75 Degrees South

Almost like astronauts, whose bones and muscles don’t have to resist against gravity once they are in space, being stranded indoors most of the time during the winter means we are at risk of “wasting” away.

Knowing that end of year celebrations are fast approaching and that our friends and family are currently enjoying Christmas markets, we decide to bring a little of the festivities here and make “tartiflette” and vin chaud.

We put our Tetris skills to the test, fitting in my small lab: a scan, multiple big metallic Zarges boxes filled to the brim with pipettes, an examination table for the phlebotomies and 3 lab benches.

But then again I won’t need my bus schedule or a google map any time soon!

But then again, despite the fact that millions of tons of ice surround us, water is a scare commodity here, as we must burn up very precious fuel to thaw it.

My first impression of the station is that it is actually quite big, a huge relief considering that I will be spending the next year here.

There are so many names to remember at first! At the apex of the summer campaign, there will be 90 of us living on the station, some sleeping inside Concordia itself but most in various heated “tents” and the summer camp.

After months of expectation, I am finally here! It still feels almost too overwhelming, and the first few days are a bit of a haze. I have to get used to a completely new level of organization for a relatively small station to function efficiently with so many people during the summer campaign.

It is difficult to express the feelings that submerged me as I finally saw the tiny speck of Concordia, lost in the immense snowy landscape, and understood that that is where I would be spending the next few months.

What do you say before going on such an adventure as this?