From Middle Earth to the End

Thanks to all the students who have asked me some great questions during my presentations. Also thanks to the teachers who have helped to coordinate a schedule so that I could come visit your schools. The presentations have gone well with great turnout and enthusiasm for my stories. It has been a real honor to be able to talk to so many great kids. I only wish I was here longer to visit more schools…..maybe later.

Now I’m back to New Zealand to work on my masters in physics at Canterbury University. I’ll be working with the IceCube Collaboration. This is the group of people who use the neutrino detector at the South Pole. Check out my page posting about this awesome project.

I hope all is well with my dedicated bloggers. Feel free to post more questions!

The world seemed to be reflecting my emotions all too perfectly. Campus was uncharacteristically empty. The gray clouds hovered low as the threat of rain was not far off. The foot paths had a few puddles from the showers earlier. The wind blew around a few of the leaves as the first ones fell from the trees. By the time I made it to the road there were a few people driving by going on with their lives. Except I wasn’t sure what to do with mine. GCAS was over. 

GCAS final BBQ

Not sure how it ended so suddenly as the last 2 months went by a break neck speed. I have no good excuse for not writing other than that I was up to my eye balls in neutrino simulations for my final project. It was so full on but totally worth it. I went back in to my physics mind set and worked hard to do the research and write a paper about a telescope called IceCube located at the South Pole. Its used to detect Neutrinos coming in from the atmosphere. Neutrinos are a really really really small particle.  Watch out there are 50 Trillion of them going through you ever second! Don’t worry, they have no electrical charge and no known mass so they very rarely interact and go unnoticed. For my final project I did some simulations and energy reconstructions for different parts of the telescope. Except its not your usual telescope. When its finished in 2011 it will be a 1 km by 1 km by 1 km of 80 stings each with 60 detectors on them. They are drilled into the ice and it is there that the neutrino interactions can be detected in the medium of the ice.  Here I’ve gone again rambling on about IceCube as it is the COOLEST science experiment I know of, no pun intended.  

So that is how I finished up my GCAS project. I was sader than I could have imagined to say goodbye to everyone.  After stiving so hard to get in to this wonderful program, working hard at school and making it to Antarctica, I felt lost as what to do next. That just means I can get started on my next great adventure…….

                                                  Now how can I get back to the Ice??

Some very serious explorers I would go to the end of the world for anytime

Hey everyone,

Thanks for reading my blog and listen to me rant about my crazy adventures. I’m working hard on getting up as many stories as I can but there was only a short holiday beak for me and its back to school. Not only that but I have heaps of reports to write up on top of a few more lectures to get through.  So bare with me and keep checking in for the next installment. All the good juicy details are in the Pages which you can click on in the right hand column….just in case you are new to the site.

I hope you all had a good holiday and Happy New Years. If you have any really cool resolutions be sure and let me know. I love getting your posts. Feel free to write me with any questions you have.

Bye for now,

Sarah

Over excited in the Antarctic Center waiting to board

I thought I was ready. I had read the books, seen the pictures, watched movies and asked questions. I knew what to expect. Or at least I thought I did. I had read the accounts of heroic explorers and had painted pictures in my mind. Even though they often used the words “impossible to describe”, in particular when describing the bonds of comradery, I quickly brushed them away as the steady flow of imagery made those statements seem false.

    On the plane ride down I was bursting out of my seat like a rocket to slam my face in to the window so that I might be millimeters closer to my first iceberg looming thousands of miles below.  I then found out what all the accounts I have read meant. I could see the all the great ships breaking their way through the sea ice which imitated cells flowing in blood.  On deck, crates were piled high between the dogs tethered to their posts. The men shuffled about with the wind at their backs, fresh food in their bellies, memories still vivid of their wives as they embarked on a grand adventure. It was all coming alive for me.

pancake ice

     However it was not what you think. I did not have that epiphany to suddenly realize what hardships Scott had endured, or Cherry-Garrard, Shackleton or any of my favorite explorers.  In fact my feelings were the opposite. The indescribable was not described.  I now know that I nor no one else will ever know what Antarctica was like in her youth no matter how well it was depicted.

     So point of the story is just as I will never know what the  Worst Journey In The World was like, you will never know what my 15 days on the ice were like.   There are no words in the English language that can confine Antarctica.  Unless you want to go dig up old Noah Webster and tell him to beef up his dictionary, you’ll have to have a 5 year old self portrait for the Mona Lisa.   

 If you were reading this blog to know what Antarctica is like, I’m sorry, but don’t waste your time any longer reading about it and get down there. If you want to know what kind of shenanigans I’ve been up to, see how life exists in Antarctica today or maybe learn a thing or two, then keep reading. 

