yann in the arctic

Saturday 5 June 2010

:) :) :) :) :) :)

It's been just over 9 months since I got back in the UK, and I have been reluctant to post anything on my blog as 1) it would make me depressed and 2) because I'm not actually in the Arctic anymore (but things are soon to change so read on!).

It's no secret to say that I have found the past academic year (in Edinburgh, finishing my degree) extremely difficult. Surprisingly it wasn't the work load or courses that I found particularly challenging, but the fact that I was no longer on the magical island. This may sound ridiculous or perhaps even obsessive, but I reckon I have been reminiscing about my time spend on Svalbard about every other minute of every single day.

When I returned to Edinburgh last September, I somehow knew very few people in my class. Typically, I was the quiet one at the back of the room with no friends (sorry for the corniness, but I really had gone from hero to zero). But it didn’t matter as I could dream out the window and plan my next assault on the Arctic…

… which brings me onto the amazing news I got this morning: I will be moving back to Svalbard this coming fall. I applied for and have been accepted onto the Arctic Nature Guide program on Svalbard, which is a full year training scheme designed for those who want to guide around the Arctic wilderness in both summer and winter. After this, I should be able to find a job out there/in other polar regions. As always, I’m never too sure what I want to do in life so this is definitely a cross roads for me, and we’ll see where it takes me. I did work as a guide last year around the local mountains of Longyearbyen and loved it – but I also wanted to go out more serious trips, which is why the qualification I will hopefully obtain is so ideal (also, all guides will soon need to be accredited on Svalbard). Now with academia out the way, I can fully focus on all the crucial skills needed for such a job (those I tend to easily forget), such as ropework and first aid.

The course requires a decent amount of equipment (I have most of it) but still there are a few things I will need to purchase such as new walking boots, and a bit more climbing gear. So from now on I will be (even more) living on the cheap.

It hasn’t really sunk in yet though. Unlike the last time I was on Svalbard, I will be staying for at least another full year - if not more (maybe until I get bored of island life). I guess all of this shows you that if you really want something, then there is no reason why you can’t get it.

More importantly however, the reason why all of this is such exciting news is that I can now make use of my derelict domain yanninthearctic.co.uk ! I hope to revamp my website soon.

I’m finally back in business. I’m so excited :)