Antarctic Field Course - Study Abroad

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Karalea's Journal

QA

Please use the links below to view a specific date further down the page. December - 2003 Sun. 14 Mon. 15 Tue. 16 Wed. 17 Thu. 18 Fri. 19 Sat. 20 Sun. 21 Mon. 22 Tue. 23 Wed. 24 & Thu. 25 Fri. 26 Sat. 27 Sun. 28 Mon. 29 Tue 30 Wed. 31 January - 2004 Thu. 1 Fri. 2 Sat. 3 & Sun. 4 Concluding Thoughts

Photos credited to Karalea. Click an image to enlarge, hover over an image for a description.

December 14, 2003

1. Ushuaia is beautiful!
   I love this town! Where else are you completely surrounded by mountains and by an ocean at the same time? Nowhere that I've ever been. The town is a tourist town, but it's cute and I feel very safe walking around it. It would be very hard to get lost here, being that there are only three main streets running parallel to each other. I can't wait to explore it a little more. This is a definitely a great place to start our adventure!

2. When taking a nine-hour flight, fly first class!
   The very first lesson that I've learned is that one hundred Argentine girls, between the ages of twelve and fourteen, and a long overnight flight do not mix. To say the least, the plane ride was not as pleasant or as relaxing as it should have been. The girls had little supervision and talked (or to be more accurate, screamed) and sang for most of the trip. Even their group leader sang along with them. I now know why people pay so much more for first class and it's for more than just the larger, more comfortable seats! To look on the bright side, this plane ride of hell made Ushuaia seem more like heaven.

3. I need to know more than "Gracias!"
   I really wish that I could communicate more with everyone outside of our group. It's hard to do everyday things like ask for directions and order food. It makes me understand the importance of communication. I am completely dependent on the few people in our group that can speak some Spanish.

4. No more plane food
   The first meal I ate in Ushuaia was great! A bunch of people from the group ate together for lunch. We ate at a place called Bar Ideal. I had trout stuffed with crab and it was delicious. Everyone enjoyed his or her meal. Speaking of food, I have been told to stay away from the water. Three key things to remember about the water: 1) tap water equals bad news, 2) bottle water equals good news, and 3) mineral water is fizzy, carbonated water that you don't want!

5. Time and daylight here is hard to get used to.
   The actual time is not too bad, but the way the stores and restaurants work with it is. Today was Sunday, so most of the shops were closed and the restaurants were on a different schedule. They were open until about 3:00 or 3:30 pm for lunch, then they closed, and then they re-opened around 7:00 pm for dinner. The local people eat dinner late-- around 9:00 or 10:00 pm. The amount of daylight is also messing me up. There is so much daylight, especially compared to Michigan this time of year! It's hard to keep track of the time because it doesn't get dark until after 11:00 pm.

December 15, 2003

1. If my lunch cost 20 pesos, how many dollars is that?
   After struggling through a few meals trying to figure out the bill in US dollars, today I exchanged some of my dollars into pesos. It was a lot easier to buy souvenirs and food with the right currency. The exchange rate was about 2.9 pesos per dollar.

2. Where's the MV Orlova?
   I'm anticipating the arrival of the ship that we will be staying on! A group of us walked to the harbor to see if it had come in yet, but it hadn't. There are a couple different types of ships in the harbor right now. I really don't know what to expect, as I have never traveled on a ship before, so I'm excited about seeing where I'll be living for the next ten days. I am even more anxious to actually climb aboard!

3. Who are the Yamanas?
   They were one of the indigenous people who lived in the Ushuaia region before Europeans came there. The Yamanas had fires on canoes, were always naked, and had wrinkles on their knees from squatting. We learned all about them in the two museums we visited today. We visited both the Museo Yamana and Museo del Fin del Mudo. Everyone had a list of questions, with the answers to be found somewhere in the two museums. The museums were quite small, but very interesting.

4. What is the polar vortex?
   This is just one of the many things that we have to know for our first exam tomorrow. April, my roommate, and I studied for a few hours and believe we have a handle on it! The exam is more on how different species and the polar environment are linked, and how they work together, than on specific facts. I think that learning this way is much more interesting than just memorizing details. Oh yeah, the polar vortex is a strong, fast stream of air around Antarctic that separates it from the rest of the world.

5. We're on an island?
   A few of us, including myself (I will not lie) did not know that Ushuaia was on a big island. The island we are on is called Tierra del Fuego. It wasn't until I looked at a huge map in one of the museums that I saw exactly where I was in relationship to Antarctica, Chile, and the rest of Argentina.

December 16, 2003

1. Going to a museum
   We went to Maritime museum today and it was very interesting. It was an old prison of Ushuaia. In different prison cells there were different exhibits. We could even go in the prison's bathroom (and it didn't smell very pleasant). The museum gave a lot of information on the history of Ushuaia and its convicts. I learned that the convicts had a social class in prison, for instance, murderers didn't associate with thieves!

2. Dinner at Tante Sara
   Tonight we had a big dinner and some beer at "Aunt Sara's." I had some delicious ravioli stuffed with crab. April, Jen, Amanda, and I ate together. This restaurant reminded us of a Starbucks because of the wood bar. Jen ordered a hamburger with fries and it came as basically a sausage patty, no bun or anything. It just goes to show you that you never know for sure what you're going to get here! That makes it exciting.

