30.10.2006
It has only been three weeks since I came home from Canada. It seems like much longer, yet when I look at all the pictures that I took, it seems like yesterday. I never thought that a bunch of complete strangers would change my life. One day hasn’t passed that I haven’t thought of someone from the camp, or something that we did together. I will NEVER forget what a great time I had and what great friends I made in the middle of nowhere.

The morning (October 09, 2006) that I left the hotel to board my plane to go back to Alaska, I was extremely happy that I got to say goodbye to everyone that had woken up to say goodbye one last time. Everyone was crying. No one wanted to say goodbye. No one wanted to leave. Sadly, Kourtney and I were the first two to leave. We envied everyone else that got to stay a few precious hours more. Once we had gone through security and gave Carolyn yet another hug, we went on the plane, and sadly looked out the window as we lifted off.

Once we landed in Minneapolis, Kourtney and I stayed a bit longer, but separated when we had to go to the different gates. I headed to the gate that was displayed on the multiple TVs. Even though I had several hours to stay in the airport I wanted to be close to my gate. As I neared my gate, I looked again at the TVs. Of course my gate number had changed to from C22 to F9, which was on the other side of the airport. I turned around to go find it and I SAW JESSE AND CANDACE! A little ways off I also saw Rashaad. We all ran to each other and everyone was really happy to see everyone else again. We quickly decided to eat at a restaurant together before we left. Technically in Minnesota it was time for breakfast, but since we had been awake since 4 (to get ready for the plane trip) we ordered lunch. The food could have been completely terrible, and I don’t think that I would have minded. We were so glad to be together again! After that, of course, everyone had to go to their flights, and we were about to cry as we headed off.

Now back at home, it feels like I was in some other world when I was in Canada. My friends have no idea what I am talking about half the time, when I tell them my stories. That is why I’m glad that we (Arctic Ambassadors) have still been able to keep in contact.

Here in Alaska, I have done many presentations to various schools about polar bears and global climate change, and also how they could experience what I did. I have also been interviewed by three local news channels about my trip, and have had an article, about something that I had done, posted on the internet. I also like the fact that we share our accomplishments. I have read Patrick’s article and watched the short that he made, I have also watched Mikkeline on Danish television (through the internet), and I can’t wait to see what else there is to come!

-- Emma Nica

08.10.2006
THE FINAL DAY!
Emily and I just got back from shopping in the airport! We bought some souvenirs and took some black and white pictures in those photo booths that are usually in malls. It was really fun. Now we have cool pictures to remind us of each other! (Later the girls and I will go back to the photo booth, so that we can take more pictures with more people. It is going to be great!) Everyone has had a blast here, and we are all so sad that we have to separate and leave each other.

I’m going to be one of the first people to leave the hotel tomorrow morning, and I would have really liked to stay longer. Being on this trip has changed my life. I was able to meet so many people, and have made so many friends; not to mention the fact that I have learned a thing or too along the way . . .

This experience has made me think about how I will change when I get back home: how I will tell people how they can help change the effects of global warming and doing it myself as well; how I will keep in touch with all the fabulous people that have been on this trip; and how I will strive to see of my fellow Arctic Ambassadors again in the future.

This whole camp that PBI has made, has deeply impacted my life, and I think that plenty of other people should have the same chance that I did. There are so many great people here, not only the people that are part of the camp, but also the day to day people that are always nice to us. This trip was definitely a major highlight of my life. I will never forget this.

To everyone that I have met on this trip, thank you so much.

Jeg kommer til at savne dig!

Much Love,
Emma Nica

06.10.2006
Today was helicopter day!! A lot of people woke up early today because we were all excited to go to the maternal den. We went via FIVE helicopters; I got to sit in the front seat with the pilot on the 45 minute fly to the den. The view was really awesome, there were a lot of lakes everywhere and everything was really pretty. Once we landed the first thing that we noticed was that the ground was oddly spongy. The tundra is covered in lichen, and other small plant life. It is really weird to walk on. While we were waiting for it to be our turn to go into the den, we got one of the teachers that was with us to show us around. He showed us bear berries, caribou tracks, and I found out that if I dug deep enough in the tundra I would hit water. It was really weird. There are also areas in the tundra that are filled with deep water, yet covered in plants. I lost my boot in it, because the plants act like quicksand. It was crazy.

The maternal den was a lot smaller then I thought it would be. Some of the adults that were with us couldn't fit in it. I was amazed to think that a full grown polar bear could fit in there and have cubs. Yet the den was really warm, dry, hidden, and quiet.

