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Day one on Svalbard

I went on a flight today; well actually I went on three flights today but they all led to the same place. A place so distant and far north that I'm even impressing some of my very-well travelled friends.

The place? Svalbard!

Yes, I'm in friggin’ Svalbard, and will hopefully stay for the next six months waiting tables at a pretty damn nice restaurant up here. Now how did I ever end up at the top of the world? It all started before I went to Norway this autumn to work as a butcher when I a few weeks into August still hadn’t gotten a reply. So I set about applying for jobs pretty much everywhere and this included Svalbard. Come September and the maitre’d sent me an e-mail and after a few phone-calls and several more e-mails we came to the conclusion that I was suitable for the position and should stay over the summer season.

So early this morning I boarded a flight in Stockholm and seven hours later, after a truly magnificent view from the plane, I touched frozen ground in Longyearbyen.

This is going really to be a blast and a true adventure!

I was picked up at the airport by this guy from Åland who gave me the minor tour of the village and then dropped me off at what will be my home for the next half year. After dropping my bags, we walked the 50 m to the hotel where the boss gave me the grand tour of the establishments, including a gym and a sauna which I intend to use more often than I have done lately (at least the sauna).

And that was pretty much it for the first day. I met tons of new people who all seem to be quite nice and have to add that I am very grateful that we all have to wear name-badges while working.

Yup, that’s it for a first report.

Polar Bears sighted: 0 live ones (1 stuffed at the airport)
Seals sighted: 0 in total
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