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| The cozy coffee house I get all to myself working the night shift |
Hello!!!
So, a few days before Halloween I transitioned to the night shift. I know, I know. If you read my blog last season you would have read that there was no way I was going back to nights. But, with 18 new shuttlers and only 8 returnees, it was highly encouraged that I do a round of nights. To make life easier in the dorm room living I opted to go onto nights when my roommate did. So, here I am at 0430 a.m, sitting in the coffee house, writing in my blog. Surprisingly, I love nights this season! Its a lot easier to be living with someone on the same schedule. And I've really grown to appreciate the peacefulness working in the middle of night. Not to mention how beautiful Antarctica is when the sun is set low in the mountains.
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| view from the mirror while driving.. Stunning |
Anyways... being on the night shift I've really had time to reflect on where the heck I actually am spending the next few months of my life. And one thing that I have come to conclude is that living life down here at McMurdo Station, is equivalent to what I think it would be like to be living in a snow globe. Its really a strange feeling. If you really think about it, we as employees, are working our arses off, on strict routine schedules, to support some incredible science, as the rest of the world sits back with their feet up, watching, admiring, and maybe even criticizing what we are doing in such a remote place of the world. Or, to me, it feels like they are watching. When I really try to pretend I am one looking down, watching into the snowglobe it makes me laugh. I see people waking up at the same time, walking to the galley (or maybe to the gerbil gym if they are feeling ambitious) for breakfast only to wait in the same egg line, then climbing one of the few hills (if they are lucky to have a job outside of 155) to work. With most jobs working the six days a week, from 0730-1730, I hear this imaginary whistle going off once the clock strikes 1730 and see everyone leaving their little work caves, looking like little red toothpicks from above because of "big red", walking back down to the galley for dinner. And lets not forget midmorning break, lunch, and midafternoon breaks. Then, when Saturday night comes, everyone, all at once, forgets their stresses of this monotonous routine and lets loose for a crazy night of fun. When I say fun, that somehow incorporates some type of themed party somewhere on station, that recommends some type of crazy costume be worn. But, somehow it all works. Somehow, this life in this little snowglobe, at the bottom of the world turns out to be one of the greatest experiences one could ever have. And once you are down here its hard to imagine your life otherwise, without having made the insane decision to come down here in the first place. Oh, and I should add, it really feels like you are living in a snow globe even more when the wind is out of control, making buildings and flags on the snow roads barely visible due to so much flying snow. I can just imagine someone shaking the snow globe, with an evil laugh, watching as we bundle up to go outside, almost tripping over our feet because the wind is so strong it literally moves our feet in mid stride :) So, if you have never thought about what it would be like to live in a snow globe maybe this gave you some insight.
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One of those crazy, windy days leaving us with a con
1 &2 that pretty much closed station for
a few days |
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My roommate and I trying to be dangerous/crazy
by embracing the con 1 & 2 (notice the wind blowing off my hat) |
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| My roommate and I |
On a different note, Halloween this year was probably the funnest Halloween I've ever had in my whole life. If you did not know, Halloween is pretty big down here in Mactown. The party is actually hosted by the ATO department (Antarctic Transport Operations), the department I work in. The big gym is completely decorated, equiped with a make-shift bar and a d.j. I went as a red crayon and my roommate went as the Oregon Trail. Its safe to say that I danced for a good 4 hours straight. In my opinion, nothing is more thereputic, then a good night of completely letting go and dancing your stresses away :) You should also know that that night was probably the coldest I have ever been in my life. See, I was convinced that wearing a coat to the party would ruin the effect of the red crayon costume. So, I opted to go bare arms the whole 3 minute walk to the gym. Well, the walk there was bareable, but after 4 1/2 hours the temperature might have a dropped a little. I would say it was about -10 to -20 on my walk home. I could pretty much feel my blood freezing. I mean, imagine leaving a hot, stuffy gym after dancing for 4 hours and walking into -20 degree weather. You would have felt your blood freezing too. In my mind, I remember thinking I hope I don't colllapse walking up this hill. Thats the last time I leave home, in Antarctica, without a coat :)
