6/17/2012 Sunday
[Today is actually Saturday, June 23rd, but his is my first time I have been far enough South to have internet access since I left Longyearbyen on Sunday, June 17th. I will start uploading my blog entries now and over the next few days. I will keep it in chronological order, so you won't know the amazing experiences I have had until I get to the day it happened. Happy reading. Beware that I was sleep deprived when I wrote most of this!]
Started the day early with a bus trip to the airport and a 2
hr 40 min chartered flight to Longyearbyen, Svalbard--about 150 people. The pilot announced when we crossed
into the Arctic Circle and everyone cheered and high fived each other. And no, there is no dotted line to be
seen! After seeing much open ocean
through the clouds, I spotted the first pointy peaks of the island of Spitsbergen
(island) Svalbard (archipelago) and got very excited that I was going to
experience a totally unique environment.
When I entered the Longyearbyen airport, I was greeted with cheers and
hugs from the 2 teachers (Kim and Eileen) and 3 National Geographic staff
(Julie, Mary and Sam) that were on the 1st expedition. They were so pumped about their
experience and said it was mind-boggling and life changing. In the few minutes they could talk
before they boarded the airplane we just got off of, they tried to share advice
and activities for working with the “young explorers” on board the ship. The most exciting news is that they had
21 polar bear sightings, about 100 walrus, beluga whales, fin whales, seals,
puffins and other amazing wildlife.
Can’t wait.
While the ship was being prepared for us, we toured Longyearbyan. I’ve attached a number of pictures that
tells most of the story. The
unique color palette of the homes/buildings are chosen by a color
consultant. Though they are
bright, they all come from naturally occurring sources throughout
Svalbard. We were welcomed on the
ship about 4:30pm, took care of the mandatory safety stuff and took off. I’ve included pictures of the Isfjorden (ice fjord) as we took off. Everyone then met in the lounge for a
briefing and we 3 GTFs (Grosvenor Teacher Fellows) ate dinner with the staff to
meet them and discuss what we will be doing tomorrow. I included some pictures of our staff bios hanging at one of
the stair landings.
Finally, internet will only be available tonight and then
probably on the last day of the expedition. So I will post now, but then there probably won’t be an
update until I can post again towards the end of my Arctic Adventure. I’ve got to get some sleep even though
it is 1pm and it is daylight…I’m in the land of the midnight sun and for the
first time ever, get to experience 24 hours of sunlight. We are expected to be at the drop off (edge of the
continental shelf) as we leave this fjord at about 5:30am. This is a nutrient rich area due to
upwelling and is a great feeding ground where we hope to see whales!!!! I have always wanted to see a whale in
the wild and it just might happen in a few hours!! So darn cool!
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