Svalbard and beyond!

So far, we have seen a Polar Bear, Walruses , bearded seal, a whale, and lots of different birds. Glacier, Sea Ice and so much more. The sun never sets so we stay awake looking for animals and are too excited to sleep. 

We became the first group to ever kayak the Arctic Oceam above the 80 degree N Latitude line. The air is fresh, there is no noise, just peaceful surroundings. 

Our Navigation Officer

One of the many interesting people I met on my expedition to Svalbard was our navigation officer Efrem Ghirmai. This guy is amazing (and not just because he let me steer the expedition ship!). He is a Sweden national but because both of his parents are Eritrean he was able to represent the African nation as an Olympian in the summer Olympics last year. He was the first swimmer to carry the flag for Eritrea.  He is using his sponsorship with Speedo to head back to Eritrea and teach swimming lessons to the children there as many of them do not how to swim. He also told me he visited Tuscaloosa and considered going to college here and offered to chat with my students later in the school year. I can’t wait for the students to hear his inspirational story! 

Kayaking and Hiking the Arctic

 The last few days we have seen a Polar Bear, Arctic Fox, Walrus, Bearded Seal, Whales, and much more! 

We were the first people to kayak above the 80 degree north line in the Arctic Ocean. I am soaking up every learning opportunity and cannot fully process everything yet.. but I will soon.