6 months in

On 7 May I clicked 6 whole months of living on the ice – ok so not technically living on the ice more like a container park set on dirt and rocks that turns into a winter wonderland when it snows.  Some days it feels like I arrived yesterday and others feels like I’ve been here forever!!

I’ve had quite a bit of time to reflect on things here and it got me thinking about the things I have learnt that perhaps I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t decide to spend 12 months in the most isolated, strange and beautiful place.  

While it sound ridiculous to say this now I must admit I didn’t really think too much about what life would be like living in such a cold place.  I can safely say this is the coldest I’ve ever been in my life.   So far we have got down to -30C outside and sadly got down to 10C inside for a couple of days. Just a small electrical problem which thankfully was fixed. I think even the plumbers might agree the sparkies were Antarctic Heroes – for that day at least!   Trades hierarchy and the continual banter on who is the most important is another thing I have learnt.  

Stepping outside in those temperatures, particularly with any wind, requires additional planning and many layers to minimise skin exposure as this place is doing its best to kill us. Balaclavas and goggles are now added to thermals, fleeces, carhartts (toasty warm overalls and jackets) neck warmers and beanies.  The air can take your breath away and your nose runs pretty much constantly while outside but its ok as it freezes pretty quick too as does buffs to beards.

I’d hate to calculate the time spent in a day getting dressed and undressed including swapping outdoor boots for uggs and back again.  Then there’s the trickiness in remembering what layer you tucked into what when going to the bathroom particularly in a cold field hut – preparation is the key but make no mistake the struggle is real.

Weirdly none of our building are connected and in a blizz or ‘weather event’ you really have to consider whether going outside is necessary, make sure someone knows where you are going and follow the blizz lines (ropes that go between buildings to help guide the way).  A blizz, so I have learnt is only called a blizz if the winds are sustained 40+knots, the visibility is less than 100 metres, its blowing snow and its less than 0 degrees.  If its not a blizz its a weather event 🙂 Thanks Jason for the lesson.  

One thing I haven’t been able to nail is getting the right pair of gloves but just so you know it seems no-one else has achieved that either as when you increase warmth you lose dexterity.  Taking my hands out even for a minute to take a photo can lead to losing feeling in some fingers and a good 20 minutes in the warmth to recover, at least for me. Kudos to the trades team who seem to be able to tough it outside way better than me and my soft office hands.    

Antarctica is really dry and I mean nose bleed dry and the snow is as squeaky as the best beach sand you can imagine. Hands get particularly dry and cracked and for some reason it takes FOREVER for any part of your body to heal, even just the slightest cut takes weeks if not months to fully heal.  Humidifiers are a must and don’t even get me started on this place dishing out the absolute worst hangovers anyone has ever felt. At first I put it down to drinking too much of the ‘less than my preferred quality of wine’ but I am confident we all agree here that’s not the only factor. Thank goodness for Sprite and Berocca!

On a positive note there are no bugs!  Coming from Australia and living somewhere with no ants, no flies and no spiders is pretty awesome although it would be nice to have a dog.  And we don’t really get sick here either as nothing new is introduced into our environment so while its cold no-one has had an actual cold.  Not much more than a few sore butts and one broken wrist from slipping on the ice. 

While the cold is a big thing that dominates every part of your life it is actually the light and wildlife that defines the seasons.  In summer the Adelie penguins are curiously wandering around the station and surrounding areas.  Some of them are moulting and others can be seen running away from their hungry chicks.  Kind of a funny thing to watch the adults trying to hide from their kids.  

The elephant and weddel seals came and hung out on the beach for a few months and I could hear them talking amongst themselves from my bedroom throughout the day and night.  Sounds like a combination of burping and groaning.   Now here’s a life skill you don’t need anywhere else…if you need a seal to move out of the way say for example if its blocking the road just hold a broom over its head.  It is put off by something bigger than itself and retreats.  Not as simple as it sounds though as these seals are huge and getting up close and personal is a scary thing not to mention we really don’t want to annoy or aggravate them. This was their home well before it was ours.  They play rough with each other and I have no idea what they could do to a person.  

Then there’s the skuas a predatory sea bird and definitely not my favourites as they just lurk above you making you think you are their lunch – they just love my red jacket apparently.  I get the same feeling with them as I do with magpies and almost go to protect my head before I realise I’m wearing a beanie and I’m not about to get swooped.  The snow petrels however are really pretty and seemingly too gentle and beautiful for this harsh environment .  But for now its winter and all that wildlife has buggered off.  I’m guessing its too cold for them now.

As the wildlife dwindled the light show began .  Now I’ve seen some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets in my life but nothing can compare to what we get here on station and the beauty for now is we get them both within about 4 hours of each other.  Deep reds, oranges, pinks and blues, full moons and eclipses are all nothing short of spectacular and I’m sure I will come home with thousands of photos that don’t even come close to capturing this beauty.  Until I came here I always associated sunsets and sunrises with warm places.

On the flip side auroras are better on camera than with the naked eye.  Yeah definitely disappointed to learn this but am also learning to love the auroras and watching them dance through the sky.  What I have failed to learn is how to take a good photo but I’m working on it – thanks for the lessons Stu.  What I have learnt however is the best camera is the one you have with you and for the most part that’s my phone.

I have also learnt things like I’m not in control of the remote 🙂  and that’s OK.  While my preference might be to sit quietly relaxing in a hammock on a weekend others prefer to watch the footy, boxing, F1 or lets face it any kind of sporting event in the bar.  I have learnt to love the solace of my bedroom to binge watch the latest show, listen to podcasts and talk to people from home and have recently discovered the sauna which is right now my most loved place in town.  And occasionally I get to laze in the hammock – thanks everyone.

While I know I don’t want to live in a pub I love being in that pub with these amazing people and as I go through photos it also seems I love my flanny.   

I never thought I would say this but I’ve learnt that shared bathrooms are not that bad and others have learnt that bathmats are not hand towels and that Dani likes them to colour match!  I’ve learnt that I like Jack Daniels and dry, can drive a Hagglund, can make a piñata, can cook bao buns and burgers for 24 people…with a little help, and I may or may not like gaming 🙂

One thing I haven’t learnt as I already knew it was I love to travel and experience new things and new people and here at Davis this whole experience is quite extraordinary.