The Adventure Begins..

 Aloha from San Fransisco,  

I am here waiting for our departure to New Zealand on Wednesday night.  There are currently 212 people who are apart of my cohort in this hotel enjoying a couple days of virtual training and room service.  The first day we got here everyone traveling had to get a Covid test.  A negative result was the only way one could get on the plane to New Zealand.  Luckily, we found out yesterday that everyone in our cohort tested negative for Covid.  Everyone is breathing a lot easier today with that burden lifted from their shoulders. 

I know a bunch of you are probably asking why is Gillian going to Antartica? Why is she leaving sunny Hawaii for the coldest and driest desert on the planet?  Well it all started about last fall.  I started getting the feeling that it was time for me to move on and start finding something new.  I had been working and living in Maui for 5 years.  I had gotten as far up in my job as I wanted to go.  I knew there was more that God wanted me to do.  More challenges for me to conquer. 

Even though I was ready for a change I really did not have a clue of what I wanted to do next.  I knew I had to wait for God’s guidance.  He didn’t tell me anything for quite a few months.  But I know from previous experience God grows you a lot during the waiting period, He is preparing you for what is next. Then during walk on a beach in January I hear the word “September”…that was it, nothing more. Not much to go on therefore I got to do some more waiting.  My favorite!   

One day I was talking to a friend who is in the military.  He was talking about how he went down to Antartica for work.  I made a joke wondering if civilians could work in Antartica.  I was under assumption that only military personal and scientist ventured that far south.  He said that there were tons of civilians working down there.  He told me where to apply for the jobs. I applied for many.  I figured if God wanted me down south He would open the door.  I didn’t hear anything for 5 months (waiting is a big theme this year :).  Then I got a call asking for an interview and within a week I had a job.  

What is even more amazing is that I applied for the jobs before Covid was really an issue in North America.  For those of you who don’t know but Hawaii was hit very hard when Covid became more prevalent in the USA.  Tourism shut down at the end of March of 2020.  With there being no tourist on Maui about 50% of the local population went out of work.  I was one of those who lost their job.  It was an interesting experience seeing the hotels empty, restaurants bare and beaches vacated.  

Since I was out of work on Maui it is very easy to say yes to the job in Antartica.  I was excited to go to a place I have always wanted to go and to get a job in the middle of the Covid recession.  I love seeing God provide even during a global pandemic. Miracles can happen.
Now you are probably asking “what the heck is Gillian doing down there?”  Swimming with seals? I wish. Counting Penguins? Nope. Captaining a Ship? Not in those Seas.  I am heading down to Antartica to work on McMurdo Station as a janitor by day and work in the bar by night.  When you start working in Antartica you start on the bottom.  Furthermore, this is just another way for me to learn that life long lesson of humility.  But it is lucky that I did get a job as a janitor because due to Covid the only people going down to the continent this year are “essential jobs.”  Everyone who is going down is necessary to maintain the base, help it recover from any damages that happened in the winter and get it ready for the next.  I have engineers, safety trainers, nurse, chefs, electricians, welders, construction, mechanics, large vehicle operators etc. all in my cohort.  Lots of variety and everyone is necessary for the base to run.  

One thing is for sure I have a great respect for the NSF (National Science Foundation) and ASP (Antartica Science Program).  In all the meetings we have been having they keep on saying that this year is like no other.  

What an interesting year to be going to Antartica for the first time…

Next stop New Zealand and 14 days of managed isolation…more details to come next week. 

Lots of Joy,  Gillian