Breathe the fresh Antarctic air

A cruise to Antarctica isn't like any other ordinary cruise. It's an EXPEDITION, remember?
It's not like taking a cruise in the Caribbean, people. 
But it can be just as relaxing.

All the hard work was left up to the captain and his 3 co-captains. They would take shifts navigating the icy seas while we enjoyed the scenery outside. They situated us carefully in bays so we could venture out and explore the land and water that lay in front of us. They would study the weather and determine the safest route. For this, I really appreciated them. 
One day when I returned to my cabin from the gym, I found a letter that was delivered under my door. It had my name on it. This is what it said:

It was an invitation to have dinner with the captain. 
I looked at my 2 roommates suspiciously, "Is this a joke?", I asked. They both shrugged their shoulders. I was the only that received this letter. I had no idea what the dinner would entail. It made me nervous. The captain was basically incognito up until this point. I didn't even know what he looked like. 
That evening, I cautiously made my way to the dining room and spotted my name on a card at a special table. There had been only a handful of people selected by the expedition leader to sit with the captain at his table. I was flattered. 
I enjoyed an evening with the captain, who was from Ukraine, along with a couple from Australia, a couple from Hong Kong and a man from New Zealand. They were all exquisite human beings. Full of wisdom and kindness.... and lots of wealth. 
They were all at least 20 years older than me. 
Surprisingly, the captain was a tad bit timid. He was very poised and had all the manners one could imagine. I felt safe knowing that he would be bringing us back safe to Argentina. I was really happy I was one of the chosen ones to take part in such a special dinner occasion. Everyone talked equally, the conversations interesting. We had such a good time talking, we were the last ones left in the dining room at the end of the night. 
It was at this time when there was unrest in the Ukraine with Russia. The captain shared some information about his family back home that were affected by this. His wife and children were back in Ukraine and it was obvious that he was worried about them. Soon he excused himself from the table after telling one too many tales of the atrocities going on back home. It was hard to see such a solid man become emotional. He returned to the helm to do his very important job. 

My poor roommates slept most of the time, due to their debilitating sea sickness. I would often roam around the ship on my own and hang out at the far corners of the boat, watching the scenery pass by. It was really amazing to think that I was in Antarctica. I did a lot of thinking. And a lot of reading.  

I realized there are important lessons to be learned on such a unique adventure. Lessons about life. 
The pureness of the air and pristine terrain clears your mind and forces you to think differently.  
The fresh air was intoxicating. Antarctica is far, far away from anything that would cause any type of air pollution. 
Watching the sea lions play, it reminded me to be more carefree. Don't take life so seriously. Life should be fun. Worrying does no good.
These amazing creatures living out here. How do they do it? How do they live in such a harsh environment and still keep their upbeat attitude? I was mesmerized by them. They can teach us all valuable lessons.
Sometimes I forget this.

The leopard seal, one of the most vicious animals in 
Antarctica, but you couldn't tell just by
looking at him

I felt myself slow down and adopt the attitude of the sea animals. 

How lucky were they to have old, elegantly shaped icebergs as their playground?! 
Lucky ducks.

On the outside, they seemed peaceful. Not to have a worry in the world. But I knew this wasn't always the case. These animals had to fight to survive. I know it can be a struggle everyday to find food and stay out of the jaws of their predators. But they sure had a way of making us think otherwise.