There are many things I’ll miss about the expedition: the beauty of the landscape, all of the cute animals, Jumper’s announcements over the PA system, the amazing people I met, playing Cranium, and much, much more. I can’t wait to present about my journey! The expedition has inspired me to do a project this summer, which I’m in the process of planning.
This is one of the strangest days of my life. I don’t know what to say when people ask me how my trip was, because there’s too much to say in only 30 seconds. The vastness of Antarctica makes everything else seem insignificant in comparison. It’s almost shocking to be back home, and my mind feels numb. It’s really weird being back from Antarctica, especially since it’s not a normal day of school. In the morning, I went to the championship game of my school’s boys basketball team to sing the national anthem with Chorus. Since my parents will both be out of town this weekend, I’m staying with my friend.
There are many things I’ll miss about the expedition: the beauty of the landscape, all of the cute animals, Jumper’s announcements over the PA system, the amazing people I met, playing Cranium, and much, much more. I can’t wait to present about my journey! The expedition has inspired me to do a project this summer, which I’m in the process of planning.
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This morning was my last morning on the ship. I ate my usual breakfast of potatoes with ketchup, and then went to the theater to wait to disembark from the ship. I had a few hours before my flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires, and shopped for souvenirs downtown. I also shipped postcards to my friends and family. My plane flight was delayed, so the airline put all of the passengers up at the Holiday Inn. The room key cards said “Stay Inspired,” which seemed like a sign after the expedition (Jumper would start all of his announcements by saying, “Team Inspire, Team Inspire, Team Inspire”). James Veness and I had dinner with Yvonne, Manon, and Hamida at the hotel. At 3:00 am, we received a wake up call for the shuttle to the airport, where James Veness and I saw Ny-Ann. After I collected our bags at the Houston airport, I said goodbye to James, whom I’d travelled with from Ushuaia. When I arrived in San Francisco, my mom was waiting for me at the baggage claim with a nice purple rose from our garden. For dinner, we went to my favorite restaurant, Chipotle! The Drake LakeToday, the Drake Passage was (surprisingly) very calm! The ship’s crew even removed the barf bags from all of the railings around the ship. In the morning, Sylvana helped me and a few other expedition members with public speaking. We practiced our presentations, and she gave us tips for improving them. Then, Ny-Ann and Hannah, who are students at the Presidio Graduate Institute in San Francisco, gave a presentation on sustainability. It’s important to “speak to people in their own language.” I also learned that there is a sustainability continuum, with five different stages. The triple bottom line is economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability - when all three meet, there is sustainable development. It’s really important to vote for sustainability with our money and clicks online, and have sustainable practices in our daily lives. For example, eating meat is very unsustainable, especially beef. Raising livestock consumes a lot of water. Similarly, producing clothing is water-intensive, so we should take good care of our current clothes. There are also many other things we can do to live in more eco-friendly ways. Great PresentationsRob Swan gave a fantastic presentation on his expedition to the North Pole. He described it as a “nightmare.” One important lesson he learned was being resourceful: one of his ski poles broke, so he used a piece of wood that he’d received from Captain Scott’s ship to repair it. Rob also stressed the importance of keeping the whole team happy and engaged. As a leader, one must think of the little things. On Rob’s expedition, there was a Japanese man namer Hiroshi. Rob had newspapers in Japanese for Hiroshi to read each day, which helped keep him engaged. At the end of his presentation, Rob talked about the South Pole Energy Challenge. Rob will be using solar panels and wind energy, which will hopefully encourage others to think about their own energy use. After Rob’s presentation, Leigh Anne Bishop gave a presentation about a student expedition to the North Pole. She helped create educational programs which became part of the secondary school curriculum in many countries, including the UK. Then, David Hone gave a presentation on carbon pricing. He talked about different approaches to creating an effective carbon price. In order for carbon pricing to be successful, everyone must implement the cap and trade system (otherwise, there will be havens in certain places that don’t have a carbon price, where companies will move production to). Then, Meagan Carnahan presented on Barefoot College, which teacher illiterate rural men and women in developing countries. It is 100% sustainable and is founded on the idea that rural children should have a rural education, and urban children should have an urban education (so that cities don’t become even more overcrowded). Its five areas of focus are “Solar Electrification, Clean Water, Education, Livelihood Development, and Activism.” The students learn a variety of skills that they can use in their communities, which allows them to have multiple areas of work. Barefoot College has lots of initiatives based on solar power. For example, women are trained as solar panel engineers. When women graduate and return to their communities, they become heroes because of the improvements they bring. This creates a leapfrog effect — women want to learn more. To learn more about Barefoot College, visit barefootcollege.org. Final EveningIn the evening, we had a Disembarkation Brief and Captain’s Toast, in which everyone gave a toast to the captain of the Sea Spirit. the Closing Ceremonies for the expedition. Matthias reminded us to “make [our] impossible nothing.” He also told us to reflect on our “sweet spots,” and that teaching is learning. Then, Hamida al Kawari showed a preview of the documentary she has been working hard to create about her journey during and after the expedition. She is planning to build an E-Base in her home country of Qatar after the expedition ends. We also saw the 2041 film, which had highlights from the entire expedition. Afterwards, there was a dance party to celebrate the expedition.
