As cliché as it may seem, a person can truly find himself in Antarctica. Her nature is so intriguing as her beautifully rugged exterior behaves as a façade to her real desire- wanting you dead. I have been so fortunate to observe and feel Antarctica in her fury, yet also seeing her at peace. This paradox of Antarctica is what has enabled me to become completely enamored by her. I can’t help but to be saddened for the rest of the world as they will never witness true beauty. Photos do not have the ability to capture the 360 degrees of heaven that surrounds you.

Standing in Antarctica you have never been more surrounded and never been so alone. You close your eyes and listen to the conversations of penguins and the unrecognizable stillness. The smell of Antarctica, at times, is very similar to any wharf. Antarctica is harsh and cold to the touch, but so pleasing to the eye. Antarctic snow seems to taste just a little bit sweeter.

It is difficult to articulate what happens to all five of your senses while in Antarctica. She is so much more than a collection of beautiful colors. I feel so honored to be one of the few to have seen what Antarctica truly is and always has been.

After another impressive breakfast, we were briefed on which groups we would be placed in to for the next two nights. This evening as I type, half of the group is out camping on the Antarctic continent and another is relaxing and winding down onboard the MV Ushuaia. Roles will be reversed tomorrow evening. After learning our respective tours of duty for the next 48 hours, we geared up for a landing at Charlotte´s Bay. (more…)

To keep this short, everything from Ushuaia to right here in the ship just past King George Island has been amazing. I´m confident it will only get better, as we haven´t even boarded the zodiacs yet! But I am eagerly anticipating that opportunity in the morning. We will head to the E-base for the first and last time, perform some manual labor to help prepare the base for winter, and go on a hike to visit some elephant seals. On a sidenote, a group of us are planning and preparing for our very own re-enactment of Titanic created by and starring our very own IAE 6 team! 1´´Titanic: What if it didn´t sink?´´: coming soon to a YouTube screen near you!!

There is something so calming in knowing that every distraction of life has been left behind. I look forward to each forthcoming day and have the hopes to absorb all of Antarctica’s miraculous beauty. I am officially a part of a rare group of individuals from around the world and words do not do my happiness justice. At the ripe old age of twenty, I will be and have been seeing something that people can only dream of. This experience so far has opened my eyes to the world around me; and for that I am humbly grateful.

The looming threat of climate change has caused me to realize that the combination of seemingly mindless tasks make a difference, i.e. Walking to a close location vs. Driving, unplugging unused appliances, the use of public transportation, or carpooling

Katrina. Being from the south, I saw firsthand how the loss of the wetlands allowed a category 3 hurricane to have eerily catastrophic and long-lasting effects to my home-state and ultimately the entire country.