Welcome to Christchurch!
It only took about 34 hours for me to get from Springfield, MA USA to Christchurch, New Zealand. My journey started in Hartford, CT and I flew to Houston, TX than a 15-hour flight to Auckland, New Zealand and one final flight to Christchurch.
After my flight arrived I collected my bags and preceded to the USAP(abbreviation) United States Antarctic Program desk where they are took me to a shuttle to deliver me to my hotel.
In the morning the shuttle for orientation arrived at 6:45am. Some people needed vaccines; luckily I did not so I was able to go find breakfast at the local grocery store. I bought fresh fruit; a lot of people are eating a lot of “freshies” now, perishable food that we won’t be able to get down at McMurdo.
We were trained at orientation about fire safety, sexual harassment, environmental waste management, and protocol on lightweight vehicle paperwork. After a quick lunch, we were issued our ECW(abbreviation) Extreme Cold Weather clothing, Extreme Cold Weather, gear. I was the last person trying on gear, I wanted to make sure everything fit perfectly and was in great shape. I tried on 7 pairs of boots and ended up in the second pair I tried on. Gear is really hard to get once you get down to McMurdo.
Tomorrow we are supposed to have our ice flight. The crew will check the weather 4 hours in advance, approximately 7am. If we fly out we will be picked up by a shuttle ate 7:45 am.
Stay tuned to see when I make it to the ice!
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