Team members say

Hi family and friends,

We did so many things these passing days that I tend to get confused in the days!!! I am having a terrific time. The combination of leadership on the edge training and visiting this amazing continent is just great. Although when whales are spotted the team leaders have a hard time getting us all back inside to continue the training!!! We have seen hunchback whales, orca whales, gentoo penguins, seals and different species of birds. Yesterday we had a leadership on the edge training on the edge of a glacier!!!! They even took a flip chart along!!! We had a beautiful view over Charlotte´s bay. Nick is a good trainer but in this part of the world it seems like all the time he needs to compete against nature. This time it was a disintegration of a huge iceberg just in front of our eyes in the bay below us!!! Reminding us of global warming…… Back un the boat we had to pack our stuff for our one night camping on the ice trip. We camped on top of a glacier at Dorian bay. It was cold but I felt very warm and comfortable in the sleeping bag. Actually I slept better in this tent on top of the glacier then all the other nights on the boat!!!! Today we saw incredible beautiful Icebergs. I can’t get enough of the forms!!! The group is great. We are getting to know each other and we have a lot of fun, good conversations and discussions. I miss you all, Michael lots of kisses, wish you all could be here to become as inspired as we are already. Antarctica has won the hearts of all of us. A new expression of gladness is born: “feel like you are on the bottom of the world!!!!” I wish you all a happy Easter!!!

Regards,

Diane Copini-Rigaud

Life is not measured by the amount of breaths you take but by the moments that took your breath away. Today, I had a few of those moments. One was when I saw the whales!!!!! Yes, Michael I finally saw whales!!!! The other moment was when I saw this huge Iceberg with beautiful blue colors. What an inspiration for my art-attacks. The cold is bearable. You need to put on layers of cloths to feel warm. At this moment we are on the Bransfield Strait, passing by the Nelson Island. Huge Iceberg just in front of the island! Although, you need to have layers on when we hear that there is something interesting to see - people rush outside with their slippers on!!!! Another highlight of the day was the unexpected visit of Robert Swan to the ship. Tomorrow we will join him and his crew at the e-base. Amigu di Tera, A-Team, I wish you could be here with us. Michael for tomorrow, March 18, happy anniversary!!! Love you all. Te pronto! Diane Copini-Rigaud

Diane’s initial thoughts on climate change…

Seeing the disasters like droughts and flash floods and the like in the media has impacted me emotionally. Personally i have witnessed glaciers melting in Austria. In the tropics where i live the effects of climate change are not yet visible. The only thing that we are noticing is that the hurricanes tend to be more frequent, more intense and closer to our island that is supposed to be outside the hurricane belt.