yann in the arctic

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

back on svalbard :)

I arrived safely back on Svalbard last Friday (13th), but really haven't had much free time (hence my neglected blog!). That said, I'm so happy to be back!

Where to start then ... ? Well, I somehow managed to get all my bags and clothing stuffed with overweight items onto the plane. At Oslo aiport, I spotted a few people with fancy outdoor equipment (who would become my new class mates). Flying over Svalbard wasn't very spectacular though as it was completely covered with mist and clouds.

First sightings of Svalbard (South Cape)

Bedroom view

The summer heat at home was killing me! This is much better :)

Before leaving Svalbard last time, I can remember telling myself that it wasn't goodbye and that I would be back soon. I wasn't trying to find a way to re-create what had already been an amazing experience, but instead put my life on hold for one year (while I finished my degree) and would resume my Svalbard life later. And that's how it really feels. It's as if I had never left the island.

Anyways, at the weekend it started snowing, and there was a good couple of centimetres of snow on the ground and mountains. A few days on and most of it has melted away, but it was quite surprising to get so much snow so early in the season.

I am once again living in student halls with my fellow class-mates. So far everyone seems nice. 90% of my class is Nowegian, and the others speak Norwegian so I seem to truly be the only foreign student but oh well. I'm trying to learn some of the language, but most of our activities and class work are in English anyway.

Although we are strictly speaking not UNIS students, we still took the UNIS safety course which was lots of fun. Once again, back at the rifle range and lots of theoretical and practical knowledge about the harsh Arctic climate, first aid, emergency camps etc. As ANG students, we will be getting a lots more practice in these fields over the coming months.

Back at the rifle range ^^

Next week I will be heading out onto the Nordenskjoldbreen for 10 days of glacier training and crevasse rescue. All very exciting. And then we'll be learning about how to handle zodiac boats at sea and operate them by ourselves for a few days. So yeah right now not much to say as I settle back into Arctic life, but photos and stories from my upcoming trip will come ! :)

posted by Yann Rashid on 22:10

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Wednesday, 11 August 2010

1 day to go !

This time tomorrow I will be on a flight to Oslo, the first leg of my journey. Then on Friday morning I'll be flying out to Svalbard.

Right now I'm slightly anxious when I look at the size of my bag. I have already shipped 3 X 25kg boxes to Svalbard (don't ask). Although it's still the middle of summer, I will probably be wearing many layers at the airport and then take them off as soon as I pass the security checks.

Right well that's all I can write today, as I have many things to get sorted :(

posted by Yann Rashid on 11:08

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Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Just over a week now ...

Here I am typing my latest blog entry from a hot, sweaty and crammed London tube on my way back home from work. I leave in just over a week - but haven't had much time to think about what the next year will be like.

I will voluntarily be trading the comfort of city life to once again live on one of the world's most far flung islands. Sometimes I wonder why I'm going back ... After all city life brings many perks. And having been back to civilisation for the past year, you somehow get used to it...

The last time I went to Svalbard was for only a set time (just over a year during my year abroad) whereas this time I have no idea how long it will be. Maybe I just won't enjoy the course and then I'll back in a month or two. Or perhaps I'll end up living there for a few years.

I can't specifically remember what keeps drawing me to the Arctic, but I can remember telling myself that I must come back. And right now there isn't much telling me to stay/come back to the city.

Anyways, I just wish my bags were packed. What a contrast I'm sure next week will be ...

posted by Yann Rashid on 19:41

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Saturday, 12 June 2010

hat-trick of my life !

Wow what a week it’s been....

Last Saturday I got the news that I had been accepted onto the guiding course (mentioned on post below). Of course I was ecstatic about it, but in a sense I didn’t feel I could celebrate because I had a few obstacles in my way, notably the fact that I didn’t have a driving license.

You see, going back to Svalbard without a driving license is a bit annoying - more so when you are on a guiding course. This means you are not allowed to drive snow mobiles for going out on excursions. But this morning, I retook my driving test for the third time (after a two year hiatus) and passed. I had been such a nervous wreck this past week, but to me this was the most important exam ever and now I feel incredibly overjoyed to have passed.

Throw into the mix that I have also just passed all my university exams (which was a requirement to be fully accepted onto the guiding course) means I can now breathe… at least for a short while as I start a summer job this coming Monday.

The next thing I must worry about is how to get my endless hoard of kit and junk up to Svalbard by August …

posted by Yann Rashid on 20:44

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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 :)

posted by Yann Rashid on 18:03

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Tuesday, 25 August 2009

:( :( :( :( :( :(

I feel as though this will be my very last blog post from "the arctic" ... Yes, the time has come for me to finally leave Svalbard.

I have really left my flight til the very last possible minute, as shortly afterwards I'll be on the train back to Edinburgh for my final year of study.

When my semester was over in June, I went on a quick holiday and then returned up here. I had one small job lined up and that was it ... but I've been here ever since! My last job has been doing some lab work at UNIS as well as guiding tourists up the local mountains. It's all been really fun, and I was surprised at how easy it was to find a job up here.

As you can probably guess, I really really really do not want to go back. I really cannot believe this year is over.

If I could do it all over again. And so I will. Next summer I'll be back on Svalbard for sure - don't know what for yet, but I will.

If ever I update my blog in the future, I hope to add some more photos and maybe give a few more details as to how it's been living up here for a year ... but right now I must hurry as my plane will leave very soon!

posted by Yann Rashid on 12:14

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Saturday, 18 July 2009

back

I guess it's been very quiet on my blog, as officially it was the end of the term a month ago ... but I'm actually still on Svalbard right now so I feel I must live up to the title of this website!

Flying back to Svalbard ... slushy snow storm soon afterwards

So many things have happened lately, that I don't feel I have time to talk about them right now. Briefly, I went back home on the 14th June for a few days. It was really hard saying goodbye to everybody, but I'm pretty sure many of us will keep in touch :). A few days later I went trekking in the Jotunheimen region in Norway, all fun: we went up the two highest peaks, had amazing weather (so warm!) and got eaten by mosquitoes at one point.

On top of Norway - Galdhpiggen, Jotunheimen

I had managed to get myself a small job at the Norwegian Polar Institute, helping with a reindeer survey of Adventdalen. I must say, it was the most fun fieldwork I've ever done. We were so lucky with the weather, and the team was just great.

Trekking through Helvetiadalen