Today I did a lot of things...
I went out to the field and took a few hundred pictures. I'm kind of like a photojournalist. My biggest job on the team is to document as much as possible in pictures and video so that they have media aids for when speaking and talking about the project.
I finally got a picture of Kelsey in the field. Okay I got almost 100 of her today. This is the first time I've been in the field with Kelsey because she's generally in Atqasuk while I'm in Barrow ad vise versa.
I also collected a few dozen plant species for pressing and laminating. These will be used in the biology department at Grand Valley State University, where the research team is based. Then I hiked back to the road with two pack racks that are used for carrying supplies out into the field. I hurried back to the lab to put my plants in the plant press, careful to lay them in a way that highlights the key features of each plant. Then I became a tour guide.
Three people flew in from Atqasuk and needed a pick-up at the airport. Jeremy wanted to show them around town; however, since they were so busy trying to trouble-shoot the NIMS grid, he sent me to show them around. To think that less than a month ago I arrived in Barrow for the first time and now I'm talking about the city, customs, landmarks, and culture. It's pretty cool. I know how to get around and the ins-and-outs of the store, Iñupiat Heritage Center, the post office, and even some trivia. I realized I was talking about a place that I knew and was fond of...maybe because the place now has a name...maybe because it has become "normal" to me...maybe because it is beginning to feel like "home."
This picture was taken of me at the Whale Bone Arch on the shore of the Arctic Ocean while I was giving the tour of Barrow. It's an absolutely beautiful day in Barrow.