For those who work at McMurdo Base, weekends are a one-day affair. Except for holidays and special occasions, when arrangements are made for extra time off, the typical work week at McMurdo runs from Monday through Saturday.
Sundays are everybody's day to relax and play!
Part 1: Sunday Brunch
Mmmm... fruit!
The day begins with brunch at 9:00am. This in itself is a bit of a treat. Typically, breakfast is served at 5:30 and is finished by 7:30am. If you show up at 7:31am, the food is already being cleared away, and you are left with your choice of cereal or pizza.
On Sundays, most everyone gets to sleep in.
I, however, learned about this the hard way...
I woke up in a panic and ran over to the cafeteria at 7:28am, only to find a few slices of white bread on a tray and an empty dining hall. Figuring I had missed all the good stuff, I took some bread. Before I finished toasting it, a staff member came out and drew a big black curtain between the cafeteria and the seating area.
I returned to my room, disappointed, only to find my other three roommates still fast asleep. After twiddling my thumbs for about an hour or so, there was a knock at my door. I jumped to get it and found Tiffany, who had come to see if I wanted to join her for brunch.
"Ummm... there's brunch?"
I did not mention the fact that I had already eaten breakfast, and joined her, greedily.
McMurdo brunch is an extravagant affair... relatively speaking. There are all sorts of foods that we do not see during the week. For example, fresh fruit like watermelons and grapes, fancy cheese on a platter, and pastries that involve chocolate filling!! I was too busy eating to get any pictures, of course, but I'll try to remember next week!