Things change fast in the Arctic everyday the sky is getting brighter and brighter. Now I can see what a beautiful place I am living in.

 

Semester 2

For this springs semester Ailsa and Sarah have returned to Scotland leaving me (Karen) to join the two Longyearbyen veterans from last semester, Rosie and Christine.

 

The local wildlife checking us out on our lunch time stroll to UNIS

The first week on Svalbard was really eventful, 6 days of safety training which involved many different events but the rifle range and sea ice rescue sections were by far the most enjoyable. 

 

A wee swim in the sea ice wearing nothing but a snow scooter suit makes Loch Etive feel like a tropical lagoon. 

The Polar Night

 

The midday view from barrack 11 towards town.

It is a strange experience living in a place that you have never seen in the daylight. I know there are more mountains out there but I still haven't seen them. 

The sun hasn't been seen on Svalbard since October but there is hope. 

Even in the short space of time I have been here there has been a noticeable brightening of the sky to the south around noon. It will be another 3 weeks before the sun breaks the horizon and another month after that before it is high enough to reach Longyearbyen itself. 

So what do you do in Longyearbyen during the polar night to keep yourself occupied?

You build beer-can towers obviously......

 

 

Rosie just can't contain her excitement ;-)