Kennedy explains what it was like to live aboard the ship in Antarctica. They write as follows:
As a student who’s participated in multiple study abroad programs, the remote nature and the change in lifestyle can be daunting. Thus, I wanted to break down what a day in the life may look like for students participating in the AUIP Antarctica Study Abroad on the M/V Ushuaia!! From sunrise to sunset, lets unpack what you might expect!
Your days start in the shared accommodations of the lower deck. The space is small, but well equipped with a closet, a shared desk, and bathroom all for the privacy of those who share the room. Enjoy the company of your one or two roommates as the lovely radio plays the music of the day to wake you up. Then it’s off to the dining room for breakfast where the chef plans the daily menu. For breakfast, you’ll help yourself from the buffet, while the lunch is either buffet or served and dinner is a three-course meal, with a new meal each day. It could be steak and salad; it could be squid-fried rice! But no matter the meal, you can enjoy the variety of conversation and language from your fellow students and other travellers as you dine together. Then, take some time to enjoy the amenities of the ship. Sit in on a lecture about Antarctic wildlife or visit the viewing deck to get some sun and maybe see whales and other wildlife. (This I where I found myself many days as I never knew what incredible creature or one-of-a-kind views I would see next!)
One of the best parts of the day is the outings! You’ll know what you’re doing because each evening there is a compulsory briefing where the ship staff explain the schedule for the next day, from wake-up times, weather forecasts, where you’ll be going, and what you’ll be doing, and timeframes for everything else you need to know.
At your appointed excursion departure time, you’ll travel to the back of the ship to disembark the ship onto your Zodiac boat and off to your adventure for the day. (I will admit, the docking location feels a bit precarious the first few times, but once you get your sea legs it gets easier, and you realize that the real magic only happens once you get off the ship!).
Explore penguin colonies, ride by glaciers and icebergs where you may find seals sleeping or whales feeding, or visit some of the incredible geological formations of the continent. (One day, we even went to the only active volcano and did a polar plunge! Though not all universities do swimming activities, it just shows you the variety of experiences you will get to participate in!)
The views are breathtaking, the kind you only get in a place as unique as Antarctica. And that won’t be the only thing you will have the honor of experiencing. Despite being one of the most remote places in the world, the landscape is full of life. One day you’ll have a gentoo penguin walk up to you, standing a mere 3 feet away, and the next day you’ll be looking at the fluke of a humpback whale dive under the dark blue sea. (My group got super lucky and saw both Adelie penguins and an Emperor penguin hunting! That was a wild Christmas event). That’s the beauty of this trip, you never know what you’re going to see, but you’ll never forget it.
Once the day is done and the excursions are complete, you’ll come back to the boat to enjoy some well-earned rest. This is often the time where students work on their research project as you’ll have a couple of hours of free time. (My group often headed up to the observation deck to complete our seabird observation study to record our findings for the future project). After some study time, enjoy your dinner, then grab a book to research the wildlife you saw or grab a friend and complete your daily journals as your relax in the lounge, enjoying a nice, warm cup of tea or hot cocoa if they offer it.
The sun doesn’t set in Antarctica, so enjoy the sunlight for as long as you have it, even if sometimes that means going to bed at midnight! Just make sure to get your rest, as the next day, with new exciting things to see and do, is always around the corner! You’re only on the boat for less than 2 weeks, so make the memories plentiful and the moments last!
The trip can be a lot, especially on the day-to-day, but I wouldn’t trade a single minute for the whole world. Every moment, every laugh, smile, and view, are ones I will cherish for many years to come. Every day is a new adventure, so take advantage of it! It’s what I did, and I loved every minute of my experience and will continue to love it every day of my long life. Thank you for letting me share a day in the life of a study abroad student on the M/V Ushuaia with you!!
