Over the course of our southward voyage, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, both about this frozen world and my travel companions. As for my fellow students, I was pleasantly surprised each day by how well such a diverse group of people can get along. We spent nearly every evening of the journey socializing: we played cards, did puzzles, or even just chatted for a couple hours after the day’s work. I have never laughed so much with people that I had known only for a short while. Though the trip was filled with excitement and merriment, there were inevitably some challenges that came with the close living arrangements. I had to practice being a good listener and compromiser as we developed our group research presentations. I had to practice understanding and anticipating how people’s moods fluctuate, especially in such a stressful environment. Most of all, setting boundaries and managing to get some alone time every so often became a necessity. Despite these challenges (or, we could say, lessons), I could not imagine a more interesting, entertaining, and respectful group of students to share this adventure with.
In addition to these lessons in interpersonal management, there was certainly much to learn about the continent and its delightful residents. Every day held a treasure trove of new information about this southern desert. I am immensely grateful for the expert lectures we were allowed to attend during our stay on the ship. The expedition team was knowledgeable, patient, and unendingly enthusiastic about their respective fields. One fun fact that I learned from these lectures is that crabeater seals don’t actually eat crabs… Apparently, this is a misconception caused by their name, which was given to them based on confusion about the classification of the krill that the seals actually do eat. The seals were likely the subject of the majority of my Antarctic misconceptions. I thought they would be very difficult to work around, highly active, and somewhat menacing. Instead, the seals we did encounter were generally very calm and maintained as much distance from us as we did from them. From our distance, the seals did not seem menacing, they just seemed natural and even playful at times. On the other hand, the penguins, whom I had assumed would be peaceful and timid, were a wild ride. They were almost more curious about us than we were about them. The penguins made various efforts to approach us, walk around us, and squawk at us. They were loud, energetic, and admittedly very clumsy. Despite ages of evolution to survive in their polar environment, they can’t walk more than ten paces without falling face forward into the snow. All of these surprises were rooted in how I had envisioned the trip and studied for the conditions. Overall, it just goes to show that pure studying doesn’t hold a candle to real experiences. No matter what I had read or heard before we left, Antarctica remained rich with surprise and intrigue around every corner and in every crevice.
