Laying down on my comfortable bed on a windy night I think about why have I decided to spend 67 days aboard a research vessel sailing on the harshest waters of the world around Antarctica. My bed is completely steady, and the only sound I hear is the purring of Momo between my wife and me. In some six weeks more, the purring will give way to the constant humming of the diesel engine aboard the Palmer, my quiescent bed will rock and dance with the very large waves of the Southern Ocean, and I will not be able to check on Ana and Diego as they sleep innocently in their own beds. Why have I decided to travel to Antarctica?
I am being asked this question frequently these days, and I realized my response varies according to who asks the questions. When a newspaper reporter asked about my reason for participating on this project I said that going to Antarctica has been my dream since I was a kid; in my request to the school board for a leave of absence I stetted that the trip would help me create novel lesson plans and allow me to better communicate to my students about the scientific method; when my students ask me the same question I say I want to be part of a research team that explores the effects of climate change in our oceans; when some of my adventurous friends inquire I respond by picturing a visit to the remote continent where few have been; and when my four year old asked me why will I going to Antarctica I said so I can visit the penguins in their own home. My wife did not really asked, she understood, since going to Antarctica is a shared dream. So, what is it? Why do I want to leave the comforts of home, family and school for an Antarctic adventure?
Because of all the reasons I have given to different people, and more. I have not lied to anyone; I deeply feel as truths all of my justifications. But, can I find a core answer that would summarize all of these responses? Is there a basic reason that can encompass it all? I search for it in this dark night and this is what I find…
I want to participate in this project because I am a collector of memories and want to find an extraordinary one. A one-of-a-kind memory that will leave a significant print on me, and that I will savor for years to come.
I believe we are all made of the memories that define us. Our past experiences blend giving us our identity. I savor my memories like a sommelier savors a rare old gem of a wine; we all do. I have memories made from everyday experiences that make the core of my identity, and one-of-a-kind memories that polish it. This expedition will provide one of those rare old wines.
I have collected most of the one-of-a-kind memories while being out of my comfort zone. We are, by definition, challenged when we step out of the zone where we feel protected, and those challenges help us grow at a faster pace in unexpected directions. That is why leaving my quiescent and warm bed on a quiet room makes sense. I will most definitively be out of my comfort zone when I leave my wife and two small children for three months for the company of renowned scientists. I will be challenging myself while trying to work on the heavy seas while seasick, because I will get seasick, no doubt about that. I will bring back home all sorts of unique and testing experiences that will push me to grow in unforeseen routes, and that will prove to be different from what I imagine right now.
I must admit, there is a tint of selfishness in the endeavor (more than a tint, I suspect). I have asked my family to be part of this testing experience by allowing me to be away for so long. My wife and kids will also grow in different directions guided by these challenges. I truly thank them for their support and look forward to the time where we can reconnect and share our evolutions.
Of course there are many paths that lead to challenging experiences that would create enduring memories. Why have I chosen this particular one? Because going to Antarctica has been a dream since I was a kid, because this experience will help me create novel lesson plans and will allow me to better communicate to my students about the scientific method, because I will explore the effects of climate change in our oceans, because I will step on the most remote of the continents where few have been, and because there are a lot more reasons that I have not imagined. Ah! And let us not forget, because I will visit the penguins in their own home.
Here is Momo. I wish the image had sound, as you would be able to hear her purring.