Reflections
"What am I doing here?" I wondered as I walked down the hallway to the hotel breakfast. The previous night’s trip from warm, sunny Texas to cold Alaska felt like a dream. I sat down with new friends and as PolarTREC participants mingled and greeted each other with warm smiles, my anxiety slipped away. I could tell this was going to be a great week.
After breakfast we began getting to know more about each other and the PolarTREC program. As the snow built up outside, so did my excitement inside as I realized that this program was going to influence my life in more ways than I had expected. I was inspired as I listened to the teachers and researcher share their experiences about the program. The impacts they made on their schools and community and the relationships they had fostered and continued to keep with their research team were eye-opening: my expedition is not going to end when I return from the ice, but may continue for the rest of my life! As I watched presentations about past PolarTREC experiences, I wondered what mine would look like. What adventures would I have? Who would I meet? What lasting relationships would I foster?
Throughout the day I relished in the conversations I had with other participants about their adventures in teaching and travelling. I felt like I had found my people--a community of science educators who truly cared about improving the world, while having fun doing it. At dinner teachers told stories of their escapades around the world. When discussing the must-sees in New Zealand, I discovered a new sport called zorbing which involves getting into an inflatable ball and rolling down hills. I made a mental note to go zorbing on my way back from Antarctica. Walking back from dinner through the snow, I felt giddy. Perhaps it was the cold air, the squeaking of my shoes in the snow, the impromptu snow angel-making on a deserted street, or the fact that I felt a change in the course of my life, but I definitely knew one thing: this is going to be a great week.