So I was set for two and a half weeks on the little red ship bobbing around through the feisty 50’s and the roaring 40’s. I downloaded lots of books covering various genres, decided to write my annual report, finish the thesis that I have no interest in finishing and I was banking on being so sea sick that I lost 4kgs (at least).  Such a productive couple of weeks I had planned.

So we got onto the ship during station resupply and with nothing to really do and no, read it again NO internet!!!! We spent the days hanging out in the mess…. finding 4kgs. Watching pirated tv, sadly I am upto season 9 of Stargate…they get rid of McGyver and swap him out for a younger version. I finished all my books in four days, damn. I was so bored that I walked the 3.5 kms into station from the boat just to get on the station internet and check Facebook.

Then after the most boring five days of my life, the Universe smiled on me. I was given the option of flying home instead of taking the ship…. It was a big decision and I carefully considered my options.  The benefits home two weeks earlier then planned…. flying not rocking my way through the roughest latitudes in the world… internet access.  It took about 2 secs, to recover the power of speech and agree to take one for the team. OK, I’ll fly home since some-one needs to do it. Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance.

I sent Will a quick email, “hey honey, I’m coming home earlier then planned”. Then I rushed back into the meeting room to get more details. Unfortunately my email also decided that since it was sending emails it would also send the ones that had been sitting in my outbox for a week. They were pictures, a view out of a small plane window… Poor Will at home after a night shift suddenly thought I was literally on a plane and would be home ‘soon’…

 

All of a sudden it was time to say goodbye to the final members of my team and one of my closest friends over the last ten months. It was suddenly real that my year in Antarctica is coming to an end. This time next week I might be sitting in Melbourne, overwhelmed by people, noise and wine. Wow, that is a bit of a mind fuck to be honest.

It has been an amazing year and such a privilege to have spent a winter in Antarctica.  Some of the highlights have been;

• The stunning ancient enormous beauty that makes you feel as insignificant as an ant in a jungle.
• The long weeks of darkness that causes slowing of individual cognitive ability and yet reveals the magic and power of brilliant auroras.
• The pressures and shared joys of living in a small community that is as diverse and intricate as any small suburb but on a micro scale.
• The wildlife that allow intimate access to their lives, seemingly unaffected by our presence.
• The cold that freezes your tears instantly to your lashes and creates an ice-cream headache if you open your mouth

I think all of these experiences have given me a clearer appreciation of the importance of community as well as an overwhelming insight into the connection between animal and environment.  The extreme nature of the seasons in Antarctica has meant that I was forced to live in tune with the season, something that we don’t usually have to do in cities, this is a learning that I want to take home with me.

For the moment I am enjoying reflecting on the characters, quotes and moments that have made this a year to remember… and it hasn’t finished yet.  I’m still only 1/3 of the way home.