Today, we are crossing the Drake Passage to go back to Argentina. I can’t believe that the expedition is almost over! All of the activities and presentations were optional, since some people become sea sick. I saw an episode of “Risky Business,” which featured the two Canadian expedition members, James and Mik - it was hilarious! I spent most of the afternoon and evening in the Club Lounge. I played King’s Corner with James and Mik, and won one of the rounds. Then, I played Cranium with some of the other expedition members, which was really fun. My Cranium team won the first round of the game, but we lost the second. In the middle of the game, someone started playing music on the speakers in the lounge, and everyone started dancing. I had potatoes with ketchup for breakfast again - I’ve had them every day. After breakfast, I went out on deck to see Neptune’s Bellows while the sun was rising. There were lots of beautiful islands, and the water was really calm. In the morning, we landed at Telofon Bay, on a volcanic island. Lots of the rocks were black and not covered in snow, and there was a large caldera. Marcus Eriksen, who founded 5 Gyres Institute, which studies plastic pollution, was sampling the beach for micro-plastics. After the expedition, he will analyze the samples in his lab to see if any plastic made its way across oceans to Antarctica. I, along with other expedition members, helped him collect samples. The sampling process was very simple, and could be done by people of any age! The first step is to mark a plot that is 1m x 1m using string and pegs along the tide-line of the beach (there is usually a line of seaweed). Then, you rinse the seaweed inside of the plot in a bucket of salt water - any plastic residue on the seaweed will be in the salt water. Next, you scoop out any rocks or other visible non-plastic matter with a spoon. Finally, you pour the salt water onto a sieve and put the remaining matter into a vial. The 5 Gyres Institute uses a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine how much micro-plastic is in the sample. In the afternoon, we made our last landing in Antarctica, at Whalers Bay. I’m really sad that we’re going to leave Antarctica after this! There were lots of remains from the old whaling industry, as well as from the British research base, Base B. Base B was shut down after two volcanic eruptions. The whalers used to store whale oil in large cylindrical buildings. It’s estimated that over a million whales were killed. The natural landscape of the island was spectacular. On one side of the island was Neptune’s Window, a dip in the mountainside from which you can see the ocean. The rocks that weren’t covered in snow were black or brown, and many of the fur seals were well-camouflaged. We were told not to get to close to the fur seals because they are aggressive towards humans - they used to be hunted for their fur, and adapted to dislike humans. It was very entertaining to watch two of the male seals sparring. In the evening, we had the Three Bells Ceremony. Everyone went to Deck 2, and Zach Faja (one of the expedition members) rang a bell three times after one of the Team Leaders said, “Ring three bells for ___.” Then, the captain stepped out onto the deck, and we saluted him. After the bell ceremony, I saw the world premier of the documentary “Polar Realm.” The film is silent (with a very calming soundtrack) and provides a virtual experience of Antarctica, and I would strongly recommend seeing it when it comes to theaters. Tabular Ice BergToday was one of the most exciting days of the expedition! In the morning, everyone was woken up unexpectedly by Jumper over the PA system, with his usual "wakey, wakey!" He told us to wear "layers, layers, layers" and good shoes, but not our muck boots. We were instructed