Argentine Delights

As Nikki heads off into the sunset (figuratively speaking - austral summers don't allow much for sunsets or sunrises), it's time for Liz to pick up the reigns for all things polar and a bit beyond...

On Location
"When I found out I would be travelling to Antarctica I was over the moon - this really has been a life-long dream and I couldn't believe it was about to become a reality... As a result I've spent the past few weeks agonising over how many sets of thermals I need, whether it matters if my mittens don't match my bobble hat, how to use my friend's fancy camera and how on earth I'm going to find Nikki amongst all those penguins!!

Consequently I didn't really give much thought at all to the additional time I would be spending in Argentina pre- and post my voyage - and yet the past few days have been one amazing experience after another!  After a brief stay in Buenos Aires I headed north to Iguazu.  Surrounded by lush sub-tropical rainforest my excellent guide Marcela pointed out numerous butterflies, lizards, coatis (cute little racoon type creatures), black vultures, turtles... the list goes on!  And if that wasn't enough to impress, then there were the world's largest waterfalls!!  Iguazu Falls stretch for nearly 3kms across the Argentine/Brazilian border, and a height of up to 82 metres.  They are BIG!!!  We viewed them from both sides of the border - in Argentina you can get up close and personal (and wet) with various walking trails and an exhilirating boat trip into the thunderous spray at the bottom of the falls (very wet).  The Brazilian side offers a more panoramic overview and a great way to appreciate the scale and size of the falls we´d explored on the Argentian side the previous day. You still get wet though - very refreshing in 30 degrees heat!!

Iguazu was an unforgettable sight and a total contrast to my next adventure... I'm writing this from El Calafate, Patagonia, in the south of Argentina. From the sub-tropical jungle to a sparkling glacial landscape, it's one extreme to another.  Here I will be visiting the spectacular Perito Moreno glacier, before continuing my journey south to Ushuaia and beyond..."

Comments

[Diana Torres]

Hi Nikki- I hope you are enjoying a grand adventure in Antarctica. I am the Room Parent for a Dual-Immersion Spanish/English class at Las Animas Elementary School in Gilroy, California. We are a California Distinguished School, and have just been nominated for the Blue Ribbon, (the White House), award. Yes, if we win, we get to meet President Obama! Anyway, my son's class is currently studying Antarctica. Would it be alright if a few of the students sent you some short emails? I'll probably scan them in, as none of the kids have email addresses yet. (They are all first graders. Most are six years old, but a few have just turned the ripe old age of seven.)

Our students are in a very special program known as Dual-Immersion. So, 2.5 days a week they are only allowed to speak Spanish. All of their classes, including math, reading, social studies, science and gym, are all taught exclusively in Spanish. The other 2.5 days a week, they are only allowed to speak English. At the end of the year, they have to pass the same standardized tests as all other California students, which means they have to learn twice as much material in half the time. (These kids get an average of 1 - 2 hours of homework a night. Yes, as first graders!)

They are a wonderful group of kids. Would it be OK if we sent you a few short letters? Do you know any Spanish? Most of our students are all bilingual at this point.

I think they would be very excited to receive an email from Antarctica. The school is new, (just built last year), so they have computers and Internet access in all the classrooms.

If you, or any of the other researchers are OK with receiving a few letters from our kids, please let me know what email address to send them to.

Here is a short video I made for our school last year when we won Distinguished Schools:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UozUPE1uu_4