It’s so surreal to be back here; it almost feels like home: the airport, the YMCA, Dux de Lux, Whittaker’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Slab, Lisa’s Hummus, Cathedral Square, the Botanic Gardens… I could go on forever. I’ve only been here for about 6 hours and already I feel like I never left. How does that happen? How does my mind and body remember something so vividly? I have a feeling that this sensation won’t be going away any time soon.
We arrived around 11am this morning and we’ve got the rest of the day to relax and let some of the stress out. I unpacked a bit at the YMCA, took a shower, and then got sushi with 2 deployment buddies. From there we stopped by New World to get a few groceries and I ran into Evan (you know, from before), and he and I walked back to the Botanic Gardens and had a picnic by the river (hummus, avocado, and tomato sandwiches; apples; tangelos).
Tomorrow afternoon we’ll all shuttle back to the CDC (clothing distribution center) to be outfitted with our ECW (extreme cold weather) gear. The rest of that day is ours as we see fit (maybe we’ll hit up Sumner Beach), and then, if all goes as planned, we’ll be shipped off to the ice the following morning (the 13th).
It’s a short stay here in CHC, I’m gonna do everything I can to appreciate the stars while I still have them.
Filed under: travel, work , antarctica, christchurch, nz
I had the same feeling when I arrived in CHCH last year. I had not been in NZ for four years and it felt like I never left. It’s a freakin’ great place. I’d move there in a heartbeat. Eli, this is your last chance to quit the whole Antarctica thing and stay in NZ. If you’re not careful, you’ll be working in Antarctica for a few months…..