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...