3. Photography
   Today was a gorgeous, sunny, warm day and it was nice to have a little break in our schedule to really enjoy the scenery. It seems as if we have been so busy up until today, that I haven't had time to stop and take a real good look around me. It was nice to take some pictures of Ushuaia. The mountains looked beautiful and the ocean was clear blue. I took some pictures of some gulls. It was just relaxing to enjoy the scenery around us.

4. Buying a Holiday Gift
   Today I had to get a gift for our holiday gift exchange on the ship. I wanted to get something that people would like. I ended up buying a book with pictures of Antarctica. The photographs in it are beautiful and it gets me excited about going on the boat tomorrow. I will be able to see all the penguins and icebergs for myself very soon. There is just so much of the world that I haven't seen and I can't wait to view the "Antarctica world."

5. Exam
   It was nice to get the first exam out of the way. It wasn't too difficult, but there were a few tricky questions on it. There was a lecture after the exam, which focused on system science. If an exam makes a top 5 list, you know that it was a low-key day!

December 17, 2003

1. The Milk
   When I awoke, I ventured down to the Albatross's dining area for breakfast. I was excited about the fruit and cereal that were on the breakfast bar. I poured myself a bowl of cornflake-like cereal and put some milk on it. When I sat down to eat it, after one bite, I realized the milk wasn't regular milk. It was more like thin yogurt. It wasn't bad, just not what I was expecting.

2. The Ship
   Also, at breakfast, I was surprised when Craig announced that our ship was in. Of course, everyone around stood up to look out the window and see the Orlova. It looked pretty nice. At 4:00 pm we board it and I can't wait!

3. How Red My Face Becomes
   Even while wearing sun block, my face has gotten a little pink while in Ushuaia. The sun is just so strong here and it is daylight for so long that it is hard to stay out of it. Since the ozone hole covers Ushuaia, I'm trying to be very careful not to get burned.

4. The Ship Revisited
   When we finally got to walk to the ship, most of us were really excited. It looked so big up close. Once we were aboard, there was even more to be excited about! First, our cabins are really nice. They totally exceeded my expectations. And secondly, the forward lounge had really comfortable couches! As we began to sail toward the Drake Passage, we could stand outside on the deck and watch Ushuaia getting smaller and smaller.

5. The Dinner I was delightfully surprised when I entered the dining room and discovered we were being served a full four-course meal. From the menu, I chose to have The Explorer meal, which was steak and vegetables. Everything was delicious! The dessert was chocolate mousse. It was excellent also!

December 18, 2003

1. The Cabin
   Actually, this is where I feel the best because if I can manage to pass out on my bed, I feel fine. Some things in the cupboards crash around a little but at least I can lie down. Sometimes a wave of water crashes onto the porthole and shades the whole room. I spent most of my time in here today because of the horrible weather the Drake Passage brings.

2. The Dining Room
   Dinner was great again but, because of the waves, the silverware kept sliding off people's plates and off the table. You really had to hold on to everything that you wanted to keep. Even my chair, while sitting on it, tipped a little bit. I only made it to dinner today but could have made it to lunch. I kept waiting for the chef to make the announcement over the PA for lunch but the PA was broke, so I missed lunch.

3. The Bridge
   This was a very exciting place. I couldn't believe how big the waves were that we were going through. The waves truly were magnificent. I needed to grab on to the bar and brace my legs to be able to keep my balance. It was so breathtaking to see the waves crash over the bow of the ship and onto the huge window we were looking out. Being up this high, while watching (and feeling) the waves made me feel a little dizzy so I didn't stay up there very long.

4. The Forward Lounge
   I think this room was the worst of all the rooms for the rocking. I tried to watch an Antarctic movie but the swaying and darkness put me right to sleep. The upper decks move a lot more than my cabin and so after I woke up, I worked my way down to my cabin. Doing that was quite a chore! I had to hold on with a tight grip and even then I tripped a couple of times. The library was on the same floor as, and almost as bad as, the lounge, although I did manage to stay awake and lose at Trivial Pursuit.

5. Outside
   I did not feel as queasy out on the deck and the fresh air was a gift to breath. A few of us, who were feeling decent, watched the waves rise and fall. We also tested our knowledge of identifying the sea birds. One Albatross flew quite close to us. We were looking out for icebergs but all I could see was water on all sides of me. The staff says that it could be this rough for another day. I'll be so glad when we are done with this rocking!

December 19, 2003

1. Not as Much Swaying
   This was the most obvious improvement that I think everyone on the ship noticed. The waves were not as rough, so everyone was feeling much better today. It was almost a calming, gentle rocking and I took advantage of it by taking a four-hour nap between meals.

2. Celebrating a Holiday
   It was the first day of Hanukah today. Dave and Alyssa shared their celebration with a few others, including myself. They told us the story behind this holiday. The reason they light candles for eight days is to remember a miracle that happened to make a one-day supply of oil keep a lamp lit for eight days. Dave and Alyssa sang and then we all talked until the candles burned out.

3. Seeing My First Iceberg
   I was on deck "hunting" icebergs so that I could win a bottle of vodka from the captain but the youngest person on board spotted one before I could. It was pretty far away, and I will admit I had trouble seeing it even after it was pointed out so I probably would have never won. It became closer and clearer after a while. Before we went to bed, we spotted an even larger one. Even far away they look huge. I can't wait to get up close to them.

