Understanding The Job Part 1 The Galley

“I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.”
― Herman Melville

Currently I am employed as a "Steward" here on The Ice. What that entails is a dual position job consisting of a Dining Attendant (D.A.) and a Janitor (Jano).

The life of a Dining Attendant in McMurdo Station is a wondrous thing. It has similarities to that of normal restaurant work but with numerous differences. For one, we conduct under the classic "Mess Hall" procedure where people can help themselves to the available food (so long as we have enough). D.A.s work in the Galley, a beloved part of everyone's life here on the ice.

The Galley:
In Building 155 there are many useful things to find within these hallways. There's H.R., Housing, the store, the recreation board, but most importantly there's the Galley. This is where we all get to eat, hang out, and for some of us, work.

When walking through the hallway and following the aroma of the finest dining, you will reach a trophy case on your right containing numerous interesting scientific objects and pictures. Once at the end of this hallway the room opens into the main part of the Galley. Immediately on your right you can pick up your tray and a plate for today's meal. Just on the other side of these trays you will find the entrance to the Dish Room. This is a strange land where food is magically removed from dishes and given back to the community for reuse. There's usually a lot of singing and dancing coming from this room and is a place where you can either get a friendly smile or a stern look followed by a half growled, "Excuse me."

On the other side of the room, however, you can see something that will truly make you happy. There are two stations where hot food is served and "The Action Station" where cooks have prepared a special something for all of us to enjoy. Here, people will line up single file around the side of the Galley. If you are waiting in line and look to the right you will see Bakery Island. This is where you can find fresh baked bread for dinner but most importantly, where you can find dessert. The desserts are, quite literally, something to write home about. There are smoothies, cakes, pies, and many other exotic kinds of goodies to be had depending on the theme of lunch or dinner.

Once you pass Bakery Island you will see the entrance to the Dining Room. There are two levels to this area. There is the lower part which is known as the "Republican Section" where you will find more of the older crowd consisting of many people who have seasoned multiple times. There isn't a name for the rest of the Galley dining room. When looking for a place to sit, people might ask if you'd like to sit in the Galley or the Republican Section (which is a question that has never been asked by anyone who sits in the Galley).

Once you've finished with your meal you now head to Trash Alley. Here you can discard all of your remains into "Food Waste." Afterwards, on the adjacent wall, you have the dish window where you have to separate your dishes and silverware. There has been a large debate over this process but that's for a later tale.

Duties of the infamous Dining Attendant:

There are multiple shifts that are worked throughout the day by our Dining Attendants but I mostly have worked the PM shift so I'll walk you all through what that's like.

Our day starts at a prompt 10AM in the galley. There is a tasking sheet with the assignment for the day and is ALWAYS subjected to change at any moment. There are 4 different things that you can typically be tasked for.

Dish: This is where we get to man the dish machine known as Bertha. She is a large, old, sassy machine with many issues that are immediately apparent. She is an inanimate object with more personality than many people you'll find in the world (inanimate being a relative term that I have fought with myself back and forth and have decided that, "It's my blog; fuck it, I don't care if it's correct."). This is a duty that can be performed with 1-3 people at any given time. We take the cups, mugs, plates, bowls and silverware from the dish window, wash them off a bit and send them through Bertha for her to do her wondrous magic. On the far end of her conveyor belt, dishes emerge (most of the time) clean for the person on that end to "catch" and sort into it's proper area. This process is ALWAYS accompanied by loud music. The accompaniment of singing, dancing, and laughter is up to the discretion of the current D.A.s and volunteers.

Pots: This is within the same vein as Dish but drastically different. Behind the doors to the kitchen there is the "Pot Room."

"I don't even know why they call it that. I've looked everywhere and I can't find weed ANYWHERE."
-Brad Geer Winfly September 2012

When standing in the doorway, on the right, there is shelving with many different types of clean pots and pans. On the left side is the end of a bench where clean pots come out of our other washing machine known as Slim. He is a single compartment washing beast who is very seasoned but very reliable, unlike Bertha. On the other side of Slim you'll find three sinks for washing and rinsing our various pans. At the end of the sinks there is a bench that protrudes perpendicular to the rest of the washing area. This is the beginning of our system. Here, there is a hose that comes from above the person who is designated as, "The Sprayer."

