Being a
geographer and an alpinist from Switzerland I have been fascinated not only by
high altitudes but also by high latitudes. Having been to different places in
arctic areas (e.g. Greenland, Svalbard, Iceland…) I felt that it was time to
change the hemisphere and to take a closer look at Antarctica! In the late
october 2013 I boarded the FRAM for the first time – as a passenger, crosssing
the Altlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Buenos Aires and further on to
the Falklands, South Georgia and to the Antarctic Peninsula.
Aboard the FRAM
I met a great team of scientists: biologists, geologists – and geographers. On
the way back from the Antarctic Peninsula to Ushuaia I seized the occasion to
talk to the expedition leader and to some members of the expedition team – and
they encouraged me to apply for a job aboard – and so I did.
I recieved an
offer to join the expedition team as a trainee for this trip. As a resuIt I came aboard of the
FRAM on the 22th of January 2015 – this time as a member oft he
expedition team!
The welcome by the team was very friendly, and
I felt that the team accepted me and the other trainee colleague Christine from
Norway right from the beginning. I was aware that it
would be very different to work on the ship as a staff member. I knew it would
be a great experience and I did want to miss this opportunity.
Of course, my colleagues
laughed a bit at the greenhorn, who was not able to say if the Seal on the ice
flow was a Leopard Seal or a Wedell Seal – or was it a Crab eater??? But I was
here to learn and to increase my experiences. Anyway, I always got profund
answers to my questions.
It also was a
great pleasure to have my first lectures aboard and I highly apreciated the
contact with the passagers, who were very interested in all topics about this
unique area that we were visiting!
Many thanks to
the Expedition Leader Karin and to her staff of the expedition team, to the
officers and all other crew of the ship and to all passengers!
Fair winds to
all of you – I hope to be back aboard again!
