Life at the Churchill Northern Studies Center (CNSC)

Everyone has been asking what are the living conditions like for me in Churchill? Where do I sleep? What do I eat? Do I have a roommate?

Here is a brief schedule of my day. It varies a bit from day to day.
6:30 - Wakeup, shower, dress for the day
7:00 - Breakfast
7:45 - Briefing: what are our jobs today, what area are we going to dig in
8:15 - Depart for the snow pits in the qamatuk
9:00 - Dig and collect data from the snow pits
11:30 - Back at the CNSC: Take off all the outer layers and start entering data into the computer
12:00 - Lunch
1:15 - Briefing: Afternoon schedule reviewed
1:45 - Lecture, discussion, data collection and entry, and blogging
5:30 - Dinner
7:00 - Lecture: I go to class every night to learn something new about climate change.
8:30 - Work on my blog some more and have some free time with Earthwatch friends
10:30 - Time for bed

Are there chores? Yes. Some days I have dish duty after meals. Everyone has to be a contributing member to the community.

Now watch a video of what the centre looks like and some of the interesting scientists and friends I have met while here.


The food here is quite delicious. I am eating very well and never go hungry. This is what I ate today.
Breakfast: French toast, hash browns, and an orange
Lunch: Fried chicken, baked beans, french fries, and salad,
Dinner: Fillet of sole, corn, potatoes, salad, oranges

Keep track of all the food you eat in one day and think about where it all comes from. Do you ever think about how we use our natural resources to supply us with food? How does the food on our dinner table get to us? I am amazed with how the CSNC gets and keeps all this delicious food here for us to eat. Do you think that other people around the world eat the same kinds of food as us? Do they have the same choices and the same amount?

For something a little different from my daily routine, I decided to sleep in the igloo last night (as a true Arctic adventurer would). It was beautiful inside as I looked up at the top of the dome lit up from the moonlight. The moon was bright last night with a halo around it. There were four of us sleeping in the igloo. The more bodies, the mroe heat that is generated to keep warm. I was warm all night in my sleeping bag, except for my nose. It was not the best night of sleep but I am glad that I tried it out.