New Year's Resolution Antarctic Style

"New Year's is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions." ~Mark Twain

Current Weather:
-2°C|28.4°F Temperature 

-4.6°C|23.8°F Wind Chill 

Skies: Partly Cloudy
Visibility (miles): Unrestricted
Winds (knots): SE @ 9
 

What constitutes Antarctic style, you might ask. Well, in all honesty, it’s kind of hard to explain. When I think about it, these are a few of the words that come to mind: Unique, eccentric, mind blowing, emo, hipster, off the wall, redneck, foreign, crunchy, creative, grunge, artsy, groovin’…you name it. It’s Antarctic, yet as far as I know there’s nothing else on this planet that can compare to down here. Or at least, I haven’t found it yet.
 

From the outside, McMurdo Station is a dirty little “town” buzzing with the energy and flow of over a 1,000 hardworking little ants. We’re all working to get scientists out into the field so they can discover mind blowing startling facts about how our world ticks. This is the day to day scene at McMurdo. As long as the clock ticks, someone will always be working here.
 

From the inside, McMurdo Station is still a dirty little “town” buzzing with the energy and flow of over a 1,000, still hard working, people. Go ahead and add creative, imaginative, highly intelligent people to that list. People have flocked from all over the world to get the opportunity to work down here. We’re all so vastly different, yet we have one thing in common. Antarctica. Some of us hate it, and some of us love it, yet we’re still here and we keep coming back. When you put this many artistic people together, you’re bound to have a good time. It’s not just any good time; it’s a good time like no other good time you’ve ever had. There's literally hidden talent down here. It's hidden at the bottom of the world and I am one of the few lucky enough to get to see a glimpse of it and be a part of that talent.
 

It could be due to the fact that we have limited resources here or the fact that we’re forced to all live together for four-six months in this confined space, seeing one another day in and day out. Whatever it is, when there’s a social gathering announced, the people of McMurdo roll in with style.
 

New Year’s Eve was no exception.
 

New Year’s Eve brought the Annual McMurdo Ice Stock Festival. Since this was my first New Year’s in Antarctica, I didn’t know what to expect. However, I was definitely not left disappointed. It was probably one of the best New Year’s I have ever experienced. In all honesty, I’m not sure what could top this and that’s a weird thing to realize.
 

Ice Stock is a social event including the following: a Chili Cook off, Pig Roast, BBQ, and live music from several of the McMurdo bands. The events would kick off at 6pm and go until the New Year was brought in at midnight.

Pre-Ice Stock setup

Stadium seating

 

In years past, Ice Stock has played whether it’s been good or bad weather. After all, we’re in Antarctica. We were sent here equipped to withstand the harshest of weather. There's really no weather we can't handle or be out in unless they call a "Condition One." So all we had to do was throw on our big reds and we’d be fine to continue to celebrate. This year, though, Mother Nature was kind to us.
 

New Year’s Eve rolled around with beautiful blue skies and temperatures rising into the upper 30’s. People were strolling around in t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. It was winter everywhere else, but it was summer here. An opportunity to shed the million layers we’re required to wear is a rare one so when it does occur, we take full advantage of it.
 

The winner of the Chili Cook off was our very own resident Santa Claus, Holly Troy. Apparently he wins about every year and his secret ingredient is…butter! At around 8pm a few men strolled through carrying the roasted pig for everyone to get a hunk of pork.

Yum!

The millvan where the pork got roasted

The ATO Department: One of the contenders for the Chili Cook Off

 

Bands ranged from punk rock to soothing blue grass to songs we slow danced to back in high school. The talent was across the board and it was amazing. Each band got a standing ovation. Band names ranged from: Medical Waste, Cute Patrol, Flocks of Skua, Condition Fun, Steel Penguin, and Ice Fog Boomerang. They were made up of people we saw every day dressed in their carhart overalls doing their “McMurdo” job, yet there they were up on stage, delivering an amazing performance.

The list of Bands that played

 

A crowd started to gather

"Condition Fun" one of McMurdo's favorite bands

 

Oh, the diverse lives we lead here on the ice and off the ice.

As the countdown toward the New Year ticked away, people began to mill about, searching for that “special someone” to share their New Year kiss with. I have to admit, I must have been pretty far out of the loop, because I had no idea that this was even a New Year tradition. Since the current population is about 73% men and 27% women, finding a solitary female was rather difficult and in high demand. I unfortunately ran in the solitary female department. I had man after man come up to me and ask who I was going to kiss on the New Year. I stared at them as if they were crazy and simply said no one. Talk about bursting one’s bubble.

I settled for a kiss on the cheek from a good friend. Miss Cassa Grant.

 

While the countdown began, amidst the sound of popping corks on champagne bottles, we gathered about the stage, our adrenaline on high. We were all about to celebrate the coming of the New Year at the bottom of the world. In that moment, differences, disparities, cultural barriers were all set aside. We were one, arm in arm, ready to celebrate the ending of one year, and embracing the start of a new beginning.

I wanted to cry I was so happy. It was an amazing end to a year that had threatened to pull me under. But I had won. New Year’s had never meant so much to me before. It might be cliché, but it was truly a new beginning and it was one I was embracing fondly.

I sit here now as I write, thinking about "New Year's Resolutions." My mind is blank. I don't have any. Sure, I could loose a pound or two, maybe drink less beer, eat less chocolate, swear less. But I could work on that any day of the year. I don't know what I need to put my focus toward to set this new year into motion. My slate is wiped clean. It was wiped clean the day I got here. I can do anything I want. We can do anything we want. I'm in Antarctica! We sure as hell can do whatever we want. That's proof enough. I leave Antarctica sometime in mid February. From there, it's a wide open road. Who needs resolutions when your life is in full swing?
 

As that “0” was shouted over the microphone on stage, I remember shouting at the top of my lungs along with everyone else, brandishing my bottle of champagne in the air high over my head.
 

“Happy Fucking New Year Antarctica!”