Typing out the blog post from the comfort of the airport floor.

Dixie cup of espresso in hand, I am happy to report that the core team made it to the Moscow airport! The first leg of our journey is complete and the 14 core team members are now piled upon a colorful mound of baggage using up what little internet bandwidth the Moscow airport has to offer. After returning from China only a week ago, getting on another flight was last on my list of desired activities, but after meeting the rest of the team and having the longest flight now behind us I am once again feeling ready for adventure.

After our 12 hour layover here we hop on a plane to cross most of Russia and eventually a smaller aircraft will take us to our final destination. For John, Ellen, Ludda, and me this will mean circumnavigating the globe in approximately a week. I feel very fortunate to be circling the globe at age 20… the weight of that fact has yet to sink in. For now, I am just thankful to be one step closer to Siberia, embarking on the final (and longest) research adventure of my summer.

Passing time with some cards.