 It has been a crazy two weeks filled with successful science experiments, great people and wonderful adventures. Everyone’s experience with the ice will have different descriptions or highlights depending on their interests.  Be patient with me as its been a whirlwind of stimulations and capturing it is a herculean task.

yes thats me at Scott Base

I’ve arrived back to christchurch in one piece. I’ll write more when I manage to wake from this dream I’ve been having for two weeks…..Happy New Years everyone! 2009 (International year of Astronomy, Yeah baby!!)

you know the old saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all” ?

well thats me not saying anything about the 24 hour delay due to bad weather. Got a lovely little text message at 5:49  saying : Bad Weather, 24 hour delay, report at 0700 Tuesday morning.  So there I stood, fully dressed in my ECW gear, the birds chirping up a storm as the sun was well on its way up. I was semi conscious but awake enough to know that I was upset. It was yet another day to add on to my countdown.

Since then, I’ve had a really nice sleep in, made homemade carrot, kumara, and potato soup with my flatmates and been a huge bum. Yes, I’m still in my Pj’s and its 3p.m.  Also doing more blogging and reading The Worst Journey in the World by Cherry-Garrard. Now to get back to this very demanding agenda I have planned for myself. There is much eating and pampering to be attend to.

Do people in Antarctica wear Pj’s?

Does toothpaste freeze?

Would tears freeze?

How much faster will my hair grow?

Will my skin be very dry?

How is Santa going to find me? Does Rudolph fly in whiteout conditions as well as he does in the dark? Can Santa maneuver chimneys in Igloos? Does he still want Milk and Cookies are is a popsicle OK?

How will I survive with no stars for two weeks!?!? (well besides the sun)

Will I be able to see the moon? Will its orbit be different?

How crazy will my compass be? Will it still point North?

These are all questions I’ve been pondering as I head to the Ice. Anyone have any ideas or more questions….I’ll report back with as many answers as I can

Rarrrhhhh This is how I feel stomping around with the heavy boots

The Antarctic Treaty System signed in 1957 system was an international agreement between the 12 original signitories. It was agreed that Antarctica would be reserved for Peace and Science efforts, amongst other issues.  All scienctific findings would be reported and freely shared. With even more countries in agreement today, the Treaty has been withheld. Even when countries have been fighting across the sea, all tensions were disregarded for the greater good of Antarctica and science.  Pretty remarkable if you ask me.

This is the first time I can 110% guarantee I’ll be having a white Christmas. It will certainly be one to remember. I have to be honest, as fun as it sounds I’m offley concerned about my usual feasting habits. Its bad enough that Halloween has not escalated to a Hallmark monstrosity  and is still modestly reserved for children under the age of 8. Then Thanksgiving was forgotten about as I was stuck at Cass field station being the only American. Oh well, I was never a fan of the football games anyway.  However, missing Christmas is unacceptable. The tree, the food, the snow, the not having to go to work or school, its my favorite holiday.

   Just as I thought there was no hope for a traditional Christmas, my grandma came through again and went up another notch or 10 on the My Grandma is So Awesome scale.  This past Sunday, my family came from all over Canterbury and we had a huge Christmas feast. It was absolutely wonderful! I loved catching up with my family, some of whom I hadn’t seen yet. It was a beautiful sunny day and the food was amazing. There was chicken and stuffing, peas and carrots, stuffed tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh french bread, stir fry veggies in rice and salad. For dessert there was a special family recipe trifle, fruit salad and Ice cream. Note, all of this food may have tasted extra scrumptious because my uncle took me on a huge bike ride up Evans pass and around Godley Head. I didn’t bring my camera to take a picture but lets just say it was a big push uphill for longer than I care to remember.  After we whizzed down faster than I would have liked. It was all ‘training’ as my uncle called it. Ha. Well my calves are killing me today.

My Family

Anyway, it was a lovely day, and I was fully recovered and ready for this week. Our literature reviews are due on Friday so its double time. Not to mention only 7 days till take off!

We had a lecture from a Mr. Patrick Shepard late last week. He is an artist by trade that was asked to go to Antarctica for a special program promoting Artists of Antarctica. He presented a very interesting lecturing on different types of Antarctic art, what makes art Antarctica art and how to capture the silence of Antarctica on a music CD.  Then during our question and answer period he inadvertently gave us the most valuable information we had receive yet in lectures: The Top 10 things to do in Antarctica.

1. Take pictures of yourself      

2. Sit on top of a hill and do NOTHING

3. Walk around Scott Base at 3 a.m.

4. Talk to people

5. Visit the bar

6. Write down email address

7. Go to the library

8. Mark down where you visit

9.  Keep a diary 

10. Don’t wait until tomorrow, do it then, because tomorrow you could be off in a helicopter to another station, or the gift shops could be closed….

As you might be able to imagine, Michelle, our leader whose traveling with us to the ice, sat in the back and covered her ears.  She joked as everything she had told us about going to bed early, stay away from the bar and do as your told was shot out the window. 

I posed a question to Patrick after asking if he felt any different after going to the ice. He said that 4 years later he still dry brushed his teeth in order to save water. Before he was quite content to be himself, but now craved society. Upon seeing the efforts of humanity where we are so easily out powered by mother nature, he realized that we are all in this together.  I’m very curious to see what effect it will have upon me. In all the memoirs and historical accounts I’ve read, no one seems to come away completely unscathed. I hope I don’t turn in to an ugly purple monster with hair toes…..