Antarctic Field Course - Study Abroad
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Mike's Journal
QA
Name: MikeMajor: Communication
Year of Study: Senior
Why Did I Want To Study in Antarctica: I'd never been there
Biggest doubt before the trip: How many memory cards to buy for camera
Best moment/experience: Unlocking research facility
Worst moment/experience: Thinking research facility wasn't going to unlock
Favorite Scenery/Place: Deck of the ship
Favorite Animal: Elephant seals
Would I Do This Again? Definitely
What do I think differently about since being back? Proud of the global cooperation that ensures Antarctica's preservation
Synapse: Antarctica is one of the most incredible places I've ever seen. I'm very grateful for the chance to experience it. I'll probably be back.
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Please use the links below to view a specific date further down the page.
December - 2003
January - 2004
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Photos credited to Ben. Click an image to enlarge, hover over an image for a description.
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12-13-03
I got up really early and went to the airport. I'd been looking forward to the trip for a long time. I opened the study abroad guide and Antarctica was the first page. I was sold. Waited around near the ticket counter until everyone arrived and then waited around at the terminal. The waiting around wasn't bad because I got to know the rest of the group. Our plane arrived and we flew to Miami where we waited around for several hours. That was some pretty decent waiting though. We hung out at Chili's and watched the MSU game. We got beaten, but it still passed the time pretty well. From Miami we flew to Buenos Aires. On the flight I sat next to a guy from Argentina who told me a lot about Argentine regions and culture. The flight from Buenos Aires made a stop before getting to Ushuaia. That was kind of unusual. I've been on buses and trains where stops were made, but never on planes. We finally got to Ushuaia and I was very impressed with the mountains and the bay. Apparently Ushuaia is the southernmost town on the planet. I'm looking forward to exploring the town and getting to meet the people.
12-14-03
After we checked into our hotel we were given the rest of the day to explore the town and get to know the people. A big group of us was on our way to lunch, but I saw a casino and decided to check it out. The language barrier made it impossible to even get chips so I left the casino and went to find the others. I got distracted by a big dog that looked like a wolf and ended up exploring the residential area. After that I went to the harbor and looked at the ships before meeting Jaclyn, Cathy, and Alyssa at a café/bar. Apparently Argentineans enjoy the coffee/beer combo. We had lunch and then went to the tourist information center. After that we met a girl named Claudia who knew enough English to teach me how to request chips at the casino. Her name was actually Gloria, but I called her Claudia for the next several days until I got corrected. After learning the Spanish I went to the casino for about ten minutes and left a winner. I figured staying for too long would increase my chances of losing. Went back to the hotel and then went with some of the guys to find a grocery store. No luck with the groceries, but I met a girl named Soledad who spoke really good English. Later on went to an incredible steak restaurant. The steaks in Argentina are exceptionally good and they only cost four dollars U.S. That's less than a McDonalds value meal as long as the fries aren't super-sized. That night I went with a small group to the far pier where there was a great view of Ushuaia. I've got to say it was a good day.
12-15-03
Got up early and walked around town. Went to the docks and got a good picture of the water and sky. A guy on the street was selling clay flutes so I bought one as a gift for someone back home. I had headphones on so I let the guy hear some Jay-Z. He and his friends liked it so maybe there'll be an Argentine rapper someday. Spent the afternoon visiting local museums and doing an assignment. The museums were interesting and some quality learning took place. The Yamana exhibits were particularly interesting. It would have been really hard to live the way they did. In the evening we got a course overview for the academic part of the trip. It's going to be strange actually having classes while in South America and Antarctica, but it's definitely worth it. Since there was a test scheduled for the next day I spent most of the evening reading the course packet and learning about Antarctic animals, Antarctic geography, and Antarctic history. The variety of animal life and the adaptations they've developed were the most interesting to read about. It's great that scientists are monitoring Antarctic wildlife and will be able to observe the evolutionary changes from this point on. There were dinosaurs in Antarctica millions of years ago and it's incredible to think about how much the climate and animal life has changed since then.
12-16-03
Took the exam and then moved into a hotel closer to the docks. After the moving was done I went with some others to a restaurant by the water. I ordered a steak cooked rare and also milk. One of the two didn't agree with my stomach and I started feeling sick. Callista was very nice and went with me back to the hotel to get some pepto bismal. The pepto handled its business so we went to the maritime prison museum to complete another assignment. Another quality museum. The parts that were dedicated to the prison history were particularly interesting. The exhibits were in the cells so you got an idea what would it would have been like for the prisoners. Argentina is no place to commit a bunch of crimes and get sent to prison. There probably isn't anyplace where that's a really good idea, but the Argentine prison seemed especially unpleasant. We had to jog back to the hotel for a group meeting, but it was a scenic jog. From the museum area there was a really good view of the mountains. Went back for the group meeting and then walked around the town with Cathy. Went to a store that was a lot like an American department store. Ushuaia is definitely a tourist town. The majority of the people on the streets seem to be foreigners. That night we planned to play cards, but not enough people knew how to play. Took a walk by the water and then went to bed.
