Arriving

Well I have finally made it to Antarctica. We left in the early afternoon, which involved getting dressed in all the ECW (extreme cold weather gear), weighing ourselves, our bags, and then watching a safety video and hearing a presentation. Then we got on a C-17 plane (think army plane lol) which was really for cargo and they had just put seats in the front. We also got to visit the cockpit which was really cool. I got my first glimpse of sea ice when I was in line for the bathroom and peered out the one tiny window. I saw these lines which I thought were shadows but actually they were cracks in the sea ice which is starting to break up. It was really incredible to see.
Landing was really cool as well. We landed on an ice runway, and then went to "Ivan the terra-bus" which drove us to town. They had to leave the engines running for us to get off, so the fuel wouldn't freeze or something. We drove to town and then got our room assignments. For all of my knox friends, I feel like I am living in Seymour- I live in the main building, and am above the galley, which is awesome because its where I work. The next morning, we went on a tour of town (in the dark, because it is still primarily dark here, although its "dawn" for a couple of hours a day). And, in an ultimate plug for "ugg" boots, I wore them on the town tour, a 30 minute walk outside, and my feet stayed warm. They are so much better then our "bunny boots" which I swear weigh 10 pounds each.
After the tour, I started work. I will talk more about that later cause its not as interesting. That night I went to an outdoor safety lecture and learned about hiking in the area. There are lots of different trails to go on, and I am really looking forward to it. You can hike some of them alone, which I think could be fun as well. Then, I went to one of the station bars with some friends, and had some yummy NZ beer. However, I went home at 9pm, because I had to be at work the next day around 5:30am!!!
I love it here. Its the best thing ever.