This person is the one who gets things going; the person who controls the pace of the Pot Room which is very important. On either side of the sprayer there can be either a few pots and pans or an evil, unmanageable pile of shit. I've personally seen sheet and hotel pans inches away from the ceiling.

I stand at 6'2ish and have long extremities and have had trouble reaching the tops of these mountainous stacks. But once those piles have reached such heights things start piling on the ground; objects of all shapes and sizes that make life seem superfluous and unfulfilled. But with the help of your coworkers, some extra loud, pump-it up music, and a little time, you will soon see the floor and hope reappear.

Needless to say, this could be the funnest or the worst room to be in on station.

Line: This job can be very frustrating at first but will ease up as it is practiced. This person is responsible for refilling the various dishes in our two hot lines and our vegetarian line. The reason this can be frustrating is purely on the community as they cue up to fill their plates. When you're holding a 4" hotel pan with about 12 pounds of potatoes that are at roughly 175 degrees waiting for someone to move out of your way who is simply weighing whether or not they want to get another pork loin can be a little annoying (hah). But once you get the hang of the job you begin to adopt an attitude where it's more like, "You can either move or I'll make you move!"

Floor: This activity can be a cake walk or a frantic messed up situation. This person has many responsibilities, most of which just involve keeping things stocked. You can imagine that it would probably take a while for 14 liters of milk to run out. WRONG! Once we have the bulk of our community here they, for some inexplicable reason, like to come in herds. When a few hundred people come in at once and all need a fork, knife, and spoon then shit runs out fast! When we have the ability to serve salad you'll see a D.A. full-stride power-walking across the room to grab more salad containers throughout lunch or dinner (helpful tip: GET OUT OF THE WAY).

In between meal periods, D.A.s will go on their own designated breaks for food and stretch break where we keep loose and limber to avoid repetitive motion injuries (ideally). Beyond that we also clean up the mayhem that previously ensued. We'll restock napkins, wipe down tables, and vacuum the dining area. Clear the garbage out of trash alley, sweep and mop the floors, and do laundry. And somehow we'll also remove the food from the hot lines and other places around the galley to make it look presentable again.

Needless to say, the life of a D.A. can be very rewarding but can also make you hate people more than you should be allowed.

And then there's the life of a Jano which is drastically different...

First Events With A Familiar Face

“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.” -W.M. Lewis

Once we disembarked the vehicle night had somehow crept upon us and it was significantly darker than before but not all the way dark. We were let out at what is known as Derelict Junction which sits between the various dorm buildings and 155 which is the main building. We then were led to our science building known as Crary for our debriefing. Crary is a bright, welcoming, multi-level building (by that I mean 2 levels). We threw down our large jackets on any hook available and proceeded upstairs to a large room with a pedestal at the front of it. We were welcomed by the acting station manager and a few of the other people of importance and were given instructions on how the next few hours should be taken. It essentially meant that we had to pick up our room keys and then report to our supervisors. They, in turn, gave us a pocket books (known as a green brain due to it's color) with various notes and then instructed us to get some food and sleep because we would be working first thing in the morning.

Once we were released we walked outside to a pitch black view of the sky and went to the Galley for dinner with a few people, one of which was Camille and she showed us a few areas of interest on our way to dinner. Once we were fully fed and the nerves had calmed a bit we picked up our bed linens and went to the post office to pick up our bags to bring to our new rooms. My bags were heavy and stifling after our long journey but luckily there was a shuttle service to make the trip significantly shorter. Once I got out of the shuttle I was on my own. I walked slowly up the stairs to the third floor of building 206 with my mind escaping to an innumerable amount of places. I waddled down the hallway gawking at the room numbers wondering where mine would be. 316...317...319? Wait a minute! Where's my room? After a few more steps I realized it was the next down due to the odd arrangement of doors.

