Terrifying
Full English breakfast
Terrifying? No not these two – more about them later. We offered students a terrifying start to the morning by challenging them to eat the notorious and much feared full English breakfast.
- Fried eggs
- Baked beans
- Tomato
- Mushrooms
- Sausage
- Bacon
- Black pudding
For those not ready for such a test of human endurance so early in the morning we also offered scrambled eggs.
Could you meet this challenge, or would it be “a step too far”?
Inspirational speaker: Antarctica
Summer school at More Than English provides teenagers with the opportunity to ‘step outside their normal lives’ and think about their future.
What job do you want to do in the future?
We are delighted that Jonathan made a second visit to summer school to tell students about his life as an Antarctic explorer and scientist.
A personal story
If you want to get a message across, tell a personal story.
The students were fascinated by Jonathan’s account of his adventures in Antarctica.
Abandon ship
On one occasion, a change in wind direction meant that the the scientists’ ship became frozen in the ice and could not move. The biggest problem was that a giant iceberg was travelling rapidly towards the ship and it was going to completely destroy their ship.
The captain had to give the order to abandon ship and the crew were rescued by an American ship with a more powerful engine.
Happy ending
In the end the wind direction changed and so the iceberg changed direction. As a result, the scientists were able to go back to their ship which then, with the change in wind direction, was able to break free.
Antarctica is place where situations can become very dangerous very quickly. What is essential is planning, teamwork and the ability to keep calm under pressure.
4 strangers. 1 room. 2 years.
Could you share a room 6 metres x 4 metres with strangers for 2 years?
In this situation, you have to do everything yourself: make water from ice, fix your clothes, fix the hut and be a dentist to your friends.
Yes, it’s true. With no medical knowledge and using only a book on dentistry for guidance, one of the team had to extract the tooth of another member of the team.
When you find yourself with strangers (people you don’t know) in a challenging situation “outside your comfort zone” you have to make friends fast. It’s true for summer school students away from home. It’s also true for antarctic explorers. It’s not always easy. In this situation, Jonathan says you need to be “tolerant” and you need “a good sense of humour”. However, decades after his first expedition, Jonathan is still in touch with his friends from Antarctica and has just completed a hike across Wales with them. The lesson is, stay in touch with your new summer school friends!
Life in a tent with -49 degrees outside
10 facts about Antarctica:
- It’s in the South not the North
- It’s three times the size of Europe
- The geographical South Pole is elevated 3 KM above sea level
- 1899 was the date the first ever Antarctic explorer arrived, which is very recent
- 1959 Antarctic Treaty: this ensured that Antarctica is not owned by any country
- Minerals: Antarctica is full of precious minerals but the 1991 Madrid Protocol ensures that no country attempts to harvest them
- Pollution, including radioactive traces and lead can be found in the ice even though it looks very pure
- Treasure trove of information: by drilling as far as 2000 metres down into the ice to get samples for analysis scientists can track climate change over time
- The temperature goes as low as -49°. At this temperature your arm will become frozen ice in 10 minutes if you aren’t wearing the right clothes.
- Antarctica is the last untouched wilderness on earth
Shock
Tonight we were lucky to be visited by a real explorer. However, then, we had the misfortune to be visited by two amateurs searching for the legendary ice monster: Bigfoot.
After a disastrous forest chase after Bigfoot the night ended with a serene and peaceful campfire.