4. The lectures
   I made it to two of the three lectures today. One was on birds of flight and the other was on the food web. The lectures related to what we had already discussed in Ushuaia. The food web lecture went in to detail on how all species were linked together and depended on each other. The Killer whale was on the top of the food pyramid and I can see why after watching a video that showed one attacking a Humpback whale pup! The bird lecture helped me identify the birds that I saw today: mostly Wondering and Black Brow albatross and Cape petrels.

5. We're One Night Away From A Sub-Antarctic Island
   We had a meeting about respecting Antarctica and what to do and not to do once we got there. Most of the rules were common sense. We also learned the procedures for getting on and off the zodiacs (the small boats we will use to get from the ship to the shore). All this preparation made me really anxious for tomorrow. I cannot believe that I'll be seeing penguins and seals in less than 24 hours from now. I don't think I'll be able to sleep because I am so excited about tomorrow's exploration.

December 20, 2003

1. The Islands
   Today our adventure began with landing on three sub Antarctic islands. The first landing was to Aitcho Island. While on this island, we saw our first penguins up close. We also took a hike over the snowy hills to see a pack of elephant seals relaxing by the shore. The second island we went to was Yankee Harbor. This was the coldest of the three landings. At the other two landings, I had to take off layers of clothing, but not here. The third island was Half Moon Island. This landing was the most fun of the day. I joined up with the seal group and we went to the far side of the island to search for seals. We climbed along the rocks by the shore of the ocean but we didn't see any seals. A snowball fight also broke out while we were on our way back to the zodiac landing. It was a nice break from watching the penguins.

2. Penguins
   Speaking of penguins, today we saw so many of them. At Yankee Harbor, I saw four different species of penguin. There were mostly Gentoo penguins because a lot of their rookeries were here. I also saw one Macoroni, one Adelie, and a small group of Chinstrap penguins. They were so cute. The Gentoos were nesting and whichever mate was not on the nest would go around stealing pebbles from other nests and taking them to their mates nest. It was quite funny to watch all the penguins waddling around with pebbles in their beaks. I also liked how they glided on their stomachs. They would lie down and push with their feet and wings to slide across the snow. A couple of times, a penguin would fall down and just start sliding on its belly instead of getting up. I think I've already taken more than enough penguin pictures for the whole trip and it's only the first day I've seen them!

3. Icebergs
   When leaving Aitcho Island, the zodiac driver took us to the two tabular icebergs that were close by. These icebergs were cleaved off ice shelves. The gorgeous, aqua blue color really caught my eye and made these structures so beautiful. They were massive, blue pieces of ice with caves and crevasses in them. The zodiac driver said that up to 7/8ths of the iceberg could be under water. That is a pretty big hunk of ice! On Half Moon Island, while the seal group was climbing rocks by the ocean, one of the icebergs in the water near by broke apart. The sound of a shotgun rang out and we all looked up just in time to see the iceberg break and crumble. The individual pieces rolled around in the water. It was so amazing to see that happen. I think I like the ice better than the animals here in Antarctica because of how different each piece can be.

4. The Seals
   The first landing on Aitcho Island was where we saw the most seals. The majority of the seals here were Elephant seals. I found these creatures to be very disgusting. They farted, burped, and blew their noses constantly. They are thigmataxis which means they like close body touching and that explains why they were all piled on top of each other. Craig said that the way to tell the males from the females is to look for the number of holes on their stomach. Males have two holes on their stomach, one for the belly button and one for the penis. I liked the Weddell seal a lot more. They had a cute face. Neither species could move very well and could just use their front flippers to raise their chubby mid section up above the ground and over a little. I also watched a seal swimming near one of the cave-like holes in the tabular iceberg we saw.

5. Whales
   I have been on the lookout for whales since I've been here and today I saw my first one! While heading toward the icebergs on the zodiac, I spotted something in the water. Dustin said it was a penguin but when it surfaced again I could tell it was definitely a whale. It was a Minke whale. A Minke whale is a grayish color and it is the smallest whale species in the Antarctic waters. I hope to see an Orca, the whale called killer, but a Minke sighting will satisfy me for now.

December 21, 2003

1. See 500,000 Penguins
   I thought I saw a lot of penguins yesterday, but today, on one part of the island, there was half a million Chinstrap penguins. This rookery was on Baily Head, which was on the outside coast of Deception Island. This landing was not on the original itinerary. We were supposed to go to Hannah Point (on Livingston Island) but that changed because of the weather conditions. Even taking a zodiac to Baily Head was a bit rockier than usual because of the unfavorable weather. It wasn't too bad though and almost a little exciting. Once the zodiac landed, the smell of penguin guano hit you like a brick in the face. Everywhere your eyes could see there were penguins doing every imaginable thing. I saw groups of penguins jumping into the waves of the ocean and I watched two penguins fight to be on the highest part of a chunk of ice that was on the beach. I climbed to the top of a pretty big hill and saw a lot of nesting penguins. The penguins at the top of the hill make a two-hour journey down to the ocean to fish and then hike back for another two hours. They do this two to four times a day! That is a lot of walking for a creature with no knees. The path were they waddle down the hill is stained red with digested krill that is in their guano. The best thing about being at the top of the hill, besides the view, was seeing my first baby chicks. They were very fluffy and cute. Skuas, a scavenging bird, were all around waiting to attack the chicks or steal the eggs. Most nests had two eggs and usually two chicks hatch. However, most times only one of the chicks survives.