I opened the locked door expecting my roommate to be there waiting for me but was disappointed. Her things were arranged on one side of the room signifying that she had arrived yesterday. I then began to tear my bags open and arrange my set up to suit my needs. With the blankets on the bed, toiletries in their appropriate areas and clothes tucked away in the closet I sat for a moment and marveled at my current situation. In the last few days I have flown partway across America, flew across the Pacific Ocean to Australia, then to New Zealand for three days, landed in Antarctica and am now waiting to start work the next day. Talk about an action packed week!

In the few moments while I was considering all of this I heard a key jostle in lock of the door and in walked my roommate Sarah Leonetti!

The History of Tom and Sarah:

May 4th, 2012 Cinco de Mayo.

I met up with my friends Andy Christopfel and Jodi Birkofer at a bar in Denver to have a few celebratory drinks on behalf of our freed Mexican friends to the south. After a beer they told me that our friend Rocco Sucato would be arriving with a friend of his from Chicago. The two of them arrived shortly and this is the first occasion I shook hands with Sarah Leonetti. Conversation progressed as it will and at one point my friend Jodi asked how my Antarctic application was going and Rocco lit up before I had a chance to answer. He turned to Sarah and said, "Oh! This is the Antarctica guy!" And she lit up in return. She then explained how she's been trying to get into the program without much luck. I explained that it's probably because the company had switched over to Lockheed Martin and she needed to reapply. I then told her that I knew two people who worked for the headquarters there in Denver and it might help to send them an email notifying them of her interest. After a few more drinks and more information being exchanged we parted ways promising that we would email each other within the next few days to ensure maximum possibility of her acceptance. This was the last time I spoke with Sarah for the next 3 or so months in person. We kept to our word and exchanged emails inquiring about each other's process and as luck would have it, we both got our offer letters to join the program! We then filed the proper paperwork to be each other's roommates.

I sprang to my feet to greet Sarah as she walked through the door in her big red. We had so much to talk about and not enough night to do so. Sarah then alerted me to an Outdoor Safety Lecture happening that night. This was important to attend so we would be cleared to do the various hikes around station. So it was back to Crary to the upstairs room for another lecture. The sign in sheet made me laugh because it asked me for information I did not know off the top of my head. Department? I think it's GSC...I'm going with that...Supervisor...shit...I have no idea...Well they have my name and room number, if they really need this stuff they can find me, people are waiting for this clipboard. Lucky for me there were two clipboards and so I snagged up the second one and signed it as well and also found someone else who worked for GSC and copied their information. I realized later that it unfortunately, was the wrong information.

Once this was over we went back to our dorms and though I was anxious for the next day I was also incredibly tired and fell asleep almost immediately. Now it was time to really get McMurdo life underway!

Arrival In A New World

“Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives.”

-Alan Sachs

Walking out of the plane is quite the spectacle! The sky is blue and there is white as far as the eye can see. With the slight breeze the wind was picking up snow off the ground and whipping it around giving the illusion of a painter brushing white strokes of paint in front of you. Assisted by the sudden rush of cold air into my lungs made it was truly breath-taking!

In the distance there were two groups of people standing to greet us in front of two very large vehicles. One vehicle is known as "Ivan The Terrabus." He is a large red and white personnel vehicle that looks like something out of an army movie crossed with a Mars Land-rover. Unfortunately, I did not have the honor of climbing aboard Ivan. I was sent to Ivan's little brother (his name escapes me) and boarded with a handful of other people. The inside held nothing but two bench seats lining the walls of the vehicle and a ghetto-rigged heater that worked wonderfully.

Once we were secure in the back of the vehicle we began the last leg of the journey to reach McMurdo Station. Traveling from Pegasus Runway to McMurdo Station takes about an hour or so and feels like an eternity. Nerves were worn on the faces of the newbies including myself. The veterans coolly told us stories of previous seasons' shenanigans

and moments of wonderment on the ice. The windows were frosted over thick with ice obscuring any possible vision of our journey from within the back of the vehicle. Some managed to scrape tiny peep-holes in the frost and veterans pointed to various mountains and areas of interest. From where I sat I could not see out of any of these pockets of sight and promised myself I would see them all up close and in person.

