A moment that gives a glimpse into my time abroad was when I did a polar plunge. This was the moment I was waiting for the whole program and was really excited that we did it. I remember the water being clear and that it must have been so clean. I was thinking the water must have been untouched by people since it is hard to get to Antarctica. I was hearing laughs from others as they did their plunge. Everyone was really excited, and you could feel it in the air. It was surprising the water was not as cold as I was expecting. I adjusted to the temperature quickly and even felt warm. Though, my feet did hurt because the area we did the plunge had decent sized rocks instead of sand or gravel. This experience made me want to plunge again. I do not think anywhere can compare to there though, my first experience in water that was so nice in Antarctica, it cannot be beat.

Another moment would be during a Zodiac trip. Zodiacs are small, motorized boats to get us from the ship to land or just to cruise around and look for animals. There were about six of us girls from the same program on this Zodiac. One girl asked if we could turn the motor off and the rest of us chipped in because we liked the idea. So, our boat driver, who we became friends with, took us a distance away so we would not hear the other Zodiacs. Then, he turned off the motor and we all got to sit there and just enjoy being in Antarctica and talk with each other more. Our driver sat down with us, and we all joked around and discussed what we were doing in school and what his job was. I was listening to the conversation but also focused on everything around us. I was listening to the water hit an iceberg near us, watched the birds fly around us, and just took in all of what Antarctica is and how much it meant to me to be there.

This experience gives me something to talk about and shows I have outside knowledge for my future career. I have always wanted to work in Antarctica and actually being there made me want it even more. I met people who have already been there and one who has worked there since getting back.

Personally, this was a once in a lifetime experience that I have wanted to have since I was young and being there helped me be more in tune with nature.

Doing this program let me brush up on Spanish as we were also in Argentina. When we got back into the U.S. airports, I kept wanting to speak in Spanish.

I learned that eating times are very different in Argentina than the U.S., so I had to adjust and buy snacks.

For those who are scared to study abroad, I say just go for it. I was worried as being a woman/non-binary that it would seem more dangerous, but it was very safe. Our group went in groups of at least three and we never had any bad experiences with the locals, instead they were all very friendly and helpful.

Name: Sierra Ostman
Status: Junior
Major: Fisheries and Wildlife
Hometown: Hopatcong, New Jersey
Program: Studies in Antarctic Systems Science