to go to Deck 5 as quickly as possible. When we arrived at Deck 5. we climbed up a ladder to Deck 6, where passengers are usually not allowed to go. On Deck 6, I saw a huge tabular ice berg - it’s approximately 1000 m x 1000 m x 250 m! Rob Swan told us that the ice berg had broken off of the Larsen-B Ice Shelf because of climate change, and shouldn't have been there. After seeing the ice berg, everyone went downstairs for breakfast. Team Shackleton met afterwards to continue the “Sweet Spot” activity. For lunch, I went up to Deck 5, and sat at a table with the Canadians. They helped me improve my impression of the Canadian accent. Killer WhalesAfter the exciting zodiac cruise, I attended James Veness’s presentation about how he tells his “story.” In the middle of the presentation, Shane (leader of the Quark Expeditions crew), said that there was a group of orcas (killer whales) outside the ship! Everyone rushed out onto the decks. There was an entire pod of orcas - at least 10 whales. They weren't as black as I thought they would be because of the algae that grows on them. It was really amazing to see them porpoising through the water. A group of males came to investigate the boat. Apparently, male orcas’ dorsal fins can be up to six feet long! Males’ dorsal fins are triangular and stick straight up, and females’ dorsal fins are shorter and more rounded. There was also a seal, but the whales never attacked it. Landing on an Ice Floe: A Rare OccasionIn the afternoon, we went on a zodiac cruise near Brown Bluff. There were lots of seals on the ice bergs, including leopard seals! We were supposed to land at Brown Bluff, but Rob Swan told us that there was too much ice around it. Instead, we were going to land on an ice floe, which not many people have done! Everyone boarded the zodiacs for cruises, and the zodiac groups took turns landing on a large piece of multi-year sea ice (sea ice that refreezes every year). Rob was testing out solar panels that he’s using on his expedition to the South Pole next year, the South Pole Energy Challenge. He and his son, Barney, are going to walk to the South Pole using only renewable energy! What You've Been Waiting for - the Polar Plunge!As if the day couldn’t be more exciting, the next item on the itinerary was the polar plunge! I was one of the last people to jump, and it was really fun to see the other expedition members jumping. It was windy, so I was really cold after I took off my fleece jacket and pants and was only wearing a swim suit. I went down the stairs to the jumping zodiac as quickly as I could after the previous person finished their plunge, and it seemed like a really long time when the Team Leaders were strapping me into the harness. After I dove into the water, my entire body went numb, so the water didn’t even feel cold! I high-fived two of the photographers on the photo zodiac, and then swam back to the jumping zodiac. When I was released from the harness, I sprinted to the hot tub! My polar plunge (credit: 2041 photographers) Energy, Energy, EnergyIn the evening, David Hone gave another informative presentation about energy choices. He talked about the environmental consequences of China’s rapid industrial and economic expansion, and that it would be disastrous if India followed in China’s footsteps. He hopes that India will use renewable energy, and said that solar energy looks very promising. Susan Lower, David’s colleague from Shell, also gave a presentation about biofuels, which she and David foresee as an important part of the future energy mix. After Susan’s presentation, we saw the world premier of a documentary called “New Land,” produced by 2041 Team Leader Kyle. It was about an expedition to the North Pole, featuring some adorable sled dogs, and I would highly recommend seeing it!
