Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 12/05/2008 - 09:59
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Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

Hi!  Do bugs or bees bite and sting you even though your in the freezing cold?  What do you do in your spare time?  Also is the trip really what you thought it would be?  What animals have you seen so far? Do you celabrete both Amrican and Sweedish holidays on the boat?  Pluse what are the Sweedish holidays?  Can you get mail in the Antartic?  Have you got sea sick yet?  Embarassed  Do you like the face?  What is your favriot food on the boat?  Does the ride on the boat feel like a rollarcoster?  Do you students post quistions like we do? Who is the students sub.?  Has anything scary happened on the boat?   Write back soon!LaughingLaughing

                        Good luck,

                        Carrie Olivia and Lauren

Sat, 12/06/2008 - 13:45

Jeff Peneston

Carrie, Olivia and Lauren,Thanks for all of the interesting questions!  I have not seen an insect since we left Uruguay and I don’t expect to see any on the sea ice. So far I have had very little spare time because I work up to 8 hours a day creating the journal posts and answering questions like this one.  The Oden has a 20 seat movie theater and I have watched 2 movies in the evenings.  
One of the things that I am thankful for is that I was able to follow the trip of the PolarTREC teacher on the Oden last year and then I was able to talk with her.  She helped me prepare for the trip and so far it is mostly been as I expected it to be.  I am surprised at how good the food is and the sea is more beautiful and powerful than I imagined.  For a list of animals we have seen so far, check my journals for the last week.  We will celebrate both Swedish and American holidays while we are on the Oden.  For example, we will celebrate St. Lucia Day on Dec 13th.  Girls and women dress like St. Lucia in a white gown with a red ribbon around their waist.  They then walk in a parade and the girl chosen to be St. Lucia will have a crown on her head with lighted candles sticking up out of the crown.No, we cannot get mail for the 7 weeks we are on the Oden.  No, I have not been seasick yet.  Every meal has been great but my favorite foods so far have been hard Swedish cheese on crispy rye bread, homemade pea soup and pickled beets.  Does that sound weird?The Oden is constantly rolling from side to side and when a wave hits the bow, the whole ship shakes.  So, you are right it is a little like a roller coaster.My students have been posting questions and they are having a good experience with the sub who is a former student of mine, Mr. Foster.
Nothing scary has happened so far but you can see an adventure that I had yesterday if you check my journal for 12/6 and watch the video I made.
I am glad you are following my trip and keep reading my journal!
Take care,
Jeff Peneston