Back Again!

Well, most of you know that I made it back to the Ice for Round 2. And most of you probably already know that, while this is my first blog about it, I've been here for about 2 months now.

But let's let bygones be bygones, eh?

I got a job in the Waste Department this year-big promotion, from washing dishes to sorting trash! (No, but really, it IS a big promotion, and I'm about to tell you why). The Wasties (as we are known) are an awesome group-great team spirit, great management, lots of pranks and all around silliness. I know what you are thinking, "Aileen couldn't POSSIBLY fit in with a group of tricksters!" Well, I am here to tell you that I have left my serious and somber ways behind.

My season started way back in July with Hazmat training in Corpus Christi, TX. I went from working in Alaska all summer to what felt like the hottest place on earth. Hazmat training consisted of three days in the classroom (with the AC on so high we all thought we were going through some type of cryogenic freezing process), and three days outside where we were either on dinghies learning how to clean up oil spills in the water, or in Hazmat suits, learning how to clean up chemical spills and sweating to death in the process.

I had a GREAT time! I got to meet everyone on the team, stay in a hotel for free (baCHING!) and warm up after my long, cold summer up north. Not to mention how much my brain grew with all the new information I got to absorb :)

Then October 6th I made it down here. Unlike last year we were only delayed one day in Christchurch, NZ. But one day is good enough for me! We arrived midday, and after some housing snafoos (I was put in the tiniest room imaginable...seriously, take the worst college dorm you ever saw, and make it half as small, and then stick a bunkbed in there...with a man! GASP!) I got it taken care of right quick, using my charm and intellect, and the fact that men and women don't get housed together, and am now living with three wonderful ladies.

It's been a good season so far...GREAT in fact! And I intend to write more often than last year, and way more often then this season leading up to now. Hold your breath! I may surprise you :)

Voted Off the Island

Well, maybe not really voted off, but whichever way you look at it, I am outta here!

My flight was supposed to leave today but was canceled due to weather. I am in a state of limbo right now because we had "bag drag" yesterday, meaning all of our checked luggage was taken out to the arifield already. So I have about two more pairs of underwear and zero clean shirts. But I am expected to work if my flight does not go (I worked today). So basically it's up in the morning, check the flight, check the flight, check the flight, and the final answer could mean "get out of here!" or it could mean "get to work!" It's an odd situation, but I am dealing with it just fine.

So now it's on to new adventures. Working in a ceramics studio in New Zealand? Bungee jumping? Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef? Black water rafting? (the same as white water except it's on underground rivers...too cool). Summer job in Alaska? All of these things are possibilities on the horizon. And of course, I will keep you all updated as much as I can :)

I summed up what I did down here in my head the other day and was surprised that I could have possibily done it all on the harshest, least inhabitable piece of land in the world. Here it is, maybe you will be surprised, too, and maybe you will join me next time!

I...
played in an indoor soccer league
played on a dodgeball team
took belly dancing lessons
did zumba
guested dj-ed on the radio
took boxing lessons
took a photography class
read my poetry at an open mic night
saw penguins (Emperor and Adeli)
saw so many seals (including a pup with it's mother!)
saw the inside of ice caves in a glacier that haven't formed in the last several years
saw pressure ridges where two ice shelves collide
lived in close proximity to Mt. Erebus, an active volcano (one of three in the world with an open caldera. That means that the top of the volcano isn't crusted over, but is a bubbly pit of lava. It's the kind of volcano that was common in prehistoric times, and featured in such dinosaur movies at The Land Before Time. It is good because without a hard shell formed over it, a massive and violent explosion ala Mt. St. Helen's is impossible).
saw 24 hours of daylight every single day
shaved my head
wore flip flops outside almost every single day
dressed up like an anime character for Freezing Man
saw so much live music
danced my face off 5 nights a week (hyperbole...but still!)
washed the pots and dishes it took to feed roughly 1000 people twice a day
saw an impromptu haka at 2 am (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haka)
ate food made with ingredients almost universally expired...but still tasty!
took a sauna and cooled off in the Antarctic wind in just shorts and a tank top
had my first facial
jumped for joy at the sight of the moon
met some of the most interesting, creative and eccentric people I have ever met

So that's it. And it's pretty good.

The Moon!

Just went outside and I saw the MOON! It's still daylight out 24 hours a day, but the quality of light is changing, and nighttime feels like nighttime. And the moon is finally out!

I don't know if I am conveying the right feeling about this...but it's so exciting! 3 days!

Whales!

There are whales in the bay!!! I just went out and saw them spraying water up through their blowholes! They didn't come to the surface enough for me to actually see them, but people saw flippers and stuff earlier today. The bay is about 1/4 open water at this point, and the whales are all hanging out just beyond the open water where there is still ice but its all broken up. Too cool!

Here are some pics :)

This is the view from my dorm (that's Mt. Discovery in the distance). Town itself isn't too pretty, but the view over the bay is incredible!



Closer up of Mt. Discovery.






