The bottom of the world is just about as remote as you can get for a work site, aside from going into space. Yet, these days, it’s far from the rough conditions that Amundsen and Scott faced—it’s more like working in a modern office complex and living in a college dorm. The new Elevated Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station provides a comfortable, warm place to work and sleep. During the winter season, from February to October, we all live in individual berthing rooms that are not much bigger than a walk-in closet. We have a fabulous Galley staff that keeps us well-fed with outstanding meals three times a day. There is a gym, a sauna, a greenhouse, lounges for watching movies, a game room for shooting pool or just hanging out. We pay nothing for medical care, meals, utilities, movie rentals, computers and Internet. Many workers here don’t have to step outside for months on end if they choose, as everything you need is inside the station.
What keeps me coming back? I enjoy the fact that life down here is so different from anything else in the “real world,” yet so comfortable. I also like the diversity of the job, something I wouldn’t find in most other clinical settings. I’ve become a jack of all trades, proficient in running lab equipment, taking X-rays, maintaining sophisticated equipment and conducting trainings for the community. I not only diagnose and treat patients, but provide nursing care, physical therapy and counseling.
I also enjoy the non-medical tasks that come with the job. I manage Polemart, the little retail store, and fill in as a Communications radio operator when we have flight operations to our affiliated U.S. station McMurdo. Other winters, I’ve done data entering for labor allocation and last year I was the Finance Manager for the station, balancing the books and playing a human ATM for the crew. We all pitch in for housekeeping duties like sweeping and mopping hallways, cleaning bathrooms, tidying up lounges. Taking out the trash involves carrying bags of various sorted waste outside where it is minus 80 degrees F, but it gives you a good excuse to gaze at the starry sky and possibly catch some auroras.
The community that forms at the South Pole is always an eclectic mix of scientists, adventurers, free spirits, independent thinkers, geeks and hard-living laborers. This winter we have at least 15 very talented musicians who perform concerts for the crew. Our power plant technician will make you believe that Stevie Ray Vaughan is alive and kicking in a frozen wasteland. We have a science technician who is applying to the NASA astronaut program. Our satellite technician has sailed the world over the last 10 years. We have a 20 year-old and two 19 year-olds fresh out of high school. Although I think you can still say that the typical contract worker is a white male, diversity is something that is slowly changing at the stations as well.
The women in the crew are incredibly diverse in their backgrounds and talents. Among us 12 women, we fill positions as a cook, carpenter, meteorologist, scientist, materials (inventory) specialists, green house technician, medical provider and the Winter Site Manager of the entire station.
Times have certainly changed since Amundsen and Scott and these days, women are part of the fabric of life down here. The men still outnumber the women by quite a large margin, but no one bats an eye at the sight of a woman slinging a heavy tool belt, driving a loader or sewing up a patient. We are part of Antarctica’s history and present and we will certainly be a force in the future for science, exploration and habitation in this frozen continent.
As a post note: I’ve been keeping a journal in the way of a blog, primarily to keep my family and friends back home posted on life down here. I didn’t realize that anyone else would be interested in my musings but I’ve discovered that it’s being read by many around the world. My aim is to open a window for the outside world to view what this place is like, from shots around the station to the things we do to amuse ourselves. I always like to focus on my personal favorite subject, food, and events and special occasions. It’s also been a way to keep Mom and Dad informed of the latest, like planes are delayed another day and I’m not getting out of here on time. The stories and pictures can be found at http://homelessheidi.blogspot.com.
