Penguins and stardust

One of my favorite people I've met so far in Antarctica is my co-worker, Doug. Doug was an animal trainer in Denver before coming down here. He trained tigers, sea otters, and other kinds of big animals that might like human flesh. One day, Doug and i were breaking down the line and I was teasing him just a little about a girl named Kelly that he was spending more and more time with. There was something serious about the way he took the teasing, and after a little while, he told me that the girl that he loved the most and was going to be his wife, Ashley, died three years ago. Doug also told me that his sister named her third child in memory of Ashley and the child died in her fifth month of life.
We talked about grief and how precious life is...we talked about thirty three year olds feeling ancient...we talked about how maybe, just maybe, the human heart's capacity for love might be immeasurable...At these times, I always talk about my grandmother, abuela Blanca. My abuela always told me that the human heart is capable of great great love. She truly believes that her first husband had something to do with her meeting and falling in love with her last husband, whom she spent 20 happy years with...she just knows that this is true...So I threw that out there to Doug...that maybe, just maybe, he can explore this new relationship and it might be what Ashley would want for him...maybe...or not...who knows the ways of the world...but maybe...

A few weeks later, the morning crew and the bakers were at stretch break (we all have to stretch two times a day for fifteen minutes as a group). We were stretching and talking about penguins. I told everyone that my grandmother had a penguin. The story goes as follows:
When my grandfather had died, my mother and my aunt were in the United States and my abuela lived all alone in Uruguay. My grandmother says that this was the hardest period of her life and that she's never felt such sharp and present loneliness.
I think her heart told her that she needed to be by the sea, so she spent the winter in Punta del Este, a town on the Atlantic. Every morning, she would go on a walk to the port and back. On a cloudy day, a man called out to her from the pier and asked her if she'd please buy a penguin from him. Apparently, they had come in on an iceberg from antarctica (this happens sometimes) and this man had one left. My grandmother bought the last penguin and named him pengui.
Pengui brightened my abuela's life--In particular, he became my abuela's ambassador to the outside world. It can be impossible to connect with people when a heart is shattered making grief even more lonely.
Because of pengui, strangers would come up to her to see the penguin and ask her questions about the penguin--She quickly became the penguin lady and slowly but surely, she didn't feel as alone.

This is a family story.
Part of the narrative of my family that I have never once questioned and took as true.
These kinds of things happen in my family.
These kinds of things happen to my abuela.

Nobody at stretch break believed me.
One person said "you know, I really want to believe that story"
another person said "it's a beautiful story, are you sure it's not a metaphor for something else?"
somebody else said "how can you believe that!?!"

I have never once questioned this family story.
The first time I doubted it was in my thirty second year.
When I got home I asked Lucas if he thought it was true and he said yes (he heard it straight from my abuela, so maybe that's why).

I called my mom and told her that I needed to know the truth: was the story about pengui true. She said she swore it was..
I talked to my abuela and she swore by the bones of her dead sister that it was true (you don't swear by people's bones in my family unless you really mean it)

A few days ago, Doug and I were washing dishes. Doug said that Ashley's birthday was the day before and Kelly had gotten him a stuffed penguin to commemorate the day. Doug said he named it pengui--for my grandmother--
I said: "Doug, it's a true story!"
he said: "I never doubted it wasn't".

Saturday, December 6

It's Saturday and the weekend begins in 5 hours! Alex and I have dinner plans tonight with some of her friends and a couple of bottles of wine. We don't have anything planned for tomorrow, probably a lot of sleep and maybe a hike if the weather is nice.

Friday, December 5th

The last entry I wrote was on Monday, and here it is Friday, again, already! Time moves at a different pace down here, I swear, it's crazy! Time is passing by so quickly. Alex has been going to Yoga classes much more since she started working mornings. She's talking about going to some type of aerobics class this evening. I've been spending most of my working-day outside, which I'm loving, and not really doing anything of interest or productivity during my off-time. I don't know where all my free time goes.

It's my lunch break and it's time for me to get back to work, so, talk to you later :)

Monday, December 1st

I remember a blog last year when I wrote about how the McMurdo-life becomes mundane with time. It was definitely much later in the season last year, but still the same feeling. Work starts and ends at the same time each day. We have been almost all places we can go. There are no weekend getaways, road trips, or going out to eat after work.