Once the vehicle came to a complete stop something shot up from the base of my spine all the way to my head. It was a feeling of anxiety mixed with panic, geographic understanding, flashbacks, and sprinkled with a wide variety of nervousness. This was the first time I would see McMurdo Station and step into the new world I've been looking forward to for the past 8 months...

Final Flight Before Adventurous Beginnings

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.”

– William Feather

I woke up knowing it would be an action packed day of travel and possibly a stressful day if we are to "Boomerang."

Boomeranging a flight: Antarctica's weather is very unpredictable. Conditions can change from ok to terrible within an hour at any given moment. It takes 3-4 hours to get to Pegasus Airstrip from Christchurch, New Zealand. While in the air anything can happen to the weather on the ground. So when the plan takes off they fly almost all the way to Pegasus and communicate with the ground personnel there. That's when the plane will get clearance to land or not. If the weather has picked up and it's unsafe to land the plane will be sent back to New Zealand to wait for better conditions. This process has been described as, "Very Crappy!" and "A pain in the ass!" By many people who have gone through it. One reason being that you have one or many days to live out of your "Boomerang Bag."

Boomerang Bag: When packing the plane there are 3+ bags that everyone takes with them.
A stowaway bag (or two) that is given to plane personnel and stowed in the back of the plane until landing in Antarctica.
A carry-on bag that contains your camera, music player, books, and any ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) Gear that you don't want to wear for the entire flight. This is taken on your person in the plane.
And finally a Boomerang Bag that contains an extra change of clothes or two, toiletries, books, and any other things you might need if you don't make it to Antarctica on the first try.


Luckily for us, we made it on our first try but I'm getting ahead of myself.

After fully packing our various bags and checking out of our rooms we waited in front of our hotel for the shuttle to come get us. Driving to the Antarctic Support Center was nothing special for some people in the van but others were nervous and you can read it off their faces. I sat in the back with my arms crossed and legs leaning together against the right side of the vehicle staring out the window unblinkingly. Once we arrived we were given our luggage and sent to the designated changing rooms to put our ECW on and get situated. Afterwards, we checked our luggage in to the New Zealand army personnel who took it to the plane while we waited in the ASC building for one last video and a small briefing. The video was short and all the information mostly a repeat of impertinent information previously discussed with a few bits of new information for today's journey. Once this was finished we filed through the various scanners and took one last shuttle to our plane.

This is a new experience. I've boarded many planes, many of which has been in the last week, but walking down a runway while the plane is warming up and the sun is slowly rising is a new feeling. When you walk up to the side of a massive Boeing C-17 you can feel a number of emotions. I strangely felt profoundly safe. Seeing the American Army look so calm while they tinkered around the plane was very reassuring.

For some reason this plane ride seems to take significantly longer than it should. There isn't much conversation during the entire flight due to the roaring of the engine and people mostly keeping to themselves. There is a few windows on either side of the plane that you can look out of and it's quite beautiful. There is one that looks out just below the wing and one of the huge engines.

Once we were set to land everyone put their ECW on and waited anxiously. The plane came to a stop and we got ready to step outside on a new continent. When the door opens there is a swift breeze that enters the plane and clears the scent from inside and catches you off guard a bit. This was it, I had officially made it to Antarctica! Now it's time for the adventure to truly begin...

Home Is Gone And The Road Lies At My Feet

“I am not an adventurer by choice but by fate.”-Vincent Van Gogh

Once all of the paperwork was finished and the phone calls had finally ceased life was peaceful again, if only for a few days. Some would take this time to relax and enjoy themselves in the States and I did just that. But I am not a normal person and my definition of "relax" is different from others.

My intention was to make as many memories as possible in this short amount of time so I had something nice to look back upon once I was on the ice. This involved laying by the pool, going out all night at the bars (a lot), dancing the days away, going on short road trips, having brunch, lunch and dinner with anyone who had the time and all other manners of enjoyment. Little did I know, this was making leaving harder and harder as time passed. The day before my flight to Los Angeles, I spent the entire day drinking and having fun with my friends. Before the sun fell I periodically had to run outside or to another room to calm myself down from the thought of my inevitable departure.

