Less than a month

 As I look at the calendar I cannot believe that I have less than a month left here in Antarctica.  This experience has blown my expectations out of the water.  I have enjoyed it so much that I hope to be back next Austral Summer.  

Since my last email I have transitioned to working the night shift here at McMurdo.  I have never had the chance to work the night shift but is it really night when the sun is up 24 hours a day? (The next sunset is Feb. 20th).  There are only about 20 people on station who are working the night shift.  Some of them have been working together on nights since October.  They are a funny, tight knit group.  Our "lunches" which are at midnight are always a comical affair.  I have to honestly say that I do enjoy working the night shift.  It was a nice change at the end of season when things could have started to get monotonous.  I just sleep when everyone else is at work and get up when they get off.  I have a few hours of "play time" with friends before I have to go to work at 10pm.   

 As my time down here slowly is coming to a close it is nice to reflect on some things I have learned while down here...

 1) It is not as cold as I expected.  There were several days/weeks where I could go outside with a sweatshirt and tennis shoes

2) Antarctica is beautiful-the mountains, the ocean, the sunshine, the animals, the people...

3) I love running. I can run a marathon

4) I know I have said it many times: THE PEOPLE HERE ARE AMAZING

5) I like having time to try new things like swing dance, self-defense class and cross country skiing

6) I do enjoy working seasonal work.  The sense of change and new beginnings

7) There are a lot of things to do here-parties, hiking, classes, library, games, crafting

8) There are a large variety of jobs to be done down here: mechanics, janitorial, kitchen, supplies, shuttles, heavy equipment operator, electrician, cargo,  power plant, water treatment plant, fuels, safety, medical, field safety, science, divers, riggers....the is just a sampling.  

9)I learned a whole new way to speak down here specifically in acronyms.  

10) There is a real sense of community: everyone watches and cares for each other

-That is just a short list.  I am sure that as time goes on the list will get longer

The next few weeks the primary focus is finishing strong.  It can be hard working 6 days a week for almost 5 months straight.  I am trying my best to have a joyful and hardworking attitude to the very end-trying not to get influenced by those around me who are checked out and ready to leave.  I have promised myself lots of time for sleeping, napping and relaxing once I am back on Maui. 

I am scheduled to fly out on February 26th but that is all dependent on weather, airfield conditions, planes and crew.  We will have a couple days in Christchurch waiting for our Covid test results before being able to fly back to the States.  Ironically, the State of Hawaii does not recognize the New Zealand Government Covid test as a proper test to skip quarantine.  This means that I will either have to disembark in LA, get a covid test, wait for the results and then fly back to Maui or fly straight back to Maui and participate in the 10 days quarantine.  But as we all know this could change by the time I leave the continent.  What a year to travel across the world.      

 I hope you have enjoyed the stories and pictures from these adventures.  I have loved the correspondences I have received while down here.  There might be another email before I fly.  Thanks for reading and participating with me on this venture. 

 

Lot of Joy, Gillian