Cape Farewell Youth Expedition 2007

    I was looking forward to returning home and being with my family and sleeping in my own (non moving bed). But now that I am home I feel like i dont belong here. Everything seems strange and I feel so out of place. Waking up and seeing cars, houses and pavement doesnt compare to the glaciers and mountains that we had all come acustomed to seeing. I feel very empty and alone. Going back to school today was the strangest feeling ever. Everyone around was asking me what it was like and i found that i was at a loss of words and it couldnt be descrided. The only other people that truely understand what it was like are the others on the voyage and they are miles away right now. I feel very disconeted with everything. My friends that i was looking forward to seeing seem different and distant to me now. For the last few weeks the only people that I have known is the others on the trip and now that we are no longer together i feel very lonely and lost without them.  Things that seemed to matter no longer do. What i am going to wear or how my hair looks seems pointless and unimportant on the grand scale of things. Seeing how everyone was so dressed up at school and seeing all the efforts that they put into in seems ridculous to me now. All the time they spent on getting ready could be spent on things that really mattered, things that have an effect. To me it seems like, well i just saw pieced of our world come crumbling down, so who cares what t-shirt you are wearing today. Also something that i really miss is the peace and quiet Svalbard had to offer. Here the noises never stop and the people never stop. I find myself dreaming of a quiet, peacful place and escape there forever and never look back. I find myself lost in a crowd of people, I dont know where to go or to look. Being surrounded by people seems odd and it will take some getting used to.

     But i am home and i will have to learn to adjust to ”modern” life. Svalbard has taught me some very valuable lessons that i will never forget. This island have given me a new perpective on life and how to live. I wouldnt trade this experience for the world, i will cope with the horrors of daily life and soon enough i wont be thinking twice about the constant hum of traffic or the smell of fumes or the hustle and bustle through the school halls. But Svalbard will always be on the back on my mind along with all the incredible people that i experienced it with.

I miss you all and wish that you could all be there with me,

lots of love,

Shona x

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