When I first discovered the 2025 Antarctica study abroad trip, I was in shock. An international business trip to what is probably the most remote place on the planet. As someone who loves travel, I immediately began working on making this trip a reality. I’ve been looking forward to this trip the whole year leading up to it. Fast-forward to our arrival, we had a couple of days to explore the gateway city of Ushuaia before we boarded the boat. One of the excursions we attended was a catamaran ride through the Beagle Channel. During the ride, we got an appetizer of what the seas would be like when we crossed the Drake Passage. The ride took us up to La Tierra del Fuego, a small island with a lighthouse and many resting seals. While staying in the city, we traveled to the national park and hiked a couple of miles through a forest at the base of the Patagonian mountains. Eventually, we made our way to a lake and took some astonishing photos of a hawk that decided to visit us while eating lunch, as well as some photos of the beautiful mountain ranges. The weather in Ushuaia was very bipolar, constantly switching between being calm and sunny or raining and snowing. The local culture was also very different from the United States. It was shocking how late the meal times were. Most restaurants did not open for dinner until 7:30–8:00 p.m. The store hours also revolve around meal times, closing midday for lunch and reopening in the mid-afternoon. Because of the late dinner times, the town remained busy later into the night. It also only got dark for a few hours each night. It was a very weird feeling going to sleep while it was still bright outside. The first few days were so fun and eventful, and the trip could only get better from there. Everyone was anticipating boarding the boat and embarking on our journey to the Antarctic.
