Ski

We have been back from the ski trip in Sweden for a week. Skiing was "invented" here in Norway and the word ski is a Norwegian word. In English we pronounce it our own way based on its spelling. It is pronounced "she" in Norsk because the "sk" makes an "sh" sound and the "i" makes a "long e" sound. It was fun to go to Sweeden for the week. We took 2 ferries to make the drive shorter and it took about 6 hours to get to Tärnaby Sweden where the ski place is. There are places closer but they don't have enough snow yet. Traveling in the EU is very efficient and there was no border stop. The cabins we stayed in were really nice. The bathroom had a micro sauna that could hold maybe 3 people. From the toilet you could turn on the shower and the sink and put your feet in the sauna. It wasn't really cramped just efficient in a Scand- inavian way. The kitchen had a small dish washer the size of a microwave. There was a really great sauna in the main part of the hotel that had a 360° view from above the top floor. Defiantly the nicest sauna I have been in. There were 2 T-bar lifts running and it was my first time on a T-bar. I managed to only crash on the lift once when I turned to see if a recent crashee was ok. One more week of teaching and then we are off for Christmas break. Almost all of the Americans are going to Denmark for the break. After new years everyone, including all the students from the other bases in Norway, are meeting at a base near Oslo for a one week conference. Then I am off to Greenland for two and a half months of outreach. This past Monday a dead sea otter mysteriously appeared in front of the base. Since this is the outdoor DTS there was only one thing to do, skin it. That was lead by the female student from Denmark who lived in Greenland for three years and had experience with such things. She already has mittens, boots and a hat made from rabbit, dog and seal so the otter will make for something nice.