Once the morning finally came I walked around in a stupor. Numb with the thought of leaving so much behind until further notice. The car ride was in virtual silence as my two good friends rode next to me occasionally asking me how I felt. I, admittedly, wept in the airport after saying goodbye to my friends. The feeling of despair was greatest on me as I tried to function the airport self check-in. The first take-off was very difficult especially since I'm a bad flier to begin with. But strangely enough I felt renewed once I set foot in LAX. You would think that an 8 hour layover would be hellish but it flew by while I read and randomly toured around the premises. Next stop, Sydney, Australia.

Back in L.A. I picked up a small digital camera that would hold me over until I could get something better. I, for a moment, thought that I'd be able to run outside the airport for a quick look around not realizing I would need a visa of some sort so I took my pictures of Sydney from the lounge side windows. There was only enough time in my layover to grab a quick drink to calm the nerves and read a few chapters before boarding another plane. This was where things would get much more interesting.

I landed in Christchurch, New Zealand at about 9:00AM. I was directed by USAP personnel to certain areas of the airport to receive instructions on where I'd be staying and what my duties were. This is where I began to talk to other Antarctica bound travelers. I met one gentleman named Rich and we headed towards out hotel with the intentions of having a few drinks that night. Unfortunately, I was at the wrong hotel and had to catch a shuttle to the other side of town. Traveling in a car in foreign countries is always fun to see but driving around Christchurch is quite a sight. The buildings are made of stone and other materials and there isn't a building over 4 stories high. The sidewalks are uneven and quite beaten but they add a sort of novelty to the town. Everything feels like it has history behind it and looks so inviting. Upon reaching our hotel I got out with a few people and we checked in. Two people by the names of Camille and Kimber were roomed next to me and we agreed to meet up a little later to walk around the town together. I met up with Camille and we looked for Kimber but didn't find her so we walked without her.

As the sun goes down in Christchurch the town just gets more enticing. We walked down the street towards the mall and I felt incredibly safe. It's easy to feel that way when everyone smiles and every now and again someone asks you how you're doing. The Northlands Mall is supposedly the "crappier" mall but it's still pretty amazing. Being very clean and bright it made American malls seem dirty, unpleasant places to be. Finding food is hard only in the respect that there's far too much to choose from. Do you want Egyptian, Japanese or Greek? All of this can be found next door to each other capped at the end by an empty Subway Sandwich shop. Afterwards, we walked down to a bar for a quick pint before calling it a night. We walked in and grabbed a seat in the crowded bar and realized that something very important was about to happen. New Zealand was just about to play Australia in a rugby match.

This was such a spectacle! At the beginning they played the national anthem of both teams and the bar was deafening as the Kiwis (New Zealanders) yelled the anthem at the top of their lungs. Afterwards, someone found out that we were Americans and spent part of the game educating me on the rules involved with rugby. For some reason, people from New Zealand LOVE Americans. We retired for the evening before the game was over (New Zealand was clearly going to win).

The next morning we met our shuttle to take us to the Antarctic Support Center for orientation. Here we got to talk to veterans about their past experiences and received their advise about anything and everything. We then, watched a video depicting life on the ice and were given a few disclaimers before we got there. Afterwards you're given a flu shot and sent to another room to try on your gear. This is the uniforms you'll be wearing and the Extreme Cold Weather Gear issued by the company. All must be tried on to ensure they fit right and work properly. Then you are brought to another location for a safety briefing. It's the part of the orientation that no one likes to sit through but luckily the people involved make it enjoyable by asking questions and telling jokes. After this you are set loose once again.

