Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 06:23
Forums
Oden Antarctic Expedition 08

Are you excited, scared, anxcious, nervous ect. to go onto the icebreaker? Do you know anyone who has been on the ice breaker before? Did they like it?

Tue, 11/11/2008 - 17:03

Jeff Peneston

Scared?  Nervous?  These are great questions.  
I will be leaving my family and my students for 2 months and I will miss Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Years holidays with them.  I will live with strangers, mostly from Sweden, on a boat, on stormiest part of the ocean, on the other side of the Earth.  Most people would be more than uncomfortable with all of this.  
But I am not.
First, the Oden is the biggest and best icebreaker in the world and I have 100% confidence in our safety.  The boat will rock & roll but it will always float.  In September I was able to meet some of the folks who work on the Oden and several of the scientists that I will work with and they are made me feel welcome and they gave me a strong sense that the ship will be well managed and comfortable.  I have also been fortunate to speak with Lollie Garay who was the PolarTREC teacher on the Oden last year and she has answered many, many of my questions.  A year ago my students and I read all about her experiences by following her journal.  In fact, much of what I “know” about the upcoming trip is based on what Lollie recorded in her journals.  You might want to check them out at http://www.polartrec.com/oden-antarctic-expedition-07/journals/lollie-g…
Another reason that I comfortable with my upcoming adventure is that I know that I will not really be leaving my family, friends and students behind.  They will all be with me as they read my daily journals and when we communicate like this.  I could never go on this trip if I did not have the support and love of my family back home.  Part of my courage comes from knowing that they are depending on me to make all of this worthwhile.
…next time let me know your name..
take care, have fun,
Jeff Peneston