Preparation

Hey Friends and Family!

You have found your way to my first blog ever!  I have seen many blogs through other traveling friends and hope this will be a great way to keep in touch and show pictures of what I'm up to in the next few months.

 Leaving New Orleans last week was surreal and hard but I have a very good feeling we are not done hanging out yet.  That city will always be a home now.

I have 10 days until I leave for McMurdo base in Antarctica.   Soon, I'll be hanging out with my brother Marty!  Quick background for those of you who I haven't told:  my mom's boyfriend went to Antarctica to do research in the 90's.  After my mom retired the two of them decided to go down for summer season (Oct-Feb) 2008-2009.  Last year, my mom and my brother went down, and this year so far it looks like just my bro and I will be there.  McMurdo houses an average 1000 people during the summer and is the biggest base on the continent (there are actually 19 bases of which the U.S. runs 3).  Essentially, any job or function that is needed to run a small town is done there.  So, I will have the illustrious job of....solid waste/recycling technician!  Anything that comes onto the base must also be disposed of properly and taken back off the continent.  Trash smell here I come!

I am elated to be going on this adventure.  At first, I was pretty opposed to the idea.  But, as usual, my mom broke down all the benefits and general coolness of it all and I was hooked.  Free trip to the other side of the world, good pay, medical and dental benefits, food, housing, and lots of world traveling.  Sweet!  And hey, it's only four months, so I'll be back before you know it!

I'll post pics and stories as they come.  I'll have internet the whole time and you can leave messages on my phone that I'll be checking sporadically.  Talk to you soon!