2. Entering Neptune's Below
   Deception Island got its name because it seems like there is no good landing site anywhere, however, there is a small opening between the rocks called Neptune's Bellow. If one sails through this amazing display of snowy rock cliffs, the water opens up to a nice size bay. It was so interesting to see our large ship find its way through such a small passage. Once inside the bay, one can see that there are plenty of sandy landing sights, hence the name - Deception Island.

3. Swimming in Antarctica
   This sounds completely crazy, but I actually stripped down to my bathing suit and went into the ocean. The whole day I was debating on going in the Ocean waters or not because I knew this would be my only chance. I thought that I was not going to do it until the very last second. I finally just figured "Why not?" and took off running towards the icy blue water. I dove as quickly as I could into the water to get my head wet (because it doesn't count if you don't get your head wet) and then turned around and ran back out. It was the coldest water I've ever been in, which was obvious due to the ice floating all around. This experience was definitely freezing, but exhilarating!

4. The Hot Tub
   Like I said above, once I got my head in the icy water, I ran right back out of it and then jumped into a natural hot tub. The hot tub was a hole that was dug on the beach that had hot water in it. The water was warm because of the volcano activity that is all around and under the island. Being able to thaw out after the bone-chilling dip into the cold water was really nice. There were two problems to this sandy hot tub though, one being that sand got everywhere and the second being that once I got out, it was really cold as I scrambled to get my clothes back on.

5. Exploring an Old Whaler Operation Port
   This landing had the most noticeable effects made by humans. There were houses, other buildings, old boats, and even an old rusted airplane left ashore. This was a main place where whaling was operated. The crew said that so many whales were harvested that the bay was reddish with blood and had a very strong scent of dead whales. It was unique to see one of the sub Antarctic islands with a little town on it. Research is done on the island now but most of the buildings were empty. Since today was the solstice (the longest day of the year), there was a lot of sunlight in which to explore the shores. Besides the buildings, we saw some Weddell seals and a few penguins that looked to be lost.

December 22, 2003

1. Joey the Penguin
   When observing penguins, it is apparent they are not built for terrestrial locomotion. Penguins are constantly falling over and missing their desired target when jumping. However, after watching penguins for awhile, there is a clear distinction of intelligence. While by Port Lockroy on Jougla Point, I enjoyed just sitting on a particular rock for most of the time and I came upon a particular penguin which seemed a bit slower than the rest. Even though this penguin was three meters from the water and two meters from the rookery, he was obviously lost. This penguin could not walk as fast, nor jump as high, as other penguins and it seemed to have extreme difficulty swimming. This poor penguin was clearly an outcast, but had no noticeable physical handicap, which made me even more sympathetic towards it. Watching this unusual penguin entertained me for quite awhile and gave me many laughs. I named him Joey the Penguin.

2. Seals on a Postcard
   It seems strange, to me, that there is a post office box in Antarctica but, in Port Lockroy, there is one. The actual building it is in was an old British base. The building has been renovated and is now sort of like a museum because it is maintained like it would have been when it was actually used as a base. There is also a little gift shop in the base. I bought a few postcards, some with seals, penguins, or whales on them. I had two postcards already prewritten, so I stuck an Antarctica stamp on them and mailed them back to the United States.

3. Leopard Seal
   While taking a zodiac to Pettermann Island (which is the farthest south we will be), we went by an iceberg with a Leopard seal sleeping on it. This was the first Leopard seal we have seen on this voyage. It was gray in color and very streamlined. Every time it yawned, it would show off its awesome, huge jaw with sharp teeth. So far on this trip, I've seen an Elephant, Weddell, Crabeater, and now a Leopard seal!

4. Another Penguin Story
   When we landed at our 2nd sight of the day at Pettermann Island, April, Jen, and I were on one of the first zodiacs. We had to wait for the rest of the MSU students and faculty to arrive on the island. I was sitting on the edge of a rock bank by the water. Below me was another large, flat rock. We were all laughing and talking, when suddenly we noticed one penguin swimming close to the shallow surface of the water right in front of where I was sitting. The Adelie penguin glided through the water and did a quick circle around the shallow end and then went back towards the deeper, darker part of the ocean. Thirty seconds later, this penguin came back into clear view. It porpoised twice and on the third porpoise, instead of diving into the water, it pulled its little feet to the front of itself. That motion made it upright and then the penguin landed right on the large, flat rock below me. It was so astonishing to see this penguin "fly" from the water and land on the rock. This unusual way to get out of the water was so much more graceful than the usual hopping up to shore. It was funny because after he flew up on the rock, he took another hop (probably from momentum) and then looked at all the people watching him. He then turned around, waddled a bit, and then dove back into the water.

5. Chicken, Beef, and Whales?
   Today we had an Antarctican barbecue. We sat on the outside deck at the stern of the boat and enjoyed babyback ribs, chicken, corn on the cob, and beer. It was a beautiful day for a barbecue. The sun was shinning with a blue sky behind it. We had dinner before our second landing because of the problem we experienced with the Lemaire Channel. We tried to go through the channel to get to Pettermann Island but the exit was blocked by ice. So we had to turn around and go a different way. Throughout this whole trip, everyone from MSU was on a whale watch for the whale group. I was out on the ship for 3 hours and did not see one whale. At least it was, as our expedition leader, Olle, would say, "a smiling Antarctica."

