The MOSAiC team is made up of people from so many different nations onboard the vessel. The main language spoken is English, but different dialects are spoken by people from England, Canada, and the U.S.! The ship itself is from Germany and the largest group of people are German onboard. Occasionally you hear some Italian, Russian, Norwegian or Swedish. There is also a proud Brazilian member onboard as well as some Finnish people. Sometimes you can hear French, Greek, Danish or Dutch spoken, too. We also have someone who is from the Czech Republic and another from Bangladesh. This is a pretty amazing international group of people, all working together to accomplish great science.
The Polarstern actually has a couple of shops that are open from time to time. You can buy souvenirs, beverages, snacks and other supplies. Since this is a German ship, we use German money, which is the Euro, Most European countries use the Euro.
Water is free onboard Polarstern, and with all of the hard work outside, it is important to stay hydrated! Where does the water come from? The ship has a large reverse osmosis system that produces a ton of water, more than we could ever use. There is always plenty of water to drink, shower and brush teeth with.
