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Serendipity in Punta Arenas, Chile


Published
12 years agoon
By Felicia Ennis Big Sky Weekly Contributor
I never really understood what it meant when people said they’re set in their ways. Until recently.
I started feeling comfortable in my house, on my street, in my neighborhood and in my state. It surfaced as a reluctance to buy a plane ticket. I noticed it as I questioned the practicality of foreign travel in a slow economy. It lingered in the simplicity of home.
And then, I got a really big itch. Hives! There is a person inside of me who loves travel, foreign languages, the serendipity of meeting new people, and ultimately coming home again. She bowled into me, reminding me I have work to do and that work requires me to travel, and that it will certainly be worth it.
While traveling in Chile for work this past November, I made a connection that will forever encourage me to pack my bags and head out into the unknown, even alone. This connection reminded me of the fascinating world beyond my house, my street and my town.
A day after flying into Santiago, Chile’s capital, I flew further south to Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in South America. This dynamic wind-blown city is a launch pad for adventure and a staging ground for cutting edge scientific exploration and expeditions to Antarctica.
I went to visit friends and co-workers who live in Punta Arenas several months a year, using it as a base to access Antarctica. To my delight, just hours after arriving I was drinking a schop, a draft beer, with five accomplished Antarctic scientists and guides.
I struck up a conversation with Chris, a soft-spoken British engineer and the program manager of a project studying an Antarctic sub-glacial lake. He told me about his work, and I was intrigued.
Lake Ellsworth, a liquid lake beneath 3.2 kilometers of ice, has been cut off from our biosphere for hundreds of thousands of years, possibly even millions. Chris was about to fly 70 tons of specialized equipment to Antarctica, for a 2012 project to extract a water sample from the lake.
The study will look for life forms in the water and clues to past climates in the lakebed sediments. One of the most exciting and ambitious explorations of our time, Chris said it has potential to find new life forms, or life forms that have ceased to exist in our world.
As I listened to Chris describe this work, my three-week trip to Chile seemed worthwhile. As owner of a boutique travel business, my work requires me to explore the world and to connect with people, and then to share those connections. Here, I was witness to enormous opportunity, and felt romanced by the possibilities it opened.
Having left my comfortable neighborhood, I found intrigue in the foreign and frozen.
Before the beer was gone I learned that he was working closely with a similar scientific program based at Montana State University and plans to visit Bozeman in April. It sent chills down my spine to be so far from home and at the same time right at home.
Felicia Ennis owns Bella Treks, an international travel business. She draws from her own travel experiences to create unique custom itineraries. bellatreks.com
To learn more about the Lake Ellsworth project, visit ellsworth.org.uk.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.


Upcoming Events
december, 2023
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Warren Miller Performing Arts Center 45465 Gallatin Rd 7:30pm | Free Each year the Arts Council of Big Sky brings a culturally rich artist to Big Sky for a multi-day
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45465 Gallatin Rd
Each year the Arts Council of Big Sky brings a culturally rich artist to Big Sky for a multi-day residence in collaboration with the Big Sky School District. During their time at school, the artist works with a partner teacher to deliver two days of workshops that aim to help students build a deeper, authentic understanding of diverse cultures through the arts.
The Arts Council of Big Sky is honored to announce this year’s Artist in Residence World Champion Hoop Dancer, Jasmine Pickner Bell, or Cunku Was’te Win’ meaning “Good Road Woman” in Dakota. A member of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe (also known as Hunkpati Oyate), Jasmine is the first woman to hold the hoop dancing Champion title, performing in her brother’s place after his death in a tragic car accident. Originally a male-dominated dance, Jasmine restores the masculine/feminine balance within the sacred circle. While the hoop dance is traditional amongst many tribes in the US and Canada, each tribe has its own origin story. The Lakota and Dakota people’s story is about being born from the Black Hills as a sacred healing dance.
The hoop dance has been described as “the renewal of the collective human spirit.” It is a dance of healing, connectedness, and prayer. Even though Jasmine is in constant spinning motion while she dances, she never finds herself dizzy because she is aligned with a higher purpose. As she’s passing each hoop through her body, she says, “Your prayers are being connected and lifted up. You’re not only telling a story through the designs of the hoop dance, but you’re also praying and healing the people who are in need at that time.”
Each of Jasmine’s designs has special meaning and significance. Some designs she creates from a dream or vision on a long drive. Others are family heirlooms, passed down with each generation. Each dance begins with one hoop, which represents yourself. Then, the dancer connects as many hoops as they can dance with or that completes the message they are aiming to share. This performance will be made in collaboration with 9th and 10th graders in Kate Riley and Jeremy Harder’s classes.
Education is central to Jasmine’s mission. From teaching kids and ensuring native traditions are not lost in today’s society, to bringing her audience on stage with her after her performances, she loves to share the hoop dance with everyone. As Jasmine says, “When you get done hoop dancing with me, you’re going to feel better. You’re going to go home and have a story to tell. You’re going to be able to share that story with your friends and family. And that’s what it’s about for me, and why I include the audience. Let’s connect together and really have that opportunity to share our hoops and leave here with a smile on our face.”
For Jasmine, the hoop dance goes beyond performance. It’s a way of life. Her hoops act as a metaphor to keep going when life gets tough. “Sometimes a hoop might fall and a design may fall apart. But you pick up those hoops, you keep going, and you keep dancing. No matter what, as hard as life gets, you’re going to still be able to jump through that hoop.”
We are so grateful for Jasmine sharing her gift with us here in Big Sky. This is not just a showcase or performance, but a way of life that is a healing dance. When Jasmine dances, she is also praying for those in need, dancing for those who cannot dance. Her dance incorporates her story, while thinking of everyone who needs prayers. Please join us in connecting and uplifting spirits in need.
Time
(Wednesday) 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd