Last season, as a DA (dishwasher), I worked Saturday through Sunday, 11am to 9pm. I really enjoyed that schedule because it allowed me to stay up late or sleep in, depending on my mood. The evening shift was a bit more intense, but I liked that too. I did have to work on Sundays, though, which everyone else had off.
When I talked to people about coming back this season, they would always tell me how much more amazing it is when you’re on station schedule: Monday through Saturday, 7:30am to 5:30pm. They said that I wouldn’t understand just HOW awesome it is until I experienced it on my own.
They were right.
This past week, my first full week, blew my mind. The pace, the vibe, the flow… everything is better. It all makes sense to me now. Let me break it down for you.
I wake up around 6:30am and go straight to the Galley for breakfast, usually some fried potato and salsa, among other things. I finish up around 7:15 and make my way to the Plumber Shop by 7:30. The first half-hour we stretch, discuss safety issues, and arrange our work for the day. By the time we get to wherever we’ll be working first, it’s about 8:15. First break is at 10:00, so we usually start heading toward the Galley around 9:55. Break is over at 10:15, we’re back to work by 10:25, but lunch is 12:00, so we usually start heading back to the Galley around 11:55. Lunch goes until 1pm, the 2nd break is at 3:00, we start cleaning up and head back to the shop at 5:00, and the day is over at 5:30.
That’s the day-to-day work schedule, which is awesome, but that’s only a very small piece of the puzzle. See, almost the entire station is on this schedule, so at 5:30 things start getting crazy. People go work out, they eat dinner, they do yoga, they climb Ob Hill, and on Saturdays it’s even crazier.
Yesterday was my first Saturday in this capacity. I sat down for dinner at 5:30 and didn’t leave the Galley until 11pm. There was an awesome group of us, straight chilling there, having a good old-fashion chin wag for like 6 hours, then to Gallagher’s for a killer dance party, then back to the Galley for MidRats (midnight rations for 3rd shift), then to bed around 2am.
I woke up leisurely at 10am and went to brunch. This was my first work-free brunch EVER at McMurdo. I worked every Sunday last year and I never got to experience this before. I ate some food and talked and laughed, then I ate some more food and talked and laughed, then I ate even more food and talked and laughed. It was amazing.
It’s really snowy outside, and Ob Hill is calling my name.
