hello everyone! the whole antarctic adventure thing is over, i am already back in Malaysia. the last few days i spent on station was a complete blur. the ship came ino the bay, helicopters flew in with new people and new cargo, we had a personnel change-over, the helicopters flew us out onto the ship, and before we knew it, it was two-engines-on and we were steaming back towards Hobart.

it took us 9 days to cross the Southern Ocean. i had 2 nights in Hobart. said my goodbyes to my friends who became my family for 12 months. flew to Sydney and spent 4 nights with my relatives. caught up with my Sydney friends and the Sydney lifestyle. flew to Malaysia. reunited with my family and caught up with more friends and relatives. attended a wedding dinner. celebrated Christmas.

and now, here i am on Christmas night, finally trying to digest everything that has happened. it has been such a whirlwind. i haven't even had time to slowly digest the fact that i've left Antarctica behind and that i'm actually, finally, really back in Malaysia. i don't have to dream realistic dreams of home anymore and wake up feeling disoriented. i don't have to keep telling the Davisites all about the food i will eat when i get home, because i am eating it all already.

i would be lying if i said i didn't miss the antarctic. however, the fact that i have to keep retelling my stories and my experiences whilst i was there is keeping my brain from finally registering that i have left. eh? what i'm trying to say is, i don't feel like i have left just yet, because each time i tell my stories, i get transported back to the station. let's see how long this feeling lasts.

it feels good to be home though. no, actually, it feels great.

2 december

the ship arrived yesterday around 9pm but just sat out in the harbour without commencing any flights. it was strange seeing the little orange blib appear from behind gardner island and gradually getting bigger and bigger. it looked very much like one of those plastic toy ships that kids have while they're playing around in the bathtub (obviously i'm conjuring up images of other peoples' childhoods as bathtubs were few and far between in mine). most people gathered upstairs in the lounge area, staring out the window at the ship making its way in. a few of them had positively longing gazes, you could feel them wanting to be on the ship. as for me, i didn't want to spend my last saturday night on station staring out at a ship that wasn't going anywhere, and knowing that i would have to spend another 2 weeks on it anyway...so i went to watch Captain America in the cinema instead.

most of the summerers are off the ship now though, and walking around the buildings. it is weird. all these people and unknown faces, having to learn new names (though not necessarily remembering them), noise, strange smells (OMG strange smells! there are all these smells my nose is currently unfamiliar with...mostly body odour) and of course, the queue snaking around the mess during mealtimes. i couldn't have my sunday-quiet-noodle-time like how i always used to, it was like sitting in the food court in KLCC again...everything was just so loud; not loud enough that you couldn't hear yourself talking, but loud enough so that you have to shout over the noise.

with the ship here, it also meant that today was the first time all of us had anything relatively fresh again. when the first helicopters flew in, they brought with them a few honeydews. fresh honeydew slices for breakfast = YUM. i've already had five and my stomach doesn't feel too well. i think my gut has forgotten how to process fresh food, but it doesn't faze me. i'm thinking about having just honeydew for dinner too.

not too long now!