boomerang!

So on Christmas ever our flight took off from Christchurch on a C-17. Everything was good and dandy until 4.5 hours into the flight they informed us that weather was about to come in and they wouldnt let us land. So we headed back to Christchurch. boo! they sad thing was that we could see Ross Island from the plane.



After 10 hours of flying everyone was pretty sour about not making it to the Ice. I was sad because I really wanted to attend MAAG (McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery), the VMF party and have dinner with my friends.

On Christmas I met up with some of the grantees from my flight and ate at a pub, it was a pretty good time.

Then at 2 am we had the first in a series of earthquakes! It woke me out of a dead sleep and when I looked out the window I could see the power going off across the city. I flew out of bed and ran down 24 flights of stairs. We had another at 2:30, 5:30 and 8 am. After the 8 am quake I asked the travel department if I could switch to a smaller hotel. I just didnt feel safe 24 flights up and frankly my calves were killing me from running down the stairs several times.


(Damage from the September earthquake)

Right when I got to my new hotel we had a big earthquake and for the rest of the evening had smaller quakes. It was very unsettling and since I was sick and congested my equilibrium was off and I kept feeling dizzy. I ended up spending the rest of the day with some geologists from my flight and they made me feel a lot better about the quakes. Our last one was at midnight.

Unfortunately for Christchurch the series of 30 quakes was epicentered right in town and the rapid succession of them did a lot more damage than the bigger September quake. Roofs fell in, windows shattered, chimneys collapsed and because of that they kept shutting down more and more sections of the city. I will say they response teams acted very quickly.

The next morning we went back to the CDC and boarded our flight, we brought 25,000 lbs of beer!


our flight was completely smooth and we saw such great views of the continent!

delay

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.

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

week 2

so going back a bit...Christchurch was pretty amazing.



seeing the southern alps in the distance reminded me of home which helped ease the stress of several long flights.



they have a little river there called avon and i really wanted to go punting, but i completely spaced it out. i will be doing it when i redeploy in feb/march. ill also do the lord of the rings tour, however dorky that may seem.



i live here now. it still amazes me every single day. this is the 'southern' tip of ross island, and island that is bigger than the last state i lived in (RI) and has upwards of 1,500 people and 500,000 penguins (no we do not eat them, nor will i likely see one).



tonight i will be visiting the kiwi base again, scott base, which is about 3.6 miles away if they lift condition 2*. they currently have 27 people on station and will max out at 350 during the summer. i went there last thursday for American night and had a blast. their gift shop hadnt be replenished, and kiwis are not as fat as Americans, so their sizes in clothing were small. im hoping to pick up some good swag while im there as well as kick some butt in darts. last week i beat my friend/employee kieffer in two games of cricket, and then on saturday at gallaghers (one of the McMurdo bars). although their station is small, its fairly new and pretty nice, plus they take credit cards and US money in the gift shop and at the bar. i love kiwis!

*the weather here has three conditions: condition 3 is normal antarctican weather (good visibility and low winds), condition 2 is pretty crappy (low visibility, pretty windy and -75 F to -99 F with the windchill and travel is restricted to only going from buildings within the station); condition 1 is horrible with almost no visibility, temps colder than -100 F and leaving any building is prohibited.