Don’t forget: 24 December is Christmas
That’s what a small magnetic sign on the hallway wall of our ÜWI sleeping quarters reminds us. And it’s a good thing that it’s there, since we have plenty of things on our minds, just not Christmas. Our overwintering flat at the end of the world has been transformed into a hostel/lab/office/construction site for 50 people; the huge, quiet station has become a buzzing beehive. It’s summer in the Antarctic and the sun shines night and day. Aeroplanes fitted with skids land right outside our door, delivering everything from people, equipment and research materials to replacement parts and even gherkins. The “Polarstern” is on her way here with a year’s worth of provisions on board, and from time to time we can see the AWI research aeroplane “Polar 5” sitting outside. It’s crazy – but also pretty exciting! The station’s hydraulic struts are raised, parts of the station are reconfigured, scientists from every discipline imaginable get started on their exciting research projects, and expeditions depart for the continent’s interior. Everyone has plenty to do, the projects have been planned far in advance, with thorough preparations. Specialists from the fields of geophysics, meteorology, engineering, veterinary medicine, atmospheric chemistry, science engineering, glaciology, sea-ice physics, automotive engineering, biology, aerospace engineering and IT, not to mention cameramen and -women, flight crews, and many more now sit at the same canteen tables with us. People from Germany and Austria, France, Canada, Iceland, England, the Netherlands and the USA, all of whose work has brought them to the Neumayer Station in the Antarctic. There’s so much to get done, and they work in the day and/or night, depending on which offers better weather conditions; after all, the sun shines either way.
The mix of people and occupations leads to plenty of great conversations and occasionally even unconventional collaborations: the Arctic truck mechanic helps jack up the meteorological measuring field; the chemical engineer helps dig out the infrasound sensors from the “world peace” project; and an aerospace engineer and space gardener help put out new marker flags for the airstrip. Before long, there’s also a varied programme for our evening entertainment. We ÜWIs share videos from our overwintering – including a homemade advert for our in-house barber (Hannes); scientists report on their research projects and give informal talks in the lounge on amazing weather balloons, ice research, seals and expeditions; birthdays are celebrated, Markus gives a lecture on the physics involved in the formation of snowflakes, the camera crew give us a sneak preview of their shots, and Christoph, a biologist by training, puts on a wonderful piano concert. Pretty great times, if also pretty hectic.
And Christmas? Christmas never even crosses our minds until the Christmas market photos from back home start piling up and we start getting requests for interviews on how we actually celebrate it here. How do we celebrate Christmas? Despite all the ice and snow – with the sun shining day and night, it just doesn’t feel very Christmassy. But at the last minute, we get our acts together and manage to pull off something like good Christmas cheer. There’s a “secret Santa” system for presents: everyone pulls a name from a hat and gives the lucky someone a homemade present; after all, there’s nowhere we could go shopping. The presents, usually wrapped in cargo shipping paper, past-date hospital bed covers or paper towels, are placed under the impressively trimmed plastic Christmas tree in our lounge. The canteen looks wonderful, with the tables rearranged into a big horseshoe and covered with white tablecloths and Christmas decorations. Menus featuring our overwintering logo and that of the “new” team (who have since arrived!) are printed out.
Werner and Eva (the cook for the new overwintering team) gave it their all and whipped up a spectacular menu. Three volunteer waiters serve the meals. There’s fresh baguette and an appetizer of vegan tomato soup, followed by Franconian style goose breast with homemade dumplings and red cabbage, as well as a vegan alternative: vegetable curry on basmati rice. The dessert options are vegan panna cotta or chocolate mousse (or both, if you’re a smooth talker).
We spend the rest of the evening in the lounge, which has been lovingly decorated. In addition to the Christmas tree, there’s a Santa Claus climbing down from the window, a Christmas angel (“Oswald”, the mascot of the SEAEIS research team, finally found his true calling), and a roaring campfire video playing on the television, while handmade snowflakes made of printer paper hang from the ceiling.
The highlight of the evening: a piano concert. Given how far away we are from cultural events of any kind, it’s an even greater gift, and for many of us, is what finally makes our Christmas feel like Christmas. Then it’s time to open our gifts and try to guess who they’re from, which segues into a cosy evening in the lounge. Some of us venture up on the roof (because it’s once again so beautiful outside) to gaze at the pristine white expanse or enjoy the view of frozen-over Atka Bay and the icebergs. The midnight sun blazes high in the sky, a snow petrel swoops by, and in the distance, we can see a few scattered penguins standing about, waiting for their moulting to be complete. Silent night, holy night – Antarctic style.
