I enjoyed every moment of the Antarctica experience, only hope it’s a bit longer in duration. If Avian Influenza wasn’t spreading, we wouldn’t need that much caution on land, and sanitation as well. I always love meeting new people while traveling, and reuniting with these people is among one of the greatest motivations and satisfaction for me in life. On this trip, beside all the ASU students, I met Ed, who is an Army veteran that has been to North Korea with a diplomatic passport. Mr. Liu, who is a movie producer that has shoot gangster movies in Brazil slums. Qi, the only Chinese staff on board SH Vega, I learned about her amazing stories in East and West Africa, and how she got to her current position. She consulted me about possible paths for me to become an expedition leader. Knowing that I am so passionate about the Arctics and Antarctica, we had an in depth discussion for almost an hour. Seeing how the polar expedition industry lacks Mandarin-speaking expert is such a great fit for me. I wouldn’t hesitate for a second if an opportunity opens up. I always prefer remote places for travel, and the key reason behind that is I can immerse myself in nature better with less tourists around. Also, people that choose to visit the most remote places tend to share similar motives.
Seeing Antarctica in person has exceeded any expectations I’ve had. The weather was warmer than Houston (I hope it’s not due to global warming), except for the polar plunge, which my body could never be prepared prior to the actual plunge. I wouldn’t say the Antarctica experience has changed my perspective, because everything that happened during the trip was a first-time experience for me. However, seeing the Gentoo, Adelie, and Emperor penguins in real life convinced me to preserve the white continent. I can’t explain the reasonings, I guess it’s because both the species and land seemed too fragile to me.
