Oceanography and Honors Biology teacher Mariah Eisman took a long-awaited 18-day trip to Antarctica as a birthday present to herself.
Eisman has always wanted to go visit “The Ice,” and when the worry of all the ice melting away started creeping into her head, she knew it was now or never. She joined a traveling group named Swoop Antarctica and was ready to go.
“I was sitting around one day and realized if I don’t go soon, it could melt,” said Eisman. “So that, combined with my desire to take a big trip, seemed like the perfect time to go, and I didn’t want to wait.”
The 18-month planning period, from the summer of 2022 to the winter of 2024, gave Eisman plenty of time to get ready for the trip.Her only worry was being gone for two weeks, so she made sure her students would be prepared until she came back.
“I wanted to set my students up for success while I was gone, so most of the assignments the students did were digital and self-grading. It was a big relief to come back and not have a mountain of papers to grade,” said Eisman.
After a day and a half of traveling, the actual trip was as incredible as she had hoped.
“Everyone said ‘it’s indescribable,’ and they were absolutely right. I expected to have a unique trip, and I did,” said Eisman.
While at this iconic and eccentric location, Eisman took photos, jumped in the water and was constantly on the lookout for wildlife every time she got off the boat.
“We jumped into the water in our bathing suits in about 33 degrees Farenheit water, but it was awesome.”
— Mariah Eisman, teacher
“You’re in the wildlife’s world. They’re not scared of you, they don’t move when you come too close, you’re expected to get out of their way. The wildlife was really awesome, and I just enjoyed being out on deck with my cameras,” said Eisman.
Eisman is excited to incorporate her personal photos consisting of whales jumping out of water, polar bears with their cubs, and penguins waddling around, into her slideshows for her students in upcoming years. With the large variety of wildlife that she has seen, she is excited to present pictures of these beautiful creatures, as well as the experience of seeing them from her own eyes.
“I feel like a lot of times, teachers are telling students things and they’re going, ‘Is this really how it is out in the wild?’ Yes, it is, because I experienced it firsthand,” said Eisman.
Eisman is planning on going back to Antartica very soon, and is ready to buy a ticket any day of the week.
