Back on the ice

This blog entry is going to go backwards in time. Yesterday I went out to pick up Scott and 129 other people from the C-17 flight. Ivan the Terra Bus broke at the last second so we had to take all the vans, airporters, and Deltas out.

I've been waking up at 5:30 - I caught a sunrise the first day, but I think that's the last of them. Now it is sunshine 24/7. This is the view from our window.

Our room is SO much better than last year. It must be twice as big and we even have a TV. When Scott arrived yesterday, we pushed the beds together. Cozy :) For every month you work on the ice, you get a point, and the more points you get, the better your housing is (in theory anyway).

Yes, the chair back is jury-rigged with old blankets. That's the way of things in McMurdo.

The walls were so bare that I had to use some of my clothing to decorate (my favorite scarf).

We are doing a Bollywood dance for the Soiree later in the season, so my sari costume is doubling as a decoration.

Back in Christchurch....we had several unexpected days there together. So fun! Look, they package dog and catfood in tubes like hamburger and put it in the fridge section of the grocery store.

Kumara was the staple of the Maori people and is served very often both in New Zealand and McMurdo. It is like a white sweet potato.

The fish in New Zealand is outstanding! The "chips" here are Kumaru and the fish is Monkfish and another local variety.

At the beach the day before I left.

The winds were whipping, but just a hundred yards in from the beach it was quite warm. Scott and I took public buses all over the place this time. We got $80 a day each from the company while we were there, plus hotels. Not bad!

Scott took some fabulous pics which he plans to share with you all tomorrow or the next day.

I've been in McMurdo for several days now. The first day, I felt a little daunted, knowing I was going to be here for 4.5 months. It is hard to leave behind the ability to communicate with the kids anytime at all, and also the freedom to go anywhere and do anything we want. But, the next day I got right back into the routine of things here, and I'm excited for a great season. It helps that we hit the ground running here and just get right to work. I'm beginning to take notes on the little details that make for more interesting reading so stay tuned...