December 23, 2003

1. Landing on the Antarctic Peninsula
   We finally reached the mainland of Antarctica! We landed on Almirante Brown in Paradise Bay this morning. There was an old abandoned Argentine research station. Everyone climbed a big hill and enjoyed the marvelous view of icebergs, mountains, and the deep blue ocean. It was quite a long track up the hill but it was well worth it. Coming down was easy though. I just sat on my butt and slid down. At some points in my sledding, I got going really fast! Good times on the last continent!

2. Minke Under the Zodiac
   After leaving the Peninsula, we got a zodiac tour of the surrounding oceanscape of Paradise Bay. I became very excited when we discovered a Minke whale was swimming in the bay. Our zodiac driver kept trying to get close to it so we could snap a picture of it. It was quite a friendly Minke because it swam right up next to our zodiac. I couldn't believe how close it got to me. But then the whale came up by our boat again, and this time it dove and swam right under our zodiac! It looked so big up close and a Minke is generally one of the smaller whales in the Antarctic region. It was easily the length of the zodiac. I never thought I would be so close that I could almost touch a whale in its natural environment. It was just one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.

3. Being on an Iceberg
   The whole trip I've been fascinated by the icebergs. From trying to find the first one on the opening leg of our trip, to seeing gigantic tabular icebergs, I've just wanted to be able to touch them and maybe go on one. I didn't think standing on an iceberg would be possible after watching the iceberg crumble on Half Moon Island the first day of landings, but today I had my chance to stand on an iceberg. It didn't seem any different than if I was on a small island but I knew that I was on something different: an iceberg. There were some holes in it where I could see the water underneath! I can't believe that what was between me and the ocean was just a big chunk of ice and snow. This was the best thing I could have done while on Antarctica and it was a special moment in time.

4. Seeing Humpbacks
   If seeing a Minke whale up close and personal wasn't exciting enough, we also saw Humpback whales as well today. The MSU group was sitting in the forward lounge, having one of its drawn out meetings, talking about things that were already discussed previously, when Olle's voice came over the PA. He announced that there were Humpback whales at the bow of the boat. I sprung from my seat and practically ran to the top deck of the ship. I didn't have a fleece, or my camera, and I had my flip-flops on my feet, but I did not take the time to go to my room for fear I would miss the whales. It was better to see them, and miss getting pictures, than to try to get my camera and risk missing the opportunity to see the whales. There were two humpback whales, a mother and a calf. They swam so close to the bow; I thought for a second that the calf was going to be hit by the boat. Luckily, they swam just along the side of the ship, not 3 meters away at times. When they got further from the ship, they started to play. They were breaching and doing tail flukes as they dove. The baby almost did a full breach and was so close to being completely out of the water. It was beautiful to watch these large animals play in the ocean. Everyone on the ship was gasping with delight every time the Humpbacks would do a "trick". The captain of the ship even did a circle around the little bay we were in so we could watch them longer. At one point, when the Humpbacks were a little farther away, a Minke swam by. The animal that we were all so excited about earlier got little attention now because everyone was watching and waiting for the Humpback calf to jump out of the water and show off. They were so large and gorgeous; it was fascinating to watch them.

5. Saying Goodbye to Antarctica
   After this exciting day, we still had one more sight to see. The last landing of our journey was on Cuverville Island. It was a melancholy moment as I realized this would be the last time that I would be on the rocks and snow with the penguins of Antarctica. I checked out the penguin rookery for a minute but then went my own way to a quiet spot on the shore. I watched some penguins diving into the water and I watched other penguins trying to get down from the snow cliff above the rocky beach where I was sitting. I listened to the waves crashing on to shore as I threw rocks into the water. At one point, a group of eight penguins walked about two meters in front of me in a line, one by one. I didn't take many pictures because I just wanted to enjoy my last stay on Antarctica. While the zodiac drove back to the ship, I said goodbye to Antarctica and realized my adventure here was coming quickly to an end.

December 24 & 25, 2003

1. Drake Passage
   We are on our way to returning to Ushuaia, which means we had to venture across the Drake Passage once more. It was not as rough, windy, or rocky as the way to Antarctica, but there was a definite dizziness in my head as the boat rose and fell. Nothing flew off our nightstand and no drawers came crashing out, but I still felt a little out of it.

2. Being Sick
   I think catching a cold and having it be full force during the Drake Passage really made these two days slide together in my memory. I felt really bad for most of the time. It wasn't seasick sick, but more of a head cold with a constant runny nose. I slept a lot because that's the only time I felt good, when I was sound asleep. The movement of the boat did not help me feel better. I don't think having the transderm patch for seasickness and taking Benydryl and Ibuprofen all together helped me stay awake or feel better either. My nose was constantly dripping and I had a cough. I will admit that my best friend for these two days was the box of Kleenex I carried around with me wherever I went. To look at the brighter side, at least I wasn't like this when there were landings and things to see and do.

3. The Length of the Days
   Even the amount of sunlight pushes these two days together. Since the sun barely sets before it rises again, it is hard to tell when one day ends and the next one begins. I'm almost looking forward to going back to Michigan, where there will be more darkness.

