Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 12/27/2009 - 15:11
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Greenland Seabird Ecology

What was it like when you first got there, and having to change your natural habits?

Sat, 01/02/2010 - 08:19

Mary Anne Pell…

Hello,
Everything was different, and I don't know if I ever adjusted in the time I was there.  The strangest part was never having it get dark.  It was very easy to lose track of time, and not really know if it was afternoon, evening or the middle of the night.  If we were up in the colony until 3 or 4 am, then went down to the tents to sleep, I often woke up with no real understanding of what time it was.  The time did not really matter, but I am programmed to feeling a need to know if it is morning, afternoon or evening.  And it was unsettling to not know.  Time was measured in which tasks were on the schedule for each day, so that our work was aligned with the two other field teams in Norway.We had plenty of food and shared cooking and cleaning responsibilities so that was not too different from camping with others.  The team had ipods with speakers, so music was often playing and that was comforting.  Time moved at a different pace, and life was simple, that was nice.I'm glad you asked about it.Mary Anne