Emma 2014-08-25
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I am now sitting at my kitchen table. Table cloth, bowl of porridge that I made myself. New clothes that I have not seen for a while. My budgie (pet bird) on my shoulder. It is quiet. No people around. Very peculiar feeling. I cannot go out through the cabin door and meet my colleagues. There is no sound from squeaking steel and banging engines. No ice breaking apart, no waves. I look around in the apartment and feel beyond many of the decisions I remember wanting to make before I left. Some things inside have changed. I am content. I smile. I had no idea until this morning, but I have changed. The Arctic bug has bit me. I want to go back. I imagine expedition life can be very different, and every journey has its own story, its own atmosphere, and its own conditions. Other things are calling, and I will get right to them, but SWERUS C3 is a part of me now whether I want it or not. My brief acquaintance with Barrow: We were in the “top of the world” (which most of us really did not think was the top of the world since we had just been farther north… haha) for almost two full days. Everyone has their own experience from Barrow, but I am sure we all will remember it clearly. What a town. “Do not complain about living conditions again” could be a quote for the wall of citations at home. The town was full of life. It was high summer, and a local told us we were fortunate with the weather. It is good, he said. The kids should be out as much as possible now before it will start snowing. Most kids around had a trick-bike (BMX) or if they were on the older end a quad (a four-wheeler). They were everywhere. Jumping, racing, watching us. Very curious too. Who are these people? Also the adults were openly curious and often spoke to us. We were waiting at the side of a parking lot once and apparently under a bus stop sign that we had not seen. Several people notified us that there would not be any bus now. “Are you homeless?” someone laughed. “Oh, no I see you have a camera, then you are not homeless”, "Where are you from? Did you see the polar bear this morning?". |
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| In the morning I went running, and had a quick swim in the ocean. Had a T-shirt on to not offend my fellow US citizens of course. Continuously looking out for any white furry thing (polar bear). On my run I made a nice acquaintance. A Sabine´s gull. The first time I ever saw one. I approached it on the beach, and we then had a sort of dance I guess. Me running, the gull flying off 50 m, me continuing running, the bird moving a bit again. We did this for maybe 2 km. Guess if I was smiling. I thought to myself ”If nothing else happens today I will still have had a great day”. |
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| When we arrived on US soil we had to have customs and immigration clearance. We landed straight up on a beach with the transfer boat from the Oden. We had a meeting at the UMIAQ office, the local support company, for important information on our stay in Barrow. For example. Look out for polar bears where you go, they are easy to spot now that it is summer – the big white things. We showed our passports inside the most non-formal building one can think of, and were welcomed to US soil. | ||
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| Then we were given our lodging. Many lived a minute away, on the NARL area. Others – like me, in town. We joined to look at the facilities before we got a lift into town, and well, let´s put it this way – I have seen nicer. In comparison –to our house, it felt like pure luxury. The Herman house (were 8 of us were going to live) was connected to the city water so we had no restrictions on how much we could shower, go to the toilet or wash up with. There was a living room with a sofa and chair, a kitchen, our own bathroom with bath tub, laundry room and two bedrooms with bunk beds. Luxury. Though it might not have looked it from the outside... Of course, I´m not comparing to Swedish standard now guys! |
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| I and Nina went for a walk. Visited the grocery store, went back to the house and waited for a colleague to arrive. We enjoyed the awe for our lodging and were smiling broadly upon which we went for another longer walk through town. On the way we visited the museum – the Inuit Heritage Centre – which was very interesting and explained a lot about whale hunting and traditions. We found the post office and then sat down for a cup of tea at the new hotel that the locals were very proud of. In the lobby we met a group of US coast guards that were very chatty and were inquiring about the location of the ice edge and telling us about an accident on board a Korean icebreaker now in Barrow. A man had gotten a weight in his head and was now with an internal bleeding in the hospital. All the best to him, I hope he is fine by now. The Herman house turned into a party location in the evening, mostly with crew from the Oden, and at six we met up with some more people outside and walked to the restaurant Arctic Pizza. The pizzas were enormous. I and Nina had ordered two small ones to share, and I think we made it through almost three fifths of the food. Some had gotten a medium pizza and nearly made half. Plenty was carried home in boxes. Made a nice dinner the day after. On the way to the restaurant, me, Mårten and Roy stopped someone for directions and started chatting. Suddenly we had arrangements with a local to go hunting the next day. |
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I went for breakfast all geared up for an outdoor day, but we had to wait quite a bit. I actually thought that maybe this was not going to happen, but we got help from UMIAQ to make a phone call and it turned out that he was on his way. During this wait, there was a call that someone had spotted a polar bear swimming just outside of town. We got a lift with an UMIAQ labourer and went to watch. Huge bear. As we were standing there our local acquaintance Ron arrived, and we went with his pick-up truck from then on. He drove up the beach and we got photos of the bear from a nice angle. Then we picked up fishing rods and ammunition for duck hunting, and drove further up to see where the bear had gone to. He was then up on the beach and we parked up north of his path, and he walked right passed us. Very close. Intimidating. Mighty. |
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| Local wild life preservation was there with three cars driving his pace, watching him and tried to scare him off through shooting alert. He stayed his apparent path, and as long as there was a road they followed him up. Most people had left when he went far north, but this was apparently our planned hunting grounds so we joined to the very end, and had another close passing of the bear as we were in the truck. He went swimming again and actually ran right through one of the fishing nets that were out in the water. One buoy flew high as the line broke, but he just continued. On land he found something to eat, but headed towards Point Barrow, and we left for hunting. We caught nothing during the day, but had a grand great outdoors experience. Fishing, walking, looking for ducks that were flying, checking different areas, finding whale bones, more fishing, more duck hunting. Some sightseeing, a great deal of chatting and a visit to the “fur shop”. Ron was explaining a lot about local ways and was really sharing. At one time we headed back to his house to follow/escort his 6 year old daughter to a friend. This meant – she hopped onto her bike and we drove behind her until she was at the right spot. Really sweet! We spotted two snowy owls, which made me really excited. Apparently some people had encountered the odd thirty owls up close to point Barrow (!), but I was happy to have seen two at least. One in flight, the other nicely positioned on the tundra. |
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Thank you Ron for taking us hunting. (I am quite sure he won´t read this, but I will send him a card). I will always remember this day. Sabine´s gull, snowy owl, polar bear encounter, hunting, fishing and great company. Wow. Breakfast in the morning, then leaving for the airport. Journey home had started. Soon back to Sweden. |
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Thanks for reading! |
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| by Emma Karlsson | ||
