Heading Home

I can hardly believe that my Antarctica doctoring stint is over and I’m headed back to the States in a few short hours.  And I even got to explore New Zealand for 3 weeks on the tail end, amazing!

My last couple weeks on the ice were spent helping to orient the new summer doctor.  I hardly saw a patient as there were suddenly 6 of us in the clinic and all the new folk were eager to step in.  2 were returners from last summer so know their stuff.  I feel like the new team has a good grasp on the needs of the community and I expect they'll do fine for the coming season.

Helping put lights out on the runway for one of our last WinFly (Winter Flight) planes in September

Group of McMurdo-ites for a gathering at Scott Base a few days before we all were set to depart the ice

On my last weekend, I climbed up Observation Hill for the amazing view of the surrounding area including all of McMurdo Station.  I intended to stay and sit up top to contemplate my season and time on the ice but the cold wind cut things short.  I still snapped some lovely shots and felt good about my last adventure on Ross Island.


View of McMurdo Station from the top of Ob Hill

My redeployment flight was delayed a day due to weather.  The C-17 came down on October 2nd carrying 3 helicopters in cargo!  Unloading the helicopters delayed our departure but it was interesting to watch how the team managed to get them out, assembled and ready to fly.  Then it was our turn to fly north to Christchurch.  There were only 9 passengers from McMurdo and 2 from Scott Base.  Because the helicopters took up the entire middle of the plane, the usual rows of seats were missing and the space was wide open.  We sat along the sides.  Even got to go up to the cockpit and chat with the pilots.  5 hours later, I was in Christchurch.

The C-17 "birthing" a helicopter

About to board!

The inside of the C-17, seated along the sides with a wide open middle

Strangely, USAP requires us to drop off our gear (Big Red, bibs and boots) the day of arrival.  So after landing and going through NZ customs at 11pm, we walked from the Airport to the CDC for the drop off and got hotel assignments for the night.  By the time I got to my room I was exhausted!

I chose to stay in New Zealand for a few weeks after leaving Antarctica for some R&R and to visit some of my friends I met when I worked in NZ back in 2018-19.  I spend the first week traveling around the South Island in a camper van with my friend Ruth, the nurse from Scott Base.  It was wonderful to spend that time with her exploring beaches and going on bush walks.  The camper van was tight but we made it work and I'll have lasting memories of the trip.

Beautiful west coast on the South Island of NZ

Overlook of Hanmer Springs with Ruth.  We soaked in the hot pools the next morning

We stopped back in Christchurch for a night and got to meet up with some of our ice friends from the winter season.  It was nice to spend time with them outside of Antarctica and share a meal.

Some of my McMurdo and Scott Base friends gathered for a meal in Christchurch

Then I headed north to Taranaki and spent some wonderful time with old friends.  I'm lucky that they like exploring as well and I went on several hikes as well as a road trip while there.  I spent a year in this region and revisiting my old stomping grounds was special.

The New Plymouth walkway with iconic wind wand

Checking out the new suspension bridge at the base of Mt Taranaki with Susie and Nikki

My last 2 days in NZ were spent in Auckland.  I had met a couple doctors from the NZ Air Force when they came down to accompany our medevac patients over winter.  One of them offered to take me flying and what a flight it was.  I got a private tour of Auckland from the air.  Afterwards, we met the other doctor for lunch.  It was really nice to reconnect and I won't forget such an amazing flight-seeing adventure.

Our 2 seater plane.  Usually used to tow gliders.

Flying with Dr. Gus Cabre

Downtown Auckland from the air

Now I find myself at the Auckland airport getting ready to depart for the US.  It feels a bit surreal- did I really spend the last 8 months in Antarctica?  I was very lucky with minimal medical emergencies and thankfully, nothing I felt unequipped to handle.  I made some amazing friends.  I was more social than I've been my entire adult life.  I enjoyed the galley food more than I should have and have some weight to drop.  I learned how to hula hoop.  I knit and crocheted more hats than I ever have before.  I got to see penguins in the wild.  I never got too cold.  What an experience!


Now I'm heading to a more traditional Family Medicine Practice in North Carolina.  I've been on the move for the last 6 years, having adventure after adventure.  Am I ready to slow things down?  Dare I say settle down?  Time will tell.  Until then, I'll try to take each day as it comes and recall all the wonderful things I've managed to do thus far.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Antarctica bound

Image
Anyone who knows me will not be at all surprised by today's announcement- I'm headed to Antarctica!  Yes, that's where the South Pole is along with penguins, seals and orcas.  No polar bears (that was the Alaskan Arctic) or other furry mammals. And how did this opportunity come about you ask?  I worked in New Zealand 2018/19 and heard that as a Kiwi doctor, I could work in Antarctica.  Unfortunately I was working there as a Locum on a work visa and needed to be a permanent resident to be considered.  Then when I was in Alaska 2019-2021, I met a doctor who had worked in Antarctica who wasn't a Kiwi at all.  He told me that the US sends docs down twice a year to cover the health needs of scientists/explorers at 3 stations (learn more here https://www.usap.gov/) and he told me how to apply.  I did so that night but never heard back. Fast forward to January 2024.  I was waiting on a locum assignment in Virginia to finish my credentialing so I could st...
Read more

Special things

Image
Working on the ice can be monotonous.  Especially in the winter with seemingly endless night.  Kinda like the movie Groundhog Day.  It takes some creativity to get out of the rut and thankfully, we have some brilliantly talented people here this season. When I first arrived in February, there was an icebreaker ship called the Nathaniel B Palmer that came to town a couple of times.  We had an ice pier, so access to the ship was fairly straight forward when they were anchored.  However, the pier is released (cut free to float out into the ocean) every year or so and another built to maintain structural integrity, etc.  This year, the ice pier was scheduled to be released in March.  We had a medevac of one of the grantees on the ship so prepared to retrieve her.  However, the pier was released the day before the NBP came in.  So we had to get creative and ended up getting the patient off via a basket and a crane.  It was fun to witness and ...
Read more