Svalbard 2009

Sunday, June 28, 2009

I'm going to try and put up pictures from both field trips. The first one was on Tuesday of last week and the second was this past weekend. I don't have a lot of pictures from this weekend because I got a really bad cold and couldn't have cared less what we were doing! I know other people got good pictures of the stuff I missed and I'll be sure to get them from them. We got back really early from our field trip, which is awesome, so I should be able to get them all up and still go to bed early! Five days and counting...Talk to you soon, Love, Monica.

Friday, June 26, 2009

THE INTERNET IS BACK!!!! I'm very very happy to have it back! I've felt so disconnected the last several days. I'm going to put up pictures of the hike we took Monday and the field trip we were on Tuesday. Other than those two days, we've been in class so I (fortunately for me) don't have many other new pictures to put up. Oh, the other exciting news is that a week from right now I'll be in Bangor :) I'm getting really anxious! Talk to you all soon, and enjoy the new pictures! (Sorry, Mom, if some of them worry you - it worried me too :) )

Sunday, June 21, 2009

I just wanted to mention that not only did I add pictures from yesterday, but I also added a few pictures of the inside of the school further down under UNIS. I try not to add pictures to "groups" that I make before, but UNIS isn't cool enough to have two sections. Enjoy! Love, Monica.

Good Morning. I have a while before I have to leave for school, so I thought I would try to get caught up on some pictures! Things are still going well, but as I get more used to it, I get more ready to come home! Even though today is Sunday, we have classes all day. On the bright side, tomorrow is our one day off! Hopefully, I'll get in some hiking, although I would be content reading (by myself!) for the day. We'll see how it goes, and I'll be sure to put up new pictures when I get them. Talk to you soon, Love, Monica.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Hi again - I hope you enjoy the new pictures. I'm happy to say that I actually had a hot shower this morning. The first day, the water was cold, and the second I woke up too late because I never turned my alarm on. Now, I'm in a good routine and that will probably make this go even faster. I can't tell you how fast the days go by here. I don't get the 3:00 slump either - I think that's because of the sunlight. I asked a few other students if they noticed any difference in brightness at any time, day or night, and none of them have. It changes the way time passes. I think I'm already used to it, and it doesn't bother my sleep (at least, not compared to the wind rocking my building!). Talk to you soon, Love, Monica.

Monday, June 15, 2009

My first couple of days

Here are the pictures I've accumulated in the last 24 hours. This is the easiest way for you to see them (as much as I hate to admit I started a blog). Talk to you soon!! Love, Monica.

This Weekend's Field Trip

This weekend was our big outing. There must have been a huge part of the budget set aside for it! We went by Zodiac, those red boats that are somewhat inflatable. It took about 2 hours to get there. Riding in them is pretty fun. Then, we took a hike as soon as we got there focusing on the geology. I woke up Saturday morning feeling pretty crappy with my cold, so I really tried to force myself to take pictures although I was too sick to care :) Sunday we went to see the instruments they have set up around the area measuring temperatures and what not. I didn't take many pictures there either (are you seeing a pattern?). Plus, it's hard to take pictures when its less than 30 degrees, windy, and raining and you can't breathe and your fingers are frozen. Then, we went to Barentsburg, the Russian settlement here. It was disgusting and I was feeling really run down and knew that when we were done there we were going back to town and I couldn't wait, but I tried to get some photos. I'll get every else's before I leave to fill in all the places where I didn't care ;)

"Field Work"

This is where we spent the afternoon. These lobes of dirt and rocks are from avalanches that pulled all the material down. You can see at the top of the cliffs overhanging snow, called cornices. They break off and pull all the snow behind and around it as well as the rocks below it down the slope. Last winter they had a major avalanche that crossed the road - there's even a snowbank left from it still (I'm standing on the road). The town decided to blast the rest of the cornices to avoid any others but the drills they used to plant the dynamite set off an even bigger avalanche than the first one. The pictures they had were pretty amazing. Maybe I can get my hands on them.