The recreational department has activities scheduled most evenings for us, but those become mundane in the sense that it's a scheduled rec activity each evening - Go to work, eat, go to rec activity, go to bed.

That being said, Alex is in a yoga right now (with a awesome instructor) and the Planet Earth (BBC nature-film series) folks are giving a presentation tonight on how their filming went this season (apparently, one should expect lots of starfish in their next series). So things aren't so bad, just a feeling one gets living in a world so different then I'm used to.

The Perpetually Sleepy Morning Staff...Doug, Ciara from Ireland, Alex, Annie, Drew (stlyin' a hairnet because he missed hairnet Friday), Lesley, Kira (of the line musical), Meghan


Alex Sterbac-ing the counter (sterbac is the cleaner we use and it's now a verb in my life) --Notice how incredibly DIRTY I am-- this is what I look like every night after work :(


Some of my night crew girls! (From left to right back to front) Kat, Sara, Jen, Kendra, Maria, Alex, and Jess

Thank you!

i just want to thank everybody who gave me a shout out for my birthday! It was really fun and i never ever expected to turn thirty-two in Antarctica! Endless wonders never cease. I had to work on my b-day, but I got to pick which tasks I wanted to do and the music in the dish room and the pot room! I also got sung to a whole bunch which is sure to bring in a great new year.

Lots has changed in my lunch lady life. As Lucas mentioned, I moved to the morning shift. For those of you who know me well, mornings are not my strength, especially in Antarctica where there are no natural sleeping cues (like the sun going down). Also, five am comes very very early and there is no forgiveness for deciding to read one more chapter in my book before sleeping. My second day on mornings, I was literally holding my eyes open with my hands. I haven't been so tired since my wedding week or graduate school. The wonderful bonus is that I get off at 4pm! which means I can go to Yoga class, see Lucas more, and have a leisurely dinner.

I got mornings because two of my co-workers quit. The quitting set the kitchen and especially the DA staff in a bit of a stir as it was reflective of the RIDICULOUS management of the kitchen (it's been years since I've worked under such poor leadership) and quite a romantic love story (my two co-workers are traveling in New Zealand as we speak)... It's a shame that things are the way that they are, but I like most everybody I work with and am very grateful that this job is temporary.

We had a lovely thanksgiving dinner-- Work was easy and fun as we had a full staff and lots of volunteers. I laugh a lot at my job because it's so ridiculous and so funny--For instance, two days ago, I was working with my friend Kira on the line. The line is where all the food is...kinda like a buffet...and we have to make sure that there is enough food and that it's kept relatively clean. I usually like the line because it's fast paced and you have to work as a team. That day, Kira and I were both wearing yellow gloves (the pans are really really hot and if you're not careful, you'll burn yourself), had our matching outfits on(blue shirts and black pants), and spoons in our hands (we use spoons to lift up the pans from the buffet line). I started singing "a whole new world" and Kira sang along with me and we ended up doing this kind of synchronized dance (as we were wearing matching outfits) and laughing so hard we were both crying: When in my life am i ever going to be a lunch lady in an impromptu musical in Antarctica? So this is how I stay sane.

Lucas and I are enjoying spending so much extra time together. He is so sweet and wakes up at 5:07 am with me and comes to breakfast. When we get home from work, we usually lie in bed and watch the sparkles on the wall from a crystal my friend, Andrea, gave to us before we left North Carolina and talk. Our room is so so small that the bed is the only place where we can hang out. We have a very sweet and simple life.

I have finished my first scarf and I love it! I've also learned how to purl-- Next, I'm going to learn how to increase and decrease stitches! Knitting is great fun--It's nice to have something to do with my hands all the time.

I went to a great yoga class today and tomorrow I'm getting my hair trimmed. Love to you all--Alex

Friday

It's Friday already, and the final day of the work week for me (Lucas). Tonight starts a two-day weekend to give thanks. There's a big party tonight to start off the weekend, (we'll be sure to laugh and dance!) With the two-day training and the five-day work week, this has been another super quick week.

Alex started working mornings this week, so we are getting a lot more time to hang out in the evenings.

We had some nasty weather this morning, worse we've seen yet. It didn't last long though and it's not-so-bad-at-all right now. Below is the day's official weather report: