i arrived in christchurch two days ago and boy was it warm! it was a nice surprise since florida had been having some unusually VERY cold weather. unfortunately i forgot that new zealand, like europe, doesnt really do air conditioning like america. it took me a while, but it got my hotel room nice and frigid!
wednesday i went to pick up my ECW and travel funds. its so nice being a returnee and knowing what you are doing. last year i was so freaked out and had no idea what to do and ended up getting a bunch of clothing that was the wrong size.
afterwords i went out to dinner at my favorite place, annies wine bar. it was so delicious! i sat outside, there was a nice breeze and there were some children playing in the courtyard. then i realized i wont see any children (age wise) for 3 months or more!
this morning i was supposed to get the airport shuttle at 5:45 am, but the hotel rang at 4 am and said we were weather delayed for 3 hours. then at 7:30 they rang again to say we were delayed 24 hours.
i am crossing everything, including my buttcheeks that we get there tomorrow. i would really rather not spend xmas in cheech, especially since i seem to be coming down with something.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
off i go!
so after 10 months of not working i was finally able to secure a primary contract to work in antarctica again. i applied for just about every job i could, but i did it one at a time and that really isnt the best way to go. this go around i am going to be a general assistant (GA) for the vehicle maintenance facility (VMF or heavy shop). i have several friends that currently or recently worked in the VMF and they really liked it and i fell i will as well. i know some people have wondered about why i would go outside of my career field and its pretty simple... i love antarctica.
its a wild, crazy, beautiful place that is indescribable to anyone who hasn't been there. the way of life either suits you or ruins you. many develop life long friendships both on and off the ice. sure, its cold but i like that. yes, there are no trees but the beauty there is indescribable. the only thing you can really smell is dirt, diesel, and body odor though i didnt really think about that. for the summer season the sun is out 24/7 but i dont mind that. actually i prefer it because light helps me wake up in the morning. no, you cant really leave during the summer unless you quit, get fired or have a medical emergency. everything is free unless you go to the store or the bars, but everything is cheap enough. there is plenty to do with the bars, gyms, hiking, library, dvd rental and the unending activities the recreation department coordinates. the phones and internet suck. you have to live with other people, which could be a crapshoot if you dont request a specific roomie, but it gives you a chance to meet new people and at the very least you can learn how to handle difficult situations. if you play your cards right and save your money you can travel between seasons. and it is for all of those reasons and more that i love it.
SO... tomorrow, 12/19 at 2pm i take off. i fly from orlando to dallas, LA, auckland and then arrive in christchurch at 2pm on the 21st. when i get to cheech i have the afternoon to myself. the next day i will go to the clothing distribution center (CDC) to get my extreme cold weather gear (ECW), get my laptop checked and pick up travel funds. on the 23rd i am scheduled for the military flight to the ice. i hope i make that flight because if not i could very well spend christmas alone in a foreign country.
anywho, i need to finish packing now...
please feel free to send me notes, Cinnamon Life, Fruity Pebbles, Sahale Snacks, Cholula, Jalapeño Tabasco, wacky postcards and love before February 1. keep in mind it takes three forevers for stuff to arrive.
His Imperial Majesty, Grand Poobah Zachary Hedden Esquire
McMurdo Station
PSC 469 Box 700
APO, AP 96599-1035
its a wild, crazy, beautiful place that is indescribable to anyone who hasn't been there. the way of life either suits you or ruins you. many develop life long friendships both on and off the ice. sure, its cold but i like that. yes, there are no trees but the beauty there is indescribable. the only thing you can really smell is dirt, diesel, and body odor though i didnt really think about that. for the summer season the sun is out 24/7 but i dont mind that. actually i prefer it because light helps me wake up in the morning. no, you cant really leave during the summer unless you quit, get fired or have a medical emergency. everything is free unless you go to the store or the bars, but everything is cheap enough. there is plenty to do with the bars, gyms, hiking, library, dvd rental and the unending activities the recreation department coordinates. the phones and internet suck. you have to live with other people, which could be a crapshoot if you dont request a specific roomie, but it gives you a chance to meet new people and at the very least you can learn how to handle difficult situations. if you play your cards right and save your money you can travel between seasons. and it is for all of those reasons and more that i love it.
