When the opportunity to go to Antarctica came up, I jumped at the chance to visit this mysterious place. I saw Antarctica as the one of the last frontiers on the planet, a place that few people have the opportunity to visit. I also had the romanticized view of Antarctica as a land of ice and snow and extreme weather. I imagined it as the place that invited the tragic survival stories of Shackleton and the other explorers. I knew, of course, that our expedition would be more comfortable and safe, but somehow I expected adventure.