12-17-03
After the lecture, I went with a few others towards the mountain area. Picked up some groceries and had a quality picnic. The mountains looked really amazing and they're going to be great to climb. Had a steak after the picnic and then went back to the hotel for ship boarding. It was very exciting to get on the ship. We had an introduction from the staff and crew and they seem very capable and knowledgeable. Can't go wrong with knowledge and capabilities. Spent most of the evening up on deck while we sailed through the Beagle Channel. I've never had the opportunity to go anywhere on a ship. A real ship at least. I rode a falukha down the Nile, but that's not quite the same. It's nice to be able to walk around on deck and watch the ship's progress from all sides. We stood at the bow for a long time and watched the shore. For me, one of the major selling points of this program was the opportunity to live on a ship and I can already tell it's going to be great.
12-18-03
I decided to see what the Drake Passage would be like without sea sickness precautions. Big mistake.
12-19-03
Drake's Passage had been really rough, but it started to calm down. I was able to get out of bed and eat meals again so that was definitely a plus. Watched a movie about Scott's doomed expedition to the South Pole, which was very interesting. It's incredible that they were able to capture so much on film. Scott had a lot of guts to do what he did, but I don't quite understand why he gave up on getting back to base. He and the two guys that were left set up a shelter 11 miles from the main camp and then Scott wrote some last words and died. It seems like his proximity to safety would have motivated him to press forward and at least die trying. I guess it's impossible to imagine what condition he was in physically and psychologically, but it just seems strange. That night we stayed up pretty late and around 3am we saw the first icebergs as we got close to Antarctica. Went up top and watched from the bow before heading up to the bridge. The radar picked up every little piece of ice that was floating in the water. It even picked up some of the waves. Very impressive. I offered to drive the ship for a while, but the crew declined.
12-20-03
Made our first landing on Aitcho Island. Lots of penguins. The penguins were interesting, but the elephant seals were even better. The elephant seals had much more gas than the penguins. We were told to keep a good distance because they're territorial and become aggressive if threatened. Our next stop was Yankee Harbor. While we were there I talked to a guy named Charles who's been working and traveling in Antarctica for the past fifty years. We talked about tourist impacts on the region's wildlife. Based on experiments he knew of and his own experiences, Charles thinks the impacts of tourism are minimal. He described an experiment where heart monitors were surgically implanted in penguins to monitor their physiological reaction to human proximity. The tested penguins displayed alarm when approached by humans, but Charles thought their fear had more to do with the experience of having humans surgically attach monitors to their hearts. Half Moon Island was the most exciting stop. The human impacts group, of which I'm a part, was allowed to investigate an abandoned Argentine research base. We infiltrated the facility and conducted photo and video reconnaissance. I stepped into a dark room with no floor, but luckily I grabbed the door and didn't have to experience the seven foot drop.
12-21-03
The first stop of the day was Bailey's Head on Deception Island. The weather doesn't usually permit tourist ships to stop there so it was a real privilege that we got to go. There were penguins everywhere. The International Association of Antarcitc Tour Operators recommends keeping a fifteen foot distance from penguins and other wildlife, but at Bailey's Head that was impossible. There were penguins everywhere. Some of them even had chicks that had recently hatched. It's probably for the best that conditions rarely permit landings at this site. Some of the new tourist ships with 400-500 passengers could potentially cause some serious damage. Passengers are only allowed to unload in groups of 100, but a whole day of humans walking around would increase the chances of environmental interference. For my project I counted IAATO violations and took some pictures of tourists and footprints. The next stop was Whaler's Bay. Getting too close to penguin nests isn't nearly as severe a human impact as the whaling industry was. I've heard that whales are evolving into very intelligent creatures. Maybe someday the whales will invent some kind of technology to prevent whaling from ever happening again. Probably not though. We'll just have to prevent it ourselves.
12-22-03
The museum at Port Lockroy is the only museum in Antarctica. It's a British station left as it was decades ago. It was a very interesting spot and again it was impossible to stay fifteen feet away from the penguins. Inside there were cans of food and magazines from the fifties. I'm surprised the magazines were in such good shape, but that might change as more tourists start visiting. Ah well, it's nothing a display case couldn't solve. It was a nice warm day so I sat outside on a rock and took some notes. It was great because the penguins were coming right up to me. That evening we had a barbeque in the back of the boat and after that we went to Peterman Island. We found grass growing, which is pretty uncommon in Antarctica, but what interested me more were the skuas. They're hawk-like penguin nest raiders. Myself and a couple others accidentally got close to their nest and they got pretty upset. They started swooping at us and squawking a lot. The nest wasn't far from the penguins. If the penguins ever wanted to launch a counter strike they'd definitely have the skuas outnumbered. Those penguins should think more about homeland security.
