Kim Marie – Journey to Norway

Two days before we were scheduled to leave, my fellow finalist Alecia and I didn’t know how we were going to Norway. We had raised no funds, despite contacting countless companies. Yet we never gave up – we got the visas, not having any  of the USD 4,000 needed for tickets. We went on radio interviews and kept asking everyone for help. Finally, someone heard! Llewellyn Bailey, Assistant General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society, called in after hearing us on Michael Anthony Cuff’s program on Power 106. The day before we were scheduled to leave, Jamaica National Building Society, on Mr. Bailey’s initiative, arranged for tickets and funds for accommodation. The dream was still alive!

The final team sets up in their new ‘home’ at the Norway Training session.

On to Oslo! I met some of the other women right in the Oslo airport. We had come from all over the Commonwealth – Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, UK, Ghana, India, Cyprus and Jamaica – to be part of this expedition to the South Pole!

Kim Marie and the semi finalists pose after the final 7 were selected for the expedition.

I was a little scared, I had eaten properly – replacing gummy bears with Nature Valley bars and swapping coffee for WATA, run up hills, climbed the Blue Mountain Peak – but was it enough?

Kim Marie shares a huddle with team members at the final selection in Norway.

We ended up in a hut in the middle of Norwegian nowhere – the Hardangervidda, Europe’s largest mountain plateau! For miles there was no vegetation, just snow. Felicity had organized a stellar training team – Polar Challengers, nutritionists and skiers. We learnt to ski, put up a tent, use a camping stove, and carried up to 40kg of weight in our pulks. We had to clear the front door of our hut each morning – the snow was that high. It was cold!

Each country had two finalists – only one could be on the team. I had my doubts about making the final team. Camp was tough– but I enjoyed it and was willing to learn more. Imagine my surprise and joy when I was chosen to remain with the final team!

The final team’s reward was to  wander around Hardangervidda for four more days – training and gelling as a team. We were going to do  this! On to the South Pole! That night in my sleeping bag I thought of the next adventure – New Zealand in September! And a lot of fundraising to do! Where would I find Jamaicans to invest BEFORE I reached the South Pole?

More on that and New Zealand when you check back here on October 1. You can also follow my story at www.gleanerblogs.com. Contributions to Kim-Marie’s expedition can be made at Jamaica National account no. 10870166. Also provide feedback at Jamaica@commonwealthexpedition.com or the SouthPole Trod Face book Page