Antarctica
by Eli
about two months ago my aunt and uncle had a dinner party at their place (which they tend to do a lot), and this particular party was centered around a friend of theirs, Doug Leen. he’s sort of a crazy guy that lives on tugboat and goes to Alaska all the time and really seems to be enjoying his life. this previous winter (’04-’05) he and his grilfriend went to Antarctica for about 6 months to work as a contract dentist and a janitor (respectively) in the area of the south pole and McMurdo station. after dinner, doug set up a slide show of about 200 pictures. i was in awe.
the majority of all people in Antarctica live at McMurdo station:
McMurdo Station is Antarctica’s largest community. It is built on the bare volcanic rock of Hut Point Peninsula on Ross Island, the farthest south solid ground that is accessible by ship. Established in 1956, it has grown from an outpost of a few buildings to a complex logistics staging facility of more than 100 structures including a harbor, an outlying airport (Williams Field) with landing strips on sea ice and shelf ice, and a helicopter pad. There are above-ground water, sewer, telephone, and power lines linking buildings.
with all those buildings and people and crazy stuff going on they certainly need people to work down there to maintain it all. i mean, the scientists aren’t going to be cleaning their own toilets. and in talking to doug, i’ve learned that there are many jobs available: janitors, housekeepers, fuel deliverers or “fuelies”, caretakers of outdoor equipment, computer specialists, recreation instructors, cooks, dishwashers, and even taxi drivers. can you imagine how fucking cool it would be to be a taxi driver in Antarctica? i’m still in awe.
after the slideshow i talked with him a little bit about his trip and what is involved in getting a job there for a “season,” which is essentially our winter (from november to february). but that “winter” is actually their summer because they are in the southern hemisphere. so guess what that means? constant sunlight, 24 hours a day with the sun hanging low in the sky and swinging around your head. amazing! but as far actually getting a job goes, doug’s girlfriend, Martina, got a janitorial job with no experience. and because everything is paid for while you’re there, she walked away in february after about 4 months with $5,000 in the bank. bling bling!
at this point you have to be chomping at the bit, and i know you’re wondering how you can jump on the band wagon and spend your winter in the most remote location possible (i know it’s gonna be better than all this rain). well, here’s the deal. i have been in contact with doug, and he’s helping to get through the red tape. he said that personal recommendation goes the farthest, so once i get in touch with someone who is in charge, i will start recommending all of my friends and anyone else who wants to go. but what do you need to do now? you need to go to rayjobs.com, click on “My Rayjobs”, and then on “register”: put in all your regular information and create a resume using their resume creator. once you have that up, let me know and i’ll add you to the list of name’s to push once i get through to someone.
until then, check out this out: U.S. Antarctic Progam (USAP)
so i’m down. i graduate in may and things are…well…pretty wide open. i’ll call you and we’ll chat.
did you know there’s a suduko widget? i just downloaded it and i’m jumping in head first. do you have much of the second season on LOST downloaded? i’d like to see some if we can work out a mail drop. the new place looks pretty great. i also dug the SLC pictures and the mere freak-out story in cali. well – i should be focusing on my education. big ups.
hey pete, that would be pretty amazing if you came. right now the people that are showing interest are meredith, nate, you, me, and a kid that i work with, Matt. i’m getting more info as we speak, but i will definitely keep you in the loop.
now, as far as sudoku goes, i’m totally still loving it. i wasn’t aware of a widget because i’m doing them in a little book that i bought, but when that runs out, i might hit up the widget. see, the thing is that i do them on the bus, and it makes quite a bit more sense to do it with pen and paper there than to get out my laptop.
we’ll talk soon!
Hey, also for some reason some of the Headers aren’t working on my website: there’s a blank up there on the top.
But anyway, I really hope you head off to Antarctica: it’s right up your alley, and I wish the absolute best for ya. I have to admit…it’s absolutely ridiculous. Being a janitor in Antarctica? wow. I went to a website that was the Antarctic Sun (the local McMurdock newspaper!) That is crazy, right there. I would try to get a job at that newspaper. I mean…how many people would be on a waitlist for that job? Maybe I could get it.
I just read this blog and that is fucking awsome! I want to be included on this adventure.
12-1-09 Thank you for the photos from McMurdo.I was part of a group that supplied many of the buildings. That was many years ago. Back then it was more like a camp. Sure looks great now.I,m like you I would love the chance to be part of the folks living there now.BILL
Wow, you helped build these buildings? That’s awesome! When was that? What buildings did you help build?