Farewell McMurdo!

As I write this post I am sitting on the C-17 that is mid-flight back to Christchurch. This is mostly going to be a stream of thought post. So I’m sorry if I ramble or don’t make sense.

McMurdo is a strange yet special place and will always have a little piece of my heart. I have made some friendships that I hope will last a lifetime. Before I got here I was excited and nervous because I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew 2 other women that I worked in Germany with but didn’t know anyone else. I had a pretty good idea of what my job would be like but I had no idea how busy I would be. I knew I would be working a lot, but I also figured that my down time would be quiet and peaceful. From the outside that is a common thought. But in a place where 1,000+ people eat, sleep, and work and it’s the harshest continent in the world there are only so many places to go. And when you think you can retreat to your room you have to think are any of my roommates asleep, at work, having friends over. It’s a very overwhelming place. Solitude for me never happened. There are some people that I think get swept into a lonely place due to alcohol or social anxiety, but most people here are active and full of life.

My coworkers this year were what made this harsh place a more bearable.  Strength in numbers so to speak. I met a handful in Denver during orientation and the rest were Ice friends. We have laughed together, danced our butts off, cried during the hard times and bonded to levels I never expected. When you eat, work, play and sometimes sleep in the same room as these people they become more than friends or coworkers, they become family. Every member of our galley family brought something unique and special and that made our bond so much stronger. No one really knew each other before we took this Antarctic adventure but none of us will ever forget the time we spent here. Summer 2011-2012.

As I sit on this plane I think back to the last several months and wonder what my life will be like from here forward. I will be traveling with my boyfriend for the next few weeks. We met on the Ice and this will be a test of our relationship, living and traveling together. We will part ways at the end of the month and go to our respective homes then we will report to work at opposite ends of the country. I will be back in the Florida Keys scuba diving and he will be in Alaska working on a trail crew. If all works out I will visit him in May and then we will work together back on the Ice for summer 2012-2013.

I have dreams about working a winter in Antarctica and also visiting the South Pole, which I didn’t get a chance to do this year. Maybe one day this will happen but if not I am content with my time on that harsh continent.

We were just told we are about an hour away from landing. I have my customs card filled out and my ECW gear packed in my orange bag. I am so excited to see darkness and smell fresh organic things! It will be a strange adjustment back into the real world from our Antarctic snow globe. Please bear with me as I adjust back and realize that I might need some space. I haven’t driven a car, gone grocery shopping, went to the movies, gotten a hair cut, played with a dog, etc since I left Vermont back in September.

I am thrilled to have had this Antarctic experience and hopeful that I will be able to go back.