A group of us decided to go to the "good" mall. After a short cab ride we were in the heart of Christchurch where the city finally starts to feel like a city. There are tall buildings and busy streets lined with people and cars. The strange thing was the mall closed at 7pm and it was 6:30pm so not much shopping could be done. There was disagreement in our group as to where we were going to eat so we split into two groups and said we would meet outside of the mall in 2 hours. I was in a group with Matt and Brad and we walked to a pizza place but realized that it was way too overpriced for what we were looking for. Then we walked around until we found a fish and chips stand and decided this would do. It turned out to be so much more than we had expected! They made it fresh on the spot and gave you enough for 3 people in a single serving. We all got our own and did what we could to put it away. The guys finished earlier than me so I sent them ahead to find our friends while I finished and we would meet at the bar next door. While waiting outside two men came out of the bar. They looked to be mid to late 20s, covered in tattoos, and intoxicated. One of them asked me for a light and I passed him a stack of matches thinking these guys looked a little dangerous so I kept my distance. As soon as they found out I was American they lit up with excitement! They had so many questions about The States and thought Americans are "So cool!" After a short exchange they shook my hands and took off just as my friends met back up with me. We still couldn't find our friends so decided to grab a beer while we figured it out.

The bar seemed more like a sports bar of sorts. There were large TVs on the walls and pool tables in the back with a dim hue of light. The floor was lined in a green and brown carpet and the tables were standing wobbly and scratched. There was a small batch of people who were all friends having a good time while one of their friends sang and played guitar. They looked to be 22-25 years old and the musician was laughing and missing cues in her own song but just giggled and continued. She sang beautifully and we cheered after every song. She would say things to us and our friend Matt would be completely confused and ask things like, "Did she just call us Afghani?" But under her thick accent she just asked, "Should I play that song again, eh?" After a couple of pints we continued onward to find our friends and get home.

Luckily, we found them shortly after and began our hike home unaware of how far we really were. After walking for about 15 minutes we decided to have another pint in a bar before waving down a cab. We have come to learn that betting is huge in New Zealand and every bar is either a sports bar or has a small section dedicated to placing bets on horse races. It was maybe 9pm and there were two gentlemen sitting in this bar separately with ticket stubs in their hands. We left the bar after a beer and took off down the street again. At this time of the night in this part of town you can see just how pleasant Christchurch really is. There's a faint light from the building that gives the sky a softness without obscuring the light of the stars and moon. Few cars go by giving the illusion that it's much later than it really is. After getting home we discovered our flight was pushed back one more day due to the weather.

The next day I woke up at 6am and started a run around the city. I took off down a street with the intentions of making a big loop trying to keep the various street names in my head. After making my first left I came across some construction so I ducked behind a street thinking it would lead out to the same street but I was incorrect. I began to zig-zag down streets and came out on a road without sidewalks and with two large fields on either side of the street. I had the entire day to figure this out so I continued to run knowing that I could just grab a bus or cab back to my hotel. After a while I came to a main street with a bus map of the city and got my bearings. I found that I was a few blocks away from the Northlands Mall so I continued my run till I got there. It was about 9:30am and I was starving! So I popped in and grabbed a quick bite at an Egyptian place and went shopping. One very nice thing was New Zealand was going into Spring/Summer so every jacket was 40-80% off and I picked up a nice jacket for 40 New Zealand Dollars which equates to about $32 American.

After getting a few other supplies I returned home and spent the day relaxing knowing tomorrow would be the day I boarded the plane to go to Antarctica...

Concerning The Author

"Writers aren't exactly people, they're a whole lot of people trying to be one person."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I imagine most of the people reading this will most likely be family and friends but for those few who I have yet to meet, this is directed towards you. This is a short section to make what I write make a little more sense. It's to explain how I see the world and how I see the people in it.

As I stand, I am a 24 years old male from Yuma, Arizona. I am a storyteller from birth. Nothing pleases me more than to retell a story to someone who will listen. I have also become very good at turning a slightly plain tale to something a little more extraordinary. No, I don't create tall tales or lie about true events. I merely draw attention to the more interesting parts and focus on reactions and expressions.

Throughout time I've told countless tales but have forgotten many. There are stories that will never be forgotten that stay lodged in my head but for the most part my stories have a shelf life. I'm best at telling stories directly to someone so I can act out certain events and show various expressions but I'll try and make this as entertaining as possible.

