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The Polar Bear Express

Ready to go exploring!

5/16/2018

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4am - I snuggled up for a few minutes before getting up and out of bed, getting ready to go. I zipped up my bags, and went to hug Sarah goodbye. She was sleepy and warm as I kissed her forehead and hugged her close.

5am - Brian came in with me to take a photo of me and my flag before a hug and a kiss goodbye. I turned with my suitcase and backpack with a goofy smile on my face thinking I'm ready to go exploring!

6:45am - My carry-on only plans were foiled by basic economy which restricts one from using any overhead space. I pulled a few things out of the suitcase and sent it along - two states, three countries, three flights, three airlines. I'm hopeful. Yes, hopeful. And, I may be wearing these clothes for the next 9 days. It's OK, I have my coat and my camera. What else do you need when you head to the Arctic?

7:15am - I thought I'd sleep on the 2.5 hour flight to Chicago. I really wanted to sleep. Butterflies in my stomach + the awesomeness of looking out the window, looking at the world. Then, a plane flew under our plane. I am a firm believer in the idea that the sky is a large, large space. No need to cross paths. Butterflies + wonder + a tiny bit of terror = no sleep.

10:45am - The good news is those of us flying basic economy arrived at the exact same time as everyone else.

11:30am - I like airports. I especially like O'Hare, not only because of Nuts on Clark popcorn. Who am I kidding, maybe alot because of Nuts on Clark.

1:00pm - Right about now, actually. I've got another 1.5 hour before we board. I've eaten a sandwich and had an iced tea. I have eaten some popcorn.  I'm charging up electronics, sending out a few last emails.


I had a whole blog post outlined in my head last week that seemed, at the time, profound and inspirational. Today, I'm not feeling so philosophical. I'm feeling downright giddy (must be the popcorn.) If I wasn't sitting here in Chicago, I might not believe that I'm about to travel to the Arctic and have an incredible experience. Today, I'm just feeling lucky. And grateful. And a bit tired, I have to admit, because the last couple of weeks at school have been crazy-busy, crazy-wonderful, and crazy-white-hair-inducing.

But, mostly I'm grateful. Someone recently told me that I use that word alot. Grateful. (I'm grateful that he knows that I'm grateful.) Gratitude has been a theme, a mantra, throughout my life, and I think it's one of the reasons why I'm sitting here today - a little bleary-eyed, a little smelly (that trek across the airport with a 16 pound backpack and carrying a parka got the blood flowing), very curious, and abundantly grateful.
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    Author

    As a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, I traveled to Svalbard in May 2018! Thanks to Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic for supporting teachers and encouraging us to be explorers.

    Learn more about the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship!

    Author's Note


    Some of the text shared here was written in my journal or through social media posts while I was on expedition.

    But much of the writing shared here was written in the months following my return home.


    I had this idea that I would embark on my journey and, in real time, reflect and write and create blog posts and videos and online albums and photo books and postcards. I had fantasies of sitting in the ship's library with my pen and notebook, collecting and composing what I'd seen and experienced and manifesting deep, profound thoughts.

    Yeah. That didn't happen.

    My experience was so intense, so surreal, that I had difficulty finding adequate words to describe it all. Silly, inconsequential, and unsatisfying words were all I had - great, amazing, unbelievable, incredible. At the end of each day I would try. After dinner, somewhere between 10pm and midnight, I'd make my way up to the library to write. But I would get distracted. The large, glorious, gorgeous windows were too inviting and each moment was unique. The clouds were shifting, the water was moving, the ship was in motion, the ice upon the water was drifting.
    Each and every moment was unique.

    My eyes were up and wide open. I was outside on the deck feeling the cold air and the lightly falling snow on my face. Or I was sitting on the bridge, snuggled in warmth, with a pair of binoculars looking looking looking. Oh, I tried to shift my thinking to writing something more than a bulleted list, but I just couldn't pull it off.

    To put it simply, I couldn't focus.

    I coined my condition Wonder-Induced ADD.


    It is a beautiful affliction to have.

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    This blog is dedicated to my aunt, Tina Chavez, who is always my biggest fan and supporter. When I told her about my expedition to the Arctic, she asked, "So, when do you go on the Polar Bear Express?"

    She also told me to run fast from the polar bears, but naming this blog "Run, Jen, Run!" isn't as charming as calling it "The Polar Bear Express."

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  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
  • Think Global - Svalbard
    • The Polar Bear Express
  • Vamos Explorar!
    • Background and Inspiration
    • The Geo-Inquiry Process >
      • Student Blog Posts
    • Expeditions into New Mexico Wilderness Areas
    • Content and Curriculum Resources
  • Think Global - Finland
    • Introduction
    • Education in Finland
    • International Expressions of Global Education >
      • Global Education Concepts and Definitions
    • Case Study: Global Education in Finland >
      • Global Education Initiatives Timeline
      • Themes of Global Education in Finland
    • Curriculum Development >
      • Resources for Teachers
      • Finland Blog
    • Gratitude and Dedication
  • Think Global - Germany
    • Teach Global - Germany
  • Think Global - Colombia
    • Journal
    • Think Global Resource Guide >
      • Essential Question
      • Standards Based Global Education
      • Global Education Unit: American Indians and Indigenous Peoples of the World – Past, Present and Future
      • Digital Learning Environment Inventory
      • Local Resource Guide
      • Global Education Unit: Being American: An examination of the struggle for civil liberties for historically disenfranchised groups of Americans
      • Global Education Student Assessment Tools Inventory
      • International Project -Based Learning Opportunities
      • TGC Teacher Blogs
  • Teach Global
    • Think Global - Peru >
      • Virtual Field Trip to Peru >
        • Tasty Peru Tour
      • Peru Teacher Resources
    • Virtual Field Trip to Pakistan
    • Social Justice Heroes from Across the Americas
    • Global Leadership Odyssey Project: Introduction Videos to Students in Cartagena, Colombia
    • Colombia Lessons and Presentations
    • Schools Around the World
    • Ancient China
    • iEARN Global Learning Circle - Spring 2014
  • Chaco Canyon Trek 2018
  • Non-clickable Page