It's A Harsh Continent

       When you first get here all the training videos and posters start by reminding the watchers and  readers that "Antarctica is a harsh continent....." It's usually followed by how the climate and landscape can kill you in about thirty different ways and one little f-up could be it for you. Up until now the worst things I've been aware of are leg injuries. One from a slip and fall and one from a seal rolling over on a girl's leg. Talk about strength through mass.
       At this point to say the galley staff is getting jaded and over it would be an understatement. The months of scrubbing pots, hearing people complain about the food, and LONG hours has caused us to adopt the catch frase from the safety videos. "You don't like the gluten free, vegetarian option? Tough shit, it's a harsh continent." "The music in the bar isn't what you and your drunk friend want to listen to? Harsh continent, get out m'office." "Paper cut...... Well it's a harsh continent isn't it?"
        It's this status quo that makes us all live in a state of whatever. We recently got six new DA's to replace the few that have dropped out or been changed over to prep cooks. It is nice to see someone with the enthusiasm we all had four months ago when it was all new and exciting. At this point the hikes have been memorized and the pictures of white have finally blurred together. When the new people ask us about what to do and where to go, it's hard to not say "Eh, I'd rather just watch a movie and have some down time." It is nice to say I've reached my goal of having monotony in Antarctica.
        And to break that bland streak? Become part of the third top dodge ball team on the continent!!! We were so bad ass, five DA's and a salad chef went through five rounds before finally being knocked out of the competition by the Helo Tech team. They also went on to take down the Jano's to claim victory and take the title. It was crazy fun, competitive beer induced hilarity and I got out some aggression. Our team's uniform was some sort of short shorts or spandex and free dancing to the music while the match was going. While this may sound flamboyant, the helicopter pilots and technicians were the pink team so you can guess the general idea behind the majority of the team's uniforms. After the match we had to take a picture around the dignity trash bin and do celebratory shots and dance the night away.
         While the harsh continent only offers so many food options, it has been known to provide very decadent moments of hedonistic gluttony. Example, the galley appreciation party in Hut 10. Two tubs of lobster tails and a mountain of rib eyes. The only stipulation was we had to cook them out selves, but we could eat as much as we wanted. I never thought of lobster tail as finger food, but by the fourth tail I had eaten like a chicken wing I was convinced the mini forks and shell crackers were just filler for fancy restaurants. Given the money it took to fly them down and store them for who knows how long, this will probably be the most expensive meal of my life.
          If shellfish and steak doesn't do it for you, I recently had a porch picnic. Nine at night with clear blue skies and the sun hinting at setting (losing 15min of sunlight a day at this point, yet still no darkness) sitting on industrial grating and fifty y/o plastic chairs. We managed to procure three types of cheese (favorite being the aged Gouda), a truffle sausage, dark chocolate, a fresh peach and apple, loaf of bread and a bottle of Wilridge Barbara from Washington. Although it was about 33 degrees outside, in the sun it felt like sweatshirt weather and as we looked over the view of the ice shelf, mountains, and industrial fuel tanks I thought about how with the proper friends in low places and preparedness of bringing bottles with you, you can make a great night of it anywhere.
          There are other great stories about good food here, but most include Cheetos packaged in 2006 and how no other vintage will ever hold a candle.
         Now I said "until now" earlier. We were informed this morning that a Korean vessel near Palmer station caught fire. There were eight injured and a couple of deaths. The injured people are three thousand miles away and still being brought here because it is the closest place to get help. They are helicoptering them in to be stabilized and then going to medivac them off the continent. It's weird to think that being on the South American side of the continent still gets you a ticket to New Zealand if injured, but that is how few and far between our little towns are.
         For now our redeployment meetings are over and decisions are needing to be made for travel after we leave. I'm still up in the air with solid plans, but with a month and a half to go it seems odd to be jumping the gun. In any case, I'll be sure to make at least safe decisions, if not fun one's.

Chris