Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Bee describes her return from Antarctica to Galer Street School and Mr. Levy’s class. She notes that her mother will be returning from Antarctica in two weeks, and that Mr. Levy has encouraged her to work on her book for her spring research project. The rest of Part 7 consists of the letter Bernadette wrote to Bee from Antarctica. Bernadette begins the letter by noting that she is sitting in a shipping container waiting to have her wisdom teeth removed (how the notepad she is using later got back to the ship is not addressed). Bernadette explains how, the morning after Audrey Griffin rescued her from the intervention, she went to the airport, hoping to meet Bee and Elgin when they arrived for the first leg of their trip to Antarctica. She boarded the plane, hoping they had checked in ahead of her, then decided to continue with the trip to Antarctica, inspired by the jacket copy on a book tucked away in her vest: “People don’t go to Antarctica. They are called to Antarctica” (338).

Once aboard the ship, Bernadette finds herself mesmerized by the beauty of the ice. Eager to avoid any unnecessary human contact, she spends as much time as possible off the ship, kayaking alone. One day she meets a marine biologist named Becky, collecting water samples. Becky is “bunking” on the cruise ship on her way to Palmer Station. Becky tells Bernadette that her husband, back in Ohio, is a contractor hoping to work soon in Antarctica. A geodesic dome at the South Pole is going to be dismantled and replaced with a research station and he hopes to be chosen for the project. The dome project and the challenges presented by working at the South Pole immediately capture Bernadette’s imagination.

Bernadette attaches herself to Becky, collecting water samples with her during the day and drinking with her at night, in hopes of talking her way into Palmer Station and the dome project. However, when Bernadette finally raises the question of joining the scientists at Palmer Station, Becky tells her that no “civilians” are allowed. When Becky boards the ship that will take her to Palmer Station, Bernadette goes to watch the exchange. The crew, who now think Bernadette is another scientist, take her to the other ship. Once at Palmer Station, Bernadette offers to work for free at any task offered, and she is sanding and repainting when the manager of the station finds Bernadette’s Wikipedia page and the Artforum profile. Bernadette achieves her dream of taking on the dome project at the South Pole; she is having her wisdom teeth taken out because no one is allowed to work at the pole itself unless their wisdom teeth have been.

Bernadette ends the letter by saying that she wants to give Straight Gate to Galer Street School for use as a new campus. She tells Bee that she misses her, and Seattle too, and that she wants Bee to remain at home instead of going away to school: “The Runaway Bunny stays” (351).