Once we got back, we ate lunch and talked about the things that we would do once we got back home. I said that I would do presentations, talk with the Green Club (West's recycling club) and tell my friends about it, along with some other things. Who wouldn't want to talk about the things that we did here? This place is great and amazing.

"This is better than Disneyworld!" --Jesse

05.10.2006
We didn’t go onto the Tundra Buggy today, instead we prepared for a conference through webcam. Actually we used Patrick’s camera, which is awesome by the way, and the people that were watching us were children from Selkirk, Manitoba and they were forth, fifth, and sixth graders. They asked us questions about how much a polar bear weighs, how much it eats, how many claws they have, and things like that. They were really cute! I think that it is really great that we get to teach children, and what we do really affects them. It is also good that they (or rather the teachers) care about the environment and the world. This is how we can slow global warming, by trying to educate everyone.

Besides that web conference we also saw a bear. The bear came right up to the Lodge, and even stood up and leaned on the Lodge! It was REALLY exciting. We were all freaking out! I got some cool pictures of him too.

Mikkeline also taught me some sentences in Danish, and she said that she is going to give me some music from Mew (a Danish band) and some other songs that are popular in Demark. I am hoping to learn some more Danish before I leave; hopefully I won’t annoy Mikkeline.

Tomorrow we are going to go on the helicopter. I have mixed feelings. Though I did see one of the helicopters today, and they looked pretty big and stable, I am sure that we will be fine. It was also really nice of Hudson Bay Helicopters to fly us out to the maternal dens. I can’t wait to see how big the den is!

04.10.2006
This morning we were woken by the most horrible noise ever: Robert's singing. Once we all climbed out of our bunks and dressed and what not, we all went aboard our tundra buggy. Today we didn't get far from the Lodge, because the bears were right next to the buggy. (We actually ate breakfast with them outside of our windows!) Today we did our group presentations. I have to say that this presentation was the very first presentation that I did without being nervous at all. It must be because we have all become friends and are comfortable with one another. (I thought that was cool.)

Patrick made this video yesterday and I helped him post it on his journal. It is a pretty cool video.

Later on in the day some guest speakers came to the buggy to tell us about their lives' as trappers. (A man called Kevin came yesterday and told us the COOLEST stories about all his encounters with wild polar bears.) The trappers told us about why they trap and how they skin and treat the animals that they catch. They also brought several pelts with them, such as martins, foxes, wolves, wolverine, and beaver. For some the girls here it was emotional to see that these beautiful animals were now dead (we think that it was also due to the fact that we all away from our families and that it is somewhat rough out here). Even though I understood that this was how the trappers were raised, that it is also a part of their culture, and this is how they make money, I don't agree with what they do. It was surreal to hold a full wolf pelt, after I had just played with live wolves at the Alaska Zoo about a week ago.

Here we have gone through so much, and seen so many new things, but it is totally worth it. This place is indescribable!

03.10.2006
Today we saw our first bear! It was really exciting!

This morning we came to the Tundra Buggy Lodge, and we got to travel around the tundra. The tundra is so odd. It is really flat and has spongy looking plant life. It was really great to be able to see wild animals so close and wild. On the Tundra Buggy the first thing that we saw was a ptarmigan. It was really cute, and just kind of sitting on the side of the road; Mikkel was the one that saw it. Later we saw a sub-adult male polar bear! He was resting near some water, and we stopped the Buggy and ate lunch next to him. Soon an arctic fox came on the other side of us, and rolled around in the gravel. It acted like a little dog! Around five we came back to the Lodge and picked our bunks, and got settled.

Right before we where going to eat, a mother bear and her two cubs came right up to the Lodge. We were all so happy! They were really close to us. The skies have cleared up and we are almost certain that we will be able to see the Northern Lights. Everyone is so happy here. It is great.

02.10.2006
Is the problem of pollution not being solved because pollution is profitable? This was something that I asked myself today. First of all most industries make their products by pumping pollutes into the air/water/etc. Therefore they are able to make money. Companies also make money by giving people pollutants, such as the gas that is put in cars, and people are even hired by pollutants (the people that clean up pollution). So is the economy the thing that is sustaining pollution?

On another note, today was a day jam-packed with activities! We all woke up early, ate, and boarded a forest green bus. Our driver and tour guide Kelsey showed us “The Flats”, the bay, the polar bear jail, and many other very interesting places! It was really nice of him to do this for us; because of him I saw things that I have never seen before. While talking a walk on the beach (even though it was really cold) we saw a polar bear’s day bed, and Mikkel found a baby beluga skull and the wings of several birds! (The dead things where really creepy, but still very amazing.) After walking on the beach, we went back into the bus and later Kelsey took us to the Wapusk National Park of Canada. There we where told about what the park does and how their efforts help the conservation of animals. They showed us how much the handling of polar bears has changed over the years, and that so has peoples’ attitudes towards them, which is a great thing.