More mountains across the bay-I think this looks like something out of a fairy tale.



Me with penguins! Emperor penguins!

Calm down, this post is not about penguins! (well, maybe it is, but mostly it isn't!)

Here's a little summary of general things that have been going on, as opposed to awesome seal/penguin/holiday super hero adventure stories.

I keep saying that things here are busy busy busy, and here is what they are busy with:

I've joined a dodgeball team. The team is strictly galley (kitchen) staff. I've found that I am quite nimble, but am not good at throwing the ball. We've all decided that I should be a sneaky assasin catcher (for those who don't know, in dodgeball you split the court in half. Each team has to stay on their own side, you get out if 1) the ball hits you or 2) someone catches the ball you threw. Therefore, you have to be nimble and either a good thrower or a good catcher). I've only taken one ball to the face, but its a soft ball, so it's all good. We are in first place right now and going into the championship tournament, so send good thoughts our way :)

I have also been playing indoor soccer. There was a league going on when I first got here, but all the teams were full, so I was a roaming sub. Now its open soccer every Friday, so you just show up and play. Its interesting, because we play on a basketball court, which is smaller and more slippery than a normal indoor soccer court. Here, too, I've only taken one ball to the face. Soccer balls are rather hard though, and it was kicked very forcefully. Don't worry though! My face is A-Ok, and it shouldn't effect that modeling contract I have with Gucci next summer. (For those who witnessed my ball-to-the-face outdoor Denver soccer move, this was totally wimpy).

I am taking Zumba, which is a type of dance aerobics with latin dance moves. The morning classes are usually full of the Kiwi army guys. They always make up in enthusiasm what they lack in rhythm, and the class is super fun. I just starting boxing lessons with one of the cooks and a photography class with one of the janos (janitors). I plan on coming home a Raging Bull type wedding photographer who can break it down on the dance floor when the entertainment needs a little rejuvenation. I'll have to charge double for the service.

I also just started belly dancing classes! It feels ridiculous, but we get to wear these jangly noise making belts, so thats a lot of fun! And, as of a few days ago, I am certified to use the indoor climbing wall. I thought there would be nothing to do here, but I don't think I could possibly do everything available!

I try to volunteer in other departments when I can. Its good for networking, seeing what other jobs I might like if I come back another season, and giving my heart that warm, fuzzy feeling.

And, of course, I try to get out of town whenever I can. (Here is the part where I write about penguins, even though I said I wouldn't). I got out twice recently and saw penguins both times! The first time I saw Emperors again. They were molting (shedding their feathers and growing new ones). When they do that they go far inland and stand basically still for about ten days. We couldn't get to close to them, and they just looked like statues. Still very pretty. The second time I wasn't that far from home, just a 15 minute walk to the edge of town, and I saw Adeli penguins! They are smaller than Emperors, and much more playful. They were all sleeping when we got there, but woke up when they heard us and started walking towards us! There was a large crack in the ice so they had to stop about 20 feet away, but they weren't scared at all! It was pretty amazing.

The sound is still mostly ice right now, but the ice breaker has been coming in every day, breaking up all the ice. The vessel that brings in supplies for winter is due in about two weeks, and when all the ice is gone and the boat comes in there will be much more wildlife in town. People have been talking about the possibility of whales coming in! I'm going to go out every chance I get to look.

There's only three weeks left, and I feel like I still have a lot to do. Time has just flown by! I guess that means I really am having fun :)

Icestock/Freezing Man

January is high summer down here, and as summer is the season for festivals the world round, McMurdians did not want to miss out! Enter Icestock and Freezing Man!

For those in the know, both names sounds familiar. But let me enlighten you, just in case. Icestock is, of course, the Antarctic version of Woodstock (oh yeah, that one!). Freezing Man might be a little more obscure. Every summer in the high desert of Arizona there is a music/free spirit festival called Burning Man. There they burn a giant effigy of a man, dress in wild costumes and listen to live music. Here at McMurdo, we froze a slightly smaller effigy of a man, dressed in wild costumes, and watched dances performances, as well as danced ourselves.

Icestock was on January 2nd (the day that the station celebrated the New year). Since everyone was at the show instead of stuffing their faces in the kitchen, we galley folk had very little work to do and got a few hours off to go see things! It was held outdoors and the weather was beautiful! There were people in costume, face-painters (I got my bald head painted), people selling wares they had made, and of course, a large stage from which many musicians played. After the outdoor part of the festival was over (about 7:00 pm) things moved into the bars, with acoustic and electric shows, depending on where one went.

Freezing Man was two days ago! It was held inside the "Big Gym" (not as big as you think...about the size of a basketball court-no bleachers). It was lit by black light, and even more people were in costume for this one! There were a few stage performances, including belly dancing, a play, and some badass break dancing (done by my roomie).

So! It may be cold here, it may be isolated, there may only be 1000 of us here! But we still like to celebrate the summer season just like everyone else :)



From Freezing Man.