Arrival in Antarctica
On October 6, 2020 at 2pm a C-17 Military Aircraft landed on Phoenix Air Field in Antarctica. There were 106 of us on the flight. Majority Americans but about 20 Kiwis that were heading to the New Zealand Base. About 30 minutes before landing the pilot told us to put on our layers before they started their approach. There was a scramble of people putting on layers, gloves, hats and big red coats. That was when all of us newbies started feeling our hearts pounding and wondering what have we got ourselves into.
Once we had landed we were eager to exit because we had been baking in our layers for the past 30 mins. I was expecting to have my breath taken away once I got off the plane but it was a warm day in Antarctica (-14 degrees C or 6 degree F) and no wind chill. The runway is on an ice shield-no runway with lights. Once you walk off the plane you scramble into a shuttle van that drives you into McMurdo Station which is about 45 minutes away. We were able to see lots of snow, ice and some of the mountains on our commute to our new home.
Once on base we were given our room keys and began the process of finding our way around “ Mactown”. The buildings can only be told apart by their numbers near their entrances. A lot of them look the same being surrounded by snow and painted the same color. My room is situated in the big blue building called 155. It is nice being in this building because it is the same one that has the cafeteria and a lot of the inner workings of the Station. I do not have to layer up to go to breakfast in the morning! I have been blessed with getting a room to myself which is the same size as my last studio apartment. The room I am situated in usually houses 4 people but thanks to the reduced numbers due to Covid everyone on base gets their own room which is completely unheard of here. In a usual season there are rooms with 6-8 people in them because they are just trying to fit soo many people on base.
Our work days start at 7:30am with our morning meeting. We discuss what the day looks like and answer a question just to get to know each other better. At McMurdo the janitors are referred to as “Janos”; most jobs have nicknames which are only used on Station. Then we are off and running for a couple of hours. Mid-morning we have a stretch break followed by a coffee break. Injuries happen very easily here and recovery is very slow due to climate therefore procedures have been put into place to prevent injuries as much as possible. After our morning break we work until lunch where I have an hour long lunch break which I haven’t had in 6 years-it is a nice treat to be able to sit down and enjoy my food. After lunch we have another meeting just to go over what is to be done with our afternoon just in case things have changed from the morning. In the middle of the afternoon we have another stretch and coffee break. Then get off work at 5:30. We work 6 days a week Monday-Saturday.
It is nice being a jano because our job takes us all over the Station. It is helping me get familiar with the town layout. We get to pop outside often enough to enjoy the great outdoors but we don’t spend hours getting cold. We do everything from clean the public bathrooms, public spaces, lounges, work centers, de-winterize dorms, pick up laundry, move furniture… the list goes on. There is a nice variety in the job. But I can honestly say that the first couple of days I was tired because there was a lot of information coming my way. Trying to comprehend a new job, new housing situation and new climate is a lot of work.
As I was explaining to someone this morning I am still giddy and excited every morning. It is great to be playing in snow again. Everyone is very nice and helpful. Furthermore I am enjoying the learning process.
Lot of Joy, Gillian
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