Antarctica or Bust

I gaze into the distance, at the mist covered hills. It is early morning on my last day on Fraser’s hill. I am going to miss this place. I will miss the cool, fresh air; the dull gray hills; the tall pine trees that stand magnificently in the midst of colored flowers and the care-free birds that sing every morning. As I shift my gaze to the nearest pine tree, a small movement catches my attention. On the trunk of the tree is a beautiful bird, hopping up and down the trunk and onto some branches, pecking on the bark occasionally. It looks like a woodpecker, though I’m not sure if there are any woodpeckers in Malaysia. It has a yellow, feathery crest at the back of its dull-red head. Its body and wings are of khaki green. I’ve never seen this species before, and the way it moves vertically on the trunk is weird. It is so near. In a few minutes, it is gone. It decides to fly to another tree. Good bye khaki green bird. Good bye pine tree. I can see a few pine cones hanging tightly onto their branches. I look around to see if I can find any to bring home with me. Not a single one in sight.

It’s been an interesting retreat. My previous retreats have mainly been of a Christian nature. I remember going for a nature camp organized by the Malaysian Nature Society when I was in standard six, but that was a long time ago. I can say this is my first retreat together with other scientists and researchers. With backgrounds as diverse as geophysics to microbiology to microwave engineering, the only thing in common among all the participants is that all of them are in one way another involved in Antarctic research; everyone except me. I had no business here. I am just fortunate enough to be invited by Dr Ewe to help out in the measurements in Antarctica. It is an opportunity I will never pass up. As the other participants shared stories about their trips to the Antarctic, I grew more and more excited. At the same time, its dangers are never far away from my mind. There are also stories of death and falling into cracks. Will I really have the chance to go there? It is a dream that waits to come true. I do not want to raise my hopes too high. I may end up being disappointed.