Reflections and thoughts in antarctica

During our trip, a couple of us signed up as Homeward Bound Daily Correspondents. I signed up to do a blog post of 5 photos and captions on January 13th 2019, reflecting on my experiences so far. Here they are!

​Have you ever experienced complete silence? Silence within the external environment but also silence within yourself? Yesterday at Danco Island in the Gerlache Straight, 80 women from 28 countries experienced it. After walking to the top of the Island through knee deep snow, we chose an area to sit and experience silence in the Antarctic environment. The most striking thing I found was that in complete silence, even the focus mechanics in a camera sounded extremely loud, or the bang of the glaciers in the background as they were breaking apart, echoed around the bay and it was hard to pinpoint where it came from. I felt so alert but so still at the same time. The importance of external and internal silence is something new and valuable and I hope to take it into the ‘real world’ upon return. 

Remember the time you jumped of a jetty into the ocean, or off a big rock into a lake? Did it take a while to build up the courage or you took a leap straight into it? As part of our leadership training in Homeward Bound, we are challenged to take a leap into the unknown and step into ourselves in order to become better and more influential leaders, towards a greater good. Taking time to watch the Gentoo Penguins, I’ve noticed that some of them are also hesitant before they dive head first into the sea, while some dive straight in without a pause.

​Can you think of a time where you saw a complete reflection in the water? Was it slightly distorted or a perfect representation? During our Homeward Bound journey, we are learning the importance of visibility, and crafting a consistent message. Visibility has three parts – visibility to ourselves, to others and as a Homeward Bound collective. It has challenged us to deeply reflect and to become visible to ourselves first and I have realised the importance of knowing and understanding yourself.

​Climate change is affecting all of us. Imagine a world which is too hot to successfully raise your young. That is a reality for the Adelie Penguins on Paulet Island, Antarctica. This year the landing was a shock for us to see the lack of snow on this particular island, which had all melted because it is too hot. The Adelie penguin chicks are black to absorb warmth from the sun, but the warmer conditions this year are causing higher fatalities. We have seen first hand the effects of climate change and now we are all motivated to take action to create a more sustainable future. 

How do you perceive yourself? Is it influenced by external factors and other people’s perceptions? As part of our leadership training on board we have been learning about how important it is to keep an open, positive mind – when thinking about yourself, others, work and how you want to lead and influence others. If you keep looking through a narrow lens you are likely to miss the whole picture.

​- Steph OX