Polar night in Longyearbyen

Copyright Helle Astrid Kjaer

I moved here on Sunday, and Monday morning we started the one-week safety course. We actually get 3 credits/studiepoeng for doing this safety course! So far I have learnt about avalanches, glaciers and rescuing people from crevasses. Now I know how to tie lots of knots :) On Thursday we're going to the rifle range!

Hehe, I'm really tired from walking to and from school just after two days...! :) We live in the old mine-workers' barracks 3 km from "downtown" Longyearbyen and UNIS (the University Center). It sounds crazy to get tired from this, but when you have the strong winds of the valley working against you and you are wearing lots of warm clothes from top to toe and carrying plastic bags with food (which really like to get caught by the wind) as well as all the stuff you have brought for school, you really wish you had a bike or "chair sledge" (sparkstøtting) or skis or just something to make the trip a little faster... actually, a snowmobile would be just perfect! :)

It's really warm here by the way - we haven't had temperatures below zero degrees celcius since I arrived. The wind chill of course makes it a little less pleasant, but it's really hard to believe that this place isn't much colder than Oslo right now. The weather forecast even speaks of rain, hehe!

I have to leave for school at 07:15 tomorrow morning, so I guess it's just about bed time now... My first couple of days here have really made the rest of the stay look promising :)

"First" visit to Huset