Michael Nayak

Tomorrow is my drawing board

Welcome! I’m Mikey Nayak.

I’m an author, scientist, Antarctic expeditioner, and skydive/airplane/wind tunnel instructor.

Antarctica 2018: Chapter 10: Thank you, friends.

November 24, 2018  /  michael nayak

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Today, I’d like to say a special thank you to my friends. 

This is my daily commute to work. I walk from the South Pole Station to a small building called SuperDARN, just about half a mile away, one-way. 

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Under good conditions (no wind), it’s a 15-minute walk. With wind, and blowing snow, and wind-chill, it’s frequently longer, in feel-like temperatures ranging as low as -78 degrees F (the coldest I’ve experienced on that walk so far). 

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Don’t get me wrong - I’m not complaining about the walk. It takes me around and past the Geographic South Pole, which means that my commute to work takes me around the world. And that makes it the coolest commute I’ve ever had.

But… lunch and dinner are served back at the Station, so walking back and forth, 1.2 miles each time, three times, every day, can be a little brutal. Especially when the wind kicks up enough snow that you can’t see the Station, just the flags in front of you. I’ve been here a while now, and have gotten used to it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t on the struggle bus when I first got here. 

But right around then, packages from my friends in the continental US began to arrive. I opened them and… was blown away.  

Chocolates. Snacks of all kinds. Things to mix into hot water like coconut and mocha and hot chocolate. COFFEE. So much good coffee. Warm socks! Notes that put a huge smile on my face. This is a corner of the SuperDARN room where I work… and this isn’t even half the goodies I’ve received. When it’s too brutal to trudge back to the Station, I just dig into these snacks, and am perfectly happy. I have literally gone an entire day, while in the midst of troubleshooting the telescope, eating nothing but snacks sent to me by thoughtful friends I’m lucky to have. 

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And I do mean thoughtful. Grace sent me Dayquil (lol) and a custom Spotify playlist before I left so I can listen to music while working and not be bored. Angie sent me Air Force stickers that I can leave behind down here, as the only active-duty member resident at the Pole, and felt-lined socks that I use to walk to SuperDARN every day. Gisela and Andrea sent me Swiss chocolate and jam (yesssss). Andrew E. sent me lip balm (for one of the driest places on Earth). Bethany sent me sleep balm (which helps me fall asleep quickly even though it’s light outside) and a ton of clever traceable snacks. Liz sent me lounging socks (Dobby is a free elf!) AND donated her Pelican case for me to use as a telescope control case. My mom sent me socks and Benadryl, which seems more random than it is. Jeannette sent me more chocolate than I could POSSIBLY eat (but I’ll find a way). Everyone sent me chocolate! You guys know me well.

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Those were just the items that were notable, in boxes full of much, much more. I could go on, but what I really want to say is… Thanks. 

The thing that still gets me about this place is the strangeness of it all - it’s so different from anything else I’ve experienced. While I enjoy that strangeness immensely, it’s also very nice to feel the touch of home, and the care of friends. It’s very pleasant to think that I have people in my life who went to the trouble of buying thoughtful gifts, filling out customs forms, and mailing it down here with enough time that it actually arrived in time for me to use them. I have hot coffee in my backpack, and chocolate to eat, and warm feet, and it feels great! 

So, the purpose of this post is really to say a huge thank you… to all my friends who have supported my journey to the South Pole in one way, shape or form. You guys are awesome, and I want you to know that I appreciate you. 

…and a very special thanks to those of you who became a part of the journey, with your thoughtful gifts: 

Andrea Luthi and Gisela Munoz
Andrew Emery
Angela Phillips
Bethany Nagid
Grace Persico
Jeannette van den Bosch
Kay Nayak
Liz Hyde 


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