Communicating with classrooms!
Temperature: - 22.7 C, - 15F Windchill: - 33.6 C, - 32.5 F Wind: 15 kts, in the morning, calming throughout the day, clear at night Weather: Overcast
Today we had "Life from IPY” at 7:30 am. It was December 20th for us at the South Pole. For all of you it was different time zones on December 19!! Full of anticipation, Andy, Amy and I awaited the webinar and hoped for a better phone connection for "Life from IPY” directed by the PolarTREC team in Fairbanks. Schools could have a phone connection with us while the PolarTREC team showed slides that I emailed ahead of time, introducing the research team and our work. Bryan Johnson connected with us from Boulder, Colorado. Katherine from the weather station here at the Pole came as well. We were happy when the phone line worked and we could here everyone. Thank you all for the great questions!! I hope you have time to follow my stay here at the South Pole Station over your Winter break!
Here are some of the shots we took during our broadcast:
Life from IPY at South Pole!
Andy, Amy and I are ready connected to Fairbanks and many schools.*
Can you hear us from the South Pole!
Andy and I are answering questions from different schools.*
There was no ballooning for us today and it was a slow day at ARO. Because of sample schedules, we probably will have to work during the holidays. I spend the day answering emails, writing journals, sorting my photos and totally missed lunch. Good that the soup was still out. It was a wonderful lamp soup! John Jolliffe, a New Zealand priest who just arrived at the station kept me company and we talked about his youth program. Later during dinner, I met a research group that researches the Aurora lights here at the South Pole. I can’t wait to visit their lab and see some of their photos. I will tell you then all about it!
After dinner, I attended a Christmas service held at the station. John Jolliffe came to the South Pole and held different services at different times before returning to McMurdo for Christmas later in the evening. He told me that he has held services around Antarctica since 1968. This year we are also celebrating the 50th anniversary of New Zealand priests working with the US Antarctic program. They started to be in Antarctica with the International Geophysical Year in 1957! The church in McMurdo is called Chapel of the Snow. We had a calming discussion regarding being far away from our usual lives and spiritual life in Antarctica. I would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays - whatever religion you might follow. May you be save and healthy and surrounded by wonderful people like I am here at the South Pole.
Happy Holidays and time for reflections!!
Elke reflected in the glass ball of the Ceremonial Pole.*
Tomorrow the preparations for Christmas will start. I signed up for the "potato-peeling- pre-Christmas-prep-party”. There are also other "prep parties”. Sunday will be all hands in the dining room for major clean up!! Monday is our big dinner. And Tuesday will be the famous "race around the world”