12-23-03
Landed on Paradise Bay. It was great to be on the actual continent. If the weather had been bad there was a chance we wouldn't have gotten to land. Climbed a pretty steep hill and enjoyed the view for a while. The view was most scenic towards the water, but it was fun looking inland and imagining what a cross-country expedition might be like. Probably cold. The zodiac ride back to the ship was extended, so we got a chance to see some icebergs close up and look at whales. The highlight of the ride was definitely when a Minke whale swam right up to the Zodiac. It went right under our boat at one point. The last stop was Cuverville. Not really exceptional as far as Antarctic islands go, but definitely a quality spot. The sun looked really big in the sky so I tried to take a picture of it. Mostly sat around talking to the others and wondering how long it would be before I was able to get back. There's a lot of places in the world to get to first, but I look forward to going back to Antarctica. Maybe next time I'll hike across the continent and discover a new species of seal or something. Stayed up late and spent a couple hours at the back of the boat just enjoying the view.
12-24-03
Back to the Drake Passage and back to bed. Got up long enough to hear about Charles' expedition fifty years ago and hear a talk about global warming. It was very interesting to learn that humans contribute only a very small amount to global warming. Apparently the Earth's natural climate change accounts for most of it. Spent most of the day in bed trying not to get sick.
12-25-03
Christmas. It didn't really feel like Christmas, but the ship looked nice. Mostly just hung out with the group and relaxed. There was a presentation on whaling that showed all the gruesome details of whale dismemberment. There was a film by Irving Johnson about his experience sailing around Cape Horn. That was extremely interesting because he got some really good footage of the waves crashing over the front of the ship. It was a sailing ship and Johnson did a good job of describing what daily life was like at sea. I was particularly interested because my great-great-great grandfather was a sea captain who commanded similar sailing ships. Growing up I heard a lot of stories and read a lot of his log books, but he lived before film was invented. It would be interesting to know if the individuals working on those ships were in it more for the money or the adventure. In the evening we had a special Christmas dinner. It was interesting to meet other passengers on the ship and try to communicate through the language barrier with some. Our group had a gift exchange after dinner and we all partied for the rest of the night. Arrived at South America and saw a very impressive sunset.
12-26-03
Arrived back at Ushuaia. It would've been nice to stay on the ship longer, but it had to end eventually. Walked around the whole ship and spent some more time on each level of the deck. Went with Kannan to the bridge. We looked at all the controls again, and thanked the crew. Left the dock area and walked around town waiting for our hotel to open. We ended up waiting back at the docks. I considered sneaking onto one of the ships and going back out there, but I figured that might hurt my grade. We had a free day in Ushuaia so I caught up on some work and did some email. I kept the emails vague and short because it would've taken a long time to try and describe Antarctica and do it justice. Ran into some of the ship's staff while in the internet café. They said that they only have a few hours onshore before they have to get back on the ship for the next tourist trip. Apparently it's a well paying job by Argentine standards, so they don't mind very much. That would be great to get paid to travel around a place and interesting as Antarctica.
12-27-03
Today we had a lot of lecture so we spent most of the time at the hotel. It was all interesting material. When it got done I took some pictures of the town and then went to a store near the docks to buy a chess set. The salesclerk was very interested in hearing about the United States and she asked if I could help her get a work visa. I told her that I didn't know much about work visa distribution and she went on to tell me a lot about her situation in Argentina. Apparently she's from Buenos Aires, but she moved to Ushuaia for a better job. She said that most of the salespeople in the local shops had similar stories. She said it was really hard to find well paying jobs up north and that most young people either went to tourist towns or left the country. I wish I could have been more helpful to her, but I've never had to think about ways to get into the U.S. In other countries I've heard similar stories and I wish there was something I could do. I guess I'll just have to become President of Earth and make some changes.
12-28-03
Mountain day. We took taxis to the edge of town and then rode a ski lift part way up the mountains. I've never been skiing, but I might take it up just so I can ride those ski lifts. Pretty fun ride. We divided into three groups to work on a tree line project. I was glad I joined the group that went all the way to the top of the tree line. It was a lot of fun climbing through the trees and trying to run across all the sliding rocks. The higher we went, the lower the trees grew to the ground which meant we really had to climb through them. We probably did some damage going up there, but I guess sacrifices have to be made for science. It's hard to say whether the information collected by the two students leading the experiment outweighs the damage we did, but maybe it will in the long run. Maybe this experiment will help them get professional or academic opportunities which will allow them to make some major contribution to the environment or science in the future. If that's the case, a few broken branches and squashed lichen is worth it.
