 I woke up today to a second sunny day in Reykjavik. As I had been awake for 48 hours without sleep yesterday, I slept in a bit. Eventually, Alice and I headed out in search of coffee and found a nice little spot to grab a pastry and some caffeine. Then, we hit the road in search of an eruption site. It was the perfect day to visit a volcano.
 They call Iceland the land of fire and ice. Between its volcanoes, glaciers, and snowy mountain tops, its not hard to see why. Yesterday I had a chance to see a lot of Iceland's wayer - geysers, waterfalls, lakes, and even a glacier. Today, I'm hoping to see some of that fire...or what was fire just a few weeks ago (their volcanic eruption site near Reykjavik).
 Arrived in Iceland bright an early this morning after a pretty easy five hour flight from Boston. Today's weather is cold but calm and sunny, perfect for getting a fast introduction to the country before flying out for Greenland tomorrow evening.
 One of the reasons we are going to Greenland Science Week is to host digital heritage workshops. The workshops will teach members of the public how to use visualization methods such as 3D scanning and photogrammetry to produce digital recreations of Greenlandic archaeological artifacts or family heirlooms they are encouraged to bring in.
 I am currently waiting for an eight seater plane to jet set out of Massena International Airport, where this journey officially begins. It's a bit delayed so I have some time to reflect on the crazy travel logistics that had to come together to get here. I hope I got it all right…
 With my trip only one day away, I am feeling a lot of emotions. Nerves, anxiety, excitement…but also a good dose of mom guilt.
 With the week of travel here, its time to pack. I have a pile ready to help make for a comfortable trip to the Arctic. Here are some of the things I’m packing for takeoff on Thursday.
 You’ve probably seen them. Those reports, news articles, public comments questioning the usefulness of social science degrees like anthropology. They always make this three-anthropology-degree holder feel very warm and fuzzy. But I’d like to take a moment to argue a defense for anthropology. A strong one. As my students in Applying Anthropology are learning, there are so many ways anthropology can be used, an endless list of industries that can benefit from an anthropological infusion. I have a list here of excellent examples where a synthesis between anthropology and another field produces unparalleled results.
 Thank you to everyone who took my survey assessing your pre-existing knowledge of Greenland! If you haven’t already, please take it before continuing to read. Along with the answers, I’ve put together some charts that show trends in the first 100 surveys. As more come in, I hope to update these later to see if trends persist.
 International travel offers many things: adventure, exposure to new cultures, once-in-a lifetime experiences, and plenty of stories to tell your grandkids. But sometimes international travel offers us something even more surprising: a reconnection with home.
|