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| Celebrating Halloween at the bottom of the world = Amazing! |
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Panoramic view of the Halloween party during the costume contest
 You might have also seen me mention the "obtube" via facebook. The obtube has been awesome this year! The obtube is a tube that is put in the ice that we are able to climb down into and view life under the ice. So far, I've been down twice and have witnessed schools of fish, jellyfish, and seals swimming around. Its fascinating to see these creatures in their natural habitat. And even cooler to hear them (the seals) communicate with eachother. Unfortunately, when I saw the seals it was too dark to capture any pictures
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Charlie, our little fish friend that stayed with
us for 1 1/2 hours while we sat in the tube |
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| view of the obtube from below the ice |
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Lisa observing a school a fish.... Literally thousands of tiny fish
surrounded the obtube |
Other than that, life in McMurdo has been pretty simple. Work, relax, socialize, laugh, workout, and hike. The good life if you ask me. I will leave you with a few photos from my latest hike on hut ridge loop trail. It was a perfect night, little to no wind, and about 12 degrees. That's super warm compared to what it has been. Take care! Much love from the bottom of the world :)
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| McMurdo and you can faintly see the Ice Runway on the right |
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| beautiful frozen shoreline of Ross Island |
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| taking a moment to really take in the beauty of the sea ice and the Royal Society Mountains |
Anyways... being on the night shift I've really had time to reflect on where the heck I actually am spending the next few months of my life. And one thing that I have come to conclude is that living life down here at McMurdo Station, is equivalent to what I think it would be like to be living in a snow globe. Its really a strange feeling. If you really think about it, we as employees, are working our arses off, on strict routine schedules, to support some incredible science, as the rest of the world sits back with their feet up, watching, admiring, and maybe even criticizing what we are doing in such a remote place of the world. Or, to me, it feels like they are watching. When I really try to pretend I am one looking down, watching into the snowglobe it makes me laugh. I see people waking up at the same time, walking to the galley (or maybe to the gerbil gym if they are feeling ambitious) for breakfast only to wait in the same egg line, then climbing one of the few hills (if they are lucky to have a job outside of 155) to work. With most jobs working the six days a week, from 0730-1730, I hear this imaginary whistle going off once the clock strikes 1730 and see everyone leaving their little work caves, looking like little red toothpicks from above because of "big red", walking back down to the galley for dinner. And lets not forget midmorning break, lunch, and midafternoon breaks. Then, when Saturday night comes, everyone, all at once, forgets their stresses of this monotonous routine and lets loose for a crazy night of fun. When I say fun, that somehow incorporates some type of themed party somewhere on station, that recommends some type of crazy costume be worn. But, somehow it all works. Somehow, this life in this little snowglobe, at the bottom of the world turns out to be one of the greatest experiences one could ever have. And once you are down here its hard to imagine your life otherwise, without having made the insane decision to come down here in the first place. Oh, and I should add, it really feels like you are living in a snow globe even more when the wind is out of control, making buildings and flags on the snow roads barely visible due to so much flying snow. I can just imagine someone shaking the snow globe, with an evil laugh, watching as we bundle up to go outside, almost tripping over our feet because the wind is so strong it literally moves our feet in mid stride :) So, if you have never thought about what it would be like to live in a snow globe maybe this gave you some insight. 
You might have also seen me mention the "obtube" via facebook. The obtube has been awesome this year! The obtube is a tube that is put in the ice that we are able to climb down into and view life under the ice. So far, I've been down twice and have witnessed schools of fish, jellyfish, and seals swimming around. Its fascinating to see these creatures in their natural habitat. And even cooler to hear them (the seals) communicate with eachother. Unfortunately, when I saw the seals it was too dark to capture any pictures 
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