It’s a Harsh Continent

The title of this post is a saying that I hear almost daily here and it’s very accurate. It’s usually said in reference to something that you want that you can’t have because we are here at the bottom of the world. For example we get planes in with our prized “freshies” usually once a week on Wednesdays. A freshie is usually a fruit or vegetable that hasn’t been packaged or frozen, fresh eggs, ultra pasteurized milk, cheese, etc. These are very special to us and make us all very happy here. But the planes sometimes can’t make it due to weather or mechanical issues and people freak out that we are out of fresh eggs, or we run out of lettuce. Our response is usually “It’s a harsh continent.” I think the saying originated with the conditions outside like the snow, wind, and temperatures, but now it’s more our whining about what we don’t have. These are also often referred to as our “first world problems.” This is things that make our lives easier that we often take for granted that. The most recent time I heard this was in reference to the feeling of being so full post meal that our stomachs hurt. Definitely a first world problem.

Living here has been many things that I expected, but also many things I haven’t expected, and adjusting or adapting can sometimes be a challenge. As our time here ticks on and we are planning for our post ice lives we are talking more about things we miss so I thought I would compose a list.

Things that I miss(other than my family and friends that I hold near to my heart) and brief rants of why or explanations of them.

Real milk- our milk is powdered and one of my tasks at work is occasionally to make it which is gross and annoying

Sunsets- this in conjunction with the next 2 items. Having 24 hours of sunlight is strange. Plus I have a room with no windows so I had a freak out a few days ago when I napped in the evening and woke up at 5:48 not knowing if it was am or pm. It was pm.

Darkness

Stars and the moon

Swimming and diving- really water! Going from my last job where I was in the ocean every day of the week, multiple times a day to a desert where we conserve water. Also I see the large cooking kettles filled with water or the sinks and know that I want to take a bath or sit in a hot tub.

Animals especially dogs! People are fun but animals will always hold a special place in my heart. Penguins and seals are cool but we can’t touch them. I just want to cuddle with Hermes, or walk Shadow, or play fetch with Molly

Nature smells- dirt, grass, leaves- the lack of smells here is amazing, I think it has really heightened my sense of smell. I can’t wait to go to the park in central Christchurch as soon as I get to New Zealand and roll in the grass and smell dirt and flowers

Grocery shopping- again this goes with the next item, deciding what I want to eat, when I want to eat it. Having a menu set by someone else and no place to go if you want something different has been challenging.

Ordering what I want to eat from a menu- having someone make something I want to eat just for me and serving it to me, then not having to clean up after myself. I will miss not having to pay for food though! That will be tough to go back to. I haven’t carried a purse since early October and I don’t miss it!

Going to see a movie- seeing something that has been made in the last year rather then VHS tapes from 10 years ago

Having quiet time in a space of my own- living in the same building where I work in a room with 3 other women and sharing a bathroom with about 25 other women is wearing on me. Plus I see the same faces every day. Everyone wants to know everyone else’s drama and happenings. When you don’t see someone for a day it seems like a week and you have to have a meal with them to catch up

Walking around bare foot- I could do this more frequently except for it’s usually kind of chilly and there are rules for safety purposes about wearing shoes

Being in better communication with people- aka technology- This is more of a I wish I could receive phone calls. I don’t really miss my phone like I though I would, but it is defiantly more convenient having a smart phone. It’s been refreshing to not have to carry technology in my pocket all day.

Having different clothes- I am so sick of my outfits here. I feel like a total girl when I say I have nothing to wear. I want to go shopping so badly or at least raid my storage unit and get different clothes. 

Ok, end of rant! 

Happy 2012 from the bottom of the world!

So what does a group of a thousand or so people do in Antarctica for New Years? Keep in mind we’ve got 24 hours of sunlight plus the Antarctic Treaty to disturb wild life, so fire works are out of the question. That only leaves us one option… to party the night away Ice Stock style! So that translates to a chili cook off, lots of live bands performing original music and covers of some tunes you might recognize, lots of dancing like you just don’t care, drinks and debauchery Antarctic style. 

My day started out with full day of work from 5:30am to 3:30pm which included serving a special Saturday brunch rather than the standard breakfast and lunch. (We normally only have brunch on Sundays) I then went to my room and napped for a couple hours to prep for the new year. I then met up with a group of friends and enjoyed a few brews over dinner before heading out to buy a few bottles of champagne and dancing the night away. I missed out on the pig roast that was going on during the afternoon and didn’t test any of the chili(but I did get a commemorative mug with chilies forming the shape of the continent). Then the night was spent dancing around to music ranging from rock and roll to blues to pop covers. At almost midnight(still bright as noon time!) father time made an appearance on stage, champagne bottles were popped and the 2012 baby made everyone laugh. Kisses were exchanged and lots of drunken hugs and well wishes for the new year were made. I was pretty tired at this point so I finished my drink and retreated to my warm bed for the night.

