6:30am – Alarm goes off in my cosy and comfortable room within the Summer Accommodation Module (SAM). It’s time for a coffee, which means a short walk to the Sleeping and Medical Quarters (SMQ) where’ll I’ll find the mess, recreation areas and accommodation for the expeditioners staying over winter. A quick look out the window and there isn’t any sideways snow – great, not many layers needed. Today it was thermal pants and shirt, T-shirt, jeans plus a fleece jumper. No shower today unfortunately, 1 x 3min shower every 3 days is the allowance. A ‘bird-bath’ in the sink, deodorant, and a few baby wipes will get me through til tomorrow…
7:30am – To ensure a thriving and happy community, it’s up to everyone to maintain a clean environment. Saturday mornings are scheduled for rostered cleaning. Today I’m on cinema and library cleaning duties, a welcome change from last weeks’ communal toilet block cleaning. After finishing at a reasonable time, I chip in helping the kitchen staff until lunch.
11:30am – Lunch today is bagels (choice of salmon, chicken, ham or vegetarian), omelettes (ham and jalapeno or veg) and a range of cold salads.
12:30pm – To let the lunch settle, a few of us enjoy a game of darts or two while deciding what to do for the rest of the day.
1:30pm – I make the right decision to go for a walk off-station to an area known as ‘Marchants Landing’. It’s a rare time of the year where penguins and seals are around at the same time, so a good opportunity for photos and stretching the legs. I grab my radio, suncream (UV here is insane, constant flow of sunburnt people from as little as 10 minutes of sun exposure), write on the muster board my whereabouts and estimated return time and I’m off exploring.
3:30pm – I have a few hours free to get my washing done plus write up a ‘Day in the life...’ article.
6pm – Dinner: Cheeseburgers, chips and salad. Plus birthday cake and ice-cream for dessert. The chefs here are top-notch, if you haven’t had a gourmet style McDonalds cheeseburger, you’re missing out.
7pm – After a hard day’s work, it’s time to relax with a few responsibly-consumed beverages at Nina’s bar, and a few more games of darts and pool.
10pm – With the sun shining brightly and absolutely no hint of darkness to indicate the time, a quick check of the clock and it’s time to call it a night and trek back to SAM for bed.
James Young
Hazchem Specialist - Davis Station
JBS&G Australia Pty Ltd (Contractor)
