Housing at McMurdo....

    Simply put... it is a freshman dormitory with ages ranging from 18 to 80.  But all acting like they are 20.  And yes there is an 80 year old gentleman here.  I am not sure what his job responsibilities are yet but I am assured he is incredibly healthy.

     I have been placed in Building 155 which is usually designated for transsitional people.  However I was placed in a room with 3 other women that are permanent summer guests.  We have 2 metal bunk beds, 4 metal amioares, 4 metal small something or other that resembles a filing cabinet, 1 desk, 1 chair, 1 refrigerator (dorm size), and 10 inch (maybe) screen tv and 4 peoples stuff.  The room I figure is perfectly square, about 14'x14'.  It has 2 doors on opposite walls.  One door is blocked by the desk and chair.  On the front of the blocked door is a sign that gives directions to the other door.  The "other door" leads into a "suite".  The suite is about 8'x10' and has 3 other rooms connected to it.  The suite contains a couch and matching chair-both badly stained, what looks like some wood supporting cushions making another couch, dresser (empty), coffee table, amiorare (full of stuff including a coconut shell bra).  There is a coat rack that cannot support all the people living in the rooms connected to the suite.  On the coffee table is a vase with fake flowers, a odor eater thing. a register book from people that have visited our suite 240 including some vague sexual exploits of a girl named Chelsea, and beer bottles.  There are Christmas lights all over the place-most work, and artwork remains hung from previous guests.  Up until the "bag and drag" my luggage stayed in the suite because there wasn't any space in our room.
     The three other rooms that ajoin our suited our filled with guys.  I haven't been quite sure who actually lives in them with so many people visiting our suite.  I am scared to look in these rooms to see what they are like.  Morgan, one of the guys-really nice, drinks "pork chops" almost every night.  He expleained that his beer has the equivalent protein of a pork chop.  I did check his beer and it does not have the equivilent amount of protein of a pork chop.  So we now call him "pork chop".  A couple of the guys smoke, and of course I give them a hard time about it.  I have got one of them so jumpy that he hides his cigarette if he sees me coming.  THANK GOODNESS there is no smoking inside and building-even the "bars".  The age range in our suite ranges from the mid 20's to the mid 60's and includes first timers, like me, and seasoned vets.
   Susan is one of my roommates.  I traveled with her from Denver... all the way here.  When we arrived our greeting was not neccessarily one of enthusastic welcome by our new companions.  This is understandable given the size of our room.  I think they have finally accepted us however Susan is hoping to find a better living arrangement and I will be shipping out one day.  One of our roommates is a chef and has traveled extensively at the age of 26.  She is always giving us a heads up to what is good and what isn't.  As well as bringing the good stuff back to the room.  The other is a DA, dining assistant, that is also working reccreation.  We don't see much of her.  All four of us have different hours and makes it very difficult to get any good rest.  I have taken to sleeping with earplugs and an eyemask, despite the fact that we don't have any windows.  I am supposed to have my own room at the South Pole-can't wait to get some good sleep but we will see...