In 2020, a chance encounter with photographs of the Aurora Borealis sparked a dream in Silpa Mathew. She wished to witness the phenomenon in person. Three years later, that dream took her to the East Siberian Sea, where she experienced not only the Aurora Borealis, but also saw the vast Arctic Ocean and majestic polar bears. Now 29, Silpa has completed her third expedition as part of her PhD programme at Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea.This year’s expedition marked her sixth time witnessing the Aurora Borealis. “All I wanted to see was the Aurora Borealis. During the interview, my professor told me the work is based on the polar region and that expeditions will be part of it. I was delighted. I could see Aurora!” she recalls.Silpa was the only Indian participant in the Korean-led Arctic expedition. Currently, she is researching the molecular diversity, sources, and environmental reactivity of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in Arctic marine environments. The team monitors conditions in the Arctic, with each group focusing on fields ranging from oceanography to paleoclimate. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Silpa Mathew (@malayali_from_korea)Silpa’s expeditions have taken her from the East Siberian Sea to the central Arctic Ocean and, most recently, the Beaufort Sea. Each journey starts in Alaska, where she and her team set sail in September for a voyage lasting three to four weeks. They disembark at Dutch Harbor before flying home.Life at sea, however, is far from easy. “It was seasickness that really got to me,” she says. “I couldn’t eat for days and survived on medicines. There’s no fixed timing for sample collection; it depends on the sea and the ship’s direction. Even when I was sick and couldn’t move, I had to get up at night to collect samples.”ALSO READ | Born to ride: Meet one of the oldest women to reach Khardung La pass on a motorbikeCapturing momentsDespite the hectic schedule, Silpa managed to take time out to capture her experiences during the journey — from sunsets over icy waters to polar wildlife and barbecue parties and games. “Out of sheer desire to witness everything, I used to sit for long hours on the deck of the ship, basking in the beauty of the polar region. The temperatures are freezing, but I could not resist missing out on anything,” she says. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Silpa Mathew (@malayali_from_korea)Although she has posted videos and photos from her previous expeditions, too, her latest content resonated deeply, especially on Instagram, where she now has 58,000 followers. “My earlier videos didn’t gain much traction, but this time, I really wanted to show how things work inside a ship and the beauty of the polar scenes. People text me saying they are proud of my endeavour.”In one of the videos, she films a sunset at 10 pm from the ship’s deck. Another video shows the vessel halted overnight amid thick ice during a storm alert.Story continues below this ad“To reach the spot where we board the ship, we need to take three flights, and we travel through remote areas. First, we head to Seattle, then we go to Anchorage, and from there, we head to Barrow, the northernmost part of America. From there, we take a chopper to board the ship. We go through remote, uncharted territories, so it’s a bit challenging,” she says.ALSO READ | This woman drove a cargo lorry from Kerala to Kashmir. Watch videoOn being asked how she managed to endure such extreme cold, Shilpa said the ship’s regulated temperatures kept her comfortable. Internet access, however, was rare. During her first voyage, her family was very worried, she says. “But now they know I’m safe. It has become a normal trip for them.”For Silpa, who spent the first 26 years of her life in Kerala, the polar landscape was otherworldly. “During my first voyage, I was excited to watch the thick ice and how the ship trembled as it cut through it. It was a bit unsettling at first, but now I’ve gotten used to it,” she says.Her world extends beyond the Arctic, too. Her followers enjoy her glimpses into Korean life — from K-pop music to fire festivals, cherry blossoms, and an array of delicacies like octopus and frog. Proud of her cultural roots, Silpa celebrates Onam and Kerala Piravi in traditional attire with the Malayali community in Korea.Story continues below this adAs she works toward completing her PhD, Silpa plans to continue her research and hopes to return to Kerala someday.