What I Do in Antarctica

Aside from shiver and drink lots of hot cocoa, I do actually have a job here in Antarctica. I'm a Materials Person for the Supply Deparment, Work Center B 136 which means: I work the counter of the Antarctic equivalent of Home Depot.

Here is Building 136, 136 B (not pictured) is a trailer where we have office desks and do paperwork. The door on the trailer is literally like a freezer door, but hey, it keeps the cold out.



Map - I live in 155 and work in 136 - all the buildings here are referred to by number:



Throughout the day, various tradesmen/women (plumbers, utility workers, etc.) are in need of specific parts for specific projects or work orders they complete for items that need fixing around the station.



When they come up to the counter, they generally know what they need (I now know what a coupling is). We rarely have exactly what they are looking for, but we usually have something that will work. Here is a picture of the computer station I use to look up parts:



A view of the colorful and creative decor at the front counter:





Our "Whereabouts" Board:



The Supply Hallway:



The Back Room:



The Copper Section - so nice and shiney:



Now, working in Plumbing and Utilities, there are some very anatomical names for parts, here is a picture of the aisle "Nipple Lane":



And more anatomical parts, MIP = Male, FIP = Female and then there are variations of MIP to FIP or FIP to FIP, etc.:



In the spirit of all things dirty, because I know your mind has already gone there:



We have the good fortune of having a restroom in our Work Center, which sees a lot of traffic throughout the day. Here on the ICE, areas where you can let your juices out are designated by a yellow pee flag. That way, clean up of said juices could be conducted in an organized manner rather than having yellow snow all over the station. However, due to environmental concerns and waste hazards, people are now issued pee bottles and must dispose of their own pee. But, the yellow flags, made it inside to designate some of the restrooms, here is our pee flag:



P.S. Peeling off four layers of clothing every time one has to pee, is quite a chore.

Our music maker, "20 Year Wonder":



The Supply Truck - this picture does not show the scale of the thing, I'll have to get a picture with me standing next to the truck:



And finally, the MOST IMPORTANT item in all of supply: a heat coil:



I also manage inventory and complete paperwork, but there aren't any exciting pictures of that.

And so THAT is what I do in Antarctica.

I have forklift and loader training this week because some of the materials people need are stored in an OSA (Outside Storage Area) and must be delivered via forklift or loader. I will for sure get pictures of me driving the pickle.

I realize that to some, this may not seem like glorious work. Even for myself I feel like I might be doing my brain a disservice. However, this opportunity is but a stepping stone to the realm of endless possibilities.

They have a saying here: you come the first time for adventure, the second time for the money, and countless times after that because you just don't fit in anywhere else. While I certainly don't feel like I'm "fitting in" just yet, I definitely feel the adventure. Ta da!