Monday, December 28, 2009

Welcome to Ushuaia!

8:39am Update from Geoff Green, Expedition Leader

We made it! What a journey! 84 people from 10 different countries!

This morning we awoke to the incredible views from our Hotel del Glacier. It's a sunny day morning and quite warm (12C / 45F) and from our hotel windows, high up a mountainside, we can see the busy little town of Ushuaia and clear out over the famous Beagle Channel.

After a good night's sleep, everyone is excited and raring to go! We had a huge breakfast this morning, following which, Tim Straka (SOI Education Director) led some outdoor icebreaker activities where the students had their first opportunity (outside of airport terminals!) to find out more about each other and why they are participating on this extraordinary adventure!

Afterwards, the team met in a big conference room where they had the opportunity to meet the full Education Team and learn more about what they do. Following this briefing, Adventurer and Outdoor Author Jim Raffan will lead a workshop on "Keeping a Journal."

This afternoon, we will have our first big hike! The team will hike the impressive Martial Glacier - at 1050 metres, it was named after Captain Luis Fernando Martial, head of a French expedition which explored the area in 1883. The team should see plenty of extraordinary fauna and birds, while out on the hike!

Tonight, after another big dinner, the team will meet again in a hotel conference room for further briefings and educational activities!

Our communications team is settling in and are presently sending us some new photos and hopefully some Student Journals - so stay tuned for more information later today!

Hey everyone!

Before I say anything, I just want to say Hi and I Love You to my parents for supporting me but also because they're probably worried sick about me. Moving on to our journey so far, it's been amazing. Although it was pretty rough, sitting in airplanes for 2 days straight, I got to know and learn about 64 other amazing people from all corners of the earth. We have students from Israel, Palestine, China, Taiwan, the US and Canada. I can't wait to get to know everyone over the next few days. As for heading to Antarctica, I am very excited! We haven't been fully briefed about exactly what we are going to experience, but from what we have been told, I can't wait. It's good to see familiar faces again like Geoff (Green), Linda (the art director), Scobie (a very experienced polar scientist and adventurer), Mariane (from Edelman), Nikki (SOI’s Participant Coordinator), Jenna (a fellow student on this year's previous expedition to the Arctic), and many, many more. The atmosphere here with the other students is magnificent and you can feel the energy everyone has. Ushuaia is an extremely beautiful place with scenic mountains and a lot of culture to offer. Ironically I have to get going to attend a journal writing workshop so that's all for now.

- Bilaal Rajan, Student

Well first of all I would just like to say thank you to everybody that supported me to make this expedition a success for which I can take part in.  They include my family, my sponsors, Yamoga Land Corporation, FGH Recreation Department, the Dennis Bevington Constituency, also the community members of Fort Good Hope, and Niki for all her hard work in helping me with a few problems I had over the past months, and last but not least Students on Ice for making this expedition happen.  It’s now day 3 of the journey ahead and it’s been very tiring lately with all the traveling.  I really hope to experience more than what I am expecting.  I also hope to learn more about the Polar Regions, the environment, and also climate change.  I am getting very excited for what’s to come! 

- Dakota Erutse, Student

WOW! What an adventure this has been so far! I can hardly contain my excitement. I swear that at every airport I landed at, something interesting happened. But as Geoff always says, "Flexibility is the key." This is my second Students on Ice Expedition! Ushuaia is absolutely incredible. It is a smaller coastal city, the southernmost city in the world. Today we hiked up the mountains. It was absolutely spectacular! I felt refreshed and ready to go. I woke up this morning around 5:00 a.m. and went outside. The world was still asleep and it was silent, so I wrote in my journal out in front of the hotel. We are staying in the Hotel del Glaciar in Ushuaia. It is an amazing hotel. I can hardly wait for our departure on the expedition, we leave on December 30th. Antarctica here I come! -

- Jenna Gall, Student

After a good night's sleep after a 30 hour flying marathon, I have the energy to type up a journal on this tiny computer. Ushuaia is an amazing place from what I've seen so far; awesome topography and very colorful buildings. It's hot in the sun and cold in the shade with low lying clouds today. Incidentally it started raining right when Santiago and I went outside for a look (hopefully karma is not frowning upon us). Most of the crew has arrived, with students from all over really. Excited to board the ship and to set sail south!

- JP Renaud, Student


Wow! Here we are in Ushuaia, looking down the Beagle Channel in anticipation of departure. After many hours of flying and waiting, (I still feel like I'm walking on a plane) we arrived here late yesterday afternoon. The students are a fantastic assortment from around the world, all enthusiastic for the adventure ahead. It has been exciting meeting the scientists and other staff members who will be teaching us art, photography, music and more.

We will stay here until Dec. 30th when we will then board the ship to head off down that same channel that I mentioned above.  We are all so excited about getting started! Gotta go now as we are just starting our journalling workshop.  More later!

- Marion Woodman, Student

So far, the trip has been full of ups and downs. It started with delayed flights, missing bags, and little sleep. The trip quickly turned around when we got into Ushuaia, as it is absolutely beautiful! The mountains are gorgeous and the view of them from the hotel is phenomenal! Today’s hike was exhausting, but beautiful. The weather changed very quickly during the hike as it started out sunny and hot, and later snowed! One of the leaders said they thought the hike was about 2.5 miles each way… half up a very tall slope! Tomorrow’s hike at Lagoon Esmeralda will be amazing. I’m loving Ushuaia, but extremely excited to get on the ship and head to Antarctica!

- Sherene Iskander, Student

Stay Tuned for Further Updates!