Life at McMurdo Station
Wow! It's hard to believe my time in McMurdo is coming to an end. From the moment I stepped off the plane it's been like a foot race - hurrying here, hurrying there, and trying to get everything done! In fact, it's been so busy, I've missed the 'Welcome to McMurdo' orientation tour -- not once, but twice!
So, what have I been doing - you ask? Great question! Join me as I share a bit of my McMurdo experience!
During my first month here, I've spent the majority of my time (on station) in three places:
- My Dorm
- The Galley
- Crary Lab
Here's a little taste of each:
Dorm Life
It's been quite a while since I've spent any time in a dorm (college days to be exact) but my transition back to dorm living went smoothly. There are over 12 dorms at McMurdo; mine was dorm #203C, room 107.
I had two roommates:
- Kim Goetz whom you've met in previous journals. She's the PhD student from UCSC.
- Amy - who was my roommate for only a few weeks.
Talk about tight quarters - not much room here! There were three twin beds (with one set of bunk beds) and guess who got the top bunk? Yep! Yours truly! Of course I didn't mind though because hot air rises and being next to the ceiling I was 'toasty' warm at night.
Galley
All of our meals were eaten in the galley - building 155. It is centrally located and very easy to spot. It's the big blue building!
If you go hungry at McMurdo - it's your own fault... because there is NO lack of food at the station. In fact, it seemed that every time I turned around it was time to eat - and what I found myself eating most of was baked goods. So I went in search of who was behind all of this 'yummyness'.
Ari and Heather were the culprits!
Crary Science and Engineering Center - or just Crary Lab
The laboratory is named in honor of geophysicist and glaciologist Albert P. Crary (1911-1987), the first person to set foot on both the North and South Poles. It has five pods and houses a state-of-the-art research facility. The largest section - Biology - is where the Weddell seal team has called home for the past 6 weeks.
I've come a long way from my basement office at the Pink Palace - where I have no window! Here I have a spectacular view – I must enjoy it while I have it!
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