by Scott Campbell (Amway)

I was delighted when Barbara asked if, at some time during the trip, I could give a talk about glaciers! After all, my interest in glaciers had been partly the reason for my interest in Antarctica, and it would give me a chance to put all those years spent studying these big, cold, hard things at university to good use.

However, as soon as I began to read the books and other materials, it became apparent just how much of my university knowledge I had actually forgotten. Undeterred, I waded through all sorts of words and phrases which seemed as if they should be familiar but were not: lodgement, regelation, ablation etc. (you'd have to see my lecture notes and glossary for definitions - because I’ve forgotten again!).

By the time there was a gap in the YE schedule for a talk such as mine, we found ourselves involved with the return crossing of the Drake Passage. Although not stormy by nautical (Stefan’s) standards, it was sufficiently exciting to leave a good deal of the YEs exploring their bunks and toilets. Despite this, I was very pleasantly surprised to see a good turn out for the talk (I genuinely believe that many of those who did not make it were close enough to death to be excused sitting in a dark room in the ships bowels for 40 mins being waffled to about big lumps of ice).

Some of the particular hazards that had to be encountered during the talk included staying upright while the ship did not, co-ordinating the slides and diagrams with my words, being understood by those in the audience who expected the talk to be given in english, and of course - not standing on the front row’s legs too often. However, at any point when I felt a bit unsure of my progress or sought confirmation that my waffle was being understood by the rest of the team a quick look around the room usually found a nodding head, which gave great encouragement (it should be said that one particularly conspicuous head was Lynn’s - thank you).

Judging by the reaction of those who managed to attend, the talk itself went as well as could be expected - bearing in mind that it was being given in the dark hull of a rolling ship by someone with a strange Scottish accent who is a poor speaker at the best of times. If I managed to answer anyone’s questions about this subject (examples of which had been dominating the views from our portholes for the last couple of weeks), or given a slightly better understanding of glaciers to the other YEs, then the talk for me was a success.

Have you ever heard elephant seals when they are disturbed while resting (which is actually the only thing they seem to do!) or how penguins scream when they fight?

No?! Well then click on the images above and hear it!!!

As you see, the YES team is always trying our best to make you feel you're in Antarctica! Actually this time we are trying to make you feel like you're with us at Hannah Point, the last stop of the OSB Young Explorers here on the fifth largest continent of the world.

Wildlife is the main "point" of Hannah Point, a penninsula on Livingston Island. Actually, the most dense thing on the island is not the wildlife but the wild "smell!" (Unfortunately we don’t have a "smell" button! Lucky for you! You probably wouldn’t want to feel that much in Antarctica anyway, believe me!)

Those animals really smell, or maybe better put: they stink! BUT - still, you can’t seem to remove yourself from there. It's just like being in one of those close-up wildlife videos; you know, those in which you can see whales eating seals and seals attacking penguins. Well, it was not that close of wildlife, but still - it was VERY close. We also had the chance to see some Antarctic grass and moss, which is very rare, and added an interesting facet to the visit.

In any case, it was a stinky and noisy trip. Hannah Point was so exciting, it made us spend (on average) 3 rolls of film and about 2,5 hours. Moreover, we could have spent another 2,5 hours and another 3 rolls without even noticing!!

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LILLE, French candidate for the 2004 Olympic Games!

The YEs certainly did not before joining this expedition, but now we all know that Lille is a candidate for the Olympic Games of 2004. Lille is a medium city with about 1.7 million inhabitants (including the surroundings). Lille is very famous for the warm welcome of its people and its ability to organize big events such as the Braderie, each year in September.

Lille is the candidate for all of France. The city has received the support of President Chirac and of the French population. In addition, the International Olympic Committee has been impressed by the enthusiasm and support of both the population and the French Authorities.

Lille has emphasized environmental issues in its candidature (the tecnical dossier given to the International Olympic Committee). The candidature is based on the principles of "sustainable development"; this concept was founded during the Rio International Conference on environment in 1992. In a few words... "this development has to satisfy the needs of the actual population wihout preventing the satisfaction of the needs of the future population". This principle is also applied by UNESCO for its environmental program.

Moreover the two main values of Olympism, the sportive exploit and the fraternity between nations, suit perfectly with the concept of our expedition!

1. The enthusiasm and the mobilisation of the French population.
2. France offers serious guarranties in term of security, transportation, organization, communication system, and finance.
3. Excellent location of Lille; the city is in the middle of Europe and very accessible thanks to the TGV, Eurostar, the Euro Tunnel, as well as the various international airports and motorways near Lille.
4. Cultural attractions not far from Lille: Paris, London, Bruxelles, Bruges, Amsterdam, Disneyland Paris
5. Strong link between public and private finances - 25% of the total investment will be supported by private companies.
6. France has shown during the last Olympic Games in Atlanta that it was a sportive nation with 37 medals!

A special thanks to the Lille 2004 - team which has allowed me to participate in this expedition to Antarctica. You are all welcome in Lille in 2004!