6 February 2012 Firsts

Have you ever thought about all the “firsts” it took you to get to where you are? I’m currently in Fairbanks, Alaska, attending the PolarTREC Orientation. The purpose is to prepare me and other selected teachers for our upcoming expeditions this field season in Antarctica and the Arctic. My research will be taking place this summer at the Toolik Field Station in far northern Alaska. There were a lot of first steps that got me to this amazing place. There were the big ones, like seeing the PolarTREC announcement in my email and deciding to apply, writing up an application to be read by people I’d never met, and even being rejected the first time around and applying again. There were smaller “firsts”, like flying to Charlotte for the first time, flying to Washington, DC and glimpsing the Capitol and Washington Monument for the first time, and flying Alaska Air and feeling awe to be traveling to Alaska in February! Sunday, the first day of orientation, I woke up in my room here in Fairbanks, and at breakfast began meeting all the other teachers, project alumni, and all the staff involved in the PolarTREC program. Meeting people for the first time can be intimidating, but everyone is very welcoming and easy to talk to. As I look back on where I’ve come from to get to here, I realize there have been an awfully lot of “firsts”. Think about the good “firsts” you’ve taken in your life, and give yourself a pat on the back for all those steps you’ve taken toward your dreams and goals.