Post Expedition Update
January 3, 2006  

Hello!

We would sincerely like to thank some key people and organizations, without whom, this extraordinary journey of adventure and learning would never have happened!

First and foremost, our superb education team for taking this voyage to new heights with your expertise and kindness; our friends at People to People; the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; Mr. Harold Snyder and his family; the Explorers Club;  the entire Polar Star team; Congresswomen Carolyn Maloney; Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez; Senator Chuck Schumer; Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion; the great folks at the I-Lead Program; our friends at Podium Computers – and last but not least of course – a giant tabular iceberg of a thank you to our students, chaperones and parents!

Thank you all for making this expedition a life-changing experience for so many extraordinary young people!

****************************************

Youth Commitment

As students on the 2006 SOI Antarctic Expedition we had the unique opportunity to see first hand how global warming is effecting one of the most remote and pristine locations on earth. What we saw and learned about in the Antarctic has inspired us to make a personal commitment towards addressing the issue of global warming when we return to our homes, schools and local communities.

We are committed to selecting and implementing at least three of the following youth actions from any of the four identified categories aimed at addressing global warming:

Educate Ourselves:

• Research and read more on global warming starting with the resources listed on the SOI website.
• Keep up to date with the issues of global warming by following related issues in the news.
• Contact local established environmental groups/organizations to find out more information.

Communicate the information with others:

• Talk to your parents about how they feel on the subject matter and how they can help you make a difference in your home and society
• Contact your local newspaper: write a letter to the editor, or even start small at your school by getting involved with a school newspaper or monthly/weekly newsletter
• Use the internet: www.myspace.com , or www.facebook.com , create blogs and other methods to educate people on the matter
• Put together an assembly/ pep rally for your school, or a formal meeting to other community groups
• Write a letter to Parliament / local government
• Write a letter to “big businesses” that contribute in a negative way to global warming
• Speak with our teachers and principals about how/what our school can do to raise environmental awareness
• Invite a guest speaker to your school.
• Speak to local media (newspapers, TV stations, radio stations) about doing a story on your trip to Antarctica that speaks about the issue of global warming.
• Spread awareness though presentations, flyers etc.

Make changes to our daily actions and choices:

• Conserve water – (take shorter showers, turn off faucets when water is not being used)
• Conserve Electricity – (turn off lights, replace light bulbs with energy efficient light bulbs)
• Renew, Reuse and Recycle
• Conserve resources - (carpool, bike, use public transportation)
• Be a responsible consumer

Take action:

• Put together an environmental club at your school
• Get involved in politics
• Find an established environmental organization and join!
• Plant Trees
• Practice what you preach

Reflections

The further south I fell, the higher I rose.
- Livio Jimenez Melo

The more you dream tonight the more you remember tomorrow. – Julie Bianchetta

Don’t let the destination get in the way of the journey. – Jason Archimandritis

Laughter, Friendship, Adventure, Excitement!! – Wayne Lightfoot

Penguins are real! – Kevin Jacobson

Be a traveler NOT a tourist. – Shannon O’Brien

This experience certainly left me in awe. – Paul Anderson

Breathtaking, left me in awe of Gods beautiful creations. – Rocky Walsh

Still amazed that we had the opportunity to go to the bottom of the world, to see all those beautiful sites, and to get to know all these new people. – Blondie Rogers

Thank you God for everything! Antarctica…WOW! What else do you have in store for me? – Valerie Perez

The Expedition has got that fire burning in my belly. I have caught the infamous “Polar Bug”. – Christina Goethel

“Don’t tell me that the sky is the limit when there are footprints on the moon” – Denisse Delgadillo

Play like you will never die and live like you will die tomorrow – Joey Duarte

You will never forget your first Iceberg! – Andrew Naab

There are many types of silence. The silence in Antarctica is complete. Take a little of that peace back home with you. – Georgia Squyres

Antarctica! So Amazing! A country so untouched by man and yet so powerful, but holding a fragile beauty all its own. I know I will never forget it and neither will those who come before and after me. – Nicole Yuksel

Peaceful and untouched…Antarctica! – John Paydo

Places like Antarctica make you wonder why we consider ourselves such a big deal. – Ian Lively

Antarctica, once blank on a map now a part of home. – Crayton Bare

What a fool I was missing my family on December 25th when I had them in a zodiac with me. – Livio Jimenez

Imagine life in this wonderland forever. – Julia Bianchetta

Antarctica will always keep me humble. Just thinking of the entire continent, so beautiful, so untouched – it’s amazing! – Britteny Gosbee

The experience that we gain on trips like this will last forever and they will change the course of future lives. – Darcy McNicholl

An incredible experience, amazing, peaceful, once in a lifetime. Thanks for making it possible. – Adele Pultan

It is not possible for a person in the so-called “real world” to fully understand the wonders of the Antarctic. For no matter how surreal it seems – Antarctica is the real world. – Erika Klees

This trip was amazing. It has been life changing and I am ready to go home and make a difference. – Meghan Kaupp

Cool! – Parker Foster

This group is so fly! – Astley Robinson

Unthinkable, amazing, wonderful! – Blondie Rogers

I crossed the Drake Passage and lived! – Sonora Williams

Awe-inspiring, completely incomparable – Vanni Mah

Once in a life time – Kelsey Payne

Global warming is going down. – David Otten

Every little thing has a place but with one wrong move the entire thing could fall apart. – Kathy Akers

I have simply run out of superlatives to describe this trek. – Ian Hurley

The trip of a lifetime, an adventure I will never forget - incredible. – Amanda Mui

I might be at the bottom of the world but Antarctica is on the top of my list any day. – Corey Arrington