SO... tomorrow, 12/19 at 2pm i take off. i fly from orlando to dallas, LA, auckland and then arrive in christchurch at 2pm on the 21st. when i get to cheech i have the afternoon to myself. the next day i will go to the clothing distribution center (CDC) to get my extreme cold weather gear (ECW), get my laptop checked and pick up travel funds. on the 23rd i am scheduled for the military flight to the ice. i hope i make that flight because if not i could very well spend christmas alone in a foreign country.
anywho, i need to finish packing now...
please feel free to send me notes, Cinnamon Life, Fruity Pebbles, Sahale Snacks, Cholula, Jalapeño Tabasco, wacky postcards and love before February 1. keep in mind it takes three forevers for stuff to arrive.
His Imperial Majesty, Grand Poobah Zachary Hedden Esquire
McMurdo Station
PSC 469 Box 700
APO, AP 96599-1035
Saturday, January 16, 2010
De plane!
Finally after several months of not being able to blog I am finally able to, although it took me several hours to upload these photos.
This collection is of the runway facility, particularly the Sea Ice Runway. We are no longer using this runway and have moved to the Pegasus White Ice Runway/Skiway. The only difference is the ice... White ice is the multi-year ice that is part of the permanent ice shelf, so the Sea Ice runway would melt every year. This year they decided that they are going to make Pegasus a permanent facility to save money. The large orange building is the galley and the morgue. Yes, the morgue. The first picture is where they would wash the bodies. Luckily people don't die very often down here.
Every so often I work out at the runway facility where we serve all four meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and MidRats). We have to take the Lunch Box out there, which is basically a U-Haul type of truck. Because the ice is getting rough and melty we have installed Mattracks on the truck, so now it's wheels look like a tank! Unfortunately the Mattracks are not fun to drive with and we have to go super slow. Pegasus is about 14 miles from Mac Town, and it takes us about 1-1.5 hours to get there; therefore one meal requires up to three hours of driving. Sometimes it feels fruitless when you serve only 10 people for midrats, but we have contracts that require us to be there to feed the people. Sometime within the next 5 years the galley will be a permanent facility where we can prepare food on-site. Right now we transport the food back and forth bewteen the Mac Town galley.
The people we feed at the runway are Fleet Ops, who groom to runway and the road to the runway; Mac Ops and SOPP who are in charge of the weather station, dispatch and flight controls; the Fire station who are required to be there if there are planes on the field; Cargo, who unload and load the planes; the Air Force/Guard who fly the planes to New Zealand and back, AGE who supply the Air Guard and KBA with the means to fix and maintain the planes; Ken Borek Air, who fly some of the planes around the continent; and often other departments like Fuels and Shuttles.
This collection is of the runway facility, particularly the Sea Ice Runway. We are no longer using this runway and have moved to the Pegasus White Ice Runway/Skiway. The only difference is the ice... White ice is the multi-year ice that is part of the permanent ice shelf, so the Sea Ice runway would melt every year. This year they decided that they are going to make Pegasus a permanent facility to save money. The large orange building is the galley and the morgue. Yes, the morgue. The first picture is where they would wash the bodies. Luckily people don't die very often down here.
Every so often I work out at the runway facility where we serve all four meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and MidRats). We have to take the Lunch Box out there, which is basically a U-Haul type of truck. Because the ice is getting rough and melty we have installed Mattracks on the truck, so now it's wheels look like a tank! Unfortunately the Mattracks are not fun to drive with and we have to go super slow. Pegasus is about 14 miles from Mac Town, and it takes us about 1-1.5 hours to get there; therefore one meal requires up to three hours of driving. Sometimes it feels fruitless when you serve only 10 people for midrats, but we have contracts that require us to be there to feed the people. Sometime within the next 5 years the galley will be a permanent facility where we can prepare food on-site. Right now we transport the food back and forth bewteen the Mac Town galley.
The people we feed at the runway are Fleet Ops, who groom to runway and the road to the runway; Mac Ops and SOPP who are in charge of the weather station, dispatch and flight controls; the Fire station who are required to be there if there are planes on the field; Cargo, who unload and load the planes; the Air Force/Guard who fly the planes to New Zealand and back, AGE who supply the Air Guard and KBA with the means to fix and maintain the planes; Ken Borek Air, who fly some of the planes around the continent; and often other departments like Fuels and Shuttles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)