As you read this, I will be either doing my last minute packing or I’ll actually be on a plane on my way to Christchurch, New Zealand. I’ll be with a box of SCINI stuff and another bag of personal things for New Zealand. Upon landing at 8 am their time, I’ll have a jam-packed day of presentations and meetings with an Antarctic Center, a preschool, an elementary school, and a university. Then I’ll hopefully have a bit of time to spend with my brother and his family before I meet up with the rest of ICE AGED next Wednesday to head down to the Ice.
I'm ready to go!
Many people have asked me questions in the last weeks about what I’m excited about, worried about, and so forth. I figured it would be most appropriate to summarize all of that in this last journal before I leave Santa Cruz.
Surprising things kids have said to me.
-From a 2nd grader – What kind of a plane will you take from Christchurch to McMurdo. A C-17 or a C-16? (Not only did he know the difference, but he knew all kinds of things about the planes.
-From a 6th grader – I know they’ve found two dinosaurs down there and dinosaurs used to live in Antarctica. What happens if you find another one? (He even knew the names of the dinosaurs and all kinds of interesting facts about paleontology).
What I’ve learned about research, science, and life in Antarctica so far:
-How amazing the recycling program in McMurdo is. 70% of their trash gets recycled!
-Though challenges to doing research there seem never-ending, the engineers think of everything and can figure out ways to cope with it all
-How special the environment under the ice of Antarctica is in the sense that it’s the last mostly-undisturbed ecosystem in the world.
How amazing is this landscape!
Funniest things that have happened
-Going over to Stacy’s house and seeing her and Bob cook, de-bone, and cut up 45 chicken thighs for their two doggies so they’d have food to eat while their parents are gone.
-Seeing DJ make 5 more pork and beef roasts for those same dogs. (maybe those doggies are a bit spoiled)
-Seeing DJ with one small duffel bag to be sent down – after I’d send 2 big bags, a box, and another small bag.
Bob, DJ, and Stacy make 45 chicken tights and 2 roasts so their 2 doggies don't starve while they're gone
What’s been the most inspirational:
Seeing how far people have gone with helping us spread the word!
-Anke Metzer, an ESL student in Peggy Miles’s class at Santa Cruz Adult School, asked if she could present at her kids’ schools because I couldn’t as I was running out of time. She came back a couple of days later with 3 WATER DROPS and stories of presentations at 3 different classes – a preschool, a 2nd grade, and a 4th grade– all in English, her second language.
-Patty Biss, a 2nd grade teacher at Sacred Heart Elementary School in Saratoga, got most of her school involved. She talked to the teachers at her school and then arranged for me to come to give two presentations in the auditorium of her school. I got to share our expedition with about 60 K-4th graders and then about 85 6-8th graders! It was great.
-Buzz Scott got on the bandwagon with various schools associated with his program, Oceans Wide; Richard Mahacek brought it all over the nation through 4-H; and the Good Times is bringing it to Santa Cruz.
(and the list goes on…)
Most difficult so far
-Finding time to do it all with my motto being “to get as many people involved as I can”.
-understanding the science and engineering part thoroughly enough to answer questions.
-getting some of the paperwork done by people who had never had a teacher from an adult school go to Antarctica.
What I will miss during my short time away
-My friends, colleagues, and family; the kids and the furry animals in my life.
-Seeing green things!
-Riding my bike, doing yoga, surfing and swimming, climbing – all my hobbies
Teachers at the Santa Cruz Adult School saying goodbye for now
Things I’m afraid of:
-Getting too many migraines due to the extreme brightness (as I’m recovering from one and am a bit more relieved as my medicine worked)
-Having problems with my bad back
-Not having enough time to myself
(I’m happy that my sisters and friends are not too worried about me as they know that, though I’ll be on the harshest continent, I’ll have people watching over me and in fact I’ll probably be much safer than I’ve been on a lot of the trips I’ve taken on my own)
What I’m most excited about:
-Being there. Being in a research station on a lava island by a smoking volcano close to a frozen ocean and surrounded by unique individuals.
-Seeing how the WATER DROP program develops. How many WATER DROPS will make it to Antarctica? What kinds of stories will the support staff down there write? How will it unfold?
-Being immersed in a vast landscape of ice and snow, looking down the 10-foot deep hole we’ve drilled, and then seeing, with the help of SCINI, the breathtaking world underneath the ice.
What will it be like?
So what has been the funniest, most interesting, most amazing thing you have learned or read about so far? Feel free to post comments on our “Ask the Team” forum