Helen FieldsScience Writer

Want to follow along with the ship before I get to it? There’s a teacher on the ship now. Here’s her journal. I talked to one technician who’s on both the current cruise and my cruise, but I think most of the scientists on my cruise will be new.

Thursday I had coffee with Simone Welch, the teacher who will be on the ship with me. Simone, unlike me, had been reading the other teacher’s journal and thus was able to pass on the information that it was minus 13 on the ship the other day. Dudes. That is cold. I mean, I’ve survived plenty of 13 below – I did go to college in Minnesota – but I was thinking, like, maybe teens, maybe single digits. I’m not sure I’m mentally prepared for this.

My goal: Don’t develop a reputation for being The Whiny One.