So three years ago for a random school project that I do not recall, we had to raise chickens. Baby ones. Me and my little brother raised four chickens named Dusty, Sorbet, Whitey and Hazel. Once they were bigger they were sent to live with our friends and since then Whitey was sadly wiped out by her fellow chickens. (The other chickens were cannibals)
A few days ago, our friend (Tiffany, who takes care of Dusty Sorbet and Hazel) came over after her farmers markets and we were all talking and she mentioned that she wanted to get more chickens. My mom offered for us to raise the chicks until school ends and two hours later we had to baby chickens sitting in our garage. We had all the previous supplies from raising the first batch of chickens so we were ready for these ones.
Currently there are only two chicks, named Hestia and Oreo (My brothers chose the names) but on thursday we get two more and me and my sister get to name them. The new ones are going to be Easter Eggers which make really colorful eggs!
HestiaOreoHestia (Left) Oreo (Right)Probably this is the late whiteyEscapeeDucks in a row (er, chickens) Right to left: Whitey Hazel, SorbetDusty I think
Do You Want To Go Spend 12 Days Backpacking and Canoeing?
Six months ago, my mom asked me if I would like to go to an outward-bound camp. Outward Bound is an organization that makes rugged outdoor camps for teenagers and adults. All their camps are not easy and not meant to be easy, but they are still very fun.
It was only a week and a half before the camp started, but she said there was one more slot. I was going to be Canoeing and Backpacking for 12 days if I went. I had never been backpacking before, and it sounded really hard, but I felt like a little challenge would be nice. The only worry I had was the other people.
In most other camps that I have been to, I have been bullied for being homeschooled, gluten-free, or just for being a nerd. (By the way, I am totally a nerd and proud of it!) I can easily handle being bullied because when other people try to bring me down, I know they are just insecure, and I don’t take their comments to heart. But honestly, it is exhausting to be constantly brought down. I was worried about being stuck with 11 people for 12 days going through really hard physical challenges while also having no emotional support. To make sure this did not happen, my mom called outward bound and talked with the people about what kind of kids they attracted and how they handled bullying. They said that the kids that come to their programs are very nice, and they shut it down if there is any bad behavior. This made me much less worried. They also told her that the trip I was going to sign up for was going to be all boys. I decided that it wouldn’t be so bad so I said yes!
What I did Not Know
Looking back, if me back then had known what was going to happen, I probably would not have chosen to go, but I don’t at all regret going now. I think before, I was not as tough, and I would not have willingly chosen to do what I did. What ended up happening was the exact opposite of what I was told would not happen. I was with 11 boys for 12 days (the instructors ended up being all girls, but they’re more there to keep you alive than to become friends), and almost all the boys were perpetually mean. This resulted in a problem for me, but I was determined to fix it. And I did!
I did not change the boy’s behavior; I changed myself. I learned how to let insults and words flow around me without hitting me. I learned how to persevere through hours of hard work and come out okay. I learned how to pitch a tent by myself with one hand and how to make a perfect tarp with only one tree to tie to. (BTW, I was SO proud of that tarp setup! It was like perfect and just the right height, and I only used one tree!) The skills I gained over the 12 days have made me a better person and helped me through obstacles, big and small. I am so glad I did CBOBS, and I would do it again.
(In the following published posts, I will detail my adventures, so if you want to read more about my CBOBS adventure, follow along!) (Subscribe 🙂
When you sign up for the 8-day trip to Antarctica, you don’t actually sign up for 8 days in Antarctica. Day 1 is in Chile. Day 2 is half in South America and half in Antarctica. Days 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all full days in Antarctica. Day 7 is half in Antarctica and half in Chile, and day 8 is in Chile. Day 8, you don’t even do anything with Quark!
Day 8
Location: Punta Arenas, Chile to Puerta Natales
Agenda: Drive to Puerta Natales
On day 8, we woke up in south America on dry land, but feeling like we were still on a ship. Everyone moved as if the ground was gently rolling, just like the ship. We had a 4-hour drive up to Puerto Rico, and we wanted to get there early. So we packed our 12 bags into our rented van (it was filled from Top to Bottom) and drove up to Chile. The drive was very pretty, but it felt so long.
What Is All the Fuss About Patagonia???
I had always heard that Patagonia is SO beautiful and breathtaking and I really was skeptical. That was foolish of me…
The glare from my phone in the window makes it a bit less picturesque, but this is such a beautiful scene, right? This is basically what I looked like the whole time out of my window. Christmas with a view like this was…… AMAZING!!!!!
This was my last day in Antarctica, y’all!!! I am kinda poking fun at Quark for putting the 8th day on the trip because it really is not part of it at all! We didn’t do much; we just drove up to Puerta Natales, adjusted to the new house, and stared at the insane beauty surrounding us. I loved just staring out of the window because the sun was nice and warm, and it all seemed like something that you would only see in a dream, fairy tale, or movie. The best part is there is always a Very loud orchestra to accompany the sight. An orchestra of….. wind.
