A new job

Finally, it's time to materialize some plans. It was a difficult choice, since there were too many good options, but now the decision is made. There is no turning back any more. Instead of travelling and exploring the world, I am going to concentrate on science. Uhm...yes, science. The offer and current conditions in Tromsø were too good to reject.

I singed a four-year contract, which makes me a PhD student at University of Tromsø. I am going to study bivalves living in Svalbard waters. There were several reasons for this. For a longer time I have been working to become a research diver. If everything goes as planned, this project gives me the necessary experience to become one. In addition, I am interested in marine biology. This project had all the elements and possibilities, which I was interested in. Also the advisers for the project are the best one can have. Furthermore, if I manage to play my cards right this should not drop me off from the seabird science or logistics either.

Tromsø is probably one of the best places to live for a person like me. Nature is close and possibilities for activities almost endless. Diving is excellent, as long as one can cope with the temperature. I have also many good friends living in here, which were turning the balance favourable for my decision...and, finally, uh, there was a girl...

There were all the elements I wanted. It just was the best offer I would ever get. I had to take it.

Next four years will not be that much of exploring around the world, but hopefully even more exploring the world around me. Thus, I am not going to change the name of this blog, but I'll keep writing somewhat irregularly about miscellaneous topics from science to private life and activities...And the most important thing: I won't give up with the photography! My next investment will be an underwater casing for my camera, so I can start posting photos from those waters here as well.

Although, there was no money for field work this summer, with kind help from my former NPI boss, we somehow managed to fix an extra long one with a month's adventure around the archipelago. The plan is here: I am going to travel to Longyearbyen in end of April and will conduct some experiments (more about those later). After the experiments, I'll hang out there until the end of June helping in the bird project, again, and collecting samples for our projects. In July I'll go for a month's sailing trip to count nesting seabirds in the largest colonies on Svalbard. I should be back in Tromsø in August. Especially the bird counting trip is supposed to become exciting. No complaints about sampling around Longearbyen either.