I will be working in Antarctica until February. I got a job in a warehouse down here with Raytheon Polar Services so I will be spending the "summer" here. We have internet but it is not super great so I won't be able to log on a whole lot. So far it is a lot of fun. It has been averaging minus two for the most part since I've been down. It is the windy days that make it real cold. We do get a few TV stations down here although I don't have a TV yet. If anyone is curious here is the channel lineup. We have long work days (7:30 AM - 5:30 PM) but we get a long lunch.

Channel 2
24-hour American Forces Network (AFN) Americas: entertainment.
This Week’s Schedule (http://intranet.mcmurdo.usap.gov/dynamic/tvguide/mcmtv_files/sheet001.htm)
Next Week’s Schedule (http://intranet.mcmurdo.usap.gov/dynamic/tvguide/mcmtv2.htm)
Channel 3
24-hour Weather Information: McMurdo and surrounding areas.
Channel 5
BBC World—the London-based British Broadcasting Corporation’s international 24-hour news and information channel broadcasting world news, in-depth analysis, and interviews.
Channel 6 (http://intranet.mcmurdo.usap.gov/infopages.aspx?source=ch6)
24-hour McMurdo Information Page (MIP I): community schedules and events information, including critical information, movie schedules, and daily dining menus.
Channel 7
24-hour Antarctic Terminal Operations (ATO): flight information, including dates, mission numbers, departure locations, and estimated times of arrival (ETAs).
Channel 8
Australia Network: Australia’s international satellite channel that compiles programming from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australian commercial television networks, and independent production houses from around the world. Programs include regional news, international documentaries, lifestyle interest, dramas, and sports.
Channels 9 and 10
Movies: all genres
Channel 11
24-hour American Forces Network (AFN) Americas: sports.
Channel 12 (http://intranet.mcmurdo.usap.gov/infopages.aspx?source=ch12)
24-hour McMurdo Information Page (MIP II): community schedules and events information, including generic station information, reoccurring recreational events (such as yoga classes), and hours of operation for the barber shop and taverns.
Channel 13
24-hour American Forces Network (AFN) Americas: news

I'll try to check into SO every now and then. :)

Wow, i had no idea you were living in Antarctica. Those work hours, and that weather, Yikes!!! Damn, don't know how you do it, but you have my respect. i wish you the best! Continued fun in Antarctica!!

Wow! I don't know if I could live where it is extremely cold, let alone just cold. I don't do cold very well.:D . Enjoy the experience!

Oh man, for real?! Wild! But definitely a very interesting and very unique experience. All the best to you. :) I, too, am currently sort of traveling for work - I am on a temporary assignment in a different town until right before Christmas. It's not as exciting as yours, though, because I'm 4 hours away in the same state. :lol:

Enjoy your "adventure" in Antarctica!

Sounds like an interesting and fun adventure. See you when you get back. Don't work too hard. :wave:

Here is a tip: bring a jacket! A thick jacket. ;)

I got back in March, but here are some of my favorite pictures I took while I was there. I took 1700+ so I got plenty of others

Those are very cool pics! Thanks for sharing them with us!

That is awesome! I was in Iceland back in May and even though it was officially summer there, it did snow a tiny bit a couple of times. MUCH MUCH colder than we were led to believe so we ended up buying some souvineer gloves and a hat (or I did anyway). The airline said to dress in layers but we were thinking on Seattle terms (sweatshirts, etc). What they should have said was layers as in long johns! But we had a good time despite the cold. Interesting country, but very expensive. We'd probably go back to Reykjavik (Where we stayed) but probably not for an entire week like before. Still it was really amazing to think that we were there!

Good luck at your job and thanks for sharing the pictures with us! They are just beautiful and what an amazing experience you will have there!

It's like a whole different planet there. Love the pics. The penguin is adorable. ;)

Looks cold there! But I do like the penguin.

Very nice pictures Matt. It looks like beautiful country up there. I like that penguin. lol

The penguin was at Pegasus Airfield and it was molting so it basically didn't do a lot of moving for about two weeks so it gave everyone a good chance to get a picture taken with it. The Adele penguins were a lot cuter, I saw at least 10+ of those. They would just run and fall down and slide on there bellys. For most of the time I was on the ice it was about 25-30 degrees everyday. When I got down in October it was the coldest and when I left it was getting cold again but for most of the time it wasn't to bad. I wore insulated boots, wool socks, fleece lined jeans, an underarmour shirt, a regular shirt, a sweater, and a carhart vest usually and it was enough. We had these jackets they gave us called "big red" and I almost never wore it because it was too warm.

Way Cool GF! Thanks for the pics! Can you post pics of your living quarters and what the "city" looks like? Is there even a grocery store down there?

How did you manage to get a job in Antarctica and how could we get a job down there?

Wishing you the best of everything. Sounds like a fascinating experience. Great pictures. And keep us updated when you can. :wave:

Way Cool GF! Thanks for the pics! Can you post pics of your living quarters and what the "city" looks like? Is there even a grocery store down there?

How did you manage to get a job in Antarctica and how could we get a job down there?
Yeah, Gilliganfan, how do you survive down there? What did you do for groceries and what did you do with your free time and stuff? You were there so long, so did you get bored? Are there any lights on outside so you can see? Any bars or dance clubs? :lol:

Yeah, Gilliganfan, how do you survive down there? What did you do for groceries and what did you do with your free time and stuff? You were there so long, so did you get bored? Are there any lights on outside so you can see? Any bars or dance clubs? :lol:

I think there is a club of sorts and a bowling alley but he can confirm it for us!

I think there is a club of sorts and a bowling alley but he can confirm it for us!
That sounds okay. I didn't think there would be anything like that. I still wonder how he got his food.

I'm actually back, I was down there from October 2011 until March 2012 so I have been back a while.

Yeah, Gilliganfan, how do you survive down there? What did you do for groceries and what did you do with your free time and stuff? You were there so long, so did you get bored? Are there any lights on outside so you can see? Any bars or dance clubs? :lol:

It wasn't too bad to survive. Everyone worked 6 days and 54 hours a week so it was a lot of work and when you weren't working you were eating or sleeping. I was there during the "summer" so it wasn't as bad as being there in the winter. I worked for Raytheon Polar Services and they provided all the food. We had a galley we ate in. There was plently to do. I took hikes and skied and ran and hung out with my friends. There was triva nights and a lot of drinking/partying on saturday nights. They had lots of clubs and there was a theater in the coffee house that showed movies on DVD. We also had internet and TV so it wasn't too bad. We worked a lot so I didn't get that bored. There was literally always something to do. When I was there it was 24 hours of daylight so there was plently of light. Towards the end it was starting to get dark a little. Right now everyone down there is in 24 hours of darkness until about the end of August or so. We had two bars (Gallaghers and Southern) plus the coffee house which also was a wine bar. Tuesday nights at Southern they had dance lessons and on Saturday night there was usually a dance or a party somewhere on station.

I think there is a club of sorts and a bowling alley but he can confirm it for us!

There was a bowling alley but it essentially fell apart about three years ago so it isn't there anymore and it is to expensive to rebuild it. All the veterans down there missed it.

That sounds okay. I didn't think there would be anything like that. I still wonder how he got his food.

Free meals! We didn't pay for food or housing. They also payed for my passport, sunglasses and work boots.

Way Cool GF! Thanks for the pics! Can you post pics of your living quarters and what the "city" looks like? Is there even a grocery store down there?

How did you manage to get a job in Antarctica and how could we get a job down there?

Where I was is McMurdo Station, it is the largest of all the bases on the ice. Here are a couple pictures of McMurdo and my dorm room. No grocery store per say, but the store in building 155 did have chips, drinks and souveniers you could buy. You couldn't get soft drinks in the galley so the only place to get them as at the 155 store.

I applied not thinking I would hear back and sure enough I did. I reapplied to go down again but never heard back. It is a different contractor then when I went. It is now lockeed so just apply with lockeed but they probbably are all set for this upcoming season. I think I reappied to late. I had my contract signed last June almost four months before I left.

The big blue building is where I lived. That is 155 where the store, some of the first year dorms, lounge, craft room, galley and barber is located.

Welcome back! :wave:

Free meals! We didn't pay for food or housing. They also payed for my passport, sunglasses and work boots.
It sounds like quite an adventure. I hope they fed you well and that the food/cooking was okay. I think I would be a little scared to be all the way in Antarctica, but it looks so beautiful I would probably love it eventually....looks like a cozy little village...lol...are there any police or law enforcement types down there? What about cars? I noticed in your pics what appears to be roads so I'm wondering if there are actually cars over there?

It's like a whole different planet there. Love the pics. The penguin is adorable. ;)
http://i46.tinypic.com/347vhv9.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/347vhv9.jpg

Nice! :)

Awesome pictures! I think it's really impressive that you lived/worked there.

It sounds like quite an adventure. I hope they fed you well and that the food/cooking was okay. I think I would be a little scared to be all the way in Antarctica, but it looks so beautiful I would probably love it eventually....looks like a cozy little village...lol...are there any police or law enforcement types down there? What about cars? I noticed in your pics what appears to be roads so I'm wondering if there are actually cars over there?