Wind House
I have never been in a windier place in my entire life!!! This wind was HARSH! Like being the walls and shaking the house! It wasn’t dangerous wind just really strong. Our host said that the winds got up to either 60 km (37mph) or 160 km (99.4221). I think it was 160 because this wind was really hard! As loud and disturbing as it was, I learned to like it. It added sound to the scenery and made all the clouds very beautiful. It also helped cool down the house when the sun heated it up too much. The wind was also extra harsh on us because we were on what we thought was the highest hill in a small trench/valley/fjord with mountains on either side. Our house was a perfect target for the gusts and bullets of wind. We could also see on the water how strong the wind was because it was creating huge whitecaps. Somehow, thankfully, we did not get swept up in a tornado and taken to Oz.
6-Day Trip to Antarctica
In my 6 days of seeing Antarctica, I was mesmerized. It was the trip of a lifetime, but there is no way it’s going to be once in a lifetime for me. One day I Will find my way back to Antarctica. The best way to do this seems to be to get a job in Antarctica which I probably can figure out how to do. I definitely will get back there. Someday 🙂
Agenda: All Zodiac Cruising cancelled due to high winds. We sailed to Deception Island to try to cruise, but our efforts were not rewarded.
Another Stormy Day
Sadly today was just a day to watch the landscape and learn history. The winds were too high at our morning location to go cruising, so we aimed for Deception Island. Deception island is like a horse shoe. It was once a volcano that erupted but then the caldera broke letting a bunch of seawater in and making beaches. It’s called deception island because when a ship sails around it it looks like sea cliffs all around but there is a “secret” entrance called Neptunes bellows. This entrance is even thinner than the Lemaire channel, and it has a big underwater rock in it, which makes it extra dangerous. It’s called Neptune Bellows because it’s in perfect shape and spot to make extremely forcefully and high wind, which makes ship navigation even harder! Somehow our captain got us through!
Inside the Volcano
Inside it was still windy but everything looked very still. On the several beaches there were abandoned buildings from old whaling stations and the abandoned research stations from when there was a second eruption. The second eruption was not huge, but it was big enough that the island had to evacuate everyone! We were hoping to cruise and land in Whalers Bay, but it was still too windy. Instead we toured the island via the ship and received a history lesson from Ian.
Don’t Make Me Leave!!!
In the evening we had to gather in the Auditorium for our last debrief and briefing about our departure schedule. We also got to see our voyage slideshow and learn some more about whales. We were told how early we were going to wake up and what sequence we were going to fly home in. Alot of people looked sad and I was sad because who wants to leave Antarctica???
Captains Farewell
Later that evening there was a “party” where the captain came down to socialize and a lot of the crew came through the main lounge and we got to clap for everyone and there was a lot of smiling and clapping. On board, there was also a piano, and I had my violin, so… I got to perform a song with my brother. There is a backstory to the song that I performed. The night before, I was practicing this song with my brother (B). He was on the piano and I was on the violin. The song was Chervona Kalyna (Червона Калина) which is a Ukrainian folk song. This song was sung by Kozaks and soldiers and it is about a Red Kalyna in a medow. I know this song because I have been learning Ukrainian and I mostly only listen to Ukrainian and 80’s music. We were playing the song and a lady came in to listen. When we finished the song, she asked how we knew the song and why we were playing it. I told her how I knew it and that we were just practicing it and then I asked if she was from Ukraine. Turns out, she was! We talked for a while and I learned that 12 of the crew were from Ukraine and then I asked if I could play Chervona Kalyna for them the next day at the captains Farewell. That’s how I ended up playing it for the captain (who is from Ukraine) and a few of the Ukrainian crew and all the passengers!
Disco Party!
After dinner I had to pack all my stuff. This meant that I just put everything in my bag and got ready for the next day. As my bag was being checked by my mom my brother came in and announced that there was a disco dance party in the observation lounge! I LOVE dancing! I immediately wanted to race upstairs but I had to wait for my bag to be checked. As soon as it was I raced upstairs!
The dance floor was empty and adults just stood around talking. Some of the head captains were there talking and a lot of guides were there. As two of my siblings walked in the music changed and people moved to the dance floor. Me and Emmy were dancing like teenagers and two of the guides were doing a dance that we did not know. It was like ballroom dancing but probably less fancy. Me and my sister asked to be taught this dance because it looked fun. Once we mastered it we could not stop! Its a simple 10 step dance that repeats forever until you stop. At one point people started going outside so we did to and guess what we saw?? A sunset! The sun was actually setting! This was very surprising and unusual but I later learned that it was the summer solstice (southern hemisphere) and that’s why it was setting.
It was pretty cool! The sun fully dipped below the horizon at 10 pm! It usually sets for an hour or two around 1 am so this was surprise! It was a perfect last night in Antarctica!
Photos from today!
Neptunes BelowsThe last flakes of sunsetIts just so pretty!This is the kind of dessert that they had!American in Antarctica!!This is the daily schedual and what we were supposed to do.Group photo of all the guides!Veiws from the ship!The spot we were was just so beautiful!Snowy Mountains!This lifeboat These charts showed the nationalities of the guests, crew and guides which totaled over 30 nationalities on board!
