the last week

Last week Sunday (the day that never was for me), I was on a plane from Los Angeles to Auckland. This week, I am in Antarctica and had my first Sunday morning brunch; Belgian waffles, cheese platters, pastries, cinnamon rolls, and the rest of the breakfast menu (except the fruit this morning, as we did not receive any "freshies" pallets on the cargo flights from New Zealand this week) are out from 10:00 to 13:00. After sitting and enjoying the leisurely morning with my coffee and food, I participated in the Protestant worship service in our small chapel. It was a nice reminder that (like the Ben Harper song), as ugly as we are to the world on the outside, we still have things to share with our community and we can still have Diamonds on the Inside. Even in the remote areas of the world, we are part of a much bigger Christian community than our small corner of an island in Antarctica.

I have been busy the past few days. I arrived on Wednesday, worked three 10 hour days learning a new (but very antiquated) software program and the other tasks my new job as Air Services Representative encompasses. I will feel much better about the job once I grasp the program! My supervisor is Susie, a friend from last year who I really enjoy working with. I am looking forward to the season at work.

Since I am in the same department as the shuttles office (where I worked last year), I have received some vehicle refresher courses so I am qualified to drive for them if they need me. One of my trips included a flight transport in the big 67,000 pound Terra Bus. I never thought I'd drive the bus again, but found it to be much like riding a bike; even with a full load of 56 people on board from the flight.

Being out on the Sea Ice when the C-17 is landing is beyond understanding. These planes carry up to 100k payload (not including the weight of the plane itself) and are landing on 78 inches of ice (that's 6.5 feet) at the thinnest part near the beginning of the ice runway. The minimum ice depth for this aircraft is 72 inches. Since I can hardly figure out what holds this beast in the sky taking off out of New Zealand, it's beyond comprehension that we can take a landing on ice as well!

Another fun task I participate in as part of my job is giving crew tours to the C-17 crew when they have a little extra ground time. We pick them up from the plane, drive them to the store, allow them to take pictures with the "McMurdo Station, Antarctica" sign, and stamp their passports with the unofficial, but mostly legitimate, "Antarctica" date stamp. After our tour yesterday I felt like singing It's a Small World. One of the load planners on yesterday's tour grew up within 10 miles of me near Bellingham/Lynden, Washington. Another guy on the tour knew a high school friend, Greg, out of McChord AirForce Base. He took a picture with me to send back home. As the crew from the AirForce C-17 flights get very little ground time, being able to leave the plane and see the station is a big deal for them. Some may never fly back to Antarctica and there was a lot of excitement from this group of men and women.

Last night I ventured out of my dorm for a bit to check out the concerts at the Coffee House. Some of my friends were playing and after a week of flights in, it's great to see familiar faces, as well as some new ones. There was a lot of catching up to do and learning as well. Last night I was able to speak to a few NSF (National Science Foundation) grantees (the people the rest of us are down here to support) about their work. I even ran into a diver who will begin trips under the ice this coming week already!

The last couple of days the weather has been quite "Antarctic." When I arrived, I was looking forward to my nose hairs freezing when I got of the plane and it didn't happen, but the last three days, my whole nose has nearly froze walking from building to building. Yesterday, when the plane came in, we had a -51F windchill. It is drier than last year around here, too. My nose has been so dry that it prevents me from sleeping at times. But, such is life down here.

I have a lot more to post than I may ever get to, so keep your eyes open. I have to adjust to our network and computer access here yet, as well.