We ate good, I got a little sick of the food (quite a lot actually). We ate steak and chicken and potatos a lot and I got kind of sick of it. We had an ice cream machine called Frosty Boy down there and sometimes that would be my dinner. It was all good, but I ate I bet 10 different kinds of mashed potatos. Breakfast was my favorite meal. On Sundays most people didn't work so we had brunch and that was always good too.

A village is a nice way to put it, everyone was nice and cool and got a long. Nothing beat waking up and walking outside and just seeing the sea ice and mountains. There is a US Marshall down there and the Air Force has a big pressence (they bring us and the supplies down). There aren't any cars but there are pickup trucks (F 350's) , and other vehicles down there. There are lots of tractors, Deltas, Pisten Bullys, Vans, Shuttles. I drove an outdoor forklift called a "pickle" because it was green. It is a leftover lift from the Vietnam War that they flew down after the war to unload milvans.

This is me in the pickle (the real is an m4k powered industrial truck) outside the 121 electrical supply room where I worked.

Thanks GF!

Where is the grocery store in all those pics?

Thanks GF!

Where is the grocery store in all those pics?

Like I said, we didn't really have a grocery store, the 155 store sold some food but it was like snacks. You could also get the soft drinks and cases of beer there but that was it. They also had a DVD library you could rent (for free) videos from. The store is located in building 155. I don't think I have a picture from inside the store but this was from what we called "Highway 1" because it was the busiest hallway in the building.

Every week on the intranet they would post the weeks food menu on it so you could see what it was before you went. From November on I saved it to a word document for the fun of it. This just list the main meals we had. It doesn't include breakfast or the sides or the desserts (which we had tons of) or the soups but it still gives a good idea of what we ate.

Sorry if I missed it GF but how did you get your food then?

We had a galley/cafeteria that served meals. It was like what you would see at a college. It wasn't 24/7 but it was still nice. Breakfast was from 5-7AM, Lunch was from 11-1PM and Dinner was from 5-7PM. Some people worked at night so they also had a midnight meal for them from 12AM-1AM.

We had a galley/cafeteria that served meals. It was like what you would see at a college. It wasn't 24/7 but it was still nice. Breakfast was from 5-7AM, Lunch was from 11-1PM and Dinner was from 5-7PM. Some people worked at night so they also had a midnight meal for them from 12AM-1AM.

Any pics of that?

And how does one get a job down there if they wanted to work there?

Every week on the intranet they would post the weeks food menu on it so you could see what it was before you went. From November on I saved it to a word document for the fun of it. This just list the main meals we had. It doesn't include breakfast or the sides or the desserts (which we had tons of) or the soups but it still gives a good idea of what we ate.
Welcome back, Matt. It's really great to have you back! :wave:

That's an around the world menu, for sure. That's great for those who have adventurous taste buds, but I don't. I like very simple food.

Any pics of that?

And how does one get a job down there if they wanted to work there?

I didn't take many pictures in the galley, but here are a couple. The one of everyone standing was on Thanksgiving. We all were standing to give a cheer to the staff who made it. One picture is of frosty boy, and the other is me standing next to the frosty boy machine. The last one was on my birthday, my friends made me a cake. You can see a little bit of the galley behind me but not much. I don't have any pictures of the serving area but it wasn't really anything special looking.

Just apply, the new contractor is lockeed martin. I reaplied to go back this year and never heard anything. It is a different contractor then when I went which is a little annoying. I believe Lockheed is downsizing and hiring less than Raytheon who I worked for.

Welcome back, Matt. It's really great to have you back! :wave:

That's an around the world menu, for sure. That's great for those who have adventurous taste buds, but I don't. I like very simple food.

Thanks Janice! :)

The head chef use to run one of the buffets in Vegas so they said he brought some fancy stuff ideas with him. All the veterans who had been there many times said while I was there it was the best food they ever had. Most of it sounds fancy in the name, but almost everything came down to steak or chicken. Every now and then they would serve us macaroni and cheese and that was so exciting to have that when we did. We also didn't get pizza much. Those were two things I wish we had more often. I was also craving burgers. I had maybe one or two the whole time I was down there. On the way back at the airport in New Zealand I got a Big Mac and it tasted so good because I hadn't had anything like that in almost five months.

