In only on land for a few hours in Alexandria, so I'll upload some of the Photos Ive taken recently on board the official support ship of the IEASM mission here, the Princess Duda.
(As a note, our ships home port is Malta, and in Maltese, Duda is an affectionate name for a girl.) “What languages does the team speak on board?” asks Hans
We work all around the world, and the team is made up of members from many countries. Almost everybody speaks some English, but at its core, this is a French Team. Around the dinner table, during work, discussing plans, and writing reports, French is the main language you will hear. But if you stroll around the deck after a long day of diving and a fine dinner, you could easily encounter small groups here and there talking in Arabic, Spanish, Russian and Tagalog, as well as English and French. And because many us have worked in so many of these countries over the year, you could absolutely hear some people speaking in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Tagalog, in the Same Sentence! As we are always trying to learn new languages, or improve on the ones we know, study and practice are important. I like to follow the advice of Benny the Irish Polyglot. He speaks 12 languages ( and counting!) and has great tips on language learning. Here is his website; http://www.fluentin3months.com/ “What type of food do you eat on board?”
It doesn’t seem to matter what type of scientific expedition I am involved in, be it exploration under the sea or on top of a volcano, one of the questions that people always want to know is…, “What’s for dinner?” It is clearly a fundamental human concern. In this case I'm giving credit to Margaret for the question. Here is your answer, Margaret; Well as far as our Life On Board goes on an underwater archaeological mission in Egypt, you don’t need to worry a bit. The crew of this ship is always well fed and, being a French team, we always have a Chef, and our meals are outstanding. The meals can vary greatly in their inspiration, from North African to Asian to classic French cuisine, so we never have to worry about getting bored with the same meal. And because we are usually not to far from a port we can get fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables too. As I write this, it is watermelon season in Egypt, and we are devouring several a day. Occasionally we have very important visitors on board for lunch, even Royalty sometimes. On these occasions the Chef goes all out and we get a very special meal. These are always memorable occasions. In other words, there is no concern about the divers going hungry here or getting Scurvy either. Here is a picture of tonight’s main course. Carol asked me “What’s it like being on Franck’s team?”
There are so many exciting stories that I could tell you to try to answer that question, but here is just one small part. When I was young, I always wanted to be part of a special group of adventurers, and to go out into the wild and discover amazing things. I imagined that we would travel the world, get to share stories of the wonders we had encountered, and probably have a really cool uniform. The first time I met Franck’s team, I knew that this was the team that I had imagined when I was young, and what I wanted to do as a career, but how was I to become one of them? Fortunately, Franck gave me the opportunity to join them on a mission, and then another, and before long I got the sign that I had really made it as part of this great team. My very own, custom made, Hilti Red Wet Suit. Today we got underway from the protection of Alexandria’s Eastern Port, sailing east along Egypt’s northern coast bound for the Bay of Abu Kir. The voyage will only take us half a day, but it will be a big change in environment for the start of the mission. We will be off-shore, with the open Mediterranean sea in front of us, and exposed to the swell of the open sea, This voyage is often one of the favorite times for the team to catch up. After the huge press to get the ship loaded and all gear ready and in working order, on this day we get to relax a bit, perhaps swapping stories of what adventures we have had since we saw each other last. Once we round Ile Dissouki and pass the reefs and enter the bay, we will anchor over the sunken city of Heracleion, and rub our hands together with anticipation of the next days dive. I'm back in Egypt!
Glad to report that I'm now continuing excavations as part of the team of Underwater Archaeologist Franck Goddio and the European Instititute of Underwater Archaeology, and am excited about being able to share The Divers Perspective on Exploration under the Sea. For me everyday here is a fabulous experience diving on sunken Egyptian Cities, an experience so rich that I’m having a hard time figuring out where to start with a story about it, so I’ve decided to start by answering some questions that students and others who have attended my presentations often ask about the job at hand. If any of you have some more questions, email them to me and I’ll do my best to give you the diver’s eye perspective on it. The best ones might even be immortalized; we are working on putting these subjects on the official website representing the excavations; www.franckgoddio.org/ Thanks, Eric |
My Name is Eric and My Job is Scientific Exploration.
That means I'm lucky enough to join expeditions to excavate sunken cities, climb volcanoes, find missing bombs, and Sail old research vessels, while searching for the mysteries of the natural world. Categories
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