4. The Holiday Festivities
   Since it is Christmastime, there have been a few special activities on the ship. In addition to one of the zodiac drivers wearing a Santa hat, we've had a wonderful Holiday dinner and a gift exchange. The Holiday dinner was a delicious six-course meal with complimentary drinks. My favorite courses were the champagne sorbet and the fish appetizer. The gift exchange was a lot of fun. Everyone in the MSU group drew a number and then we went in order to choose a gift. The catch was that, when it was your turn, you could steal a gift from someone else. I ended up with a nice hat, even though it had been stolen from me a few times. This was definitely a Christmas to remember.

5. Not A Lot to Do
   Since there were no more excursions, the only thing to do was to go to the lectures. Some of them were interesting, like Brandon's whale presentation and Olle's presentation. I missed a few of the lectures because I was sick. On Christmas Eve, we organized a movie night in the forward lounge. We watched Pirates of the Caribbean. At one point, our ship crashed into some waves at the same time a huge boat scene was happening in the movie. It was crazy - like I was actually in the movie! But besides that, nothing else was happening.

December 26, 2003

I don't feel like making a top 5 list for the day, so I'm not going to. Today we got off the boat for good. We took our last trip down the wobbly metal steps, but instead of getting onto a zodiac, the mainland of Argentina was our destination. It was nice to be on stable ground, without any rocking. I found a spot to sit along the water and worked on my journal until we could check back into the Cap Polonio Hotel. There was a quick meeting about the plans for the next week and then we went to lunch. After lunch, April, Craig, Bob, Elise, Callista, and I hiked up the mountain to start to plan April and my research project. It was a hell of a hike to get above tree line. As we walked up through the southern beach trees, the trees became shorter and shorter.

By the time we reached the top of the tree line, we were walking on top of the trees. We would reach patches not covered by the Nothofagus due to erosion, standing water, and cold air pockets. In these patches we found tremendous nonvascular growth of bryophytes, lichens, and liverworts. One of my favorite plants found there was the cushion plant. It was one of the few vascular plants that have adapted to the sub Antarctica and Alpine climates. Even though these plants are small in stature, they are old and have huge growth forms. We tried not to walk on them, but they were so numerous that we could not help it sometimes. They were quite firm and actually did support my weight if I sat on them. They kept my "tushy" warm as well. Once we got to a clearing, we saw an amazing view. There was a rainbow over the bay and the mountains looked so majestic. We didn't sit long before we followed the river down. My feet got soaking wet but it was well worth it. When we returned to the hotel, April and I discussed our project, had a bite to eat and then went to sleep.

December 27, 2003

1. The Scenery
   Our laboratory for this project was the Patagonia Andes Mountains that we climbed yesterday. This is where we collected all of our data that we will use for April and my senior thesis. Again we climbed to tree line, which was seven hundred meters above sea level. The view was just as beautiful as yesterday, even though the weather was not. It was colder and rainy but that did not affect the excitement of reaching the top and enjoying the spectacular view.

2. The Work
   Being used to working in the lab, it was a treat to be in the field. The first thing we did at 700 m above seal level was to devise a plan of action. We decided to do a transect of the tree line that was thirty meters long by two meters wide. We crawled through the bush-like Nothofagus and counted the number of trunks and measured their girth. We did almost the same thing at an altitude of 600 m except we had a 30x10m area and took girth at breast height.

3. The Help I knew the task of collecting data would go smoothly when all twenty MSU students showed up in the hotel lobby right on time. We boarded the six taxis and were on our way. When we got to the sight, we sorted equipment and divided into three groups. We were then ready for the climb. The individual groups hiked to their designated elevations. I was in charge of the higher elevation group. Through the entire day my group displayed marvelous teamwork, enthusiasm and drive to finish our goal. Without this teamwork, the data collection would have taken four or five days instead of one.

4. Unlimited resources (The Profs)
   Having three professors available to me for this research is extremely rare and very helpful. There is always someone that can answer a question or explain things if I don't understand. One of them always seems to pick up where the others leave off, which makes everything a lot easier. Craig and Bob advised most of the data collection in the mountainous woods while John supervised the tree ring group.

5. After work Relaxation
   As soon as we got back to the hotel, I took a hot shower. It was so nice to get out of my muddy clothes and mud soaked socks and shoes. After I was clean, a few of us went to dinner. We ate at a cute café tucked in the heart of Ushuaia called Food Garden. We ordered a garlic pizza, which was delicious. On our way back to the Cap Polonio, we stopped by Tante Sara's to get a drink. We ended up meeting more people from MSU so we all drank and talked together. It was very relaxing after the long hard day we had had.

December 28, 2003

1. 2. 3. Three Different Lectures
Today we had three lectures that took up almost seven hours of the day. The first lecture was given by Craig and was on the Antarctica biology. We started from the phytoplankton and worked our way up to whales. The Antarctic food web is so dependent on krill that if krill were gone almost all the other species would disappear. John gave the second lecture on PCB's. These are contaminants that are in the Great Lakes water system and in the Antarctic. He said that a lot of whale's first calves die because of the toxicity that is given through lactation to the calf. The toxins just keep going up the food chain. A guest speaker, Chuck Kennicut, gave the third lecture. He discussed Antarctic Treaty and the disturbance Curd station is causing to the environment.

4. Entering Data in the Computer
Since taking all the measurements of the Nothofagus forest, April and I have been working non-stop to get all the data in Excel. It's a grueling task but we have to get it done. Things look pretty good, except at one transect a lot of the older trees had been blown down by wind, so there is a lot of saplings. This might affect our data, but we'll see.

5. Working on the Power Point Presentation
Between the lectures and the data entry, April and I have also been trying to get pictures and facts together for the oral presentation that we have to give on the 31st. I'm a little nervous about it because it's the first time I've had to use power point, but I'm sure it will work out great. I spent some time in an Internet Café researching the Nothofagus and trying to find some pictures or diagrams to use. As you can see, today was filled with all work and not so much play.

December 29, 2003

1. Typing the Journal
   I've been handwriting all my journal entries and told myself today was the day that I would get caught up on typing them. I got a lot of them done but it takes me about twenty minutes to do each entry because they are so long at the beginning. I still have a couple days to get them done.

2. Power Point Presentation
   Again, today, April and I tried to finish the Power Point slides for our oral presentation but didn't get it done because we didn't know how to get pictures onto the computer. We were so frustrated that we decided to just go to bed and finish it tomorrow.

3. Souvenir shopping
   I still have to get my sister and friends some souvenirs from Ushuaia. I'm going to get my sister a hat like the one I got for Christmas and my friends a stuffed penguin. It's not the most creative thing in the world but what can they expect. I didn't have a chance to go shopping because I was inside all day doing work. That's all right because there are a couple of days left to get some shopping done.

4. Reviewing for the Exam
   Craig gave another lecture today, which was the last of all the lectures besides the oral presentation. He talked about the work he did on Macquorie Island. He gave some hints about what, from this lecture, would be on the exam. For example, he really stressed the differences between sub-Antarctic islands and Antarctica. One difference is that the weather is very stable and it rains a lot on the islands while on the mainland there is little precipitation and the weather is unpredictable. Now I feel like I have to start studying for the final!

5. Counting Tree Rings
   April and I still have so many tree branches in our room that need to have their rings counted. I thought we would get some done today but they were extremely difficult to saw through and with all the other stuff due, we didn't get any of them counted. We really have to finish that before we leave because we won't be allowed to take the branches out of the country.

December 30, 2003

Today we hiked through the Argentina National Park. It was very beautiful. We did a 6 km hike through the forest along the Beagle Channel and then had a picnic lunch. We followed a few shorter trails and then left to go home. These are the most interesting species of plant or fungi I saw:
1. Nothofagus
   Of course I would include this in my top five because it is the plant I'm doing my undergraduate research on. We saw both a deciduous species and a coniferous species. The coniferous Nothofagus does lose its leaves only not all at the same time. Craig told me that the Nothofagus forests in Australia were used in the filming of the Lord of the Rings movie.

2. Winter's Bark
   This plant usually doesn't grow in cold places but grows in this forest because the Beagle Channel keeps it warm. It grows under the Nothofagus so that snow doesn't fall on it.

3. Fire Bush
   This was a really beautiful plant. Its flowers were bright red and some of the plants were huge. It's called Fire Bush because it is the first plant to appear after a fire has happened.

4. The Orange Round Fungus
   I don't know the correct name for this fungus but it was really cool. It grew on the Nothofagus and you could eat them. I tried one and it tasted like nothing. It had the texture of an uncooked mushroom but really had no taste whatsoever. The bright orange color was hard to miss.

5. Dog Orchid
   This was a small plant with white petals. It was everywhere. It was a delicate plant and I liked it. I'm not sure why it is called what it is but it's a nice plant anyway.

December 31, 2003

1. Giving the Oral Presentation
   April and I gave our Power Point presentation today. I think it went pretty well. We made a few jokes and tried to be informative without being boring. I got a little tricked up by Craig's question but I don't think it is anything to sweat about. We stayed up really late finishing it and I'm glad to get the presentation over with.

2. The Exam
   Our final exam was today and it went pretty well. It took a long time to get through it but it was a good representation of what we should have learned. It was also nice to get this done and not have it hanging over my head anymore. Some of the list questions I thought were a little too long.

3. Shopping
   I got my souvenir shopping done today and also bought myself a nice outfit. All the girls dressed up tonight: nice clothes, makeup, and hair. It was actually one of the only times I didn't have my hair in a bandana or in a hat during this trip. I was glad to get into some clothes that hadn't been worn before.

4. Fancy Dinner
   Finally, after 3 days of hard work, everyone got to relax. We had our celebratory dinner at the Albatross. I thought it was delicious. I tried squid for the first time and it wasn't bad. The shrimp were huge and also wonderful. We had champagne at midnight.

5. Dancing
   After dinner, music started and everyone started to dance. It was nice to be able to cut loose and not worry about anything. There was a disco ball and sparkling lights. It was cool that everyone danced and no one was left out. This night was a perfect end to the year 2003!

January 1, 2004

1. Taxi-Bus
   Today was our free day and Mike, Alyssa, David, Dustin, John, and I went to a small town in the heart of Terra del Fuego called Tolhuin. We had to take a small bus there. We went on dirt roads over the mountains to get there and the whole time the bus was bouncing so badly. We went a little off the road at one point and I was a bit frightened. The road was so narrow at parts that you could look out the window and see a drop off down a ridge. However, it was so beautiful to see the mountains on all sides as we headed towards Tolhuin.

2. Hitch-Hiking
   Normally I would never do this and, in fact, I never have but I was with a faculty member and a group of students. We were walking to Lake Fagnano and I said something along the line of "If a pick up truck comes by I'm going to stick my thumb out and get us a ride." Not even ten minutes later a truck comes by and before I have time to stick my thumb out it stops and we all jump in the back. The driver knew exactly where we wanted to go and dropped us off at the lake.

3. Swimming
   Once at the lake, we sat on the rocks and ate peanut butter on crackers. The boys started to skip stones and Alyssa and I attempted to skip them. The water was pretty warm and I tried to convince someone to jump in the lake with me. No one wanted to so I didn't either. (So technically this mode was not performed but just thought about.)

4. Horseback Riding
   On our way back to the town, we walked past a horseback-riding place. I decided that I wanted to ride a horse just for a little while. Mike wanted to also so we stopped to ride them. I called the horse I had "Pancake" even though its real name was something like "Owen." My horse was a little stubborn and kept stopping to eat grass. At one point, Pancake wouldn't follow my lead and started to walk really fast. After I got control of her, I went back and got off of the horse because I was afraid that it would kick me off. Mike continued to ride for a little while.

5. Walking
   There was a lot of walking towards food today. After horseback riding, we walked back in town and ate at the best bakery in Terra Del Fuego. I had some crème puffs and other fruity pastries. Once back in Ushuaia, we walked to Volver, which was a pretty fancy seafood restaurant. It used to be a prison when the main one closed down. There was even original newspaper on the wall from the early twenties that was used to insulate the wall. I had a king crab dish that was excellent and strawberries and cream for dessert.

January 2, 2003

1. Goodbye Ushuaia
   Today, I had to say good-bye to the "city at the end of the world." April and I did some last minute errands and then took one last view of the channel and the mountains before we left Ushuaia. We boarded a bus and then went to the airport to leave for good.

2. I Hate Airplanes
   I had another plane ride from hell today. It wasn't as bad as the nine-hour flight with the Argentine dance troop, but it was close. I was sitting toward the back of the plane and was in front of three kids. They kept playing with the tray and kicking my seat. It was so annoying. I couldn't wait to get out of that plane.

3. The Weather in Buenos Aires is Beautiful
   The weather in Buenos Aires is perfect. We got in town at around 6:00 pm. It was a comfortable temperature because it was hot and dry, not humid. There was a nice cool breeze everywhere we went so that was also nice. It was ideal weather for jeans and a tank top.

4. Steak Will Never Be As Good
   A few of us walked around the city and tried to find a good restaurant where we could eat. We ended up going to a fancier restaurant and ate outside. We ordered a bottle of wine and I had a tenderloin steak. It was very good. I have never had steak so good in my entire life. It came with a mushroom sauce and potatoes. Then we went to a different restaurant for coffee and dessert.

5. The Trip Is Almost Over
   I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thought. On one hand, it will be nice to go home and relax and see everyone. On the other hand, this trip has been so amazing that it is sort of sad that it is ending. The friends I have made, the things I have seen, and everything I've learned has made this trip unforgettable. I'm so glad I was given this opportunity to go on such a wonderful, once in a lifetime trip. Although I feel ready to leave, I'm also sad that this amazing experience is coming to an end.

January 3-4, 2004

1. Another Sleepless Night
   After the wonderful dinner and dessert that I had enjoyed last night, I headed to the hotel to get some sleep before waking up at the crack of dawn. Alyssa and I got into our room around 12:30 am and talked a little bit about the trip. We then tried to sleep but there was a party going on outside of our room. Even with the windows shut, we could here the music and screaming voices of the partygoers. To say the least, it wasn't easy to fall asleep with all that noise but at least I will get some rest on the airplane tomorrow.

2. A Nine Hour Delay Before a Nine Hour Flight!
   Do I even have to expand on that statement! This wasn't too bad because everyone of the group had to sit in the airport so we entertained ourselves. It was more of an annoyance because I was ready to be back in the States. I was mostly disappointed because even though we got to stay in Buenos Aires longer, we couldn't go out and see anymore of the town. We were just stuck playing cards in the airport until the plane was finally ready to take off.

3. Getting Sick Again…
   Why is it that I didn't get sick all fall semester and on this trip I get sick twice? I can't tell if it's a cold, the flu, or just stress and lack of sleep. Whatever it is, it's not making me a pleasant person to be around. My throat hurt during the whole plane ride and I could barely eat the plane food.

4. Where Is April?
   After finally reaching Miami at 5:30 am, we make our way to the hotel. I go to the front desk to find out what room April (my roomie) is in. The man at the desk tells me a room number. I go up to that room and it's not the right room. I go through two more wrong room numbers until I find out where I'm supposed to be. It was a hassle to go through that early in the morning but at least I found my home for the night.
   Missing the Everglades
   Due to my lack of sleep and sore throat I couldn't get up in time to go to the everglades. It was just as well because I needed the rest. Everyone said that they had a lot of fun, so I am a little disappointed that I didn't make it but it's alright. I just rested and ate some Chinese food while the rest of the group was out.

My Concluding Thoughts

Any new experience will change you but studying in Antarctica produces a major change. I feel myself looking at the world differently. I see the world as a smaller place. I notice how everything is connected. Human impacts are all around us, not only in Antarctica. Just experiencing a whole new world opened up my mind. Mentally, I feel like I can take on any new challenge. I gained confidence in any other endeavor I could embark on. I climbed mountains, walked through mounds of snow, and survived the windiest, coldest, driest continent on earth and want to do all those things again. Since I've been home, I find myself discussing the negative outcomes of whaling and big research stations, such as McMurdo, with friends. I am more aware of the impact humans have on the whole earth.