This morning, we were woken up on the ice by the Team Leaders. I was really cold after I got out of my warm sleeping bag to pack up my stuff! We were given 20 minutes to get ready and pack, but we finishes before that. When I got back to the ship, I took a hot shower. After eating breakfast, I took a nap. Everyone was really tired after the ice camping. Some people went on an optional zodiac cruise to see whales. After eating lunch on Deck 5, everyone headed out on the zodiacs to Portal Point. We were given postcards to write to our future selves, which 2041 will send to us next year. I spent my time catching up on my journal entries, and wrote the postcard on the ship. When we got back to the ship, Rob gave a talk on Deck 5 about public speaking. He gave us lots of helpful tips! Sylvana Wasitova, a professional public speaking coach, also offered to help us practice public speaking. In the evening, we had Team Time. Team Shackleton met to do the next segment of “Sweet Spot Part 2.” We discussed what activities we did in our daily lives, and estimated how much time we spent doing each activity. Then, we rated our activities in terms of our personal strengths and motivations. James Bray gave the other team members lots of good advice. After Team Time, I ate dinner with Kim and Aidan, but I started to get sea sick because the boat was rocking a lot. I played a round of King’s Corner with James (the Canadian) and then went to bed. Flag Day This morning was the much-awaited “Flag Day.” We landed at Neko Harbor, where we took a short hike up the mountain and had photos taken with Rob Swan and our flags. Each person was allowed up to three flags, not including team flags (such as Team USA). While my group was waiting to take photos, we did a short activity with Matthias - we each had to mime an object that represented our personalities, and the other team members had to guess what it was. I chose a telescope because I am a very detail-oriented person. After returning to the ship, we ate lunch outside on Deck 5. There was an interesting discussion about how NGOs can shift to more sustainable business models. Team Shackleton met during Team Time, and continued the “Sweet Spot” activity. Zodiac Cruise - An Icy AdventureAfter Team Time, I went on a second zodiac cruise. We didn’t make any landings, but it was very serene. During the cruise, we noticed that there a few different kinds of sea ice (ice that’s formed when the sea freezes). Curious about the ice, another person on my zodiac, Robert Marks, picked up two different pieces of sea ice. One piece was translucent, because it had air bubbles in it, and the other was clear - the clear ice is less common. Everyone in the zodiac passed around the ice and tasted it! It tasted like fresh water, but was slightly salty because it had been in the sea. Our zodiac guide told us that the salt is pushed out of the ice when it freezes. Camping on the Snow After an early dinner, it was time to go ice camping! We rode on the zodiacs to an island, and watched the Sea Spirit sail away. The 2041 Team Leaders instructed us about how to dig out a flat platform in the snow and create a wind barrier. I teamed up with Robert Marks, Henry, and Ameera. First, we traced out an area for our sleeping bags, and had Robert lie on the snow to determine how large an area we needed to carve out. Then, we dug out some snow using spades, and flattened it out using our boots. We piled up the snow that we dug out around the boarder of the plateau to protect ourselves from the wind. Soon after we had finished digging out an area in the snow and laying out sleeping bags down, it became dark. I taught Henry and Ameera “star tripping” - one person looks at a star in the sky and spins in a circle ten times. Then, another person shines a flashlight in their eyes, which throws off their balance. My group also attempted to do “light art”: you set the camera to a really high exposure, and then write / draw something using flashlights. After a few hours, it started to get really cold, so my group decided to lie down in our sleeping bags. Earlier in the evening, Jason (a 2041 Team Leader), gave a hilarious demo for how to take off our outer layers and get into our sleeping bags. He showed us how to take off our outer pants while keeping them connected to our boots so that it would be easy to put them back on in the morning, but I wasn’t very successful at it. It probably took around half an hour to get situated in my sleeping bag, because I had put everything I needed for the night inside of it, and had to find everything with my flashlight. I put hand warmers in my socks, gloves, and pockets, and had a neck warmer, balaclava, and hat on my head. I also wore a pair of ski goggles because it started snowing. It actually would have been colder if it hadn’t been cloudy, because the clouds trap in heat. The view of the stars was really nice - I could see them intermittently, when they weren’t covered by the clouds. This morning, Jumper woke us up by saying “wakey, wakey” over the PA system. He told everyone to get ready and head outside to see the Lemaire Channel before breakfast. The water was really beautiful when the sun was rising. After seeing the channel, Team Shackleton ate breakfast as a group. I ate fried potatoes with ketchup, which I also ate yesterday and the day before. Today was our first zodiac cruise! To board the zodiacs, we walked down to the bottom deck of the ship to the loading zone at the stern. At the bottom of the stairs, there was a disinfectant solution which we had to step into. The zodiacs toured around the