinner and the movie, choosing to work on the website. I can already see that journaling, answering questions, and uploading pictures will require more time than I will probably have available. I am going to have to figure out how I can experience the Arctic and write about it with so little time available to do the writing!

I have discovered that when my bag was lost on my flight to Hartford, it was because of the need to check out the satellite phone. In the process, a small bag with serial port connectors, extra CDs for recording data, my extension cord, one of my two voltage transformers and all but one of my outlet adaptors, and my thumb drives was not returned to my suitcase. Now I am here with no way to upload from the Satellite phone and no confirmation as to whether or not I will have any connectivity in Isfjord Radio. I am concerned, but it is not a very high priority to get things resolved. I am a bit frustrated because I am generally a very resourceful person. In this situation, however, I am reduced to having no resources with which to be resourceful! I will continue keeping this journal, but I may have to wait to post it upon my return. Meanwhile, I am learning to do without the support and resources I have grown accustomed to. Frustrating yes, but not enough to knock me out of the game!