End Of The Season

Well this will be my last post from Antarctica, as I leave tomorrow. This has definately been an oppertunity and experience of a life time. I have grown and learned a lot about myself since I have been here. I have had chances to do things that most people that come down here will never have. I have had the opertunity to work with many different departments on station and most of them several times. WIth all of these chances and more I have grown in my working environment and also on a personal level. I have had to learn to work with people that I may not see eye to eye with, this has been interesting to do, but I am definately working on it. Lately my schedule has been switched around and I have been working 12 hour shifts, these arent day shifts though, I have been working 12 hour night shifts. This was difficult, but still do able. It was amazing to see the different lifestyle of the night workers verses the day workers. The environment at night is much more relaxed and intimate. There are so many fewer night workers (aka: midrats or daysleepers) that everyone knows everyone.

After several delays the American Tern, the cargo vessel, and the Gianella, the fuel tanker, pulled in. We had several different ships come up into McMurdo Station, or our vacinity. The Krasin; a Russian Ice Breaker, the Klebnikv; sister ship to the Krasin a former Icebreaker now a cruise ship, The Nathanial B Palmier (aka: Natty B) is a research vessel associated with the NSF and the United States Antarctic Program, The American Tern; the Cargo ship with our next years supply of food, supplies, and equpiment, The Gianella; our Fuel tanker with 4 different fuels onboard, 3 delivered to our station and the 4th to refuel the Krasin, and Last but not least we had the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, The Polar Star down here for a few weeks. These ships all pulled into port, there were at least 2 other ships (cruise ships) that were unable to pull into port but flew their private helicopters and their passengers into station to see life in McMurdo.

For now I must say goodbye, I have to finish packing and cleaning. My flight leaves tomorrow at 1pm New Zealand time, for those of you wondering that is 4pm Pacific. I should be in Christchurch around 6pm, just in time for dinner. I look forward to posting more about everything going on down here and with my travels sooner than later. I also look forward to including some different pictures for you all to see.