Sunday we had mimosas at brunch and enjoyed lots of food and of course Vermont Maple Syrup!! I am very thankful for all the great friends that I have made here. They are the best McMurdo Family I could have asked for!

What does the future hold for me? Well, at this point I don’t have many concrete plans. I will finish my contract out here on the Ice, travel for a bit, work at Sea Base, and hopefully return here for another season. And no, I don’t know what position I’ll come back to.

New Years photos can be found at… https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.708642947139.2146542.44801562&type=1&l=7a2838816f

Christmas in a desert... in summer

So Christmas has quickly come and gone for us here in Antarctica. We in the galley had a random extra day off during the month as our "Christmas." Mine was a few weeks ago. I remember the  day. I spent the whole day in my pajamas. Relaxing was the whole agenda.
Christmas for the rest of the town was a totally different story. Everyone on "Town Schedule" (work Monday-Saturday and Sunday off) got an extra day off, Saturday which was the day we celebrated the holiday. My day had a slow start because of a late night the night before. The Town Christmas Party at the Vehicle Maintenance Shop was a crazy mix of photos with Santa, a slide show of pictures from home, caroling by the choir, snacks, drinks, and dancing the night away. Back to work... My work day was from 9am to 7 pm and included helping setting up the dining room, washing pots and pans, and goofing off. The day went by pretty quickly and included being "adopted" again like Thanksgiving so I got an hour and a half off mid afternoon which I used to nap. I got off work just in time for the last dinner seating and sat with a group of friends and enjoyed some conversation and a few bottles of wine. The night was spent at the Carpentry shop which was transformed into an art gallery for the night. MAAG, McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery, happens once a year and is a showing of everything from interactive art to paintings and a fashion show. The night ended again with dancing the night away.
Sunday was a morning to sleep in. Again a group of us met in the galley this time for brunch and mimosas. We parted ways after stuffing ourselves again. I called home and then went for a walk out to Hut Point and happened to see 6 penguins!! They were way off in the distance so the pictures aren't very good. Then I went to see a group of people put on Charlie Browns Christmas play which was cute and then went outside and saw the CREST LDB balloon up in the sky. Overall a great Christmas weekend.
Up next... New Years and Ice Stock, McMurdo's Woodstock!

My new gig

So I was selected to be the new DA(dining attendant) for the Long Duration Balloon facility run by NASA here just a few miles from McMurdo Station. I have only spent 2 days out there training so I don't have all the info and stats on it and only limited pictures but I am so excited to share the news about it.
Monday will be my first day out there post training and to add to the excitement there is the possibility of a launch! There are several projects going on here in our few buildings one of which is a large balloon with a payload of 7,800 lbs that will be looking at the particles that hit the Earth from Super Novas.
To watch it all happen check out the "real time video" on this site... http://www.csbf.nasa.gov/antarctica/ice.htm
I hope it works!
The window of opportunity that I was told about is from 11am-4pm on Monday here in Antarctica. So that would be Sunday from 5-10pm eastern time. This is subject to change due to weather conditions.
Some more info about the projects...
http://stratocat.com.ar/bases/41e.htm
http://icecube.wisc.edu/info/neutrinos

Mc Murdo’s Inner Workings: Water Plant

How the heck do we get water in a desert? Well that's what I went to find out.

Last week I attended the Ross Island Yacht Club meeting and happened to sit down next to a guy that works at the Water Plant, so I set up a tour! I told a few friends and 7 of us ended up going. So we walked down the hill to the water/ power plant building. It turns out that the Blue Ribbon Panel that is here on station was touring the plant too. So we waited. 

When it was our turn we had Paul(who I estimate is in his mid 60s, maybe more) show us around the plant and explain what did what. 

The process is basically take water from the Ross Sea, heat it from 28 degrees to 38 degrees, remove the salt, filter it, treat it with chemicals, store it and use it! You may be wondering about the temperature. Salt water freezes at lower temps than fresh. It's not special Antarctic water or anything! 

So we walked around and saw all the pumps and filters and holding tanks and felt the pipes to get an idea for how cold the water is. It was pretty loud so I didn't hear everything but I got the gist of it all. 

An interesting stat: we use about 60,000 gallons per day on an average summer day. There are about 1,100 people on station. We have experiments going on, laundry to be washed, food to be cooked and cleaned up after, smelly hard workers... Lots of water used.

Neat Place... now what to tour next?

Pictures...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.695955767349.2144599.44801562&type=1&l=850cfb4a8f