After a long silence

I have been in the Antarctic and South Georgia for a while and the time before and after these trips has been busy. In South Georgia, we recognised the Bird Flu on elephant seals. Not a pretty sight. But we kept all the precautions for not transmitting the disease. The wildlife was fascinating because I have never been so early in the Antarctic. I love that place very much and hope that we can enjoy that area for a very long time. That might be also the reason that I put my study and research focus on that region.

However, teaching and tutoring started again at Gateway Antarctica at UC. Seven lectures in Antarctic history are on the agenda and it seems that the students liked it so far. There are four more lectures to deliver in March and April. It is fun to teach not only the Heroic Era but also the fascinating developments in the 1950s until today. A better insight of historical events and their impact on today’s status in research and science it a real eye opener.

Otherwise, I write on articles, a book chapter and several other projects. My volunteer work at the Te Ūaka/The Lyttelton Museum is also growing on intensity and more responsibilities. At the moment, I am in training for Oral History. It has changed in the last 40 years since I got introduced to it in my early history studies in Vienna.

This is the A28 ice berg, approx. the size of London. It was an impressive sight. We also saw the A23a – size of New York City. Icebergs were much more frequent this season than the years before. Even our captain mentioned the frequent ice berg sightings so far north to early in the season. (Captain Freddy was the ice captain at the Weddell See Expedition in 2019 and the Endurance Expedition in 2022)