Thanks Janice! :)

The head chef use to run one of the buffets in Vegas so they said he brought some fancy stuff ideas with him. All the veterans who had been there many times said while I was there it was the best food they ever had. Most of it sounds fancy in the name, but almost everything came down to steak or chicken. Every now and then they would serve us macaroni and cheese and that was so exciting to have that when we did. We also didn't get pizza much. Those were two things I wish we had more often. I was also craving burgers. I had maybe one or two the whole time I was down there. On the way back at the airport in New Zealand I got a Big Mac and it tasted so good because I hadn't had anything like that in almost five months.

Your pictures are soo cool ( no pun intended.) It really sounds like you had a fascinating experience, and it's nice reading your posts.

GF, do you have to have any specific qulifications to work there?

BTW, you look a little like Gilligan but with a beard and glasses! Ha ha!

Those are very cool pictures. It looks awesome there. I like the one with the water mountain and snow the best.

Your pictures are soo cool ( no pun intended.) It really sounds like you had a fascinating experience, and it's nice reading your posts.

Thanks, it was definetly a lot of fun and I am really starting to miss it. That is one of the reasons I resurected the thread.

GF, do you have to have any specific qulifications to work there?

BTW, you look a little like Gilligan but with a beard and glasses! Ha ha!

For my job you really didn't. I was a geography major in college, but it had nothing to do with me getting the job. My job was in supply and I had a little experience in supply chain/warehousing so that was what got me my job.

Thanks-lol

Those are very cool pictures. It looks awesome there. I like the one with the water mountain and snow the best.

Thanks! Here are a few more outdoor ones that I really liked

Awesome pictures! I might have to go there. One of these years.

Thanks for sharing your experience! That was interesting!

It's been so insanely hot here! I wish I could spend some time in Antarctica with the penguins!

Gilligan Fanatic: I have some questions for you:

1. Are you planning on going back to Antarctica anytime soon?
2. Where do you live when you're not in Antarctica? USA? Australia? New Zealand? Somewhere else?
3. Do any other animals besides penguins live on Antarctica?
4. What is the food like in the cafeteria?
5. What's the longest you've stayed in Antarctica?
6. Are people allowed to live there in the "winter" which is actually summer in the USA?
7. When does it start becoming dark for six months in Antarctica?
8. How many people have lived in Antarctica at once?

You might be able to tell that I am very fascinated with Antarctica?

P.S. question: have you ever gotten close enough to a penguin to pet it?

Boy those mountains with snow or are they big icecaps look so cool. I am roasting with the heat where I am.

I sure do wish Gilligan would come back soon....

I have more questions about Antarctica.... :)

Wow how cool!! Beautiful pictures!! I'm afraid it would be a bit too cold there for me though! I'll have to stick with looking at pictures and seeing cute penguins at the zoo!

Wow! What an incredibly amazing experience to have in life! The list of people who have visited Antarctica has to be an incredibly short one!

Gilligan Fanatic: I have some questions for you:

1. Are you planning on going back to Antarctica anytime soon?
2. Where do you live when you're not in Antarctica? USA? Australia? New Zealand? Somewhere else?
3. Do any other animals besides penguins live on Antarctica?
4. What is the food like in the cafeteria?
5. What's the longest you've stayed in Antarctica?
6. Are people allowed to live there in the "winter" which is actually summer in the USA?
7. When does it start becoming dark for six months in Antarctica?
8. How many people have lived in Antarctica at once?

You might be able to tell that I am very fascinated with Antarctica?

P.S. question: have you ever gotten close enough to a penguin to pet it?

Sorry for the late response, been AWOL from SO

1, I went in 2011-2012 and applied to go again but I never heard back, the contract changed from Raytheon to Lockheed and they cut a lot of jobs. I'm married now and have a house so I don't have any plans now. I did enjoy it but I could never have been a regular down there.

2. I live in Virginia, a lot of people I was friends with were from Colorado, Alaska, and Montana, very few East Coast people. I had some kiwi friends from New Zealand though.

3. Saw lots of Skuas, they are like sea gulls, saw some whales and seals too, not too much where we were at.

4. I liked the galley, it was a lot like a college cafeteria. The guy that ran it had run a casino buffet in Vegas so it was kind of like that too. We ate lots of meat and potatoes.

5. I only was there about 4.5 months. The longest anyone can stay is 14 months, windfly to regular season following a winter over

6. Yes, about 200 winter at McMurdo and about 50 I believe at the South Pole

7. About the middle of March. I was there for the first sunset in late February but it goes completely dark in March

8. I don't know about the whole continent but at McMurdo at peak time we had 1000

Wow Antartica??

Sounds exciting buddy...... Please keep us updated!!!!!

Sorry for the late response, been AWOL from SO


Gilligan dude, thank you for the info! :)