back in the USA!

Hello Friends,

So just 2 weeks ago I was leaving McMurdo station on a plane bound for New Zealand! The flight was luckily uneventful, and we arrived to Christchurch at about 9:30pm on Thursday November 5th.

As soon as the doors to the plane were opened I was hit with a wonderful wave of moisture and could smell so many many smells! it was amazing. After arriving at the airport we went through customs, and then had to make our way over to the antarctic center and the CDC (clothing distribution center) where we were given hotel assignments and dropped off all our ECW (extreme cold weather gear). After that I made sure to roll in the grass, hug a tree, and go to the bar where I had a wonderful beer on tap. And then I went to bed and slept for about 14 hours. So nice.

The next 2 weeks were spent mostly wondering around Christchurch, enjoying sunshine, trees and flowers, and eating lots of food. Now I am in Los Angelas visiting with a friend for a week before I finally see my family again! LA is so BIG, and there are so many people. This whole re-adjusting to the real world is so strange! I forgot how much of a hurry people are in! The world is a very very strange plane and it is going to take me a lot of time to feel normal here again. But that process has started and I am glad to be on my way home. I already miss the ice, and it was a wonderful experience but I am so so excited to see my sisters and parents and family after being away for over a year!