Iceberg Graveyard, which, as its name suggests, has lots of ice bergs. The tops of the icebergs were white, but the bottoms and cracks in the sides were a range of colors: mint, teal, turquoise, and blue. They’re blue because as snow lands on top of the ice over thousands of years, the ice becomes compressed. The density of the ice causes it to reflect blue light and absorb all other colors of light. However, icebergs weren’t the only things I saw in the Iceberg Graveyard - there was also lots of wildlife. I saw several of crabeater seals (their name is misleading because they actually eat krill, not crabs). There was a group of Gentoo penguins porpoising through the water (swimming in and out, like dolphins). Additionally, my zodiac saw a small group of humpback whales! First, we saw their spouts in the distance, but as we approached them we could see their backs. Just as my zodiac was leaving to go back to the ship, we saw a fluke! In the afternoon, we landed at Port Charcot, where our teams practiced rope skills. First, we used water knots, carabiners, and alpine butterfly knots to create a “daisy chain” (every team member was connected to the rope). The Quark staff taught us how to self-arrest if a team member fell - we had to drop down onto our elbows and toes. After some practice, we climbed up a steep hill, and I almost fell a couple of times. At the top of the mountain at Port Charcot, there was an old wooden boat. There was supposed to be a historical lecture, but I think it was cancelled. My friend Manon and I had a snowball fight with the Canadians, Mik and James. Mik and James were much better at making and throwing snowballs, but I ended up hitting them with the last snowball as they were getting their photo taken. I started walking back down the mountain before they could get me back. If there’s another snowball fight, I’ll probably get creamed! In the evening, Rob talked to everyone before team meetings. He told us that to preserve Antarctica, we must “listen to it and love it.” He encouraged us to use and collaborate with the other expedition members to help us become stronger leaders. My half of Team Shackleton met to start an activity called “Sweet Spot,” which Matthias gave us. His leadership program is different than most others because it teaches us to become better leaders by concentrating on our current strengths, rather than telling us to imitate the qualities of other leaders. Tonight, each member of my team talked about an activity that we do, and the other team members identified our strengths.
After Team Time, David Hone presented on climate science. He pointed out that the climate has always changed, but for a reason. When the earth’s equilibrium is disrupted, the planet is pushed to a warmer or cooler stage. High CO2 levels in the atmosphere are correlated with high temperature. CO2 in the atmosphere is a positive feedback loop: more CO2 increases the temperature, which causes more CO2 to rise from the ocean, etc. David also noted that people who claim to disprove climate change cherry-pick their data and don’t compare like with like. For example, they might compare the temperature data from a less recent El Niño year with a more recent La Niña year to show that the earth is cooling. However, they ignore the general upward trend and the increase in temperature from one El Niño year to the next. David also talked about rising sea levels and the increase in extreme weather. This morning, everyone went to the Theater to pick up muck boots! They’re green waterproof boots with insulation on the inside to keep our feet dry and warm. They ran slightly small, so I got the next size up. I took all of my outer layers - waterproof pants and jacket, beanie, and backpack - downstairs to be vacuumed to prevent contaminating Antarctica. I also had to scrub my hiking boots and rinse them in a cleaning solution to get rid of the mud from the glacier in Ushuaia. During the morning briefing, I learned about all the basics - life vests, clothing, zodiacs, flags, swipe cards, and more! The zodiacs are small, black motor boats that will take us on cruises and transport us to landings. To get on and off, we’re supposed to use the “swing and slide” method, where we swing our legs over the rim of the boat and slide down to our seats. For landings, there are small orange flags that tell us where to / not to walk. A single flag means that there’s a safe path, two crossed flags tell us not to enter, and two flags close together indicate a “penguin highway.” Swipe cards are white, plastic cards that we use before we get on the zodiacs and when we return to the ship - they let the crew keep track of everyone. In the afternoon, there was a mandatory session on rope skills. I learned how to tie three types of knots: the water knot, figure 8 knot, and alpine butterfly knot. The water knot is used for tying ribbon around our waists, which will be attached to an alpine butterfly knot in the rope with a carabiner. We also learned how to coil rope. Today was particularly exciting because I saw my first ice berg! I also saw some islands, which had research bases on them. The bases were small red buildings with black roofs. Even more exciting were some seals and a whale spout! The water today was pretty choppy, so I laid down for a few hours. Since I was dizzy, Shayna called Doctor Paul. He gave me a sea sickness pill and Heather brought lunch to my cabin. All of the 2041 staff are really nice!
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Xenia RangaswamiI am currently a senior at San Francisco University High School. Categories |