Nature is great until people find it. – Ian Lively

Such a diverse group of people all coming together to understand and learn about Antarctica. What we actually learned about was each other. The trip was breathtaking. – Sarah Lee

INDESCRIBABLE! – Rawley Eichorst

Life is a passing dream and I believe that we have all truly changed out dream on this expedition. – Daniel Collins

Sheer exhilaration. – Kelsey Payne

If life hands you lemons make lemonade, if life hands you an opportunity take full advantage of it! – Mike Bashline

Amazing Memories. – Sam Robinson

Bonjour tout le monde, comment ca va? J’aime Antarctica beaucoup. – Simone Williams

Good times. – Robert Keenan

I have been at the bottom of the earth. One of my goals has been completed, but another, to save Antarctica, has just started. – Garrison Lewis

The social dynamics that I’ve seen in the most amazing place on the earth are absolutely mind-blowing. Antarctica has helped me to learn a lot about the environment, but even more about myself. – Timothy Koeth

A journey / A miracle / A moment I will be there forever.  – Julia Bianchetta

A fairytale. – Sandra McCubbin

I cannot put into words how thankful I am. From the bottom of my heart I say thank you for this opportunity and it IS just the beginning. – Ryan Kits

Life changing, Awe-inspiring, AMAZING! – Melissa Jamrock

There is nothing I can say that will do this place justice, so I guess the best way to describe Antarctica is indescribable. – Anya Arndt

Connectedness – now I get it. – Danielle Fratantaro

Follow your dreams, work hare to achieve your goals and never doubt your potential. – Kevin Adamson

I have seen a beautiful powerful and majestic place. When I get home people will as me about my trip - there are no words in the English language to describe it! – Christina Goethel

Nature’s simplicity is so beautiful.  - Astley Robinson

The people I have met, the things I have learned…. Experiencing Antarctica as a whole has changed my life. This trip is beyond words and I could never possibly forget it! – Thomas Herlihy

I never understood the full power behind one human being. This whole expedition has taught me one valuable lesson: We all have the capacity to not only be, but to also cause the change we wish to see in the world. I will dare to be the change. – Mariella Paulino

Our expedition was built one the principles of fun and education. There were not 60-year-old men riding zodiacs, they were as they should be, a bunch of 60-year-old children in no short supply of wonder. – Nihal Jahjj

Don’t cry because it is over be happy because it happened. – Author Unknown

Why blindly follow, when you can lead and blaze brand new trails – Author unknown

Antarctica isn’t just a place…. it is something that inhabits you. – Author Unknown

Poetry

Forbidden Continent

For the rain
If the snow in summer
As the ice does melt away
To uncover the majestic boarder sea

A land that wears its snowy cape
and decorates with crystal densities
Interrupted by glacier mountain spray
To create the iceberg spangled in icy blue

The only wild animal
Is me!
The others tolerate my presence
or like a bird, dives beneath the sea

Antarctica the home of the strong
Ignoring the bloody red, the blue, the white
For it’s free of social sanctions
and clears the ancient paths for me

L.E. White, Jr.

12/29/06

Passion for Antarctica

Cold muscular winds pain in my chest, make it hard to take a breath. Shivers, down to my sheltered bones.

Wind-chaffed brown cheeks, moisture-deprived hands, wet feet. Wide teary eyes for the humpback whales. A blank mind. Lost language.

Vast emptiness of top and bottom skies. Fake towns with no streets. Fragile. Breathing. On it’s way to death.

Rotting carcasses. Forgotten offspring. Delicate balance interrupted by my presence. A sincere fantasy.  Complementary to me, the black speck. Inviting little secrets of death hidden.

Demands respect. Whispers its fears to me.

Astley Robinson, Antarctica December 2006

Every time I Close My Eyes

Everyt ime I close my eyes
In this isolated airport corridor
I find myself reminiscing.
I try to turn up my ipod
to drown my thoughts in a sad song
to ease the flow of tears
and the pain that bleeds from my stone heart.

Every time I close my eyes
My mind wanders.
My soul unravels.
The emotions within my chest demand to be as free
As the albatross.
I try to convince my heart that this is not "goodbye."
Slowly though, the tears stream down my face.
They embrace my heart like an old friend.
And I cry. But I cry happy tears.
Slowly, people turn and look my way.
Puzzled by happiness
In the midst of such despair.
And I can't help but laugh.

Every time I close my eyes
I feel the ice cold kiss of the Antarctic.
The kiss of life and death.
Growth and Destruction.
The kiss of a brilliant imperfectionist.
And everytime I close my eyes I feel like a lost love.
A trick of fate.
A trick to steal my heart.
Tuck it deep within the snow covered mountains and penguin tribes.
A love so deep a part of me could never leave. Or forget. Or regret.
For I never loved anything as
I find myself loving you.
Antarctica.

And every time I close my eyes it all goes away.
And I'm right back,
right to where I belong.
In my perfect winter wonderland
Happily playing in the snow.

***************************

More Reflections:

Posted by Christine Page on Jan 3

What did I discover about myself during my trip to Antarctica?  I discovered how insignificant I am cruising in a small Zodiac over water so deep you would never reach the bottom,  floating next to an iceberg so immense you could not see the other side, sitting silently on a rock watching a Chinstrap penguin climb a steep, snowy hill to his nest to feed his chick only to turn around and climb down to swim in the cold water gathering more food, listening to the sounds of Gentoos calling to each other while they steal rocks from one nest, taking them to their nest as a gift to their mate, and watching elephant seals burping and belching as they cuddle close to each other.  I also discovered how significant I am by respecting their habitat, by only bringing home pictures and memories, and leaving nothing but my footprints which will soon be gone with the tide or ice.

************************************************