I'M HERE!!!

After flying all day I finally arrived here in Churchill. We had to take a fairly small plane from Winnipeg to Churchill. This is what it looked like:

As you can see, my polar bear was a bit reluctant to get on.

Once he was all buckled up he was fine and the flight was great. I got to meet the other teachers on the expedition and we all talked about how excited we are. There are eleven teachers here from all over the United States.

Then we finally arrived in Churchill.

We were met by two of the scientists we will be working with. We took a van back to the Churchill Northern Studies Center (CNSC), which is the research center where we will be staying. I am going to be in a room with two bunkbeds and I have a bunkbed all to myself. That means I get to decide whether I want the top or the bottom bunk.

Mr. Steve Mamet is a student scientist from the University of Alberta who is working with Dr. Peter Kershaw, the main scientist in charge of our research. Mr. Mamet spoke to us about what we will be doing each day. We also got a tour of the CNSC building. One of the most interesting things at the CNSC is the dome. It is a clear, round window on the top of the building and it's used for viewing the Northern Lights.

We DID get to see the Northern Lights tonight. My photo is a bit blurry because I don't have something called a tripod:

Mr. Nidzgorski, another teacher, had a tripod. Do you notice a difference?

Tomorrow we will start learning the procedures for our work outside. Be sure to check on here again. I'll be posting more photos, and I'll let you know how our day goes.

Here is an interesting website with more images and information on the Northern Lights:

http://www.lazybearlodge.com/northern_lights.php

Don't forget to vote for your favorite polar bear name. I will take more votes tomorrow and then I'll tell everyone his name on Tuesday.

Miss Santoro