12-29-03
After lecture we had the rest of the day to work on our projects. I took a walk and then sat in a courtyard near the docks. There was an Argentine flag and also a friendly dog. After that it was time to get to work. I organized the information I'd gotten from the trip and internet and then put together the presentation. Jaclyn and Cathy taught me how to use power point. It wasn't hard to use, but the computer had some problems which made it take longer. My project focused on the history of tourism and also the existent and potential impacts of tourism on Antarctica's environment. From the interviews I'd done, my group's observations, and my internet research I concluded that the impacts of tourism are small. However, tourism to Antarctica is increasing quite rapidly and the situation may be different ten years from now. I didn't like the idea of having to do this project while still in South America. I would have preferred doing it back in the states and having a couple extra days to learn about Argentine culture and travel a bit. Once I got it done, I didn't mind so much. It was actually an interesting challenge to focus on schoolwork while in such an unusual and distracting location.
12-30-03
I got up early and walked around town for a while. It's nice to see the place in the morning before anyone's up. It's a quality town. Met up with the group. We went to Ushuaia's national park for some nature hikes. It was a quality park and we had a very knowledgeable guide. We saw some interesting insects and even a couple parrots. Apparently we weren't far from the Chilean border, but we were too far to actually go there. While on the hike we encountered orange mushrooms that were safe to eat. They were kind of flavorless, but apparently the Yamana people used to eat them a lot. It's a real shame that there aren't any more Yamana in the area. Our guide said there was one more Yamana woman left, but she's very old. Their culture is preserved to some extent in the local museums. The best part about the hike was the scenery. We came to a lake that was quite large and looked really nice. Skipped stones for a while, but unfortunately my stone skipping skills have deteriorated. I guess it's not like riding a bike. After the park we went back to the hotel to get ready for our oral presentations. My group was up first and I think we did pretty well. The other groups did a good job, too, and I'm sure we were all glad to get it done.
12-31-03
In the morning we finished up the oral presentations and then had a few hours to study for the final exam. There was a lot of material to cover. After the test I shot some pool and then went to the dock area and took a picture of the writing on one of the walls. It says something about Ushuaia being the end of the world and the beginning of everything. With Ushuaia being the southernmost town in the world, I thought that was pretty cool. That night was New Years Eve. We went to a party hosted by the hotel we stayed at before boarding the ship. They gave us an awesome dinner with lots of quality food and drinks. They even provided entertainment. There was a saxophone player who played for a while and then there were tango dancers. The dancers were pretty impressive. Then the room was opened for everyone to dance and they even busted out a limbo stick. Definitely a quality party. Starting 2004 in the southernmost town in the world after a trip to Antarctica with a great group is definitely a memorable experience. It's going to be hard to top.
1-1-04
Went with a small group to a town just outside of Ushuaia. I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I went to the alleged best bakery in Tierra del Fuego. I told the others I'd meet them at the lake we had planned to visit. After the pastries I walked around town and then hitchhiked down to the lake. It was kind of far away and apparently they'd gotten a ride too. We threw rocks in the water for a while and then started back towards the town. We stopped at a stable, where Karalea and I went horseback riding. That was a lot of fun and it was much easier than riding a camel. I rode camels in India and Egypt and almost got tossed both times. After the ride, we all went back to town and waited for our transportation. When we got back to Ushuaia I went with some others to the dock and then we watched a movie. People were going to bed, but I still had energy so I took a walk. I met some Ushuaian hotel workers and a girl who was visiting from Spain. It was nice to meet people from the area who spoke good English. We discussed Argentina's socioeconomic problems as well as illegal immigration to the U.S. We went to a bar and I ran into a couple more people from the MSU group. We spent the evening with the locals and saw some of the places they like to go.
1-2-04
Packed up and left Ushuaia. It's a great place and I'm going to miss it a lot. I took some good pictures from the plane and then slept until we got to Buenos Aires. We broke into groups and went to dinner. Most of us ended up at another restaurant that had great steak. While I was eating my great steak I realized that this would be my last day of eating great steak for McDonalds value meal prices. Very sad. After dinner we went out to find some nightclubs. I'm not big on clubs, but I didn't mind them in Buenos Aires. The majority of the women were exceptionally beautiful. Of course they all spoke Spanish and I only speak English and Pig Latin. Buenos Aires seems a lot like Madrid. I went there a few years ago and they seem similar architecturally and demographically. I stayed up all night exploring the city. Went with Kannan to a park with some impressive statues and then went with Callista to a commercial area. Took a quick nap under a tree and then went back to get ready for our flight. This has been a great trip and I'm very glad I had the chance to participate.
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