Lucky, Lucky, Lucky…
Yep, forgot about all you ‘foreigners’. 🙂 And yes, we do have one Brit, and at least 4-5 kiwis around this winter. My bad. Could be that I just don’t think of you all as being any different than the rest of us… 🙂
It has been a great (and mild) winter. No medevacs, no fights, no problems. Pretty banal. Surprising with our large population this season, but everyone seems to be playing well with one another.
Yes, Holly is a fantastic, and lovely person, but she’s not the baker this winter. That title falls to Michelle. She is the evil-incarnate temptress whose only desire is to keep us fattened up for slaughter…
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha (said in Jan Brady’s piercing voice)…
No, I won’t be here when you arrive. I’m leaving at Winfly. BUT…I’ll be back on October 10th, for the summer! Won’t be doing next winter. So sorry. Don’t know about the winter after… Hmmm…
Thank you for the ‘real man’ comment, too. I do my best. Trying…not…to…eat…quiche…
Kelli, Kelli, Kelli…
We have three food warehouses – dry, canned/bottled/liquid, and frozen. The frozen is by far the largest of the three. The stock comes in by ship, in February, and lasts us (more/less) for an entire year. For being free, it’s quite decent, and you may have as much of it as you want. No rationing…
And I knew the questions about housing would come eventually. It’s fairly complicated to explain to someone whose never been down here before, but here goes –
Envision three different types of accomodations: 1) 3-4 people to a room, with a communal bath/shower; 2) 2 people to a room, with a communal bath/shower; and 3) 2 people to a room, with a semi-private bath/shower shared by two rooms.
Number 1 describes the berthing in Bldg. 155, which is where a number of offices, and the Galley is located. Before you balk at 3-4 people sleeping in the same room, I’ll realate my experience of being assigned to a 6-pack in 155 my first year down. Very high population that year, and we were all packed-in like sardines. No tears for you, here. Sorry…
Number 2 describes the Lower Case dorms. Definitely a step-up from 155. The communal baths will have individual toliet, and shower stalls. No prison-like scenes here.
Number 3 is the Upper Case dorms. Two rooms, four people, share a common toliet/shower. There is also a sink/vanity in each room for even more convenience.
Some people like to live in particular buildings, like Hotel Cal, or MMI, or the 210/211 dorms. I tend to be partial to the Upper Case dorms. And in the long-range plans for McMurdo, there’s talk of going to individual rooms, like Pole has. The rooms would be smaller, but infinitely more private. Should happen in about 20 years, or so… 🙂
Oh, and all the dorms are co-ed (but with individual men’s/women’s bathrooms). You’ll be assigned a roommate of the same gender, unless you specifically request someone. Marsha, Marsha, Marsha was in housing, and she could enlighten you on the nuances of that department. 😉
Funny tasting water? Nope. We only get the freshest sea water! Of course, it goes through reverse-osmosis first.
Cold all the time? Nope. In the summer, once the temps are in the positive digits, I hang-up Big Red for the season, and wear my Lands’ End Squall Jacket (and thin gloves). Even this winter, anything above -20 is quite tolerable, especially with no wind. Once you’re acclimated, you’ll see.
Snow monsters? Only the ones some people create in their own minds.
Evil penguins? Not on your life. Never met an Adelie I didn’t like. 🙂
So many questions, K3. Come on down, and experience it for yourself. You’ve already made a number of friends here.
Also, read the official NSF Participant Guide. That should give you an idea of what life down here is like: http://www.polar.org/hq/Pguide04_04/index.htm
Till later…
Cheers.
a