I have many different views on things in the world and enjoy discussing them with people. A good argument can make a person feel most alive at times. I am also the first person you will see volunteer when given the choice to do something new, even if it's something that might end up...well let's just say bad. I'm of the mind that change is good, whether or not it's something with immediate rewards or punishment. One thing I've learned is that the harder something is, the greater the reward. But I guess I can properly describe what I really mean by that later on. For now we can just get to the point of this and I'll give you a little information about me.

After about 12 years in Yuma, Arizona I moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico. There, I spent my 4 high school years and took my first adventure away from home. I spent 30 days back packing around Europe with my friend Mark B. Painter. Upon returning I moved to Phoenix (Mesa specifically) Arizona where I spent a little over a year before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico. After 3-4 months here I moved back to Ma and Pa's house in Los Alamos while they were living in Saudi Arabia. Many things happened in the 2 years spent there but that's for another time. Two friends had moved to Denver, Colorado and suggested I did the same after a failed attempt to move to Portland, Oregon. Denver is possibly my favorite city (so far) in the States. I spent 2 1/2 years here before making the decision to move to Antarctica.

And that's the necessary biography of any blog out of the way. Now lets get to the important part...the story.

Parting Words From the Wandering Road

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” -G.K Chesterton

     Some people want adventure to find them but hesitate once the opportunity arises. The thing about adventure is that it will only find you so many times, after a while you'll have to go out and find it yourself.

Some claim finding adventure is comparable to finding love but I disagree (to an extent). Love is fickle and the moment you stop looking, there it is. But adventure is always ready to be found. It's in every handshake, across a body of water, down every road, even under every stone.

Looking for it is easy enough but recognizing the potential outcomes is tricky at first and once you find out how it works you will find yourself in a daily routine of adventurous behavior.

This inevitably leads to a moment when you're lined up to have a fantastic adventure that will change you in more ways than you could ever hope. This is the story of one of mine, as it happens.
                      *          *          *
     Over a year ago two of my friends decided they would take an adventurous leap and spend 6 months in Antarctica to work in a science facility known as McMurdo Station. The idea was enticing

but my life wasn't suited to support such a leap. I passed on the opportunity and anxiously awaited their return to hear about life on the ice.

I will admit, part of me wanted to hear bad things. Hearing that it was miserable and, "not worth the time." would have made the decision easier. It would have meant that I would stay in a safe city where I was familiar with the various dangers and surrounded by friends to keep me safe. Life would have continued but I would have the lingering thought of, "What if..."

But this wasn't the case whatsoever. My friends returned and they said they loved it! They were just back and already preparing for their next journey to Antarctica. This threw my life into question and I began planning to go, fully knowing that I could back out at anytime if I didn't want to go.

But once again, that wasn't the case.

I began the application process and started learning a lot about the program. With every word I read I began to realize that this was exactly what my life needed; an adventure. But not just any kind of adventure. A 6 month long, fantastic adventure.

The application was long and arduous but I will admit, I'm a procrastinator. Removing this trait would have made the process fast and easy but putting things off will make it stressful and make you question if it's all worth it. Luckily, once I told my friend that I would go this year she was very intent on making it so. She emailed and called me on a regular basis to make sure I was getting things done (Big ups Erin!).

And despite her efforts I still managed to complete the process days before leaving. Once it's done there is something peaceful about everything you do from then on. There are still nerves involving the departure and the looming idea that you will be living in a dorm on the bottom of the Earth for half of a year. Unfortunately, it's also the more "important" months as well. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years will be spent away from family and friends in a foreign part of the world with people you've only just met.

The thing about adventure is that most of it is outside of your personal comfort. It makes you look at everything in a different way and by doing so it makes you appreciate everything up until this point. Even before you leave you begin to appreciate all of the people and things you won't see for the next while. Before departing I found myself walking around saying, "This is the last time I'll eat here in the foreseeable future." "I'm gonna miss walking by this building everyday." And, "That's the last time I'll be able to puke in this bar for a while."

But sacrifices must be made to progress positively in the world.