Tomorrow we are going to go to the Tundra Buggy Lodge! I’m really excited! We will be one step closer to seeing real live wild polar bears! I hope that I will be able to sleep tonight . . .

01.10.2006
I woke up today really early so that I would have time to pack; the reason being that today we traveled to Churchill. To get here, I had to ride the smallest plane that I have ever ridden! There where only three seats on each isle; two seats on the right and one on the left. And this plane had propellers! It was exciting, and I liked that fact that we basically had the whole plan to ourselves. While we were in the air I was able to see Winnipeg. I was surprised at how flat it was. I was looking for something similar to Alaskan mountains, but saw none.

Now we are in Churchill, and it is raining. Since, I'm from Alaska I'm used to rainy icky weather like this. Once we got here, most of us decided that we wanted to look around. I went to get my coat, and when I came back the group was gone. Therefore I went with Kourtney to go look for them. We never found them, but we found one of the adults that came with us, and he showed us around. Churchill is a rather interesting place. It is very small, I think that there are only about 800 people here, and they have a lot of things with polar bears on them. Yet is appears to be a very quiet and friendly town.

The hotel in which we are staying is very nice. I would like to thank the Aurora Inn for allowing us to stay here. The rooms are so nice and BIG! Everyone was amazed when they entered their rooms. They are all like mini apartments, complete with a stove, oven, toaster, A SECOND FLOOR, and anything you would ever need. This just goes to show that some people actually do care about polar bears and other animals, and will help anyone that has a cause like PBI does. It is simply amazing!

30.09.2006
This morning I got to eat pancakes with Canadian Maple syrup, since it is supposed to taste better here. To me it tasted the same, except it wasn’t as sweet. It felt like it was naturally sweet and than the stuff I get in Alaska was being sweetened with sugar. In an attempt to continue my adventurous food journey, I tired (and I think that I was the only one who did) Vegemite. Vegemite was something that Tamara gave to everyone yesterday when we had gathered to see the movie. It was made by Kraft and was in the same sort of package that jelly is at a restaurant, and apparently it is made out of yeast. All I have to say is that it was REALLY salty. Tamara says that in Australia they eat it regularly and with butter. I didn’t eat it with butter; maybe if I get some more courage I’ll try it again.

We just got back from going to the Winnipeg Zoo and the English Garden. The English Garden was really beautiful. I think that Canada is really beautiful, and would seriously like living here. After we saw the garden, we went to the Zoo. The zoo here is so different that the Alaska Zoo. It is interesting to see the different decisions that were made when building environments for the animals. While at the Zoo, we of course saw the polar bear Betty. She is the 39 and is the oldest polar bear in captivity.

As a group we debated whether or not it was right to have zoos and to keep animals in them. A question that I had was how does captivity affect the animals genetically. I was wondering if polar bears, for instance, that stayed in zoos, bred in zoos, and we given the zoo diets would be weaker genetically. If the only polar bears left in the world were those in zoos, and then those bears were put back into the wild, to make them wild, would they still survive? Let’s hope that we never have to find out.

29.09.2006
Today I arrived in Winnipeg around 11 o’clock. I was the third person to arrive here. The two girls from Australia, Tamara and Emily, got here yesterday after 33 hours of traveling! Since the next person to come here wasn’t going to arrive until 2 o’clock I had some time to kill. Therefore I went over to the Australian girls’ room, so that we could get to know each other. They are really nice and really funny. We mostly talked about the differences between Australia and America. I learned that in Australia people say “lollies” not “candy, and that most people have pools, and that their TV commercials are violent. After we figured out how to make coffee with a coffee machine, we went back downstairs to greet the new people that were coming in.

Once everyone was here, we gathered in a room and were everyone introduced themselves. Everyone is really nice, and it's going to be a lot of fun to be here with them.
My roommate, Mikkeline, is from Denmark and has she has a lot of cool things from there. If I had not been selected by PBI I wouldn’t have learned some of the things that I have. Even though we are here to learn about polar bears, we also learn about the cultures of everyone. For example: Today I learned that the money in Denmark is called “kroner”, and a cent is called an “ou-ah” and that they have wholes in the center of them.

Later we have decided that we are all going to rent a movie and watch it together. That will be fun!